每日对话围绕一家人在美国50个州的旅行见闻展开。请来跟随他们一起体验地方风情和历史。这个对话系列适于中级或中级以上英语水平的学生使用。
今天一家人来到西弗吉尼亚州（West Virginia）的哈珀斯费里（Harpers Ferry），这里发生过美国历史上一次著名的废奴主义者的武装反叛。
Claudine: This is the place where Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia meet?
Paul: Yes. We’re in West Virginia, but the borders of Maryland and Virginia are right over there.
Gina: But Harpers Ferry is most famous for John Brown’s raid on an armory in 1859.
Sam: One man raided an armory?
Gina: He wasn’t alone. There were about 20 men with him. And he expected others to join him in his cause.
Claudine: What was his cause?
Paul: Well, this was right before the American Civil War, and there were people who were very opposed to slavery. And John Brown was a staunch abolitionist. His raid was a revolt against slavery.
Gina: And he hoped slaves and freedom fighters would join the raid. But that didn’t happen, and he was defeated.
让我们复习一些词语：
A border：国家、州等区域之间的边界
A raid ：突袭
An armory ：军械库。哈珀斯费里军械库（Harpers Ferry Armory）当时是美国政府的第二个军火储藏设施。
作为名词，cause 有不同的意思。在这个对话中， a cause 指一项事业。
形容词 staunch 的意思是（对信仰/事业）坚定的、忠诚的。
An abolitionist ：主张废除奴隶制的人，废奴主义者
A revolt 反叛，造反，通常指反对政府权威并往往发生暴力的行动
A freedom fighter ：自由斗士，在约翰·布朗发起反叛的时代，指的是为结束奴隶制而战的人。
[table id=101 /]
