EXPLORATIONS - The Mississippi River

EXPLORATIONS¹
–
May 22, 2002: The Mississippi River

By Oliver Chanler
VOICE ONE:
This is Steve Ember.
VOICE TWO:
And this is Shirley Griffith with the VOA Special English program, EXPLORATIONS. Today we tell about the

biggest river in the United² States, The Mississippi.
((THEME)
)
VOICE ONE:
The Mississippi flows from near the northern border of the United States south into the Gulf³ of Mexico. The river

flows for four-thousand kilometers through the center of the country. It is the one of the longest rivers in the

world. The Amazon in South America and the Nile in eastern Africa are the only rivers in the world that are

longer.

The name, Mississippi, came from the Chippewa Indians who lived in what is now
the north central part of the United States. Their name for the river was “maesisipu”.
In the Chippewa language this meant “river of many fishes”. The word
was not easy for European explorers⁵ to say. So they began calling it the Mississippi
instead. Today, it is often called ‘Old Man River’.

Modern maps show that Little Elk⁶ Lake in the north central state of Minnesota is the
true beginning of the Mississippi River. Little Elk Lake is only about four
kilometers long.

VOICE TWO:

At its beginning, the Mississippi does not look like much of a river. But it grows as it starts moving slowly north
before turning west and then south.

What is called the Upper Mississippi ends in southern Illinois, near a city with an Egyptian name
–
Cairo⁷.
However, in this middle western state it is called Kay-ro. At Cairo, another large river, the Ohio River, joins the
expanding Mississippi.

It is easy to see how the Upper Mississippi has flowed through the land. It has cut its way through mountains of
rock, pushing and pushing its waters slowly south.

VOICE ONE:

The Lower⁸ Mississippi begins south of Cairo. It is often higher than the land along it. The land is protected by
man-made⁹ levees, which are walls of earth. These levees prevent the river from flooding. Some of these levees
are higher and longer than the Great Wall of China. If you stand behind some of the levees you look up at the
river and boats sailing¹⁰ on it.

While the levees control the river, the land is safe. But when heavy rains fall on the hundreds of big and little
rivers that flow into the Mississippi, the land is threatened. If the levees break, the river can spread its fingers
across the land, flooding towns and villages and destroying crops growing in fields.

VOICE TWO:


There are hundreds of big and little islands throughout¹¹ the Mississippi River. These islands are formed by dirt
carried along by the flow of the powerful¹² river. Every year, the river carries five-hundred-million tons of dirt.
Islands can form quickly, sometimes between the time a ship sails down the river and returns.

United States government engineers work hard to keep the river safe. They destroy
islands built by the river to keep it clear for ships and trade. They also work to keep
the levees strong so that the river does not break through them. Still, Old Man River
does not like to be controlled. Every few years the Mississippi River changes its
path or floods many thousands of hectares¹³.

((MUSIC BRIDGE))

VOICE ONE:

In the state of Minnesota, the two cities of Minneapolis and Saint¹⁴ Paul face each other across the river. The cities
are on the northernmost point on the river that is deep enough for trade boats to sail. The cities today form an
important center for business and agriculture.

About two-thousand kilometers south along the river is the city of Saint Louis, Missouri. The city is just a few
kilometers south of where the huge Missouri River joins the Mississippi. A French trader¹⁵ first established a
business there in Seventeen-Sixty-Four. A few years later settlers named their new town after the Thirteenth
Century French King, Louis the Ninth, who had been made a Christian¹⁶ saint. The city of Saint Louis was a
popular starting point for settlers traveling to the American west.

VOICE TWO:

The most famous city on the Mississippi is at the river’s southern end. It is the port city of New Orleans,
Louisiana. French explorers first settled¹⁷ there, naming the town after the French city of Orleans (Or-lay-onh).
From its earliest days, New Orleans was an important center for national and international trade. During the War

of Eighteen-Twelve a great battle was fought there against British forces.

Today, New Orleans continues to be an important center for business and international trade. But the city is
probably most famous for its culture, music, and food. Many cultures unite in New Orleans. The large black
population of the city provides strong influences from Africa, the Caribbean, and South America. French culture
also has been very important since the time the city and large areas of North America belonged to France.

((MUSIC BRIDGE))

VOICE ONE:

Indians had lived in the Mississippi Valley for a very long time when Spanish explorer⁴ Hernando De Soto arrived
around Fifteen-Forty.

De Soto was looking for gold and cities of gold. He thought the Mississippi was just another river to cross before
he would reach those cities, which the Spanish called El Dorado. Instead of the cities, he found hostile¹⁸ Indians,
hunger and sickness.

De Soto died on the edge¹⁹ of the river in Fifteen-Forty-Two. He was forty-two years old.

After De Soto’s death, the natives attacked the soldiers he had brought with him and forced them off the land.
The Indians saw no more Europeans in the part of the country for more than one-hundred
–
twenty years.

