EXPLORATIONS - Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery Ma

EXPLORATIONS² - Lewis and Clark and the Corps³ of Discovery Map a Nation
By Paul Thompson

Broadcast: Wednesday, November 16, 2005

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ANNOUNCER⁴:

This is Mary Tillotson with the VOA Special English program Explorations.

A celebration⁵ has begun in the United⁶ States that will continue until September of two thousand six. The celebration honors⁷ the two-hundredth anniversary⁸ of the most famous exploration¹ in American history. Today, and for the next two weeks, Shirley Griffith and Steve Ember tell the story of a group of explorers⁹. They left their families and friends to enter unexplored areas of the American Northwest.

These explorers faced heat, cold, lack of food, dangerous rivers and fierce¹⁰ Indian tribes¹¹. They traveled almost thirteen thousand kilometers across areas that would later become the northwestern United States. Their trip is still known¹² by the names of the two men who led the group -- Lewis and Clark.

 
Lewis and Clark started their trip by exploring the area of the Missouri River
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VOICE ONE:

The story of the Lewis and Clark exploration begins back in time on June twentieth, eighteen-oh-three. A young man, Meriwether Lewis, has just received a letter from the president of the United States, Thomas Jefferson. Meriwether Lewis is a captain in the United States army. He also serves as President Jefferson's private secretary. He is twenty-eight years old. The letter from President Jefferson says Captain Lewis will lead a group of men to explore the area from the Missouri River to the Pacific Ocean.

 
Meriwether Lewis was a captain in the United States Army
VOICE TWO:

President Jefferson's letter is long. It tells Captain Lewis to draw maps of the areas in which he travels. It tells him to record a day-by-day history of his trip. And it tells him to collect plants and animals he finds. President Jefferson says Mister¹³ Lewis is to write about the different tribes of Indians he meets. Lewis is to report about their languages, their clothing and their culture. The letter asks Lewis to return with as much information as possible about this unknown land.

VOICE ONE:

In the early eighteen hundreds, much of the land that would later become the United States was unexplored. Many people believed that ancient animals like huge dinosaurs¹⁴ could still live in the far West. Other stories told of strange and terrible people in these unexplored areas. President Jefferson wanted Lewis to confirm¹⁵ or prove false as many of these stories as possible. The president also wanted him to find the best and fastest way to travel across the far western lands.

President Jefferson wanted many other questions answered. Lewis was to learn if it was possible to send trade goods by land to the Pacific coast. He was to learn if it were possible to take a boat west across the country to the Pacific Ocean. Many people believed this was possible. This idea was called the Northwest Passage. People thought the Northwest Passage would be a river or several rivers that linked the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Explorers just had to find it.

VOICE TWO:

President Jefferson knew that any trip to the far West would be extremely¹⁶ dangerous. Those taking part could expect years of hard work. They would lack food and water. They would face dangerous Indians and have little medical help. There would be severe¹⁷ weather. It was possible that such a group of explorers would never return. President Jefferson chose Lewis to lead the trip because he was sure Lewis would succeed.

Meriwether Lewis and President Jefferson had spent a lot of time together. President Jefferson had great respect for Lewis. He knew Captain Lewis was a strong man who had a good education. Lewis was also a successful army officer and a good leader. And, probably most important, he was a skilled¹⁸ hunter who was used to living outdoors for long periods of time.

VOICE ONE:

Lewis knew that such a trip would be extremely difficult and dangerous. He knew that he needed another person who could lead the group if he became injured¹⁹ or died. He requested President Jefferson's permission to ask a friend to help him. Lewis's friend was William Clark. Clark was an excellent leader, and was good at making maps. Lewis wrote a letter to Clark and offered him the job. Clark accepted. The two men decided²⁰ to share the responsibility²¹ of command.

 
William Clark
They decided to be equal in all things. Lewis and Clark had known each other for several years. They had served in the army together. Each trusted the other's abilities.

VOICE TWO:

President Jefferson then sent Lewis to the city of Philadelphia. There, scientists began to teach him about modern scientific methods. He learned²² about plants. He learned how to tell where he was on the planet²³ by using the stars and the sun. He learned about the different kinds of animals. He also studied with a doctor, Benjamin Rush, who taught him about emergency care of the sick or wounded²⁴ and about different kinds of medicine. Doctor Rush helped Lewis gather the medical supplies that would be needed for the trip.

VOICE ONE:

William Clark began to choose the men they would lead across the country to the Pacific Ocean. He made sure the men understood the dangers they would face. Clark and Lewis agreed that they needed men who could add some skill to the group. They agreed they wanted men who had lived much of their lives outdoors. They wanted some good hunters. They needed others who knew how to use small boats. They also needed some men who could work with wood, and others who could work with metals. They needed a few who could repair weapons and some who could cook.

