雙語+MP3|美國學生世界地理08 帝國州

SEVERAL countries together are called an “Empire.” So New York State is often called the Empire State, because it has as many people, who do as much business and make as much money, as several countries put together.
幾個國家合在一起叫做“帝國”，紐約州常被叫做帝國州，因為它人口眾多，商業(yè)發(fā)達，財源滾滾，怎么都抵得上好幾個國家。
Down at the corner of New York State is New York City, the second largest city in the World, with more shops, more hotels, more people, and more money than any other city on this side of the World, and with more tall buildings than on any side of the World. It was named after a city across the ocean called York, but New York is now hundreds of times bigger than old York. It is the city of millionaires and millions who are not. People from all over the world come to New York hoping to be millionaires too. Some used to think the streets were paved with gold, and were disappointed when they found them just asphalt.
紐約州南部的一角是紐約市，它是世界第二大城市，是西半球擁有最多的商店、旅館、人口和財富的城市，也是全球擁有最多高樓的城市。它是以大洋對岸一個叫約克的城市命名的，但是“新約克”（紐約）要比舊約克大上幾百倍。它是百萬富翁的城市，也居住著數(shù)以百萬的平民。世界各地的人來到紐約，都夢想成為百萬富翁。有些人一直認為這兒的大街都是金子鋪的，到了紐約他們才發(fā)現(xiàn)這里的街道也不過就是柏油路，不免大失所望。
The main part of New York City is on an island which the Indians called Manhattan. White men bought it from the Indians and paid them about $24 for the whole island—not in money, for the Indians didn’t know what money was, but in beads and ornaments worth $24. A piece of ground only large enough to stand on would now cost many times more than what the whole island once cost. That may seem a big price for a small piece of ground, but a plot of ground is not like a sheet of paper, without thickness. The owner owns everything above and below the ground—down to the center of the earth and up to the sky. That is why men in New York build buildings up to the sky—“sky-scrapers” we call them—for a fifty-story building takes up no more land than a one-story building.
紐約市的主要部分在一個印第安人稱作曼哈頓的島上。當時白人從印第安人手里買下了整個島，只花了大約24美元——不是付的現(xiàn)金，因為那時印第安人還不知道錢是什么東西呢，他們只要了一些珠寶飾品。加起來值24美元左右?，F(xiàn)在任何一塊立錐之地也要比當時整個島的價格高出很多倍。就一小塊地來說這似乎是個很高的價格，但是一塊地不同于一張紙，紙是沒有厚度的。而土地的主人則擁有這塊地的上下所有東西——下至地心，上至天空。所以紐約人建造了很多高聳入云的樓房——就是人們所說的“摩天大廈”——因為一幢50層的樓房和一幢一層的樓房的占地面積是一樣的。
To me there is nothing in the World made by the hand of man more wonderful than New York’s giant buildings. They are marvelous, magnificent, awe-inspiring, stupendous, amazing, overpowering, thrilling, Brobdingnagian. Have you read “Gulliver’s Travels”? Brobdingnag was the land of the giants. They stand unmoved by thunder and lightning, by wind, storm, or tempest, and they look down on their creaters—mites of men who, with their hands of only five fingers, have built them. New York’s motto is “Excelsior,” which means “Higher,” and that is the motto of its builders. There is a saying, “Great oaks from little acorns grow,” and one of the greatest of these buildings—sixty stories high—was built from the nickels and dimes made by Woolworth’s Five and Ten Cent Stores. The most marvelous building of all is called the Empire State Building. It is one hundred and two stories high, taller than any other building in New York City, or in America, or in the whole World.
