相知相识A time to say hello
The year began softly. The weather in Southern China was warm and so were the students. The unexpected events of the year to come began to unfold, much too soon to become only an innocent treasured memory. Something precious should be held tight and not let it go. It was to be a year of surprises and a year of love. The Chinese have an expression for it, Yuan fen. A westerner would only question why and how. With your permission let us share the experience together.
这一年悄然开始了。在中国的南方，气候温暖宜人，学生们热情有加。来年中那些意想不到的事情开始展现出来，很快，又会变成清纯美好的回忆。应当把握真情，不言放弃。那是一年的惊喜，一年的爱意。对此，汉语里有个说法叫做缘分。西方人可能只会问为什么，怎么了。要是你愿意的话，那么就请与我一起来分享这段经历吧。
He sat at the front of the classroom looking anxious but attentive. In those first few days, his eyes bright with anticipation sought approval from me, his teacher. He claims now that he understood very little content in the lessons of the first few weeks. However, he successfully managed to give the appropriate illusion of understanding well. He made me laugh and his peering was also delighted in his sense of humor. He dressed with attention to detail, and his neat appearance, whether in jeans or current fashion, was distinct, a cool guy! There was always something enchanting in his smile, he was charming and handsome and he knew it! Moreover, he was a gentleman. His eyes revealed so much when they crinkled with laughter, the mask removed, or conversely remained inscrutable like still pools of liquid chocolate, containing only a hint of belief.
他坐在教室的前面，看起来有些焦急忧虑，但很专心。最初的那几天，他那明亮的眼睛里，充满了得到我这个老师认同的渴望。现在，他承认，对于头几个星期的课程，他几乎没听懂。然而，他却设法装成了理解得差不多的样子。我禁不住感到好笑，他那很有幽默感的凝视也显露出高兴的样子。他的穿着很注意细节，外表整洁，不管是牛仔裤还是时装都别具一格，简直酷极了。他的微笑总是那么迷人。他英俊潇洒，讨人喜欢，他自己也深知这一点。而且，他也是绅士。他有时眯着眼笑的时候，就抛掉了所有的掩饰，有时又故作神秘，像一杯平静的热巧克力，叫价难以捉摸。不管怎样，他的眼睛都流露出他的绅士风范。
His first writing assignment revealed the fact that he liked me and that he hoped we could be friends, very good friends. At that time neither of us suspected just how true that prophecy would eventually become. Inwardly, I just laughed. This was the first of several laughs that showed how little I understood. His presence permeated my classroom and my world.
他第一次写作业，就表露出他喜欢我，并希望我们成为朋友，非常好的朋友。那时，我们都没想到这个预言最终会变成现实。我只在心里笑了笑。那是表露我毫不知情的几次笑声中的第一次。从此，他出现在我的课堂和我的生活里。
About a month later our lives began to intertwine and the delicately woven pattern of our lives began to become more intricate in the coming year. Relationships occur on many levels. Layer upon layer must separate in order for us to speak of inner feelings. It is up to the individual to analyze the variety of feelings at each level.
大约一个月后，我们的交往变得密切起来。这种精心培植的生活模式，在新的一年中变得更加微妙。关系涉及到诸多层次，只有把各个层次分开，我们才能说出内心感受。我们必须按各自的观点去分析在每个层次的不同感受。
As time passed, we shared our viewpoints and feelings through conversation while chatting over tea and coffee, arousing the emotion deep in our hearts.
随着时间的流逝，我们快乐地在一起交谈，一边品茶、饮咖啡，一边聊天，述说自己的观点和感受，在我们内心深处涌动着热烈的情谊。
One day flowed smoothly into another. Familiar experience for me proved to be exciting and stimulating for him. Western festival celebrations like Halloween, Christmas and Valentines Day provided an avenue to celebrate together, to share warmth and good times. Traveling to new places introduce me to an enticing new world.
不知不觉中，日子一天一天地过去了。我所熟悉的那些感觉竟然也使他兴奋、激动。像万圣节前夕、圣诞节和情人节这些西方的喜庆节日，为我们提供了在一起庆祝的机会，共享温馨美好的时光。我们还到一些新的地方旅游，把我带入一个迷人的新世界。
Every day there was laughter and underlying cares that carried both of us along to some degree of happiness. We learned together English and learned about life that year. Strangely the gap in our ages did not create any barrier for our friendship, he young and vital, and I was feeling young again.
