英语听力—环球英语 1187 Harriet Tubman: From Slave to Hero

 　　Voice 1

 

　　Welcome to Spotlight¹. I’m Adam Navis.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　And I’m Liz Waid . Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand - no matter where in the world they live.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　A woman hurries through the dark forest. The North Star shines above her in the night sky. She walks towards it. She looks behind her. She is afraid that someone will see her. She is very tired. She has travelled for 145 kilometres. Finally, she reaches her goal. She crosses the border into the North. Her time as a slave is over.

 

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　　“I had crossed the line. I was free; but there was no one to welcome me to the land of freedom. I was a stranger in a strange land. I looked at my hands to see if I was the same person now I was free. There was such a glory over everything. I felt like I was in heaven."

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　These are the words and story of Harriet Tubman. She is famous for working to end slavery in the United States. Today’s Spotlight is on Harriet Tubman and her fight for freedom.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　In the state of Maryland, a girl was born into slavery in 1820. Her parents named her Araminta Harriet Ross. She was to become Harriet Tubman. She was one of about one million Africans in slavery in the United States. Slave traders brought them over the ocean from Africa. The slaves worked hard, often on large farms. At this time it was legal in the United States for a person to own another person. Slaves had to work for no pay. They did not have the rights of free citizens.

 

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　　From the age of five, Harriet Tubman’s owners made her work very hard. First, she worked as a nurse, caring for the child of the farm owner. By the time she was 12 years old Tubman was doing hard physical work. She was not very tall but she was physically² strong. Tubman plowed³ farm fields with oxen and carried heavy loads of wood.

 

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　　Harriet Tubman was also strong in spirit. She could not read or write. But she learned⁴ from her parents to do what was right. This included helping⁵ others. Through her whole life, Tubman put herself in danger for other people.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　One such act changed her life when she was 13 years old. Tubman was defending another slave. The man who was making her work got angry. He threw a heavy metal weight. It hit Tubman on the head. She was badly hurt but she survived. For the rest of her life, Tubman’s head wound caused problems for her.  She had very bad headaches. She would also suddenly fall asleep – and often people could not wake her up.

 

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　　But the injury to her head also made Tubman stronger. Her Christian⁶ faith was the most important influence on her life. She was a very spiritual woman. She believed in a powerful God. She believed that God spoke⁷ to her and helped her. She said:

 

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　　“It was not me, it was the Lord⁸. I always told him, 'I trust to you.’ I do not know where to go or what to do, but I expect you to lead me,' and He always did.”

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　When she was about twenty-five years old, Harriet married a man named John Tubman. But she was still a slave. Her life was very difficult. So she planned an escape. We heard about Tubman’s escape to freedom at the beginning of the program. Once she crossed into the north, Tubman was a free woman.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　But Tubman could not leave her family enslaved in the south. So she travelled back to help them escape as well. She did not stop with her own family. She made many trips and guided many slaves to freedom.

 

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　　Tubman was not the only person helping slaves to escape. There were many free black Americans and white Americans who thought that slavery was wrong. They worked together to guide people to freedom. They created a system called the “Underground Railroad⁹.”

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Slaves would travel to the North of the United States. Later, they travelled even farther¹⁰ north into Canada. Usually, they walked long distances. As the slaves escaped, people gave them rides, fed them and hid them in their houses. The slaves were like passengers on a path to freedom – like passengers on a train. This is why it was called the Underground Railroad. And Harriet Tubman was like a conductor – she helped people along the way. She said:

 

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　　"I was conductor of the Underground Railroad for eight years. I can say what most conductors cannot say: I never ran my train off the track and I never lost a passenger."

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Tubman led about 300 people to freedom. People began to call her “Moses”. Moses was a man in the Christian Bible¹¹. His people were also enslaved. He trusted God and led his people to a free land. Harriet Tubman did this too.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　But Tubman also fought in other ways. Starting in 1861 there was a Civil war in the United States. The northern states fought against the southern states. One of the main things they were fighting about was slavery. The North wanted to make slavery illegal. So Harriet Tubman fought for the North.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Tubman served as a soldier, cook, nurse and spy. And the North won the civil war. In 1865 slavery became illegal in the United States. But even after the war, Harriet Tubman continued to fight for the rights of women and African Americans. She also helped old people.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Harriet Tubman bought some land in the northern state of New York. She brought her parents here so that sh e could take care of them. Tubman saw a problem for many other old people who had been slaves. They did not have a place to live. She started a home for old African Americans. And when she grew old, Tubman lived there.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Harriet Tubman died of pneumonia¹² in 1913, at her house in New York. Her memory brings hope to many people – especially to those who fight for justice. She encouraged people to never give up.

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　“If you hear the dogs, keep going. If you see the fiery¹³ torches in the forest, keep going. If there's shouting after you, keep going. Do not ever stop. Keep going. If you want a taste of freedom, keep going.”

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　The writer and producer of this program was Rena Dam. The voices you heard were from the United States. All quotes were adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight. You can listen to this program again, and read it, on the internet at http://www.radioenglish.net This .program is called, ‘Harriet Tubman: From Slave to Hero’.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　You can also leave your comments on our website. Or you can email us at [email protected]. You can also find us on Facebook - just search for spotlightradio. We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.

1 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。

2 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

3 plowed   

v.耕( plow的过去式和过去分词 )；犁耕；费力穿过

参考例句：

• They plowed nearly 100,000 acres of virgin moorland. 他们犁了将近10万英亩未开垦的高沼地。 来自辞典例句
• He plowed the land and then sowed the seeds. 他先翻土，然后播种。 来自辞典例句

4 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。

5 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

6 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。

7 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

8 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！

9 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。

10 farther   

adj.更远的，进一步的；adv.更远的，此外；far的比较级

参考例句：

• I can throw the ball farther than you can.这个球我能比你扔得远。
• The farther hill is five kilometres away.那座更远的小山在五公里以外。

11 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。

12 pneumonia   

n.肺炎

参考例句：

• Cage was struck with pneumonia in her youth.凯奇年轻时得过肺炎。
• Pneumonia carried him off last week.肺炎上星期夺去了他的生命。

13 fiery   

adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的

参考例句：

• She has fiery red hair.她有一头火红的头发。
• His fiery speech agitated the crowd.他热情洋溢的讲话激动了群众。