對我來說，世界上沒有任何人工的東西會比紐約的大樓更奇異的了。它們蔚為大觀，宏偉壯麗，令人敬畏，令人驚嘆，令人驚奇，在它們面前你自覺渺小，激動不已，像是到了大人國。你讀過《格列佛游記》嗎？大人國是故事里巨人們居住的地方。這些摩天大廈在風雨雷電中巍峨聳立，暴風雨也奈何不了它們，它們俯視著它們的創(chuàng)造者——小小的人類，正是他們用僅有十根指頭的一雙手建造了這些大樓。紐約的座右銘是“Excelsior”[1]，意思是“追求更高”，這也是它的建造者們的座右銘。我們有句諺語說“小小橡果長成參天大樹”，這些最高的大樓中有一幢60層的樓房就是用伍爾沃斯的廉價品商店賺的5分、10分的硬幣蓋起來的。紐約摩天大樓中最了不起的要數(shù)帝國大廈了，有102層，比紐約，比美國，比世界上任何其他建筑物都高。
One group of high buildings in New York might be called the capitol of the World. After World War II most of the countries of the World wanted to find some way of keeping a third World War from happening. These countries each sent men to meet together as our States send men to Congress. At their meetings they discuss matters that are of interest to all the countries of the World. When any country quarrels with another these people try to have them settle their quarrel without fighting. This congress is called the United Nations. The United Nations decided that New York City would be the best place to have its meetings and carry on its business. So there it built its offices. When the buildings were dedicated, or solemnly set apart for United Nations use, the speeches were broadcast in twenty-six different languages.
紐約的一組高樓可以稱作是全世界的“國會大廈”。第二次世界大戰(zhàn)之后，世界上大多數(shù)國家都想尋找一個方法避免第三次世界大戰(zhàn)爆發(fā)。就像我們每個州選派代表去國會開會一樣，這些國家分別派出代表一起開會。他們在會上討論各種與各國有利害關系的話題。當兩個國家吵架了，這些代表就會勸說他們有事好商量，不要打架。這個國會叫做“聯(lián)合國”。聯(lián)合國認為紐約是他們召開會議、處理事務的最合適的地方，于是在這里建了辦公地點。當這些樓正式劃歸聯(lián)合國專門用于召開會議以后，會議發(fā)言是以26種語言播放的。
At a meeting of the United Nations each speaker speaks in his own language, yet he can be understood by all the other people there, for everyone wears earphones and hears a translation of the speech in the language he understands. Of course the people who do the translation must know two languages, for they have to listen in one language and speak into a microphone in another language. What they speak into the microphones is what is heard in the earphones. Millions of other people watch the United Nations meetings on television.
聯(lián)合國會議上每一位發(fā)言人都說他自己國家的語言，但是其他人都能聽懂，因為每個人都戴著耳機，聽到發(fā)言被翻譯成自己能聽懂的語言。當然做翻譯的人必須懂兩種語言，聽到一種語言后，就立刻通過話筒翻譯成另一種語言，傳到代表的耳機中。數(shù)百萬人通過電視收看聯(lián)合國會議。
On a little island in New York Harbor is a huge bronze statue called the Goddess of Liberty holding aloft a torch-light. Her hand is over sixteen feet long. What a hand to shake! One finger is eight feet long. What a finger for a ring! Her nose is four and one-half feet long. What a nose for smelling! Her mouth is a yard wide. What a mouth for talking! You can climb up on the inside into the Goddess’s head and arm, and a dozen people can stand inside her torch. Ships pass by her, and their passengers crowding the deck greet her with a thrill of “My Country, ’Tis of Thee, Sweet Land of Liberty,” and wave her farewell as they leave for afar, perhaps never to return.
在紐約港一個小島上有一座巨大的銅像，叫做自由女神，她高高舉著一個火炬。她的手有16英尺多長，這么大一只手誰能握得住??！一根指頭有8英尺長，這么大的手指要戴多大的戒指??！她的鼻子有4.5英尺長，這么大的鼻子能聞到多遠的氣味啊！她的嘴巴有一碼寬，這么大的一張嘴要能說話，該有多么響亮??！你可以從她的身體里面攀登上去，進入女神的腦袋和手臂，她的火炬里面可以站12個人。輪船從她旁邊經(jīng)過，船上的人會聚集在甲板上向她問好，大聲喊著“我的祖國，那屬于你，美好的自由之邦”，然后跟她揮手道別，離開遠去，有人也許永遠不會再回來了。
On one side of Manhattan Island is the Hudson River and on the other side is the East River. A bridge was built across the East River by stretching ropes made of steel from one side of the river to the other and hanging the floor of the bridge from these steel ropes. This is called a suspension bridge. It is called the Brooklyn Bridge because at the other end of it on Long Island is another big city called Brooklyn. Brooklyn is now a part of New York City. Such bridges had been built over small streams before, but this was the first big, long bridge built in this way. It is suspended in the air so high above the water that even the greatest ships easily pass beneath it.