每天的笑声和深情的关怀，使我们总是生活在幸福之中。这一年，我们一起学习英语，也学习如何生活。很奇怪，我们的年龄代沟没有给我们的友谊带来一点障碍。他年轻，充满活力。我也感觉自己年轻了。
He offered his assistance, whenever I needed it. He offered his company for comfort, when death visited my door. What did he drive from this agenda, but a few paltry words in a foreign language? May be it was all worthwhile, maybe it will open a window wide and provide a pass port to a new world for his future.
无论我何时需要，他都能提供帮助。当死神光顾我的时候，他陪伴我，给我安慰。从这些事情中，他得到了什么呢?仅仅为了几个微不足道的外语单词?也许那就足够了，或许会为他的将来打开一扇窗户，为他提供一种通往一个新世界的手段。
Time continues to slip by as a rushing river. You no longer inhabit my daily world, only my memory. From a distance your voice informs me that you are continuing to learn, you are growing. Some days you are happy, others not quite so much.
时间像奔流的江水，不停地逝去。你不再出现在我每天的世界里，只留在了我的记忆中。 从你远方传来的声音里，我知道了你在继续学习，不断成长，有时快乐，有时也并不如意。
However, here around me, there is nothing and yet there is everything. My mind remains idle, with only fragments of images drifting in and out. I can no longer be absolutely certain whether this was only a dream.
然而现在，我身边空无一物，只有一个梦幻般的身影从你的窗户里翩然而至，还有那每当我站在你的新课桌旁时那熟悉的气息。一无所有，但又拥有一切。我头脑空空如也，进进出出的都是那些映像的片断。我再也无法肯定这是否只是一场梦幻。
We no longer occupy the same space, but I remind myself that we still occupy the same world. When we chance to meet, hands reach out; hearts embrace, and once again confirm the same magic feeling. Such friendships come rarely in a lifetime. Thereby, I feel blessed and lucky.
我们不再拥有同一片空间，但我清楚，我们依然拥有同一个世界。倘若还有机会相遇，我们会伸出双手，真心拥抱，再次重温这奇妙的感觉。真诚友谊，终生难求。对此，我觉得很幸福，很幸运。
谋杀端倪A preface to murder
Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. Sometimes life deals a bad hand. Sometimes it is hard to go on. Sometimes evil triumphs over good.
有时， 事实比小说还离奇。生活有时候使人无助，有时又让人难以为继。有时，邪恶还战胜了正义。
Nancy sighed heavily as she pulled her daughters diary from the drawer. She leaned forward to examine the familiar writing. A postcard with a colored sketch fell onto the floor from the book the drawing was a picture of a long curved sandy beach on a tropical island; of course it would be Montserrat. She felt clumsy as she knelt to retrieve the picture. Under no circumstances could she forgive or forget the criminals who tortured her beautiful Megan. It was difficult not to feel bitter about the events of the preceding year. She had shed so many tears in the past year since her daughters murder. Nancy recognized that she was suffering from psychological problems and had really become indifferent to the events in her daily life. She began to shake and then to weep. When would there be an answer to this damn nightmare?
南希深深地叹了口气，从抽屉里取出女儿的日记。她身体前倾，仔细地看着那熟悉的笔迹。一张彩色素描明信片从杯子里掉落下来。画面上是一个热带岛屿上一处蜿蜒的沙滩美景。自然，那就是蒙特塞拉特岛。在她屈膝去拣明信片时，她感到手脚有些不听使唤了。她决不会饶恕或忘记那些残害她美丽的梅根的凶手。一想到一年前发生的不幸，南希就禁不住感到痛苦。她抓起一张面巾纸，擦去眼中的泪水。女儿被害后的这一年中，她不知道流了多少眼泪。南希知道自己患上了心理障碍，她确实变得对日常生活中的事情漠不关心了。她身体开始颤抖，接着抽泣起来。这该死的噩梦何时才会一个答案呢?
