美国故事之约翰

美国故事之约翰·亨利(1/6) [标准VOA101005]

Children’s Story: ‘John Henry’

儿童故事：约翰·亨利

Hints:

John Henry

校稿龙猫08

翻译wintervest

组长莜珍

原文：

People still talk about the night John Henry was born. It was dark and cloudy. Then, lightening lit up the night sky. John Henry's birth was a big event. His parents showed him to everyone they met. John Henry was the most powerful looking baby people had ever seen. He had thick arms, wide shoulders and strong muscles. John Henry started growing when he was one day old. He continued growing until he was the strongest man who ever lived.

John Henry grew up in a world that did not let children stay children for long. One day, he was sitting on his father's knee. The boy picked up a small piece of steel and a workman's tool, a hammer. He looked at the 2 objects, then said, "A hammer will be the death of me."

Before John Henry was 6 years old, he was carrying stones for workers building a nearby railroad. By the age of 10, he worked from early in the morning until night. Often, he would stop and listen to the sound of a train far away. He told his family, "I am going to be a steel-driver some day."

Steel-drivers helped create pathways for the railroad lines. These laborers had the job of cutting holes in rock. They did this by hitting thick steel drills, or spikes.

By the time John Henry was a young man, he was one of the best steel-drivers in the country. He could work for hours without missing a beat. People said he worked so fast that his hammer moved like lightening.

翻译：

人们仍在谈论约翰·亨利的出生之夜。那晚阴云密布，昏暗无光。随后闪电撕开了夜空。他的出生非比寻常。其父母向遇到的所有人介绍这个孩子。约翰·亨利也是人们所见过的最强壮的孩子。他有着粗壮的手臂，宽阔的肩膀以及健硕的肌肉。他在一天大的时候便开始成长。而直到他长成最强壮的人之后仍在继续长大。

在约翰·亨利生活的时代中，孩子们并不能长久地享受童年。一天，他坐在他父亲的膝盖上，

拾起了一块钢和一把工匠的锤子。他注视着这两件东西，然后说“我的生命将与铁锤同在。”

约翰·亨利6岁之前，他都在为附近修铁路的工人搬运石头。到10岁时，他从凌晨一直工作到晚上。他常常停下来倾听远方火车的声音。他告诉家人“总有一天，我要成为钢钻技师”

那时钢钻技师也会协助修造铁路干线。这些工人的工作就是通过锤击厚重的钢钻或长钉在岩石上开洞。

那时约翰·亨利已经是一个小伙子了，他是全国最优秀的钢钻技师之一。他能够连续工作几个小时而不出任何差错。人们都说他工作的效率如此之高，他的锤子挥舞得如同闪电一般。