播客

描述

词汇提示

1.dense 密集的

2.thick 厚的

3.squirrel 松鼠

4.hostile 敌对的

5.cider 苹果酒

6.vinegar 苹果醋

7.spoiling 腐败的

8.mills 工厂

9.legends 传奇

原文

John Chapman : American Pioneer

When the first Europeans came to North America, they found dense forests coming down right to the shore.

So thick were the forests that it is said that a squirrel could travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River without once touching the ground.

Clearing these trees to make room for fields and buildings was a very difficult task for the early settlers.

Another difficulty was finding enough food in this new land.

Many European crops would not grow in this climate.

Carrying and storing seeds over a long period was also risky.

Native Indians were often helpful in teaching the settlers how to find food.

But sometimes there were no Indians nearby, or they were hostile.

John Chapman is famous today because he helped the early settlers grow one important product – apples.

Apples could be eaten fresh in the fall, or stored through the winter.

They could be made into fresh apple juice or alcoholic cider.

They could be dried, or made into apple sauce.

Apples also could be made into vinegar, which was very useful for keeping vegetables from spoiling.

John Chapman was born in Massachusetts in 1774, the year before the American Revolution began.

John's father joined George Washington's army to fight for American independence from Great Britain.

While the war was going on, John's mother died.

In 1780, John's father married again, and soon John had lots of young brothers and sisters.

John probably worked on his father's farm as he was growing up.

Then he worked on neighboring farms.

After the Revolutionary War, the population of the U.S.A. was expanding.

Many Americans wanted to go west over the mountains to find land in Indian Territory.

In the fall of 1797,young John Chapman headed west into Pennsylvania.

On his way, he gathered left over apple seeds from the cider mills that he passed.

As usual, John walked bare foot, but as he travelled snow began to fall.

He tore strips off his coat and tied them around his feet.

Then he made snowshoes out of tree branches.

When he arrived in the west, he began to clear land and plant apple seeds.

This began a pattern that would last Chapman's whole life.

He would travel ahead of the settlers, clear land, and then sell his baby apple trees to the settlers when they arrived.

When the area became too settled, Chapman would move further west, and start again.

Many settlers regarded John Chapman as a strange character.

He never bought new clothes, but wore whatever old clothes came his way.

But he was always welcome at a settler's cabin.

John was good at clearing land, telling stories, and growing apples.

He liked children, and children liked him.

He was a religious man and would read to the settlers about God and living together peacefully.

At this time, there was conflict between the settlers and the Indians about land.

John managed to be friendly with both groups.

Every fall, John went east to gather more apple seeds.

But John did warn the settlers if the Indians were planning to attack them.

Then he would go further west and find some empty land to plant his seeds.

During the warm weather, he tended all his fields of baby apple trees.

Once they were properly grown, he sold the seedlings to settlers.

When he had earned enough money, he bought land to grow more apple trees.

In his own lifetime, he became known as Johnny Appleseed.

Legends grew up about him.

It was said that his bare feet could melt snow, and that he could leap across rivers.

Johnny Appleseed never built himself a real home.

He was a wanderer all his life, travelling west to Indiana and Iowa and back east again.

He enjoyed sleeping outdoors, lying on his back, looking up at the stars and thinking about God and his world.

He died in Indiana in 1845, and no one knows exactly where he is buried.

But all through that region are hundreds of apple trees.

These apple trees are the most fitting memorial to John Chapman - the legendary Johnny Appleseed.

翻译

约翰·查普曼:美国先驱

当第一批欧洲人来到北美时，他们发现茂密的森林一直延伸到海岸。
那里的森林非常茂密，据说一只松鼠可以从大西洋游到密西西比河，一次也不沾地。
清除这些树木为田地和建筑腾出空间对早期定居者来说是一项非常困难的任务。
另一个困难是在这片新的土地上找到足够的食物。
许多欧洲作物在这种气候下无法生长。
长时间携带和储存种子也有风险。
当地的印第安人经常帮助教移民如何寻找食物。
但有时附近没有印第安人，或者他们怀有敌意。
约翰·查普曼今天很有名，因为他帮助早期定居者种植了一种重要的产品——苹果。
苹果可以在秋天新鲜食用，也可以储存到冬天。
它们可以制成新鲜的苹果汁或含酒精的苹果酒。
它们可以晒干，或者做成苹果酱。
苹果也可以制成醋，这对防止蔬菜变质非常有用。
约翰·查普曼于1774年出生在马萨诸塞州，也就是美国独立战争开始的前一年。
约翰的父亲加入了乔治·华盛顿的军队，为美国从英国独立而战。
战争进行时，约翰的母亲去世了。
1780年，约翰的父亲又结婚了，不久约翰就有了许多年轻的兄弟姐妹。
约翰小时候可能在他父亲的农场工作过。
然后他在附近的农场工作。
独立战争后，美国的人口在增长。
许多美国人想向西翻越山脉，在印第安人的领地上找到土地。
1797年秋天，年轻的约翰·查普曼向西来到宾夕法尼亚州。
在路上，他从路过的苹果酒厂里收集了剩下的苹果籽。
像往常一样，约翰光着脚走路，但他走的时候开始下雪了。
他撕下几条外衣，绑在脚上。
然后他用树枝做了一双雪鞋。
当他到达西部时，他开始清理土地并种植苹果种子。
从此开始了一种模式，这种模式将持续查普曼的一生。
他会走在移民的前面，清理土地，然后在移民到达时把他的小苹果树卖给他们。
当这个地区变得过于稳定时，查普曼将继续向西移动，并重新开始。
许多定居者认为约翰·查普曼是个怪人。
他从不买新衣服，只要有旧衣服就穿。
但他在移民的小屋里总是受到欢迎的。
约翰擅长清理土地、讲故事和种苹果。
他喜欢孩子，孩子们也喜欢他。
他是一个虔诚的人，会给移民们读关于上帝和和平共处的故事。
在这个时候，殖民者和印第安人之间就土地问题发生了冲突。
约翰设法与两组人都很友好。
每年秋天，约翰都会去东部收集更多的苹果籽。
但是约翰确实警告了移民，如果印第安人打算袭击他们。
然后他再往西走，找到一块空地来播种。
在温暖的天气里，他照料着他所有的小苹果树。
一旦它们长得很好，他就把幼苗卖给定居者。
当他赚了足够的钱后，他买了块地来种更多的苹果树。
在他自己的一生中，他被称为苹果籽约翰尼。

关于他的传说层出不穷。
据说他的光脚可以融化雪，他可以跳过河流。
苹果籽约翰尼从来没有给自己建过真正的家。
他一生都在漂泊，向西到印第安纳州和爱荷华州，然后又回到东部。
他喜欢睡在户外，仰面躺着，仰望星空，思考上帝和他的世界。
他于1845年在印第安纳州去世，没有人知道他被埋葬的确切地点。
但整个地区都有数百棵苹果树。
这些苹果树是最合适的纪念约翰·查普曼-传奇的苹果籽约翰尼。

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