Megan had attended secondary school at a private girls school five hundred kilometers from home. In junior school she had been a straight A student. Now in high school she continued to study hard, play sports, join the school orchestra, plus a variety of school clubs. As a joke, her friends labeled her a genius, often just to make her angry. As well as being a high academic achiever she had a great capacity for fun. She thrived on an active social life. Slender, pretty and vivacious, she was the apple of her parents eye.
梅根在离家500公里的一所私立学校上中学。她读小学时就一直是最优秀的学生。现在进了中学，她还是继续努力学习，热爱运动，参加学校的管弦乐队，还加入了学校的各种俱乐部。朋友们在开玩笑时称她为天才，这常常只会使她生气。她不但学习成绩好，也很有情趣。她在丰富的社会活动中茁壮成长。她苗条美丽、活泼大方，是父母的掌上明珠。
Every year in accordance with school policy, a student candidate was chosen to travel and live in another commonwealth country for six months. As Megan had an interest in a diplomatic career after completing university, she figure she would be considered a prime applicant if she applied for the position. A detailed essay was necessary to provide the committee with a clear idea of her intention. The selection committee would spend a fortnight reviewing the applications in an attempt to identify the ideal student. Megan also needed to undergo a rigorous personal interview, which would validate her academic background and evaluate her general behavior.
按照学校的规定，每年要挑选一名学生到另一个英联邦国家去旅行和生活六个月。因为梅根的计划是在读完她上的大学后从事外交工作，她认为如果提出申请，自己将是被考虑的一个主要人选。这需要向委员会提交一篇文章，明确阐明她的意图。选拔委员会要花两个星期对申请人进行评定，以确定人选。梅根还要接受严格的单独面试，以验证她的学业水平并评估她的综合素质。
The interview preceded well, Megan taking the initiative to underline her strengths. After school some of her friends gathered for coffee in the caf near the school. They confessed to Megan that they were rather envious of the opportunity she might have to live in another country. They enquired about the details of the interview. Two weeks later Megan received a phone call notifying her of the successful results of the interview.
面试进行得很顺利，梅根积极主动地展示了她的实力。放学后，她与一些朋友聚在学校附近的咖啡馆一块喝咖啡。她们对梅根很坦承对她要在另一个国家生活相当嫉妒。她们还询问了面试的细节。两个星期后，梅根接到电话，通知她成功地通过了面试。
Her parents were slightly nervous experiencing some negative feelings about Megan leaving the safety of home to live in another country. They knew the experience would broaden her horizons however, her destination, Montserrat, within the past year had a huge volcano erupt, disrupting peoples lives. Unstable conditions, loss of homes and fear of more eruptions all tended to breed trouble among the poor of the island. Her parents concerns were for Megans safety.
对于梅根要离开安全的家到另一个国家去生活，她的父母略感不安，有一些不祥的感觉。不过，他们知道，这次经历将会拓宽她的视野。她的目的地蒙特塞拉特，去年发生了一次巨大的火山爆发，使人民的生活陷于混乱之中。局势动荡、无家可归和对火山再次爆发的恐惧都在困扰这个岛国的穷人。她父母担心梅根的安全。
Departure day dawned clear and bright. Farewells were made to family and friends and she was off for the adventure of a lifetime.
出发的那天清早，天气晴朗。在与家人和朋友们告别后，她踏上了她的冒险旅途。
Megans arrival on Montserrat was both welcoming and initially uneventful. The island family where she was to live for the next six months, made her feels right at home. As the pace of life on the island was more relaxed that at home, she was very happy. Her new schoolmates included her in their lives and she adapted quickly. Swimming in the warm ocean water, and sitting underneath wavin palm trees in a mild climate, was a pleasant change from the cold northern winters.
梅根到蒙特塞拉特后受到欢迎，最初也平安无事。她要在岛上住六个月的那个家庭，让她觉得就像在自己家一样。岛上的生活节奏比在家里更轻松，她感到很高兴。她的新同学们接纳了她，把她当作他们当中的一员，她很快便适应了。能够在温暖的海水里畅游，在生长于温和气候带、摇曳的棕榈树下闲坐，与寒冷的北方冬天相比，这种改变令人心旷神怡。
One Saturday evening a gang of kids piled into a taxi, heading off for a barbecue on the beach. Some of the girls decided to walk along the beach. Megan joined them, lagging slightly behind. She knew she ought to hurry to catch up but the moist sand felt good under her feet. Water lapped at her toes; the tide was coming in. the violet light of dusk began to darken the sky.
