VOA标准英语2014--美国的中国铁路工人后代

 

Project Remembers Chinese Railroad¹ Workers in US Through Descendants² 美国的中国铁路工人后代

LOS ANGELES — Next year marks the 150th anniversary³ of when large numbers of Chinese started working on the transcontinental railroad in the United States. Very little is known about these workers lives and what happened to them after the construction ended. Stanford University is working on a project to piece together the lives of the Chinese railroad workers by reaching out to their descendants.

Desperation and courage could very well describe what led Bill Yee’s ancestors to come to the United States.

“I don’t think I could do it to come to a strange country and don’t know a word of English. But I guess it’s between eating or starving. I guess you have to do what you have to do for your family,” said Yee.

His ancestors came from southern China, and became a part of key moments in American history.

“My great-great-grandfather came over during the gold rush days and he returned back to China as a wealthy man. My great-grandfather came over to work on the railroad. He came over to work with black gunpowder⁴, black powder on the railroad and he died working on the railroad,” said Yee.

But that didn’t stop his grandfather from coming to the U.S. on false papers.  He ran a laundry and Yee’s father continued that business.

“Things were pretty bad in some parts of China at that time. They came to America at all costs,” Yee said.

Shelley Fisher Fishkin wants to hear stories like Yee's. 

“The records of specific individuals and their names and experiences are so sparse,” said Fishkin.

Fishkin is co-director of the Chinese Railroad Workers in North America Project at Stanford University. She is working with scholars in Asia to look for descendants of railroad workers on both continents to reconstruct the lives of these men.

“Many of the Chinese workers who came to work on the Transcontinental and other railroads⁵ returned to China after their work was done [and] created families there.  Some of them had families who they left when they came here and they may have descendants in China,” said Fishkin.

The aim is to create a digital archive of artifacts, documents and oral histories from the railroad worker’s descendants so historians⁶ can piece together the mystery of who they were and what happened to them.

”The U.S. could not have become the modern industrial nation it did without the railroads and the railroads would not have come together when they did without the crucial⁷ work of these Chinese workers,” said Fishkin.

Jonathan Wong’s ancestor knew English and left China to work as a translator on the transcontinental railroad. He eventually brought his family to the U.S., and they settled in San Francisco.

“He had a [different] experience than having to do labor⁸. He wouldn’t go home feeling that he was going to be in danger the next day. It was a closer relationship with the white community, his white superiors⁹, but obviously¹⁰ I know that he was still treated as if he was the inferior¹¹ minority,” said Wong.

Fishkin said racial issues were a part of life as a Chinese railroad worker.

“They suffered greatly from discrimination and from prejudice. They were paid less than their Euro-American workers,” said Fishkin.

Bill Yee wants his six children and 19 grandchildren to know their family history.

“They have to appreciate the sacrifice that our grandparents did for us otherwise I might be working in the rice fields now. So it really brings a big opportunity to this generation,” said Yee. 

Through the Stanford University project, the lives of these men can be remembered, so the role they played in American history will be remembered by their descendants.

1 railroad   

n.铁路；vi.由铁路运输

参考例句：

• The railroad connects two cities,namely,New York and Chicago.这条铁路连接两个城市，即纽约与芝加哥。
• My brother is working on the railroad.我兄弟在铁路系统工作。

2 descendants   

n. 后代，后裔 名词descendant的复数形式

参考例句：

• They were the direct descendants of the Dutch settlers. 他们是荷兰移民的直系后裔。
• They are the descendants of Queen Victoria. 他们是维多利亚女王的后裔。

3 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。

4 gunpowder   

n.火药

参考例句：

• Gunpowder was introduced into Europe during the first half of the 14th century.在14世纪上半叶，火药传入欧洲。
• This statement has a strong smell of gunpowder.这是一篇充满火药味的声明。

5 railroads   

n.铁路，铁道( railroad的名词复数 )；铁路系统v.铁路，铁道( railroad的第三人称单数 )；铁路系统

参考例句：

• Water transportation was outmoded by railroads and good pikes. 水上运输已因铁路和良好的税道而变得过时了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• A severe snowstorm blocked up railroads. 一场暴风雪使铁路中断。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 historians   

n.历史学家，史学工作者( historian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Historians seem to have confused the chronology of these events. 历史学家好像把这些事件发生的年代顺序搞混了。
• Historians have concurred with each other in this view. 历史学家在这个观点上已取得一致意见。

7 crucial   

adj.极重要的，决定性的，关键性的

参考例句：

• It's a crucial decision.这是一个极其重要的决定。
• The foreign market was increasingly crucial.国外市场越来越重要了。

8 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

9 superiors   

n.上级，长官，上司( superior的名词复数 )；较好的人[事物]，优胜者；修道院院长；方丈

参考例句：

• I am accountable to my superiors for my actions. 我应该为自己的行为对上司负责。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Those in subordinate positions will follow the example set by their superiors. 上行下效。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

10 obviously   

adv.显然；明白地

参考例句：

• Obviously they were putting him to a severe test.显然他们是在给他以严峻的考验。
• Obviously he was lying.显然他是在撒谎。

11 inferior   

adj.劣等的，次的，下级的；n.下级，下属

参考例句：

• These oranges are inferior to those I bought last week.这些桔子没我上个周买的好。
• They sell inferior goods at that store.那家商店卖劣等货。