Most importantly, they looked for men who could best survive the hard days ahead. Most of the men Clark chose were soldiers. Each man prepared for the trip with five months of training. In the winter of eighteen-oh-three, the group came together at a place they called Camp Wood. Camp Wood was north of a small village named Saint²⁵ Louis in what would later become the state of Missouri. They began buying the last of the supplies they would need. And they began preparing the three boats they would use on the first part of their trip.

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VOICE TWO:

Lewis and Clark called their group of thirty-two men the Corps of Discovery. Their exploration began May fourteenth, eighteen-oh-four. Another group of soldiers would join the Corps of Discovery for the first part of their trip. The soldiers would return after the first winter with reports for President Jefferson about what the explorers had discovered.

They left Fort²⁶ Wood and traveled north on the Missouri River. It was extremely hard work from the very beginning. Their three boats were not traveling with the flow of the river, but against it. At times, they passed ropes to the shore and the men pulled the boats. Several times the ropes broke. It was difficult and dangerous work. The largest of their three boats was almost seventeen meters long. This boat was called the Discovery. It carried most of their supplies, including medicine, food, scientific instruments, weapons and gifts of friendship for the Indian tribes the explorers hoped to meet.

VOICE ONE:

Lewis and Clark and the men with them immediately saw the great beauty of the land. This great natural beauty was something they would write about time and again each day during their travels. Slowly, the explorers made their way north up the Missouri River. They passed the area that in the future would be Kansas City. They continued north and passed the area that would become the city of Omaha, in the future state of Nebraska. As each day passed, both Lewis and Clark wrote about what they saw. Clark made maps of the land and the river.

VOICE TWO:

Near the present city of Sioux City, in the state of Iowa, Sergeant²⁷ Charles Floyd became sick and within a few days died. The members of the Corps of Discovery buried him not far from the river. Today, a monument²⁸ stands where he was buried.

The Corps of Discovery again continued north in their boats on the Missouri River. They passed through what would become the state of South Dakota. Here, for the first time they met members of the Lakota called the Teton Sioux. The Teton Sioux were very fierce and war like. They demanded Lewis and Clark give them one of the boats. The two leaders refused.

The Sioux threatened to kill all of the group. The Corps of Discovery prepared for a fight. But it never came. The Sioux changed their minds. Clark wrote of the Teton Sioux that they were tall and nice- looking people. He said their clothing was beautifully made with many colors and designs. He said the men were proud and fierce.

VOICE ONE:

Soon, the Corps of Discovery passed into what would become the state of North Dakota. It was now growing late in the year. The weather was becoming colder. At a place they named Fort Mandan they quickly cut trees and made temporary homes for the winter. The Missouri River began to turn to ice. Some days it was too cold to hunt animals for food. On the seventeenth of December, eighteen-oh-four, William Clark wrote in his book, "At night the temperature fell to seventy-four degrees below freezing." The Corps of Discovery would stay in Fort Mandan for five months. During the winter the explorers planned for their trip to the Pacific. That will be our story next time.

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VOICE TWO:

Our program today was written and produced by Paul Thompson. This is Steve Ember.

VOICE ONE:

And this is Shirley Griffith. Join us again next week when we continue our story of Lewis and Clark on the Explorations program, in Special English, on the Voice of America.

1 exploration   

n.探险，踏勘，探测

参考例句：

• Their team will undertake exploration for oil.他们队将着手进行石油勘探工作。
• This book is descriptive of a scientific exploration.这本书是描写科学探险的。

2 explorations   

探险旅行( exploration的名词复数 )； 搜寻； 考察； 勘探

参考例句：

• Our underwater explorations also helped to confirm the theory. 我们的水下考察也有助于证实这个理论。
• The geographical explorations had revealed the inadequacies of the existing maps. 地形勘查揭露出现有地图的不妥之处。

3 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

4 announcer   

n.宣布者；电(视)台播音员，报幕员

参考例句：

• The radio announcer said it was nine o'clock.电台播音员报时9点整。
• The announcer tells the listeners what programme comes next.广播员告诉听众下一个是什么节目。

5 celebration   

n.庆祝，庆祝会；典礼

参考例句：

• The celebration passed off successfully.庆祝活动圆满结束。
• The celebration of Christmas is a custom.庆祝圣诞节是一种习俗。

6 united   

adj.和谐的；团结的；联合的，统一的

参考例句：

• The whole nation is closely united.全国人民紧密团结。
• The two men were united by community of interests.共同的利益使两个人结合在一起。

7 honors   

n.礼仪；荣典；礼节； 大学荣誉学位；大学优等成绩；尊敬( honor的名词复数 )；敬意；荣誉；光荣

参考例句：

• He aims at honors. 他力求名誉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We did the last honors to his remains. 我们向他的遗体告别。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 anniversary   

n.周年(纪念日)