VOICE TWO:

In Sixteen-Eighty-Two, French explorer Rene Robert Cavelier, Sieur de la Salle, reached the mouth of the
Mississippi at the Gulf of Mexico. La Salle claimed the surrounding country for France. He named it Louisiana,
after the King of France at that time, Louis the Fourteenth.

La Salle failed to reach his goal of building forts²⁰ and trading towns along the Mississippi from Canada south to
the Gulf of Mexico. Instead, he was murdered by one of his soldiers.


VOICE ONE:

By the end of the Seventeenth Century, stories about Louisiana were spreading across France and other parts of
Europe. Ships that were sailing to the new world were crowded with people. Many of them died of hunger and
sickness. However French people kept coming. They began settling²¹ the Mississippi Valley. They established
control along the river, from New Orleans to as far north as Illinois.

In Seventeen-Eighty-One, Britain and the new United States of America signed the Treaty²² of Paris, ending the
American Revolutionary War. The treaty gave the United States complete control of the land between the
Atlantic Ocean and the Mississippi River. The Americans also gained the right to use the river.

In Eighteen-Three, France sold the territory²³ of Louisiana to the United States. What became known²⁴ as “The
Louisiana Purchase”
included more than two-million square kilometers. It was the largest land purchase in
history.

((MUSIC BRIDGE))

VOICE TWO:

* UDSKLF
,PDJH

In the early Nineteenth Century, the steam engine was invented. Soon steamboats
were moving goods and people on the Mississippi River. For about sixty years,
steamboats were extremely²⁵ important for trade in the Mississippi Valley and
throughout most of the middle west.

During this time, a boy living in a town next to the Mississippi fell in love with
steamboats and the river. He grew up to become a captain on one of those boats.

Then he began writing stories and books, using the name Mark Twain. Mark Twain’s most famous book is
“Huckleberry Finn”. It tells the story of a boy who runs away with a slave²⁶ and their adventures as they drift²⁷ on a
raft²⁸ down the Mississippi.

The American Civil War was fought between Eighteen-Sixty-One and Eighteen-Sixty-Five. During this time,
nothing much was heard along the river but the sounds of war. After the war, trade along the river began again.

VOICE ONE:

The Mississippi has always had an important part in American history. Today, the river is still an important part
of the American economy²⁹. Goods are carried up and down the river to get to other parts of the country and the
world.

Human activities on and along the Mississippi River have changed through history. But the great river just keeps
flowing through the center of America. As the song “Old Man River”
says: “It must know something. It
don’t say nothing. It just keeps rolling along.
”

((Music: "Old Man River"))

VOICE TWO:

This Special English program was written by Oliver Chanler and directed³⁰ by Paul Thompson. This is Shirley
Griffith.

VOICE ONE:

And this is Steve Ember. Join us again next week for another EXPLORATIONS program on the VOICE OF
AMERICA.

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1 explorations   

探险旅行( exploration的名词复数 )； 搜寻； 考察； 勘探

参考例句：

• Our underwater explorations also helped to confirm the theory. 我们的水下考察也有助于证实这个理论。
• The geographical explorations had revealed the inadequacies of the existing maps. 地形勘查揭露出现有地图的不妥之处。

2 united   

adj.和谐的；团结的；联合的，统一的

参考例句：

• The whole nation is closely united.全国人民紧密团结。
• The two men were united by community of interests.共同的利益使两个人结合在一起。

3 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

4 explorer   

n.探险家，探测者

参考例句：

• His father is an Arctic explorer.他父亲是一位北极探险者。
• The explorer organized an expedition to the North Pole.那位考察者组织了一个去北极的探险队。

5 explorers   

n.探险家，勘探者( explorer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The explorers climbed a mound to survey the land around them. 勘探者爬上土丘去勘测周围的土地。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The explorers had to rough it when they got into the jungle. 那些探险者进入丛林后，不得不过着艰苦的生活。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 elk   

n.麋鹿

参考例句：

• I was close enough to the elk to hear its labored breathing.我离那头麋鹿非常近，能听见它吃力的呼吸声。
• The refuge contains the largest wintering population of elk in the world.这座庇护所有着世界上数量最大的冬季麋鹿群。

7 Cairo   

n.开罗(埃及首都)

参考例句：

• They get onto the plane at Cairo.他们在开罗上飞机。
• Cairo is the capital of Egypt.开罗是埃及的首都。

8 lower   

adj.较低的；地位较低的，低等的；低年级的；下游的；vt.放下，降下，放低；减低

参考例句：

• Society is divided into upper,middle and lower classes.社会分为上层、中层和下层阶级。
• This price is his minimum;he refuses to lower it any further.这个价格是他开的最低价，他拒绝再作任何降价。

9 man-made   

adj.人造的，合成的，人为的

参考例句：

• Nylon is a man-made fibre.尼龙是一种人造纤维。
• Many countries have sent up man-made satellites to circle the earth.许多国家已经发射人造卫星围绕地球运转。

