环球英语 — 206：Equiano: The Slave Made Free

　　Voice 1
Hello, I’m Ruby¹ Jones.
Voice 2
And I’m Rachel Hobson. Welcome to Spotlight². This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 3
“We arrived at the coast. The first thing I saw was the sea. And then a ship for carrying slaves⁴. The slave³ ship was waiting for the sailors to load goods onto it. What I saw filled me with great surprise. This surprise soon changed to terror⁵. I cannot truly describe the feelings of my mind. Soon, I was carried onto the ship. Immediately, some of the sailors started to throw me around. They wanted to examine my physical state. I felt sure that I was in a world of bad spirits. I thought they were going to kill me.”
Voice 1
A man called Olaudah Equiano, wrote these words. They are from the book he wrote about his life: “The Interesting Narrative⁶ of the Life of Olaudah Equiano”. Today, we tell his amazing story.
Voice 2
Equiano was born in the 1740s. History experts argue about where Equiano was born. But they are sure he was of West African origin. Equiano wrote that his father was a tribal⁷ chief in Nigeria. One day, Equiano and his sister were playing near their home. Some slave traders⁹ passed by. They kidnapped the two children and took them to a slave ship. When the ship was full, it sailed across the Atlantic Ocean. Slave ships took African people to the West Indies. There, the slave traders sold the people who had survived the crossing. It was a terrible experience for the African people stored on the ships. Equiano wrote:
Voice 3
“The smallness of the place. The heat of the climate. The number of people in the ship — all these things almost prevented us from breathing. Women cried out. Dying¹⁰ people groaned¹¹ quietly. The level of suffering was hard to believe... I soon became very sick. So the sailors kept me on the ship’s deck¹². There on the top, I could breathe in fresh air. My health could improve. But I wished for death. I considered those slaves who had drowned to be happier than me. At least now they were free.”
Voice 1
After many weeks, the ship arrived in the West Indies. But that was not the end of Equiano’s travels. Traders moved him to a British colony¹³ in North America. There, a man called Michael Pascal bought Equiano. Pascal was an officer in the British Navy¹⁴. He decided¹⁵ to send Equiano to school in England. There, the young man learned¹⁶ to read and write. But often his master would take him away from school to serve on his ship. At that time, Britain was at war with France. And the British navy needed as many sailors as it could find.
Voice 2
At last, Britain defeated the French. Each ship’s captain received prize money. The captains were supposed to share this money among all the sailors. Equiano believed that he would receive some prize money too. He wanted to save to buy his freedom. But he did not receive any money. And, things got worse. Pascal sold Equiano to another sea—captain.
Voice 1
Once again, Equiano went to the West Indies. This time, a sea trader⁸ called Robert King bought him at the slave market. King took Equiano to work on his ships. He did not want to waste Equiano’s reading and writing skills. So, King made Equiano responsible¹⁷ for controlling the quality of his goods. Equiano was pleased to have this work. But during this time he saw how terribly other slaves suffered. He firmly decided to save enough money to buy his freedom. He did this by trading his own goods privately¹⁸. It took him three years. And in 1766, the great day came. Equiano wrote:
Voice 3
“In the morning, I had been a slave. I had obeyed the will of another person. But now, I was my own master — I was completely¹⁹ free! This was the happiest day that I had ever experienced²⁰.”
Voice 2
Equiano returned to England. He tried a number of jobs. But soon, he went back to sea — this time, as a free man. Over the next twenty [20] years, he travelled to many different places. During his travels he experienced many dangers: storms, sickness, almost drowning. He began to fear he would die at sea. And he wondered what would happen to him when he died.
Voice 1
Back in England, Equiano could not get the thoughts of death from his mind. He was worried. What happens to people when they die? Would he, Equiano, go to heaven? How was it possible for someone to reach heaven? Did he just have to live a good life? Equiano studied the Christian²² Bible²³ to find some answers. And, he attended many churches. He asked religious²⁴ people about their faith. But they all seemed to tell him something different. Equiano was very troubled. He could find no peace in his heart.
Voice 2
Once more, Equiano returned to the sea. He went to work on a ship going to Spain. This is what he wrote about his experience at that time:
Voice 3
“One evening, I was reading the Bible. I thought about my past acts. And, I wondered if I had been good enough to enter heaven. Was good behaviour the way to heaven? Or was entry into heaven a gift from God? And if it was a gift, how could I receive it? Suddenly, the Lord²⁵ was pleased to break into my thoughts. It was like a light from Heaven, shining in my mind. Then I saw things clearly. I saw that I had broken God’s law. But it was Jesus Christ²¹ who had died instead of me. I felt a huge change. The weight of my wrong behaviour and the fears of death — they lost their power over me. I had never experienced such joy.”
Voice 2
Equiano’s faith in God became very important to him. He became more concerned for people who were still slaves. In the 1780s he joined a group of men in London. They were trying to persuade the government to pass a new law. This law would stop the slave trade in all British colonies²⁶. It was then that Equiano wrote the book about his life. He sold many copies around England. People were shocked by what they read. And many of them supported the anti—slave trade group.
 

