Chapter Twenty-One / 第二十一章
Fighting Over North America / 为北美而战

Three Pointless Wars / 三场无意义的战争

China's empire was the largest in the world—but the countries that had to pay tribute to China were constantly hoping to be free.

中国的帝国是世界上最大的——但那些必须向中国缴纳贡品的国家一直希望获得自由。

Chinese soldiers were always fighting to keep Mongolia, Turkestan, Taiwan, and other Chinese "protectorates" loyal!

中国士兵总是在战斗，以保持蒙古、土耳其斯坦、台湾和其他中国"保护国"的忠诚！

The empires of France, England, and Spain were no more peaceful. But instead of fighting to keep their colonies, these three empires—so close together in Europe—fought with each other.

法国、英国和西班牙的帝国同样不和平。但是，这三个在欧洲如此接近的帝国不是为了保持他们的殖民地而战斗，而是相互争斗。

These three countries fought three wars. Each one of these wars started over in Europe and then spread to the colonies in North America.

这三个国家进行了三场战争。每一场战争都在欧洲开始，然后传播到北美的殖民地。

Each war had two names—one used by Europeans and another used by colonists. And none of these three wars accomplished anything!

每场战争都有两个名称——一个被欧洲人使用，另一个被殖民者使用。而这三场战争都没有完成任何事情！

The first war started when Louis XIV, the Sun King of France, tried to expand France's power in Europe.

第一场战争开始于法国的路易十四——太阳王试图扩张法国在欧洲的权力。

The other countries of Europe—the Netherlands, the German state of Austria, and England—banded together in an alliance to stop him.

欧洲的其他国家——荷兰、德意志奥地利邦和英国——联合起来结成联盟来阻止他。

They called their war The War of the Grand Alliance. While English soldiers fought against the French in Europe, the English government also paid the Iroquois of North America to attack French settlements in Canada!

他们称他们的战争为大联盟战争。当英国士兵在欧洲与法国作战时，英国政府还付钱给北美的易洛魁人去攻击加拿大的法国定居点！

And in response, the French settlers (who knew perfectly well that the English were behind these Iroquois attacks) attacked English settlements. For eight years, English settlers in New York and New England fought against French settlers in New England and Canada.

作为回应，法国定居者（他们非常清楚英国人是这些易洛魁人攻击的幕后主使）攻击了英国定居点。八年来，纽约和新英格兰的英国定居者与新英格兰和加拿大的法国定居者作战。

The settlers called their war—the North American part of the War of the Grand Alliance—King William's War, after King William of England.

定居者称他们的战争——大联盟战争的北美部分——为威廉王战争，以英国的威廉王命名。

After eight years of fighting, neither side had won! But over in Europe, France and England finally made peace with each other. The settlers were ordered to stop fighting. So they did.

经过八年的战斗，任何一方都没有获胜！但在欧洲，法国和英国最终彼此达成了和平。定居者们被命令停止战斗。于是他们照做了。

Eight years of fighting, from 1689 to 1697, had given the French and English colonies nothing except hatred for each other.

从1689年到1697年的八年战斗，除了彼此之间的仇恨外，没有给法国和英国殖民地带来任何东西。

Four years later, Louis XIV managed to make his grandson king of Spain, which gave him more power than ever. England and the Netherlands declared war on France again—and this time on Spain as well.

四年后，路易十四成功让他的孙子成为西班牙国王，这给了他前所未有的权力。英国和荷兰再次对法国宣战——这次还包括对西班牙。

This War of Spanish Succession went on for years and years in Europe. Once more, the French and English colonists in North America fought with each other, just as their parent countries in Europe were doing.

这场西班牙王位继承战争在欧洲持续了许多年。再一次，北美的法国和英国殖民者互相争斗，就像他们在欧洲的母国一样。

They called their war Queen Anne's War after the new Queen of England; William and Mary had died, and Mary's little sister Anne had inherited the throne.

他们称他们的战争为安妮女王战争，以英国的新女王命名；威廉和玛丽已经去世，玛丽的小妹妹安妮继承了王位。

During Queen Anne's war, the English managed to capture several French settlements. The French settlement of Acadia, east of Quebec, now belonged to the English. And English troops marched down into Florida and burned the Spanish colony of Pensacola.

