纪录片《美国商业大亨传奇》 铁路之争（1）

Just five days after the end of the Civil War,

南北战争结束仅五天之后

President Abraham Lincoln is the final of the six hundred thousand deaths in America's bloodiest¹ conflict.

总统亚伯拉罕·林肯成为了美国这场血腥纷争中六十万死难者中的最后一个

The country is divided, and the world looks at American democracy as a failed experiment.

国家四分五裂，全世界认为美国民主是一场失败的实验。

But what most don't realize is that a new era has dawned.

但是大多数人都没有意识到新纪元正在开启

The nation is entering an age of advancement²,

国家正进入高速进步的时代

and from the void left by the death of perhaps the greatest statesman we will ever know,a new breed of leader will emerge.

从这位伟大总统的死留下的虚无之中，新一批领袖即将涌现。

The Rockefellers, the Fords, the Carnegies,were the first generation of what we know as now the entrepreneurial rock stars,

洛克菲勒，福特，卡内基是第一代我们现在所说的企业巨星，

or what are today are the Buffets,and the Jobs, and the Gates.

现如今还有巴菲特乔布斯 盖茨

They were the ones that set the standard for the American dream.

是他们订立了美国梦的标准

They owned a new frontier literally³ and figuratively of who we are as a culture.

他们真正地对于我们文化层面的自我认知是处在最前沿的

Men of insight, innovation, and ingenuity⁴, the likes of which the world has never seen,

这群人极富洞察力 创新力 以及想象力是人类有史以来从未出现过

and over the next five decades, this small group will change history, propelling the United States of America to greatness.

在下一个五十年间，这一小群人将会改变历史，推动着美利坚合众国走向伟大。

These were great men with a vision that nobody else had.

这些伟大人物有其他人所没有的远见。

And that's why in the last century that fifty year period we built the world.

上世纪正是因为有了这群人，五十年间我们就建造了这一世界

1 bloodiest   

adj.血污的( bloody的最高级 )；流血的；屠杀的；残忍的

参考例句：

• The Russians were going to suffer their bloodiest defeat of all before Berlin. 俄国人在柏林城下要遭到他们的最惨重的失败。 来自辞典例句
• It was perhaps the bloodiest hour in the history of warfare. 这也许是战争史上血腥味最浓的1个小时。 来自互联网

2 advancement   

n.前进，促进，提升

参考例句：

• His new contribution to the advancement of physiology was well appreciated.他对生理学发展的新贡献获得高度赞赏。
• The aim of a university should be the advancement of learning.大学的目标应是促进学术。

3 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

4 ingenuity   

n.别出心裁；善于发明创造

参考例句：

• The boy showed ingenuity in making toys.那个小男孩做玩具很有创造力。
• I admire your ingenuity and perseverance.我钦佩你的别出心裁和毅力。