10 sailing   

n.航行，航海术，启航

参考例句：

• Experienced seamen will advise you about sailing in this weather.有经验的海员会告诉你在这种天气下的航行情况。
• The operation was plain sailing.手术进行得顺利。

11 throughout   

adv.到处，自始至终；prep.遍及，贯穿

参考例句：

• These magazines are sold at bookstores throughout the country.这些杂志在全国各地书店均有发售。
• Guilin is known throughout the world for its scenery.桂林以山水著称于世。

12 powerful   

adj.有力的，有权力的，强大的

参考例句：

• The UN began to get more and more powerful.联合国开始变得越来越强大了。
• Such are the most powerful voices of our times!这些就是我们时代的最有力的声音！

13 hectares   

n.公顷（等于2。471英亩）( hectare的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Thousands of hectares of forest are destroyed each year. 每年都有几千公顷的森林遭到破坏。
• There sugar-beet plantation areas were expanded to 176000 hectares. 他们的甜菜种植面积增加到176000公顷。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 saint   

n.圣徒；基督教徒；vt.成为圣徒，把...视为圣徒

参考例句：

• He was made a saint.他被封为圣人。
• The saint had a lowly heart.圣人有谦诚之心。

15 trader   

n.商人；商船

参考例句：

• The old man was a trader in tea.那老头曾是茶商。
• He was a foxy old trader.他是个老奸商。

16 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

17 settled   

a.固定的；稳定的

参考例句：

• The dispute was settled without acrimony. 没有唇枪舌剑，这场纠纷就解决了。
• a settled way of life 安定的生活方式

18 hostile   

adj.不友好的，敌对的；敌方的，敌人的

参考例句：

• The local people are hostile to outsiders.当地人敌视外地人。
• Their hostile looks showed that he was unwelcome.他们怀敌意的表情说明他不受欢迎。

19 edge   

n.边(缘)；刃；优势；v.侧着移动，徐徐移动

参考例句：

• Sight along the edge to see if it's straight.顺着边目测，看看直不直。
• She lived on the extreme edge of the forest.她住在森林的最边缘。

20 forts   

fortsaettelse (Dano-Norwegian=continuation or sequel) （丹麦-挪威语）继续或结局

参考例句：

• A line of forts was built along the border to protect the country against attack. 在边界沿线修筑了堡垒以保护国家免受攻击。
• Forts and churches almost always go together, and yet they're downright contradictions. 有要塞的地方，就一定有教堂，然而，这两者显然是水火不相容的。

21 settling   

沉淀物

参考例句：

• They were behindhand in settling their debts. 他们没有及时还清债务。
• Settling the dispute required great tact and diplomacy. 解决这个争端需要十分老练和娴熟的外交手腕。

22 treaty   

n.条约；协议，协定

参考例句：

• Hungary has indicated its readiness to sign the treaty.匈牙利已表示愿意签订该条约。
• I believe this treaty will pave the way to peace in Europe. 我相信这个条约将为欧洲的和平铺平道路。

23 territory   

n.领土，领地，版图，地区，活动范围

参考例句：

• Resources in plenty can be found in this territory.这一地区能找到大量自然资源。
• Our country has a vast territory and abundant resources.我国土地辽阔，资源丰富。

24 known   

adj.大家知道的；知名的，已知的

参考例句：

• He is a known artist.他是一个知名的艺术家。
• He is known both as a painter and as a statesman.他是知名的画家及政治家。

25 extremely   

adv.极其，非常，极度

参考例句：

• The film is extremely good,I just cannot miss it.这部电影太精彩了，我非看不可。
• The old man was extremely difficult to get along with.这个老人极难相与。

26 slave   

n.奴隶，附件，卑鄙的人；vi.拼命工作

参考例句：

• Don't be a slave to custom.不要做风俗习惯的奴隶。
• Why should I slave away all my life!我为什么要辛辛苦苦地干一辈子呀！

27 drift   

vi.漂流(泊)；n.漂流，漂流物；大意；趋势

参考例句：

• The leaves drift in the storm.树叶在暴风雨中飘动。
• The drift of the icebergs in the sea endangers the ships.海上冰山的漂流危及船只的安全。

28 raft   

vi.乘筏；n.木筏

参考例句：

• I lay on the raft in the sun until I was dry.我在阳光下躺在木排上，一直到全身都干了。
• She spent seven days afloat on a raft.她在一只木筏上漂泊了七天。

29 economy   

n.经济；节俭；秩序；机体

参考例句：

• We must do our best to develop the national economy.我们必须努力发展国民经济。
• The country's economy is not very healthy.国家的经济不很景气。

30 directed   

adj.有指导的；有管理的；定向的；被控制的v.（用建议、指示、有益的情报等）指导( direct的过去式和过去分词 )；导演（戏剧或电影）；指示方向；把…对准（某方向或某人）

参考例句：

• The firemen directed jets of water at the burning building. 消防队员把水柱喷向燃烧着的楼房。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The general directed that the prisoners should be set free. 将军命令释放囚犯。 来自《简明英汉词典》