参考例句：

• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。
• Today is my parents'30th wedding anniversary.今天是我父母结婚30周年纪念日。

9 explorers   

n.探险家，勘探者( explorer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The explorers climbed a mound to survey the land around them. 勘探者爬上土丘去勘测周围的土地。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The explorers had to rough it when they got into the jungle. 那些探险者进入丛林后，不得不过着艰苦的生活。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 fierce   

adj.凶猛的，残忍的；狂热的，强烈的

参考例句：

• The soldiers got ready for a fierce battle.战士们准备进行一场恶战。
• What he said met with fierce opposition.他的话语遭到激烈反对。

11 tribes   

n.部落( tribe的名词复数 )；（动、植物的）族；（一）帮；大群

参考例句：

• tribes living in remote areas of the Amazonian rainforest 居住在亚马孙河雨林偏远地区的部落
• In Africa the snake is still sacred with many tribes. 非洲许多部落仍认为蛇是不可冒犯的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 known   

adj.大家知道的；知名的，已知的

参考例句：

• He is a known artist.他是一个知名的艺术家。
• He is known both as a painter and as a statesman.他是知名的画家及政治家。

13 mister   

n.(略作Mr.全称很少用于书面)先生

参考例句：

• Mister Smith is my good friend.史密斯先生是我的好朋友。
• He styled himself " Mister Clean ".他自称是“清廉先生”。

14 dinosaurs   

n.恐龙( dinosaur的名词复数 )；守旧落伍的人，过时落后的东西

参考例句：

• The brontosaurus was one of the largest of all dinosaurs. 雷龙是所有恐龙中最大的一种。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Dinosaurs have been extinct for millions of years. 恐龙绝种已有几百万年了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 confirm   

vt.证实；确认；v.确认

参考例句：

• I'll call you back to confirm.我会给你回电话确认的。
• I need to confirm my reservation on the next flight.我要确认我预订的下一个航班。

16 extremely   

adv.极其，非常，极度

参考例句：

• The film is extremely good,I just cannot miss it.这部电影太精彩了，我非看不可。
• The old man was extremely difficult to get along with.这个老人极难相与。

17 severe   

adj.严格的，凶猛的，严肃的，严重的，严厉的，朴素的

参考例句：

• The severe storm did for most of the crops.猛烈的暴风雨毁掉了大部分庄稼。
• The pace was too severe to be kept up for long.跟上这步伐太难了，无法持久。

18 skilled   

adj.(in)熟练的，有技能的；需要技能的

参考例句：

• Unskilled workers usually earn less money than skilled workers.无技能的工人通常比有技能的工人挣钱少。
• She was skilled enough in French to translate a novel.她法语娴熟，足以翻译小说。

19 injured   

adj.受伤的

参考例句：

• Our best defender is injured and won't be able to play today.我们最佳的防守员受伤了，今天不能参加比赛。
• The injured men have been dug out of the snow.受伤人员从雪中被挖了出来。

20 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。

21 responsibility   

n.责任，职责

参考例句：

• The safety of the ship is the captain's responsibility.确保船的安全是船长的责任。
• The matter is outside my area of the responsibility.此事超出我的责任范围。

22 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。

23 planet   

n.行星

参考例句：

• Neptune is the furthest planet from the sun. 海王星是离太阳最远的行星。
• Rubbish, however, is only part of the problem of polluting our planet. 然而, 垃圾只是我们这个星球的污染问题的一个方面。

24 wounded   

adj.受伤的；n.伤员

参考例句：

• The wounded man let out a cry of pain.伤员发出一阵痛苦的叫喊声。
• She attended on the wounded soldier day and night.她日夜护理着负伤的战士。

25 saint   

n.圣徒；基督教徒；vt.成为圣徒，把...视为圣徒

参考例句：

• He was made a saint.他被封为圣人。
• The saint had a lowly heart.圣人有谦诚之心。

26 fort   

n.要塞，堡垒，碉堡

参考例句：

• The fort can not be defended against an air attack.这座要塞遭到空袭时无法防御。
• No one can get into the fort without a pass.没有通行证，任何人不得进入要塞。

27 sergeant   

n.警官，中士

参考例句：

• His elder brother is a sergeant.他哥哥是个警官。
• How many stripes are there on the sleeve of a sergeant?陆军中士的袖子上有多少条纹？

28 monument   

n.纪念碑；遗址，遗迹；有永久价值的作品，不朽的功业

参考例句：

• A monument was set up as a memorial to the dead soldiers.为阵亡将士立了一个纪念碑。
• The monument bears the mark of age.纪念碑上有年深日久的痕迹。