Lecture 3 美国历史
Word Tips
patriot n.爱国者 vessel n.船，舰
dock v.使靠码头 dump v.倾倒，倾泻
offset v.抵制 colony n.殖民地
smuggle v.走私 eliminate v.消除，排除
monopoly n.垄断；专卖权 clash n.冲突
Listen to the following recording and answer questions 1-3.
1）A.a famous British company called the East Indian Company
B.the history of the British Parliament
C.an important event in American history called the Boston Tea Party
D.the significance of the Tea Act of 1773
2）A.They put the Tea Act into effect.
B.They dumped all the tea that was on three British vessels.
C.They gathered at Old South Meeting House to beg the governor to send the ships back to England
D.They drafted the Tea Act.
3）A.to discourage people from continuing to buy the tea from Britain
B.to offer American tea at a higher price than that of colonial smugglers
C.to save the British East India Company from bankruptcy
D.to offset the domination of the tea
听力原文
Okay class，I know you must be up to your ears in history，but let’s talk about another important event in American history called the Boston Tea Party.On the evening of December 16，1773，a group of American patriots went to the Boston Harbor.The men were dressed as Mohawk Indians and boarded three British vessels，the Beaver，the Eleanor，and the Dartmouth of the East Indian Company.After they boarded the docked ships，they dumped all the tea that was on the three ships，which amounted to 45 tons or 342 chests with a value of 10 000 pounds，into the ocean.You must be asking yourself why on earth these grown men would dump all that tea in the water.Let’s back up and start from the beginning and discover what led to this interesting chapter in American history.
It all began when the British East Indian Company had total control of the tea trade between India and the British colonies.To offset this domination of tea，the colonies would smuggle their tea in from Holland.As a result of the Tea Act Of 1773，which was passed by Parliament to save the British East India Company from bankruptcy，the colonies refused to buy British tea.The Tea Act basically eliminated all taxes on tea and offered Americans tea at a lower price than that of colonial smugglers.This Tea Act was put in place to save the British East Indian Company from bankruptcy，but would cause the colonial smugglers to go out of business.Because the patriots feared the Tea Act would create an illegal monopoly，they discouraged people from importing tea.Fearing that some people would continue to buy their tea from the British East Indian Company because it was so cheap，the patriots took control by taking matters into their own hands.The patriots decided to reject tea shipments and they demanded that tea ships be permitted to return to England without paying the duty required by law.Over 5，000 town’s people of Boston and surrounding towns gathered at Old South Meeting House to beg the governor to send the ships back to England.However，the governor refused and it was on the night of December 16 that 60 men dressed as Mohawk Indians went over to the Boston harbor and boarded the ships and dumped the tea into the Boston harbor.Needless to say，Parliament was furious and reacted by closing the Boston harbor.This event was just the beginning of a long clash between England and the colonies.
Questions：
1.What is the lecture mainly about？
2.What did the patriots do on the evening of December 16，1773？
3.What is the original purpose of the Tea Act？
参考译文
好，同学们。我知道最近大家历史课忙得不可开交，但是下面我们要聊一聊美国历史上另外一个重大的历史事件，波士顿倾茶事件。1773年12月16日晚，一群美国爱国者来到波士顿港口。他们化装成莫霍克印第安人，登上了英国东印度公司三艘名叫Beaver，Eleanor，以及Dartmouth的货船。在登上这三艘满载货物的轮船后，他们将船上的342箱、共计45吨、价值1万英镑的茶叶全部倾倒入海。你一定会问自己究竟是什么促使这些人把所有的茶叶倒入海中。让我们倒回来重新开始来学习一下美国历史上这有趣的一页。
一切都要从东印度公司垄断了印度和英国殖民地的茶叶贸易开始说起。为了抵制垄断，殖民地开始从荷兰走私茶叶。1773年英国国会为了避免东印度公司破产，颁布了《茶税法》，殖民地仍拒绝从英国购买茶叶。《茶税法》基本上免除了茶税的征收，使得卖到美洲殖民地的茶叶比走私茶叶还便宜。《茶税法》本意是拯救濒临破产的东印度公司，但却断了殖民地茶叶走私商人的财路。因为爱国者们担心《茶税法》会导致非法的贸易垄断，他们阻止人们购买进口茶叶。害怕一些人因为价格便宜而继续购买东印度公司的茶叶，爱国者们控制了事态的发展。他们决定拒绝卸运茶叶，并要求商船开回英国而不支付法律规定的相关税收。5000多波士顿及周边城镇的市民聚集在Old South Meeting House要求市长把商船遣回英国，但是他拒绝了。于是12月16日晚，60名爱国者化装成印第安人，来到波士顿港口，潜入商船把船上的茶叶全部倒入大海。毫无疑问，英国国会非常气愤并关闭了波士顿港。这次事件只是英国及其殖民地长期冲突的开始。
参考答案
1.C 2.B 3.C