用美國小孩的方法學英語最有效：驛馬快信
來源：育路教育網(wǎng)發(fā)布時間：2011-08-17
（3rd Grade）
The Pony Express
Long ago， there were no telephones or radios. There were no televisions or computers. There were no airplanes or cars. It was hard to get news all the way to California.
People who lived in California needed a quick way to get mail and news from the East. People wanted news about their friends and families. They also wanted to know what was happening in other places in the country.
Three people started a company called the Pony Express. The Pony Express carried mail and news throughout the West. On April 3， 1860， one Pony Express rider rode west from St. Joseph， Missouri. St. Joseph was the last stop for trains coming from the East. On the same day， another rider rode east from Sacramento， California. Both young men carried four bags of mail. The Pony Express was much faster than the stagecoach. A stagecoach took one month to deliver mail. A Pony Express rider could do it in ten days.
The Pony Express hired young men. They were often younger than 18 years old. They were skinny， too. No rider could weigh more than 120 pounds. That helped their ponies run longer and faster.
The Pony Express ponies were mustangs. These were small， wild horses. The horses were less than five feet tall. They galloped almost twelve miles an hour. The horses were smart. They learned their routes fast.
Besides riders， other people helped run the Pony Express. Some people worked at stations. One of their jobs was to take care of the company's horses. Riders picked up fresh horses when they stopped at stations.
The riders and the people who worked at the stations faced many dangers. One was the weather. Snowstorms slowed riders crossing the high mountains. Sandstorms slowed riders crossing the long， dry deserts. Wild animals like wolves were another danger. The riders also had to protect themselves from bandits. Bandits tried to steal horses. They also took whatever money the riders were carrying.
Still， there were young men willing to ride for the Pony Express. Together， they covered 2，000 miles of land. A rider would leave one station and gallop to another. At his first stop， he slipped the mail cover off the saddle. He threw it on the saddle of a new horse. Then he was off again. This took about two minutes. Each rider rode 60 to 80 miles. He stopped every 15 to 25 miles to get a fresh horse. At the end of his trip， a fresh rider on a fresh horse took his place. The first rider stayed at his last station until it was time for his next job.
The Pony Express was successful. It delivered the mail faster than stagecoaches. But it only lasted about one and one-half years. It stopped running when telegraph wires reached California. By October 1861， the Pony Express closed its doors. Its riders and horses were no longer needed.
