读者文摘:改变历史的意外时刻(6)

Fog rescues George Washington and a revolution.

雾拯救了乔治·华盛顿和一场革命。

Despite the fireworks and celebrations every July 4th, the year 1776 was a dark one for the American Revolution.

尽管每年的7月4日都有烟花和庆祝，但是1776年对于美国独立战争来说是黑暗的一年。

On August 29, the British had driven George Washington’s Continental¹ Army all the way to the western edge of Long Island.

8月29日，英国已经将乔治·华盛顿的大陆军一路逼到长岛的西部边缘。

His forces were trapped by English soldiers on Brooklyn Heights while English warships² patrolled New York’s East River to his back.

他的部队在布鲁克林高地被英国士兵困住，而英国军舰则在他后面的纽约东河巡逻。

To all observers, the American Revolution appeared to be hours away from ending with the capture of General Washington and his helpless army.

在所有观察者看来，华盛顿将军和他无助的军队几小时后就会被抓获，美国革命就此结束。

But then a heavy rain hit the region, forcing English general William Howe to pause his attack.

但随后一场大雨袭击了该地区，迫使英国将军威廉·豪暂停了他的进攻。

In a moment that historian David McCullough later dubbed³ “the Revolution’s Dunkirk,”

在一个后来被历史学家大卫·麦卡洛称为“独立战争的敦刻尔克”的时刻，

this brief lapse⁴ gave Washington the precious time he needed to free his men from the noose⁵ around them.

这一短暂的延误给了华盛顿需要的宝贵时间，把他的人从束缚中解救出来。

He started slipping soldiers across the East River under cover of the night and into the morning,

他开始在黑夜的掩护下悄悄把士兵送过东河，一直到早晨，

when a heavy fog miraculously⁶ descended⁷ and continued to conceal⁸ his army’s movements from the British.

大雾奇迹般地降临，他可以继续向英军隐瞒军队的行动。

By the time the fog lifted, the British were flummoxed. George Washington’s entire army had retreated onto Manhattan, along with all their supplies.

当迷雾散去时，英国人已经不知所措了。乔治·华盛顿的全军带着他们所有的物资已经撤退到曼哈顿。

General Washington was reportedly the last soldier to leave Long Island.

据报道，华盛顿将军是最后一位离开长岛的军人。

Although a tactical defeat, Washington’s retreat is considered one of the narrowest escapes in the history of the U.S. military.

尽管在战术上失败了，但是华盛顿领导的撤军被认为是美军历史上最惊险的逃生之一。

1 continental   

adj.大陆的，大陆性的，欧洲大陆的

参考例句：

• A continental climate is different from an insular one.大陆性气候不同于岛屿气候。
• The most ancient parts of the continental crust are 4000 million years old.大陆地壳最古老的部分有40亿年历史。

2 warships   

军舰，战舰( warship的名词复数 )； 舰只

参考例句：

• The enemy warships were disengaged from the battle after suffering heavy casualties. 在遭受惨重伤亡后，敌舰退出了海战。
• The government fitted out warships and sailors for them. 政府给他们配备了战舰和水手。

3 dubbed   

v.给…起绰号( dub的过去式和过去分词 )；把…称为；配音；复制

参考例句：

• Mathematics was once dubbed the handmaiden of the sciences. 数学曾一度被视为各门科学的基础。
• Is the movie dubbed or does it have subtitles? 这部电影是配音的还是打字幕的？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 lapse   

n.过失，流逝，失效，抛弃信仰，间隔；vi.堕落，停止，失效，流逝；vt.使失效

参考例句：

• The incident was being seen as a serious security lapse.这一事故被看作是一次严重的安全疏忽。
• I had a lapse of memory.我记错了。

5 noose   

n.绳套，绞索（刑）；v.用套索捉；使落入圈套；处以绞刑

参考例句：

• They tied a noose round her neck.他们在她脖子上系了一个活扣。
• A hangman's noose had already been placed around his neck.一个绞刑的绳圈已经套在他的脖子上。

6 miraculously   

ad.奇迹般地

参考例句：

• He had been miraculously saved from almost certain death. 他奇迹般地从死亡线上获救。
• A schoolboy miraculously survived a 25 000-volt electric shock. 一名男学生在遭受2.5 万伏的电击后奇迹般地活了下来。

7 descended   

a.为...后裔的，出身于...的

参考例句：

• A mood of melancholy descended on us. 一种悲伤的情绪袭上我们的心头。
• The path descended the hill in a series of zigzags. 小路呈连续的之字形顺着山坡蜿蜒而下。

8 conceal   

v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽

参考例句：

• He had to conceal his identity to escape the police.为了躲避警方，他只好隐瞒身份。
• He could hardly conceal his joy at his departure.他几乎掩饰不住临行时的喜悦。