1 ruby   

n.红宝石，红宝石色

参考例句：

• She is wearing a small ruby earring.她戴着一枚红宝石小耳环。
• On the handle of his sword sat the biggest ruby in the world.他的剑柄上镶有一颗世上最大的红宝石。

2 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

3 slave   

n.奴隶，附件，卑鄙的人；vi.拼命工作

参考例句：

• Don't be a slave to custom.不要做风俗习惯的奴隶。
• Why should I slave away all my life!我为什么要辛辛苦苦地干一辈子呀！

4 slaves   

n.奴隶( slave的名词复数 )；苦工；完全受（某事物）控制的人；完全依赖（某事物）的人v.奴隶般地工作，做苦工( slave的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Slaves were not emancipated until 1863 in the United States. 美国奴隶直到1863年才获得自由。
• fashionistas who are slaves to the latest trends 被潮流牵着鼻子走的赶时髦者

5 terror   

n.恐怖；可怖的人(事)

参考例句：

• We were in mortal terror of being found out. 我们非常害怕被发现。
• That guy is a proper terror. 那家伙真是讨厌。

6 narrative   

n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的

参考例句：

• He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。
• Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。

7 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

8 trader   

n.商人；商船

参考例句：

• The old man was a trader in tea.那老头曾是茶商。
• He was a foxy old trader.他是个老奸商。

9 traders   

n.商人( trader的名词复数 )；经商者；商船；（证券交易中不为他人作代理而自行交易的）交易人

参考例句：

• Beware of dishonest traders in the tourist areas. 在旅游区一定要谨防奸商。
• Many traders went under during the war. 战争时期，许多商人破产。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 dying   

adj.垂死的，临终的

参考例句：

• He was put in charge of the group by the dying leader.他被临终的领导人任命为集团负责人。
• She was shown into a small room,where there was a dying man.她被领进了一间小屋子，那里有一个垂死的人。

11 groaned   

v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦

参考例句：

• He groaned in anguish. 他痛苦地呻吟。
• The cart groaned under the weight of the piano. 大车在钢琴的重压下嘎吱作响。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 deck   

n.甲板；公共汽车一层的车厢；纸牌；vt.装饰

参考例句：

• Let's have a walk round the deck.我们去甲板上散步吧。
• The sea wind swept over the deck.海风席卷过甲板。

13 colony   

n.殖民地；(同类人的)聚居地

参考例句：

• There lived a colony of bees on the tree.树上生活着一群蜜蜂。
• They live in an artists'colony.他们住在艺术家聚居区。

14 navy   

n.海军，海军人员，海军军力，藏青色

参考例句：

• My brother is in the navy.我兄弟在海军服役。
• He has transferred from the army to the navy.他从陆军转到海军。

15 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。

16 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。

17 responsible   

adj.有责任的，应负责的；可靠的，可信赖的；责任重大的；vi.休息，睡；静止，停止

参考例句：

• He must be responsible to me for this matter.这件事他必须对我负责。
• The police are responsible for the preservation of law and order.警察负责维持法律与秩序。

18 privately   

adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地

参考例句：

• Some ministers admit privately that unemployment could continue to rise.一些部长私下承认失业率可能继续升高。
• The man privately admits that his motive is profits.那人私下承认他的动机是为了牟利。

19 completely   

adv.完全地，十分地，全然

参考例句：

• She never completely gave up hope.她从不完全放弃希望。
• I feel completely in the dark on this question.这件事使我感到茫然。

20 experienced   

adj.有经验的；经验丰富的，熟练的

参考例句：

• Experienced seamen will advise you about sailing in this weather.有经验的海员会告诉你在这种天气下的航行情况。
• Perhaps you and I had better change over;you are more experienced.也许我们的工作还是对换一下好，你比我更有经验。

21 Christ   

n.基督，救世主，耶稣

参考例句：

• I regarded him as the Christ.我把他当作救世主。
• Christ preached that we should love each other.基督在布道中说人们应该互爱。

22 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

23 bible   

n.《圣经》；得到权威支持的典籍

参考例句：

• According to the Bible we are all the seed of Adam.根据《圣经》所说的，我们都是亚当的后裔。
• This dictionary should be your Bible when studying English.学习英语时，这本字典应是你的主要参考书。

24 religious   

adj.宗教性的，虔诚的，宗教上的；n.修道士，出家人

参考例句：

• She is very religious person who goes to church every Sunday.她十分虔诚，每个星期天都上教堂。
• It is hard for me to reject religious beliefs.要我抛弃自己的宗教信仰是困难的。

25 lord   

n.上帝，主；主人，长官；君主，贵族

参考例句：

• I know the Lord will look after him.我知道上帝会眷顾他的。
• How good of the Lord not to level it beyond repair!上帝多么仁慈啊，竟没有让这所房子损毁得不可收拾！

26 colonies   

n.殖民地( colony的名词复数 )；（侨民等）聚居区；（动植物的）群体；（来自同一地方，职业或兴趣相同的）聚居人群

参考例句：

• They amassed huge wealth by plundering the colonies. 他们通过掠夺殖民地聚敛了大笔的财富。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• But throughout the colonies, people relied primarily on small farms and self-sufficiency. 但就整个殖民地来说，人们主要依靠小型农场，过着自给自足的生活。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件