Words and Phrases 單詞和短語
Pony Express 驛馬快信
St. Jopseph 圣約瑟
Missouri [mi'zu？ri] n. 密蘇里州（美國州名）
Sacramento [？s？kr？'ment？u] n. 薩克拉曼多（美國加州首府）
California [k？li'f？：nj？] n. 加利福尼亞，加州
stagecoach ['steid？k？ut？] n. 驛馬車；公共馬車
deliver [di'liv？] v. 遞送，交付
skinny ['skini] adj. 極瘦的，皮包骨的
mustang ['m？st？？] n. 野馬
gallop ['g？l？p] v. （使馬）飛奔，奔馳
snowstorm ['sn？ust？：m] n. 暴風雪
sandstorm ['s？ndst？：m] n. 沙暴，沙漠地帶的暴風沙
bandit ['b？ndit] n. 土匪，強盜
mail cover 郵袋，郵封
saddle ['s？dl] n. 馬鞍
譯 文
驛 馬 快 信
很久以前沒有電話和收音機，更沒有電視機和電腦。當時的人們也沒有飛機或者汽車。加利福尼亞想得到外界的信息很困難。
住在加利福尼亞的人們需要一種方法，一種能夠快速收到郵件和美國東部信息的方法。人們想得到朋友和家人的信息，也想知道美國其他各地發(fā)生的事件。
當時有三個人組建了一個名叫“驛馬快信”的公司，負責在美國西部運送郵件和新聞。1860年4月3日，驛馬快信公司的一個騎士從密蘇里州的圣約瑟向西駛?cè)ァＪゼs瑟是從美國東部駛來的火車的最后一站。同一天，另一個騎士從加利福尼亞的薩克拉曼向東急速駛來。兩個年輕人各自攜帶四袋信件。驛馬快信要比當時的公共馬車快多了。公共馬車送信歷時一月之久，而驛馬快信則能在十日之內(nèi)送到。
驛馬快信公司雇傭的都是年輕人，他們通常都在18歲以下，且身材極瘦。所有的騎士均不得超過120英磅。這樣有助于他們的馬匹跑得距離更長，時速更快。
驛馬快公司的馬匹都是體形小的野馬，它們身高不過五英尺，奔跑時時速可達12英里。這些馬很聰明，它們很快就能識途。
除了騎士，經(jīng)營驛馬快信公司還需要其他的人手。一些人在驛站工作。他們的工作之一就是照料公司的馬匹，以便騎士們趕到驛站時有精力充沛的馬匹可騎。
騎士和驛站工作人員都面臨許多危險，惡劣天氣就是其中之一。暴風雪會減慢騎士越過高山的速度。沙塵暴也會減慢騎士們穿越漫長干旱的沙漠的速度。狼等野生動物也是一大危險。此外，騎士們還得保護自己以防強盜的襲擊。強盜們不僅企圖偷馬，還會搶劫騎士們身上的錢財。
盡管如此，仍然有年輕男士愿意在驛馬快信公司當差。他們的足跡遍布2000英里的土地。騎士離開一個驛站快馬飛奔駛向下一個。在第一站時，他會把把郵袋從馬鞍上卸下，繼而把它扔到一匹新馬的馬鞍上繼續(xù)前行，中間的停頓僅有兩分鐘。每個騎士要騎60英里到80英里不等。每15到20英里會在驛站上做短暫地停留以換取新馬。當一個騎士旅程結(jié)束后，會有一個新的騎士和一匹新的馬來接替他。第一個騎手則在他最終到達的驛站上等待下一次出征。
驛馬快信當時很成功。它送信的速度比公共馬車快。然而它只維持了大約一年到一年半的光景。當電報線在加利福尼亞設立后，驛馬快信就停止了營運。1861年10月，驛馬快信公司徹底停業(yè)。至此，騎士和馬匹就再也不需要了。
Practice
1.What was the Pony Express？
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2.Why did the Pony Express start？
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3.What dangers did Pony Express riders face？
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練 習
1. 什么是驛馬快信？
2. 為什么驛馬快信會建立？
3. 驛馬快信的騎士們會面臨什么危險？
答 案
1. The Pony Express was a service started in 1860 that carried mail and news throughtout the West.
驛馬信使是建于1860年的一個服務機構，它向西部地區(qū)送去信件和新聞。
2. People who lived in California needed a quick way to get mail and news from the East. A stagecoach took one month to deliver mail. A Pony Express rider could do it in ten days.
生活在加利福尼亞的人們需要更快地得到來自美國東部的信件和新聞，而公共馬車送信要歷時一個月之久。驛馬信使在十日之內(nèi)就能把信送到。
3. Pony Express riders had to ride through dangerous weather， such as snowstorms and sandstorms. They also faced wild animals and bandits.
驛馬信使的郵差騎士員面臨惡劣的天氣，比如暴風雪和沙塵暴，還有野生動物和強盜的襲擊。
「注」
驛馬快信又稱快馬郵遞或小馬快遞，是美國近代一項快馬接力，用于加利福尼亞州和密蘇里州際間傳遞郵件。
驛馬快信創(chuàng)立于1860年4月，東起密蘇里州圣約瑟夫，西至加利福尼亞州加緬度，全長2900公里，共設有157個驛站。1861年10月，驛馬快信停業(yè)。雖然只歷時1年半時間，但它卻在美國歷史上留下了一段傳奇。
如今，“快馬郵遞”被用作快遞商標，美國和俄羅斯均有以此命名的公司。
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