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。

在以下对话中，全家人到达康涅狄格州，谈论起地下铁路 （Underground Railroad）。

Sam: Grand Central was incredible!

Claudine: Yes, I loved the painted ceiling the best.

Sam: It’s hard to believe that it’s just a couple of hours later, and we’re in a rural area of Connecticut. But why exactly are we here?

Paul: This was part of the Underground Railroad.

Sam: You mean like a subway?

Gina: No, not at all. The Underground Railroad was neither underground nor a railroad. During the time of slavery in the U.S., many slaves chose to escape from their owners and find a safe place.

Paul: The Underground Railroad was part of the abolitionist movement, and it gave safe places to fugitive slaves to stay as they went north to escape slavery. People helped them along the way. It was a dangerous trip for slaves, and the people who helped them ran a risk too.

Claudine: Wow, and this area of Connecticut was part of the Underground Railroad?

Gina: This part and other places in the state too.

让我们复习一些词语：

Grand Central (也叫做 Grand Central Terminal or Grand Central Station) ：中央火车站，位于纽约曼哈顿，是大型通勤火车枢纽站。主大厅（Main Concourse）天花板上绘有巨幅油画。

Rural：相对于城市而言的乡村，乡间

The Underground Railroad: “地下天路”，这里专指当年帮助美国南方黑奴逃往北方和加拿大等地的地下通道，沿途有许多人出力相助。

A subway :地铁

Neither … nor: 既不……也不……。例如： Neither Ted nor Helen can come to the party. （泰德和海伦都不能来参加聚会。）

Slavery ：奴隶制，曾于18世纪和19世纪在美国合法存在。 A slave：奴隶

The abolitionist movement：废奴运动，即在美国南北战争（Civil War）前和战争中由一批志同道合的人发起的结束奴隶制的运动。

在美国实行奴隶制期间，fugitive slaves是指未经许可离开主人出走的在逃奴隶。他们往往逃向不实行奴隶制的州、领地或国家。

To run a risk ：冒风险

Everyday conversations: From Grand Central to Connecticut [audio]

This series of Everyday Conversations is about a family traveling to each of the 50 states in the U.S. Join the family members as they learn about local pastimes and history. These conversations are for intermediate-level English-language learners or higher.

In this conversation, the family talks about the Underground Railroad while they are inConnecticut.

Sam: Grand Central was incredible!

Claudine: Yes, I loved the painted ceiling the best.

Sam: It’s hard to believe that it’s just a couple of hours later, and we’re in a rural area of Connecticut. But why exactly are we here?

Paul: This was part of the Underground Railroad.

Sam: You mean like a subway?

Gina: No, not at all. The Underground Railroad was neither underground nor a railroad. During the time of slavery in the U.S., many slaves chose to escape from their owners and find a safe place.

Paul: The Underground Railroad was part of the abolitionist movement, and it gave safe places to fugitive slaves to stay as they went north to escape slavery. People helped them along the way. It was a dangerous trip for slaves, and the people who helped them ran a risk too.

Claudine: Wow, and this area of Connecticut was part of the Underground Railroad?

Gina: This part and other places in the state too.

Now let’s review the vocabulary.

Grand Central (also called Grand Central Terminal or Grand Central Station) is a large, commuter train terminal — or train station — in Manhattan. There is an elaborate painted ceiling in the Main Concourse.

Rural means of or relating to the countryside; not urban.

The Underground Railroad provided safe places for fugitive slaves as they made their way to the Northern states, Canada, or other places. People helped them along the way.

A subway is a system of underground trains.

Neither … nor: We can use neither as a conjunction with nor. When used together, these words connect two options and give a negative meaning. Here’s an example. Neither Ted nor Helen can come to the party. This means that both Ted and Helen are not able to come to the party.

Slavery legally existed in the U.S. in the 18th and 19th centuries. A slave is someone who is owned by another person and forced to work for that person without getting paid.

The abolitionist movement in the U.S. was the movement (by a group of people who shared similar ideas) before and during the U.S. Civil War whose purpose was to end slavery in the U.S.

During the time of slavery in the U.S., fugitive slaves were slaves who left their masters and traveled without permission. Fugitive slaves usually tried to reach states, territories, or other countries where there was no slavery.

To run a risk means to do something that may result in something bad happening.