爱驻我心 （6）感恩节故事(1)
Early in the 17th century, a group of people called the pilgrims wanted to reform and purify England’s churches.
17世纪早期，被称作清教徒的一群人想要改革并净化英格兰教会。
As a result of their efforts, they were persecuted, so they sailed to the Netherlands; also known as Holland, seeking religious freedom.
他们努力的结果却是遭到了迫害，于是他们横渡到了尼德兰，也被称作荷兰，去那里寻找宗教自由。
After 12 years in Holland where they struggled to make a living felt threatened by the permissive Dutch society, the Pilgrims decide to seek refuge in a place where they could create a society that matched their religious ideals.
在荷兰生存了12年后，他们挣扎求生。受到荷兰社会宽容文化的威胁，清教徒决定寻找一个避难所，在那里开拓一个符合他们宗教理想的新社会。
In exchange for seven years of work the puritans persuaded a London stock company to finance their journey to the New World.
清教徒说服一所伦敦证券公司，以七年工龄换来了他们去新世界旅行的资助。
In September 1620,102 passengers set sail from Plymouth, England on a ship called the Mayflower.
1620年9月，102人踏上五月花号从英格兰普利茅斯启航。
The journey took 65 days and was filled with much difficulty.
此番航程耗费65日，期间充满各种艰难险阻。
Bad storms weakened the ship and cause many leaks.
巨大的风暴席卷船只，造成了许多渗漏。
Many passengers were cold and damp for much of the journey and others were concerned that they wouldn’t even survive.
在大部分航行时间里，许多乘客都遭遇着寒冷和潮湿，其他人都认为自己无法存活。
Though many were sick and one person died, they did make it.
尽管很多人生病，还有一人死亡，但他们还是成功了。
On December11,1620 the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock and began to explore the surrounding area for suitable place to build their colony.
1620年12月11日，清教徒抵达普利茅斯岸，并开始开拓周边合适的地段来建造他们的领地。
They chose Plymouth because it had an excellent harbor and a large brook in which to catch fish to eat.
他们选择普利茅斯是因为这里有绝佳的海港，以及一条捕鱼吃的大河。
While living on the Mayflower and ferrying back and forth to land, the Pilgrims built their houses and barns.
当住在五月花号上并来回渡到岸上的时候，清教徒们建造了他们自己的房子以及谷仓。
Construction was hindered by exceptionally heavy snow and intense cold but the settlement was completed in late March 1621.
虽然意外的大雪和刺骨的严寒耽搁了建造房屋的时间，但是到1621年3月末，他们终于安顿了下来。
Their success was dampened by great sorrow, nearly half of their original group died that first winter.
他们的成功被巨大的悲伤淹没，因为近半数原来的人员死于第一个冬天。
Besides survival the Pilgrims were concerned that the Native American Indians would attack them.
除了生存，清教徒们也担心当地的土著印第安人会攻击他们。
To their surprise, an Indian named Samoset walked right into the colony and welcomed them in broken English.
令他们吃惊的是，一个名叫萨姆塞特的印第安人直接走进了他们的领地，并用残缺不全的英语来表示欢迎。
Samoset was from an Indian tribe in Maine and had picked up a few English words from the fishermen who come into the harbors there.
萨姆塞特是从缅因州的印第安部落来的，并从港口那里的渔夫口里学到了一些英语。
He told them also of another Indian named Squanto, a native of that place who had been in England, and could speak better English than he.
他也告诉了他们有另一个名叫斯宽图的印第安人曾今去过英国，可以讲比他更好的英语。
The Pilgrims used the opportunity to negotiate a peace treaty and to establish trading relations.
清教徒们使用这个机会和他们签了和平条约，并建立了贸易关系。
Squanto’s importance to the Pilgrims was enormous and it can said that they would not survived without his help.
斯宽图对清教徒的影响是巨大的，可以说没有他的帮助，他们无法生存下来。
It was Squanto who taught the Pilgrims how to tap the maple trees for sap how to plant Indian corn and other crops and how to tell which plants were poisonous and which could be used as medicine.
斯宽图教清教徒们如何敲打枫树来获取水源，如何种植印第安玉米和其他农作物，还告诉他们分辨哪些植物有毒，哪些可以入药。