曼哈頓島的一面是哈得遜河，另一面是東河。一座橋橫跨東河之上，拉緊的鋼索從河岸兩邊吊起大橋的橋面。這種橋叫做懸索橋。這座橋名叫布魯克林大橋，因為在橋的另一端是長島，上面有另一個大城市，名叫布魯克林。布魯克林現(xiàn)在是紐約市的一部分。以前懸索橋是搭建在小河流上的，布魯克林大橋是世界上第一座又大又長的懸索橋。它高高地懸在空中，就連最大的船只也能順利地從橋下通過。
At first people were afraid to cross the Brooklyn Bridge, for, said they, “A bridge hung on ropes, even if made of steel, will fall.” It swayed and shook as trucks and cars rumbled over it, and it still does—but still hangs. Several other bridges have been built over the East River and the Hudson River to New York City. Also, tunnels have been dug under the Hudson. The tunnels are called “Tubes” because they are like big tubes under the river.
最初人們都不敢從布魯克林橋上走過，因為他們說：“繩子吊起的橋會塌的，哪怕就是鋼繩也不安全。”卡車和汽車轱轆轱轆急駛而過時，橋就搖擺晃動起來，現(xiàn)在仍然如此，不過橋還是穩(wěn)穩(wěn)懸在那里。東河和哈得遜河上還建了其他幾座通往紐約的橋。哈得遜河下面還挖了隧道。這些隧道叫做“地下管道”，因為它們就像鋪在河底的巨大的管子。
Two of the most famous streets in the World run the length of Manhattan Island and still farther north. One is named Broadway and the other Fifth Avenue. Broadway was at first only a short street, but it seemed very broad, so they called it that. Broadway, however, is now so long that it might better be called “Longway.” One part of it is lighted so brightly at night by thousands of electric lights and flashing electric signs that it is often called “The Great White Way.” Fifth Avenue is a famous street of once fashionable homes, and many of the finest and most expensive shops are there, so that Fifth Avenue has come to mean Fashion Avenue. The streets of New York are so crowded that most of the people travel from their homes to their work by trains that run in tunnels underground. These underground tunnels are called Subways.
世界上兩條最著名的街道穿過整個曼哈頓島，還繼續(xù)向北延伸。一條叫做百老匯大街，另一條叫第五大道。百老匯最初只是一條很短的街道，因為看起來很寬，所以被取名為百老匯大街，但現(xiàn)在這條街已經(jīng)變得很長了，也許我們最好給它取名叫百老匯“長街”。到了晚上，這條街上有一段路被幾千盞電燈和閃爍的招牌照得燈火通明，經(jīng)常被人叫做“不夜大街”。第五大道是條非常著名的大街，曾經(jīng)住著一些上流社會的家庭，現(xiàn)在有很多最精致、最高檔的商店，因此第五大道現(xiàn)在就意味著時尚大道。紐約的街道非常擁擠，大多數(shù)人上班都乘坐地下隧道里的火車。這種地下隧道叫做地鐵。
In spite of the fact that land in New York City is worth more than any other land in the World, there are two big parks where city people may have a little country. Central Park is fifty blocks long and several blocks wide, and Bronx Park has a wonderful Zoo where there are strange and curious animals which hunters have brought alive from the jungles, mountains, deserts, and wildernesses of far-off lands.