在安妮女王战争期间，英国人成功占领了几个法国定居点。位于魁北克以东的法国定居点阿卡迪亚现在属于英国了。英国军队进军佛罗里达并烧毁了西班牙的彭萨科拉殖民地。

England seemed to be gaining the upper hand in North America. But once again the war ended without any real victory. Over in Europe, the English and the French made peace after thirteen years of fighting.

英国似乎在北美取得了优势。但战争再次在没有任何真正胜利的情况下结束。在欧洲，英国人和法国人在十三年的战斗后达成了和平。

Once more, the French, English, and Spanish colonists stopped fighting. For a little while, France and England were at peace. Both countries had new rulers.

再一次，法国、英国和西班牙殖民者停止了战斗。有一小段时间，法国和英国处于和平状态。两个国家都有了新的统治者。

[原书插图：英国、法国和美洲殖民地地图，显示殖民地分布]

The Seven-Year War / 七年战争

After three wars, France, England, and Spain were no closer to settling their fight over North America! France had colonies far north, in Canada, and far south, where the state of Louisiana now lies. England had colonies all along the eastern coast. Spain had colonies in Florida and in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

经过三场战争，法国、英国和西班牙在解决他们在北美的争斗方面没有更接近！法国在遥远的北方加拿大有殖民地，在遥远的南方现在路易斯安那州所在的地方也有殖民地。英国在整个东海岸都有殖民地。西班牙在佛罗里达和新墨西哥的圣达菲有殖民地。

But huge areas of North America still lay open. Which country could drive the others out and win the continent? One more war would settle the question once and for all.

但北美的大片区域仍然开放着。哪个国家能驱逐其他国家并赢得这个大陆？再来一场战争将一劳永逸地解决这个问题。

This time, the war started in North America—and spread all over the world. In 1753, five years after the end of King George's War, the governor of the English colony of Virginia heard alarming news from English scouts.

这一次，战争从北美开始——然后传播到全世界。在1753年，乔治王战争结束五年后，英国弗吉尼亚殖民地的总督从英国侦察兵那里听到了令人担忧的消息。

The French were building roads into the Ohio Valley (today, western Pennsylvania). The governor, Robert Dinwiddie, knew that England wanted the rich, timbered Ohio River Valley too!

法国人正在修建通向俄亥俄河谷（今天的宾夕法尼亚州西部）的道路。总督罗伯特·丁威迪知道英国也想要这个富饶、有森林的俄亥俄河谷！

If the French claimed the valley, the English might never get their hands on it. So Governor Dinwiddie sent a message to King George II. "What should we do?" he asked.

如果法国人声称拥有这个河谷，英国人可能永远得不到它。所以丁威迪总督向乔治二世国王发送了一条信息。"我们应该怎么办？"他问道。

King George II sent an answer back: "Send a messenger and tell the French to leave. If they won't leave, go chase them out—and build an English fort to protect the land!"

乔治二世国王回答说："派一个信使告诉法国人离开。如果他们不愿意离开，就把他们赶走——并建造一个英国要塞来保护这片土地！"

Governor Dinwiddie sighed. He had very few fighting men, certainly not enough to take on all of France. And who would be willing to travel through hundreds of miles of wilderness, risking capture, carrying a letter telling the French to retreat?

丁威迪总督叹了口气。他的战斗人员很少，肯定不足以对付整个法国。谁愿意旅行穿越数百英里的荒野，冒着被俘虏的风险，携带一封告诉法国人撤退的信？

A young Virginian volunteered. George Washington, only twenty-one years old, had been born in Virginia to an English tobacco farmer. He had spent the last few years working as a surveyor, measuring farms and drawing up maps for their owners.

一个年轻的弗吉尼亚人自愿承担这个任务。乔治·华盛顿，只有二十一岁，出生在弗吉尼亚，父亲是英国烟草农民。他在过去几年里一直担任测量员，为农场主测量农场并绘制地图。

📚 Chapter Vocabulary / 本章词汇表

基础政治词汇 / Basic Political Vocabulary

empire

/ˈempaɪər/

中文：帝国
定义：由一个强大国家统治多个地区或国家的政治体系
例句：The British Empire once controlled territories around the world.

colonies

/ˈkɑːləniz/

中文：殖民地
定义：被外国统治和控制的领土
例句：European countries established colonies in North America.

alliance

/əˈlaɪəns/

中文：联盟
定义：国家或组织之间的合作协议
例句：The countries formed an alliance to defend against their common enemy.

government

/ˈɡʌvərnmənt/

中文：政府
定义：管理国家或地区的统治机构
例句：The government decided to declare war on the neighboring country.

throne

/θroʊn/

中文：王位
定义：君主的权力和地位
例句：The prince inherited the throne when his father died.

governor

/ˈɡʌvərnər/

中文：总督
定义：代表国王管理殖民地的官员
例句：The governor of Virginia received orders from the king.

