最新15篇文章贯通英语四级词汇MP3 Unit2-Part3

[00:00.00]Eventually, the winds lessened¹
[00:03.28]and the Captain was able to
[00:04.81]set his sights towards America
[00:06.46]and become ably steering² the ship
[00:09.41]on an even course.
[00:11.27]Eight weeks later, plus one day,
[00:14.33]the Hannah made landfall
[00:16.19]and the Love family disembarked
[00:18.38]in America and became
[00:19.69]American newest immigrants.
[00:22.54]Gazing at the mainland
[00:24.84]after so many days of sailing
[00:26.91]was indeed a glorious sight.
[00:29.65]The difficult days aboard ship
[00:32.60]seemed worthwhile.  Porters hurried
[00:36.32]along the docks pushing baggage.
[00:38.29]Little girls with ribbons
[00:40.26]in their hair scanned the ship’s decks
[00:42.45]hoping to get a first glimpse
[00:44.74]of their father arriving.
[00:46.60]It seemed to Lily that
[00:49.01]it took forever to register
[00:50.77]and to pass through immigration.
[00:52.73]John said that he would
[00:56.01]go ahead to scout³ out some land
[00:57.44]in the far west of the state.
[00:59.63]He would push on to the frontier
[01:02.47]with a bunch of other Irish chaps.
[01:04.55]Lily and the children
[01:07.07]could follow more slowly,
[01:09.04]harnessing the horse and cart
[01:10.67]to convey their scanty⁴ possessions.
[01:13.08]The stuff in the cart
[01:15.27]would include a kettle,
[01:16.69]dishes, blankets, a chair,
[01:19.43]a bucket and an axe⁵.
[01:22.18]There was a perception
[01:25.47]by the government
[01:26.45]at this time that
[01:27.77][the feisty Irish would
[01:29.41]resist any hostile natives
[01:31.27]refusing to retreat and thus
[01:33.56]maintaining the western boundary.
[01:36.30]The Irish, too, were pleased
[01:39.03]to settle as far away
[01:40.79]from the government as possible.
[01:42.87]Instead of purchasing land,
[01:45.05]they would “squat” on the property
[01:48.52]erecting only a temporary,
[01:49.95]humble shelter to stave off the weather.
[01:53.01]Once their families arrived,
[01:55.85]they would inspire the men
[01:58.04]to build proper cabins.
[01:59.79]Neither fancy nor elegant,
[02:02.31]these log structures would
[02:04.82]be their first real homes.
[02:07.01]Property boundaries at this time
[02:09.86]were not marked out
[02:11.27]with iron rods or stakes
[02:13.25]in a standard fashion,
[02:14.56]but rather designated
[02:16.09] by natural objects such as
[02:18.17]rocks, trees and creeks⁶.
[02:21.01]Confusion and disputes must often
[02:24.74]have followed later,
[02:26.05]when these survey points disappeared.
[02:28.67]After exploring the area around Shirleysburg,
[02:33.81]John and his sons rode
[02:36.00]over Sandy Ridge⁷ to survey
[02:37.75]the property below Black Log Mountain.
[02:40.27]It was here in a long narrow valley
[02:43.88]they decided⁸ to settle.
[02:46.07]The valley became known then,
[02:48.47]and is still called Love’s Valley today

1 lessened   

减少的，减弱的

参考例句：

• Listening to the speech through an interpreter lessened its impact somewhat. 演讲辞通过翻译的嘴说出来，多少削弱了演讲的力量。
• The flight to suburbia lessened the number of middle-class families living within the city. 随着迁往郊外的风行，住在城内的中产家庭减少了。

2 steering   

n.操舵装置

参考例句：

• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration. 他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。
• Steering according to the wind, he also framed his words more amicably. 他真会看风使舵，口吻也马上变得温和了。

3 scout   

n.童子军，侦察员；v.侦察，搜索

参考例句：

• He was mistaken for an enemy scout and badly wounded.他被误认为是敌人的侦察兵，受了重伤。
• The scout made a stealthy approach to the enemy position.侦察兵偷偷地靠近敌军阵地。

4 scanty   

adj.缺乏的，仅有的，节省的，狭小的，不够的

参考例句：

• There is scanty evidence to support their accusations.他们的指控证据不足。
• The rainfall was rather scanty this month.这个月的雨量不足。

5 axe   

n.斧子；v.用斧头砍，削减

参考例句：

• Be careful with that sharp axe.那把斧子很锋利，你要当心。
• The edge of this axe has turned.这把斧子卷了刃了。

6 creeks   

n.小湾( creek的名词复数 )；小港；小河；小溪

参考例句：

• The prospect lies between two creeks. 矿区位于两条溪流之间。 来自辞典例句
• There was the excitement of fishing in country creeks with my grandpa on cloudy days. 有在阴雨天和姥爷一起到乡村河湾钓鱼的喜悦。 来自辞典例句

7 ridge   

n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭

参考例句：

• We clambered up the hillside to the ridge above.我们沿着山坡费力地爬上了山脊。
• The infantry were advancing to attack the ridge.步兵部队正在向前挺进攻打山脊。

8 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。