34. president lincoln

　　the civil war2 lasted four years. it ended in 1865 . president lincoln signed the order that made the slaves in the south free . soon there would be no more slavery in america.

　　all the states were united again. the union was saved. but the damages of war had to be mended. the country must be led back to peace.

　　president lincoln looked old. his face was lined3 with worry.

　　one evening mrs. lincoln wanted to cheer up4 the president. she asked him to take her to the theater. the president and mrs. lincoln sat in a box5. halfway through the play a shot was fired. president lincoln was killed. an actor named john wilkes booth had shot the president. booth was a queer, half crazy person, who had been upset by the war.

　　people all over the country, north and south, were shocked by the terrible news. the whole country had lost its great leader.

　　the train that carried president lincoln back home to springfield was draped6 in black. crowds of people stood by the railroad tracks in every city and town. some waited all night on lonesome country roads to see the train go by. many of the people wept.

　　the train moved slowly. its mournful whistle blew across the prairie where young abe lincoln had lived. abraham lincoln was buried in springfield, illinois, where he lived the happiest years with his family.

　　in washington , d. c., the lincoln memorial7 helps americans remember their great president. there is a beautiful statue to lincoln . his face looks down on the thousands of people who come there. it makes each one feel the deep kindness and understanding that abraham lincoln showed to all people while he lived.

　　阅读自测

　　Ⅰ. multiple choices: choose the correct meaning of the underlined words:

　　his face is lined with worry.

　　a. telephone connection

　　b. long narrow mark, either straight or curved

　　c. wrinkles

　　d. rope , thread

　　Ⅱ. according to the passage , which statement is false?

　　a. the civil war began in 1861. b. president lincoln made the slaves in the south free after the war. c. the lincoln memorial was built to remember the great president abraham lincoln. d. after civil war all the states turned to be one state. Ⅲ.

　　question :

　　in this passage, it mainly tells about the death of lincoln. but it also gives us some information of the great deeds he had done . try to say something about lincoln.

　　参考答案

　　Ⅰ. c Ⅱ. d Ⅲ. abraham lincoln was the 16 th president of america . he had led the american civil war and made the slaves in the south free . in this way all the states were united together as a whole country. lincoln was president. he was very kind to his people. when he died, people all over the country felt very sad. they lost their respectable president. it was really a great loss to them.

　参考译文

　　缅怀林肯总统

　　美 国内战持续了四年并于1865 年结束。林肯总统签发了解放南方奴隶的命令, 不久, 美国不再有奴隶制。

　　所有的州再次联合起来, 联邦得救了。但是, 战争带来的创伤需要医治, 国家必须被引 回和平年代。

　　林肯总统看来老了, 脸上满是忧急之纹。 一天晚上, 林肯夫人想让总统高兴一些, 就让他带自己去看戏。林肯总统和夫人在一 个包厢里入座。演出进行到一半, 有人开枪了。总统遇刺。一位叫约翰· 威尔克斯· 布思 的演员射中了总统先生。布思行为古怪, 有点疯疯癫癫, 对内战非常失望。

　　全国——— 南方的和北方的人民都被这个噩耗震惊了! 美国人民失去了他们伟大的领袖。 护送林肯总统灵柩回他家乡斯普林菲尔德的列车裹成了黑色。在各个大城小镇的铁 路边上, 人群伫立着; 在孤寂的乡村路边, 一些人彻夜等候目送火车开过, 许多人都哭了。 火车缓缓而行, 汽笛的哀鸣声在那片大草原上回荡, 那儿是青年亚比· 林肯曾经生活 过的地方。亚伯拉罕· 林肯葬在伊利诺斯州的斯普林菲尔德。在那里, 他曾与家人度过了 最幸福的时光。

　　在华盛顿, 林肯纪念堂让美国人记住了他们伟大的总统。那里有一尊完美的林肯雕 像, 他脸朝下地看着成千上万前来瞻仰的人。这个动作让每个人都感受到一种林肯总统在世 时对他的人民的深切关怀与理解。

　　阅读导评

　　生下来就一贫如洗的林肯, 一生都在遭受挫折: 八次竞选八次败北, 先后两次经商, 却 都是赔了夫人又折兵, 甚至还曾一度精神崩溃。然而, 面对失败, 他却如是说:“ 此路艰辛而 泥泞, 我一只脚滑了一下, 另一只脚因而也站不稳, 但我缓口气, 告诉自己, 这不过是滑了一 跤, 并不是死了爬不起来。”正是有着这种屡败屡战、永不退缩的精神, 他才成就了事业并最 终成为美国历史上最伟大的总统。

　　阅读导释

　　1. 亚伯拉罕·林肯( abraham lincoln, 1809—1865) , 美国第十六任总统, 共和党人, 当过律 师、众议员。在他就任总统后, 国内爆发了南北战争。林肯采取革命性措施, 颁布《宅第 法》和《解放宣言》, 从而促使北方取得战争的胜利。战后, 他被刺杀。在美国, 他历次被 评选为“ 最伟大的总统”。下文出现的abe 是对他的亲昵称呼。

　　2.“ 美国内战”, 即是从1861 年开始持续到1865 年结束的“南北战争”。这次战争爆发的根本原因是北方发达的资本主义工商业与南方发展滞后的奴隶制种植园经济之间的矛盾。

　　3. 这个词在这里用作动词, 作“ 起皱纹”解, 如: signs of worry lined her face. ( 她脸上布满条 条忧纹。) line 可作“使排成行, 沿⋯⋯排列成行”解, 如: volumes of the great works of literature line the shelves. ( 书架上排列着一卷卷文学巨著。) 和line 连用的词组很多, 如: read between the lines ( 领会言外之意) ; out of line ( 不一致, 不符合) 。

　　4. cheer 本身有“ 喝彩”的意思, cheer up 作“ 高兴起来, 振作起来, 使感到安慰”解, 如: cheer up! your troubles will soon be over. ( 振作起来! 你的困难就会过去的。)

　　5. 注意, 这里的box 要是翻译成“ 盒子, 箱子”可是要闹笑话的。它指的是“ ( 戏院、运动场 等处的) 包厢”。此外, ( 餐馆的) 分隔式雅座, 单间, ( 法院里的) 陪审席、证人席和记者 席, 也都可以用box 来表示。

　　6. 这个词是“ 包, 裹, 装饰, 披上”的意思, 这里是指“火车被裹成黑色以示哀悼”。 7. 林肯纪念堂。它位于阿灵顿大桥前, 与国会和华盛顿纪念碑成一条直线。林肯总统雕像 就耸立在纪念堂中央, 四周的墙上刻着著名的葛底斯堡演说词。“ 不对任何人怀有恶 意, 对一切人心存宽厚( with malice toward none, with charity for all) ”等名言都镌刻于此。