Unit 13 The USA

The towers are further apart at the top than at the base, but this is no mistake.

兩座塔樓的樓頂之間的距離比樓底之間的距離要大一些，但是這并不是錯誤。

Unit 13 The USA

This is because the surface of the earth is not flat but round.

因為地球表面不是平的，而是圓的。

Unit 13 The USA

New York never sleeps.

紐約是一座不眠的城市。

Unit 13 The USA

The underground railway runs 24 hours a day, and there are all-night cinemas, bars and restaurants.

地鐵一天24小時不停地運營。還有通宵電影院、酒吧間和餐館。

Unit 13 The USA

Some people think that the weather is unpleasant, the city ugly and dirty, the competition fierce and the streets unsafe.

有些人認為，這兒的氣候不佳，市容丑陋骯臟，競爭激烈，街上不安全。

Unit 13 The USA

It is a city in a hurry, but a very exciting place to be.

這是一座熙熙攘攘的城市，但也是一個富于刺激的地方。

Unit 13 The USA

The Bison on the Plains of America

美洲平原上的野牛

Unit 13 The USA

The first settlers on the plains of America were Native Americans.

美洲平原上的首批定居者是美洲土著人。

Unit 13 The USA

It is thought that they arrived more than 30,000 years ago by crossing a land bridge from Asia to America.

他們被認為是在3萬多年以前從亞洲跨越一座陸橋來到美洲的。

Unit 13 The USA

They lived by hunting and by gathering roots, nuts and wild fruits.

他們靠狩獵和采集根莖、堅果和野果為生。

Unit 13 The USA

They also hunted and killed wild animals.

他們還獵殺野獸。

Unit 13 The USA

Around the year 1600 the first horses were brought to the American continent by the Spanish.

大約在1600年的時候，西班牙人把第一批馬匹帶來美洲大陸。

Unit 13 The USA

Soon there were many wild horses across the country.

不久，鄉間就有了許多野馬。

Unit 13 The USA

The Native Americans caught and trained them and were then able to use them to carry their goods when they travelled from one camping ground to another.

美洲土著人捕捉野馬，加以馴服。

Unit 13 The USA

Now that they could ride horses, it became easier to hunt the bison, a type of cattle which used to exist in huge numbers on the plains of America.

當他們從一個營地搬到另一個營地去的時候，他們就可以利用這些野馬來運載貨物。既然土著人會騎馬了，獵取野牛也就容易了。這種野牛以前是成群結隊地生活在美洲平原上的。

Unit 13 The USA

The bison grows to a shoulder-height of 1.5 metres and can weigh 1100 kilograms.

野牛可以長到肩高1。5米，重達1，100公斤。

Unit 13 The USA

It was an important part of Native American's existence.

野牛是美洲土著人賴以生活的重要部分。

Unit 13 The USA

Bison were killed for their meat, while their fur provided warm clothing during cold winters.

他們殺野牛，吃野牛肉，用野牛毛皮制成冬季御寒的衣服。

Unit 13 The USA

The skins were used for making tents and water containers.

還可以用野牛皮制作帳蓬和裝水的容器。

Unit 13 The USA

Bones were carved into needles and tools, and the teeth were used to make necklaces.

骨頭則雕琢成針和工具，牙齒用來作項鏈。

Unit 13 The USA

From 1830 onwards in the USA and from about 1870 in Canada, settlers began to move westwards and to take possession of the plains as their own.

美國自1830年起，加拿大從1870年左右起，殖民者開始向西遷移，并把平原據為己有。

Unit 13 The USA

Large groups of Native Americans were forced to move away form their old hunting grounds.

成批成批的美洲土著人被迫從他們原來的狩獵場遷走。

Unit 13 The USA

When they objected, they were killed.

他們反抗時就被殺害。

Unit 13 The USA

Fierce wars between Native Americans and European settlers broke out.

美洲土著人和歐洲殖民者之間發生了激烈的戰爭。

Unit 13 The USA

Settlers made agreements with Native American cheifs but always broke them afterwards.

殖民者同美洲土著人的首領達成了協議，但是這些協議隨后總是被撕毀。

Unit 13 The USA

In this way Native Americans were forced onto poor land that the settlers did not want.

就這樣，美洲土著人被趕到殖民者所不要的貧瘠的土地上去了。

Unit 13 The USA

The settlers built railways across the plains and began to hunt even more bison.

殖民者在平原上修起了鐵路，于是開始獵取更多的野牛。

Unit 13 The USA

While early settlers had killed bison for food, now the killing became more widespread.

早期的殖民者只是以殺野牛為食，這時屠宰野牛就更為廣泛了。

Unit 13 The USA

They killed the bison, cut off the skins and left the bodies behind to rot.

他們把野牛殺死剝皮，尸體就任其腐爛。

Unit 13 The USA

The bison skins were sent by rail to cities to be sold.

野牛皮用火車運到城里出售。