| 第 1 页：听力练习 |
| 第 2 页：词汇学习 |
| 第 3 页：短语学习 |
| 第 4 页：部分段落翻译 |
| 第 5 页：背景知识 |
The eighteen fifties were an increasingly tense time in the United States. Most of the population lived east of the Mississippi River. But more and more people were moving west. As western areas became populated, they became official territories, and then new states.
19世纪50年代，美国的的紧张形势愈演愈烈。大部分人居住在密西西比河的东岸，但是越来越多的人向西安转移。由于西安人口越来越多，逐渐转变为正式的领土，然后形成新的州。
People who owned negro slaves wanted to take all their property -- including the slaves -- with them when they moved west. People who opposed slavery did not want it to spread. Some of them considered slavery a moral issue. They believed it violated the laws of God. An increasing number of white Americans, however, saw slavery as an economic issue. They wanted new states to be free from slavery, so they would not have to compete with slave labor.
那些拥有黑奴的人在向西岸转移的时候希望带着所有的财产——包括他们的黑奴。反对奴隶制度的人不希望黑奴制度扩散。其中一些人认为努力制度涉及到道德问题，他们相信这种制度违反了上帝的准则。然而，越来越多的美国白人将努力制度视为经济问题。他们希望新成立的州没有奴隶制度，这样他们就不需要与黑人劳力进行竞争。
Like other presidents, Franklin Pierce hoped to avoid the issue. He also believed that earlier legislation had settled the debate. In eighteen twenty, Congress had passed the Missouri Compromise. It extended a line across the map of the United States. South of the line, slavery was legal. North of the line, slavery was not legal, except in Missouri.
像其他的总统一样，富兰克林希望能够避免这个问题。他同时也相信早期的立法已经解决了争论。1820年，国会通过了折衷案，在美国地图上添加了一条线。这条线以南，奴隶制度是合法的。线以北，奴隶制度是非法的，密苏里除外。
Supporters of the Kansas-Nebraska bill celebrated their victory. They fired cannons as the city of Washington was waking to a new day. Two senators who opposed the bill heard the noise as they walked down the steps of the capitol building. One of them said: "They celebrate a victory now. But the echoes they awake will never rest until slavery itself is dead."
堪萨斯-内布拉斯加法案的支持者欢庆他们的胜利。他们鸣炮来庆祝华盛顿迎来新的一天。两名反对该法案的参议员走下国会山的台阶时听到了这些噪音。其中一个说：“他们现在在庆祝胜利。但是回声永远不会停止，直到奴隶制度完全废除。”
The same thing happened when Kansas finally held an election for a legislature. Governor Reeder took steps to make the voting fair. His efforts were not completely successful. Once again, men from Missouri crossed the border into Kansas. Many of them carried guns. They forced election officials to count their illegal votes. As a result, almost every pro-slavery candidate was elected to the new legislature.
在堪萨斯最终为立法机关举行选举时也发生过同样的事情。州长Reeder采取措施确保投票的公平。他的努力并没有完全成功。密苏里的人们又一次越过边境到了堪萨斯。许多人携带了枪支。他们强迫选举官员将非法投票计算在内。结果，几乎所有支持奴隶制度的候选人都当选为新的立法机关成员。