盡管紐約市的土地比世界上其他任何地方都要貴，但市內仍然有兩個很大的公園，城里人可以在那里感受一點田園風光。中央公園有50個街區(qū)那么長，好幾個街區(qū)那么寬，布朗克斯公園里有一座很棒的動物園，里面有各種珍奇罕見的動物，都是獵人從叢林、深山、沙漠和遙遠國度的荒野之地捕捉來的。
A man from across the ocean once landed in New York and spent the day seeing the sights. Just before dinner he said he would like to drive out and see Niagara Falls, which he had heard were the most wonderful falls in the World. When he was told that it would take all night on a fast train to get to Niagara, he couldn’t understand.
有一次，大洋彼岸有個人來到紐約，欣賞了一天的風景。就在晚飯前，他說他想開車去看看尼亞加拉大瀑布，因為他聽說那是世界上最壯觀的瀑布。當他聽說得乘坐快速火車花上一整夜的時間才能到達尼亞加拉，他很疑惑。
“But isn’t Niagara in New York?” he asked.
“尼亞加拉不是就在紐約嗎？”他問道。
“Yes,” was the reply, “but not in New York City. Niagara is all the way across the State of New York.”
“是的，”對方回答說，“不過不是在紐約市，是在紐約州的另一端。”
On the west edge of New York State are two great lakes with Indian names—Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. Lake Erie on the map looks lower than Lake Ontario, but it really is much higher. So the water from Lake Erie falls over a high and broad cliff to reach Lake Ontario. This waterfall is called Niagara, and though there are other falls in the World higher and other falls broader, Niagara is the most beautiful and most famous, and people go from all over the World to see it. The roar of the water as it thunders over the edge can be heard for miles, and when the sun is shining there is always a rainbow in the spray that rises from the bottom of the falls. Thousands of people view the falls each day, and of each thousand—
在紐約州西部邊界有兩個大湖——伊利湖和安大略湖，這兩個名字都是印第安語。從地圖上看伊利湖在安大略湖的下面，其實伊利湖的地勢要高很多。因此伊利湖的水從一處又高又寬的懸崖飛瀉而下，流入安大略湖。這個瀑布叫做尼亞加拉瀑布，盡管世界上還有比它更高更寬的瀑布，但尼亞加拉瀑布卻是最美麗、最著名的，世界各地的人都慕名前來觀賞。瀑布在懸崖邊發(fā)出震耳欲聾的轟隆聲，幾英里外都能聽到，陽光燦爛的時候，瀑布底部升起的水霧中總能看到一道五彩繽紛彩虹。每天都有成千上萬的人來觀賞這個瀑布，每一千名游客中——
358 say “Isn’t it wonderful !”
358人會說：“太棒了！”
247 say “Isn’t it grand!”
247人會說：“太壯觀了！”
136 say “Isn’t it beautiful!”
136人會說：“太美了！”
93 say “Isn’t it lovely!”
93人會說：“太可愛了！”
45 say “Isn’t it pretty !”
45人會說：“太漂亮了！”
24 say “Ah!”
24人會發(fā)出“啊”的感嘆聲
And the rest say “Oh!”
其余人會發(fā)出“哇”的驚嘆聲。
A part of Niagara is caught in a huge bucket as it falls. and the falling water turns giant wheels in the bottom of the bucket. The wheels make electricity, which is carried on wires to turn the wheels of mills, to run the trolley-cars, and to light the houses and streets in the city of Buffalo near-by, and other places farther away.
尼亞加拉瀑布的水有一部分落入一個巨大的桶，桶底部有幾個巨大的輪子，流水推動輪子轉動就能發(fā)電了。電通過電線輸送出去，就可以讓磨坊的機輪轉動起來，讓電車開動起來，也讓附近的布法羅市和其他更遠地方的房子和街道的燈亮起來。
For some reason or other, every now and then some man tries to jump the falls in a barrel, and at least one man has done it and lived. But boats on Lake Erie that wanted to go to Lake Ontario couldn’t jump the falls, So men dug a river around Niagara Falls from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario and put water steps in it so that boats could go downhill to Lake Ontario or uphill to Lake Erie. This man-made river is called the Welland Canal.
