最新15篇文章贯通英语四级词汇MP3 Unit10-Part2（在线收听）

[00:00.00]The need for new markets, 

[00:02.17]and a solid defense system 

[00:04.26]from potential invasion 

[00:05.79]by the United States, 

[00:07.21]brought an acute awareness 

[00:08.96]to these diverse colonies that 

[00:10.92]they should look to 

[00:12.78]each other for resolutions 

[00:14.21]to these problems. 

[00:15.85]They felt uneasy trying 

[00:18.58]to cope against these 

[00:20.44]adversities on their own. 

[00:21.98]Sir John A. Macdonald from United Canada, 

[00:26.35]the dominant personality at this time,

[00:29.64]also saw the acceleration of 

[00:31.71]American settlers moving north 

[00:34.23]and spreading throughout the flat 

[00:36.85]prairie lands to the west. 

[00:38.60]This would potentially put a wall 

[00:41.78]between the colonies in the East 

[00:43.96]and the lonely western British colony 

[00:46.60]in what is today part 

[00:48.35]of British Columbia on the west 

[00:49.98]coast of North America. 

[00:52.39]Macdonald felt that 

[00:54.80]the situation was urgent.

[00:56.44]In the summer of 1864, 

[01:00.05]the maritime colonies of Nova Scotia, 

[01:03.77]Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland 

[01:06.83]scheduled a meeting to discuss 

[01:08.91]the possibility of a customs union 

[01:11.53]or free trade area to compensate 

[01:14.16]for the latest setbacks 

[01:16.35]in trade relations with Britain 

[01:18.65]and the United States. 

[01:20.29]Macdonald managed to get permission 

[01:23.79]for some delegates from United Canada 

[01:25.76]to attend as observers. 

[01:27.73]For a number of years, 

[01:31.12]United Canada was experiencing 

[01:33.20]problems of political deadlock. 

[01:36.26]Canada West was predominantly English speaking 

[01:40.48]and Canada East was 

[01:42.68]predominantly French speaking. 

[01:44.97]A central government, set up in 1841, 

[01:49.01]required a majority from 

[01:51.86]both Canada West and Canada East 

[01:54.27]for all legislation to become law. 

[01:57.55]It was very difficult 

[02:00.06]to pass significant legislation 

[02:02.26]when two opposing views 

[02:04.33]were constantly being debated 

[02:06.63]and legislative bills were 

[02:08.49]constantly being defeated. 

[02:10.46]The Canadians saw a new, 

[02:13.31]wider union, a potential new national 

[02:16.91]institution or central government, 

[02:18.99]as a possible solution for 

[02:20.96]breaking out of this 

[02:23.15]constant political disorder.

[02:24.79]The Canadian delegates sailed 

[02:27.97]on board a cruise ship down 

[02:30.15]the St. Lawrence River, 

[02:31.57]into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, 

[02:33.11]to Charlottetown on Prince Edward Island. 

[02:35.73]This convention expanded to 

[02:39.02]discussions of the possibility 

[02:41.20]of all the British colonies 

[02:43.17]uniting into one nation.