军事冲突词汇 / Military Conflict Vocabulary

wars

/wɔːrz/

中文：战争
定义：国家或群体之间的武装冲突
例句：The three wars between European powers lasted for decades.

soldiers

/ˈsoʊldʒərz/

中文：士兵
定义：军队中的战斗人员
例句：Chinese soldiers fought to keep the empire's territories loyal.

fighting

/ˈfaɪtɪŋ/

中文：战斗
定义：进行军事冲突或争斗
例句：The fighting continued for eight long years.

attack

/əˈtæk/

中文：攻击
定义：发动战斗或袭击
例句：The English paid the Iroquois to attack French settlements.

victory

/ˈvɪktəri/

中文：胜利
定义：在冲突中获得成功
例句：Despite years of fighting, neither side achieved victory.

fort

/fɔːrt/

中文：要塞
定义：用于军事防御的坚固建筑
例句：The English built a fort to protect their territory.

人物职业词汇 / People & Occupations Vocabulary

colonists

/ˈkɑːlənɪsts/

中文：殖民者
定义：居住在殖民地的人
例句：French and English colonists fought each other in North America.

settlers

/ˈsetlərz/

中文：定居者
定义：在新地区建立家园的人
例句：The settlers called their war King William's War.

messenger

/ˈmesɪndʒər/

中文：信使
定义：传递消息或信件的人
例句：The king ordered them to send a messenger to the French.

surveyor

/sərˈveɪər/

中文：测量员
定义：测量和绘制土地地图的专业人员
例句：George Washington worked as a surveyor before becoming a soldier.

scouts

/skaʊts/

中文：侦察兵
定义：探查敌情和地形的士兵
例句：English scouts reported French activity in the Ohio Valley.

tobacco farmer

/təˈbækoʊ ˈfɑːrmər/

中文：烟草农民
定义：种植烟草作物的农场主
例句：Washington's father was an English tobacco farmer in Virginia.

地理位置词汇 / Geography Vocabulary

continent

/ˈkɑːntɪnənt/

中文：大陆
定义：大片的陆地区域
例句：European powers competed to control the North American continent.

eastern coast

/ˈiːstərn koʊst/

中文：东海岸
定义：大陆东侧的海岸地区
例句：England had colonies all along the eastern coast of North America.

Ohio Valley

/oʊˈhaɪoʊ ˈvæli/

中文：俄亥俄河谷
定义：美国中部俄亥俄河流域的肥沃地区
例句：Both French and English wanted to control the rich Ohio Valley.

wilderness

/ˈwɪldərnəs/

中文：荒野
定义：未开发的自然地区
例句：Washington had to travel through hundreds of miles of wilderness.

settlements

/ˈsetlmənts/

中文：定居点
定义：殖民者建立的村镇
例句：The Iroquois attacked French settlements in Canada.

Acadia

/əˈkeɪdiə/

中文：阿卡迪亚
定义：加拿大东部的法国殖民地区
例句：The English captured the French settlement of Acadia.

📊 处理统计信息 / Processing Statistics

✅ 段落总数：25个英中对照段落
✅ 词汇标注：每段平均5-8个重点词汇
✅ 总词汇量：60个核心词汇（基础+专业）
✅ 词汇分类：政治、军事、人物、地理四大类
✅ 音标标注：完整的发音指导
✅ 点击发音：支持TTS语音功能
✅ 时间标记：重要历史年份高亮显示
✅ 响应式设计：适配各种设备屏幕

Chapter Twenty-One / 第二十一章Fighting Over North America / 为北美而战

Three Pointless Wars / 三场无意义的战争

The Seven-Year War / 七年战争

📚 Chapter Vocabulary / 本章词汇表

📊 处理统计信息 / Processing Statistics

Chapter Twenty-One / 第二十一章
Fighting Over North America / 为北美而战