美国学生世界地理教材 第221期:彩虹的尽头(3)

 An Englishman named Cecil Rhodes went out to South Africa for his health. 一位名叫塞西尔.罗得斯的英国人，为了健康来到南非；

He happened to be there when diamonds were discovered and fortunes were being made, and he found his health and found wealth too. 正当人们发现钻石、纷纷发财的时候，他恰巧在南非，于是他不仅获得了健康，也找到了财富。

A part of South Africa was named after him: Rhodesia. 非洲有些地区就是以他的名字来命名的，叫做罗得西亚。

When Rhodes died he left a great deal of money,  罗得斯死后留下了一大笔遗产，

part of which was to be used to send some of the best young men chosen from our country and other countries to the great university of Oxford¹ in England. 其中的一部分用于资助从美国和其他国家选出的最优秀的男青年去英国著名的牛津大学学习，

These boys are called Rhodes Scholars. 这些年轻人被称为罗得斯奖学金获得者。

Cecil Rhodes wanted to build a railroad from the top of Africa to the bottom of Africa, from Cairo in Egypt to Cape² Town at the southern point. 罗得斯生前想修建一条铁路，从非洲北部一直延伸到非洲南部，从埃及的开罗一直到最南端的开普敦。

Most of the railroad has been built since he died. It is called the "Cape to Cairo" Railroad, but more is still to be built. 罗得斯去世后，这条铁路一直在修建，大部分路段已经完成了，现在叫做“开普敦——开罗铁路”。不过，还有很长一段路没有完成。

Rhodes was one of the few Englishmen who didn't ask to be sent home when he died. 罗得斯是少有的几个没有要求自己死后送回英国的英国人之一。

He chose a place in Africa on the top of a mountain to be buried. 他选择葬在非洲的一座高山的山巅，

It was such a high point he called it "The World View." 这个地方很高，他就称之为“世界景观”。

The capital of South Africa, Pretoria, is like an English city. 南非的首都，比勒陀利亚，像一座英国的城市。

The chief city is Cape Town, and it too is just like an English city. 最重要的城市是开普敦，也像一座英国的城市。

Only about a hundred years ago these cities were jungle in which only savage³ black men lived. 大约一百年以前，这些城市所在地还是热带丛林，里面住着未开化的黑人。

If you collect stamps you may have heard of a famous stamp called "A Mauritius" that a collector paid $20,000 for, 如果你爱好集邮，也许听说过一枚著名的邮票，叫做“毛里求斯”。一位收藏家花了两万美金买了这枚邮票，

enough money to buy a good house and lot, yet the only thing he can do with it is put it in a stamp album. 这笔钱足以买到一栋很好的房子和一块空地，然而他利用这枚邮票，唯一所能做的就是把它放进集邮簿里。

Why should he pay so much money for it? 他为什么要花这么多钱买这枚邮票呢？

Just to show others something he has that no one else has. 只是为了向别人显示他拥有别人没有的东西。

Mauritius is a little island off the east coast of Africa. 毛里求斯是非洲东海岸边的一座小岛。

There are other islands near Africa. 在非洲附近还有其他一些岛屿。

Madagascar is the biggest. Mauritius is one of the smaller ones. 马达加斯加岛是最大的，毛里求斯是较小的岛之一，

Zanzibar is another small one. 给巴尔岛是另一个小岛。

Pictures of their stamps you will have in your album, if not the stamps themselves. 这些地方的邮票即使你没有，你集邮簿上也会有这些邮票的照片。

From Zanzibar come the cloves⁴ your mother uses to spice baked apples, pickles⁵, and hams. 桑给巴尔岛出产丁香，你母亲把这种香料用于做云莓干、泡菜和火腿。

Cloves look like little burnt match heads, and I don't believe you would ever guess what they really are. 丁香看起来像燃烧后的小火柴头。我想你一定猜不到丁香到底是什么。

They are tiny flower blossoms⁶ that grow on the clove-tree! 它们是长在丁香树上的非常小的花朵！

1 Oxford   

n.牛津（英国城市）

参考例句：

• At present he has become a Professor of Chemistry at Oxford.他现在已是牛津大学的化学教授了。
• This is where the road to Oxford joins the road to London.这是去牛津的路与去伦敦的路的汇合处。

2 cape   

n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风

参考例句：

• I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
• She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。

3 savage   

adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人

参考例句：

• The poor man received a savage beating from the thugs.那可怜的人遭到暴徒的痛打。
• He has a savage temper.他脾气粗暴。

4 cloves   

n.丁香（热带树木的干花，形似小钉子，用作调味品，尤用作甜食的香料）( clove的名词复数 )；蒜瓣(a garlic ~|a ~of garlic)

参考例句：

• My country is rich in cinnamon, cloves, ginger, pepper, and precious stones. 我国盛产肉桂、丁香、生姜、胡椒和宝石。 来自辞典例句
• Ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, pepper and cloves are common spices. 姜、肉豆蔻、肉桂、胡椒、丁香都是常用的香料。 来自辞典例句

5 pickles   

n.腌菜( pickle的名词复数 )；处于困境；遇到麻烦；菜酱

参考例句：

• Most people eat pickles at breakfast. 大多数人早餐吃腌菜。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I want their pickles and wines, and that.' 我要他们的泡菜、美酒和所有其他东西。” 来自英汉文学 - 金银岛

6 blossoms   

n.（尤指果树的）花( blossom的名词复数 )；花丛，花簇v.（植物）开花( blossom的第三人称单数 )；发展；长成；变得更加健康（或自信、成功）

参考例句：

• It was springtime and the slopes were ablaze with almond blossoms. 时当春季，怒放的扁桃花使那片山坡鲜红似火。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The spring comes and peach blossoms [flowers] are all open. 春天了，桃花都开了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》