不時有人以這樣或那樣的理由要嘗試坐在桶里跳下瀑布，還真有一個人這么做了，而且還幸存下來了。但是在伊利湖上要想開到安大略湖的船舶是不能過瀑布的。于是人們在尼亞加拉瀑布周圍從伊利湖到安大略湖開鑿了一條河，里面造了一些水中臺階，這樣船就能從伊利湖開到下面的安大略湖，或者從安大略湖開上去。這條人工河叫做韋蘭運河。
It may seem strange for a boat to step downhill, but it not only can step downhill, it can step up too. A water step down a hill is called a “lock,” and a lock is like a huge bathtub set in the canal. Perhaps you have floated toy boats in your bathtub. If you have, you know that as you fill the tub the boat rises as the water rises, and as you let the water run out of the tub the boat lowers as the water lowers.
讓一艘輪船沿臺階朝下坡行似乎很奇怪，但它不但能下坡，還能上坡。水中的臺階叫做“船閘”，船閘就像放在運河里的大浴缸一樣?；蛟S你在浴缸里玩過玩具船，把它漂在水面上。如果玩過的話你就知道當你往浴缸里灌水的時候，小船會隨著水面的上升而上升；當你把浴缸里的水放掉的時候，小船也會隨著水面的下降而下降。
Now a canal lock works the same way with large boats as the bathtub with small boats. If a boat wants to go downhill it sails into the lock. The water in the lock is then let out and the boat lowers as the water lowers. When the boat is at the bottom, doors at the end of the lock are opened and the boat sails out on the lower canal. If a boat wants to go uphill it sails into the bottom of the lock through the open doors, the doors are then closed, and the water is turned on. As it fills the lock the boat rises with it, for water will lift anything that will float, no matter whether it be the smallest chip or the biggest ship. Water, just plain water, has more power to lift and lower the largest steamship than even giant machinery would have. It lifts the largest battle-ship as easily and softly as it would the lightest feather floating on the surface—as easily as you might lift a snowflake on your hand.
船閘和大船之間的關系就像浴缸和小船之間的關系一樣。如果一艘船想要從上游到下游去，它先駛進船閘，然后船閘里的水會被放掉，船就隨著水面的下降而降低。當船到達底部的時候，船閘另一端的門就打開，船就可以駛到水位較低的運河中了。如果一艘船想要從下游開到上游去，它會由敞開的大門駛進船閘的底部，閘門隨后關上，水就放進來。隨著閘內的水不斷上漲，船也會升高，因為水可以舉起任何能漂浮的東西，不管是塊小木屑還是大輪船。水，就是這普普通通的水，比大型的機器還有力量，可以舉起或放低最大的輪船。它可以輕而易舉地托起一艘最大的戰(zhàn)艦，就像托起一片漂在水面上的最輕的羽毛，就像你輕輕托起手上一片雪花。
Boats that wanted to go to New York City—and almost all boats did want to go to New York—once had to go down through the Welland Canal and locks to Lake Ontario, then all the way out the St. Lawrence River, which runs from Lake Ontario to the Atlantic Ocean, then sail down the coast to New York. To avoid this long detour, this long way round, men dug a canal all the way across New York State from Buffalo on Lake Erie to the Hudson River, so that big boats can now cut across from Lake Erie to New York City. This is called the Barge Canal. It’s one of the longest canals in the World.
想去紐約市的船——幾乎所有的船都想去紐約——以前得經(jīng)過韋蘭運河，通過那些船閘，進入安大略湖，然后進入圣勞倫斯河，再一直到大西洋，沿海岸最后到達紐約。為了避免繞這么個大彎子，人們橫貫整個紐約州開鑿了一條運河，把伊利湖的布法羅市與哈得遜河連接起來。這樣大船就可以走近路從伊利湖直接航行到紐約市。這條運河叫做駁船運河。它是世界上最長的運河之一。

[1] 這是拉丁語——譯者注。