一个星期六的晚上，一帮孩子们挤进一辆出租车，前往海滩吃烧烤野餐。几个女孩子决定沿海滩漫步。梅根也加入进来，跟在后面慢慢地走着。她知道她应该快一点赶上她们，但脚下湿润的沙子让她觉得很舒适。潮水涌来，海水拍打着她的脚趾。紫罗兰色的黄昏降临，天空开始暗下来。
In the growing darkness a van pulled alongside her,stopping with a squeal of brakes.Before she kewn what was happening two masked men leapt out of the car and began to chase her,grabbing her and finally throwing her to the ground.The gross attack that followed was brutal and unexplainable.Initially Megan tried to fight off her attackers by clawing at their faces with her nails.Using a coil of rope to bind her hands,the men were free to proceed.First a fist broke her upper jaw leaving her unconscions.Then the hoodlums used a metal rod to crush Megans skull and finally a knife blade penetrated her neck piercing an artery.After the crude act was completed her body was bundled into the back of a cab and discarded in a ditch in an isolated district far from the beach.
在越来越暗的夜色里，一辆货车向她身边驶来，在尖锐的刹车声中突然停下。没等她明白过来是怎么回事，两个戴面罩的男人从车上跳出来追上她，抓住她，最后把她摔倒在地。接下来就是不分青红皂白的粗暴殴打。起初，梅根设法反抗袭击者，用指甲抓他们的脸。可他们用一卷绳子绑住她的双手后，他们开始为所欲为。他们先是一拳打破她的上颌，使她昏了过去。然后，这帮流氓用一根金属棒敲碎了梅根的颅骨，最后用刀片扎进她的脖子，刺穿了动脉。暴行结束后，他们把她的尸体捆起来，放到车子后面，再丢弃在远离沙滩的一个偏僻小区的沟里。
Realizing that Megan had disappeared, her friends dialed an emergency number, notifying the authorities of the situation. Once Megans body was discovered, a warrant was issued for the immediate arrest of the two wanted men. Megans parents were notified by the embassy. They in turn retained legal counsel and an intense inquiry began into the case. Those officials with an intimate knowledge of the island felt that the mugging was a case of mistaken identification and a complete misunderstanding, a misguided outlet for mounting frustrations on the island.
得知梅根失踪后，她的朋友们拨打了紧急电话，把情况报告给当局。梅根的尸体被发现后，马上发出了立即捉拿那两名凶犯的通缉令。大使馆通知了梅根的父母。他们聘请了法律顾问，并开始紧张地调查此案。非常熟悉这个岛屿的那些官员们认为，这次行凶是一起认错对象的事件，完全是一个误会，罪犯被带错路后错误地登上了这个岛。
Megans parents, Nancy and Don, cancelled all their immediate plans and flew to the island. Rather than wait for the small island ship to transport them to the island they were flown in by helicopter. After hiring a lawyer as an advocate for their cause, they began to work with the local police tracking down any angle of the case that would bring these creeps first to court and then to trial before a jury, who in turn would convict them to lengthy jail sentences. As the days slipped by without any answers, they experienced severe emotional fatigue and life became a living hell.
梅根的父母，南希和唐，取消了他们当时所有的计划，飞往该岛。他们来不及乘坐送他们到岛上去的岛内小船，改乘直升机飞过去。在请了一名律师作为该诉讼案的辩护律师后，他们开始与当地的警察一起工作，收集与此案有关的各种证据，要把那些家伙送上法庭，交陪审团进行审判，判定他们有罪并予以长期监禁。但时间一天天过去，没有任何结果。他们感到身心憔悴，仿佛生活在人间地狱。
The investigation seemed to lag at first, but they were reluctant to interfere. The initial reports from this mess were inconclusive; many of the details not being addressed. As paying clients they lodged a complaint with the Governor of the island. After several months passed, the authorities had a frank discussion with Megans parents stating that as each day passed they were less and less liable to solve the murder. They cited other examples of unsolved cases and encouraged Nancy and Don to return home. Feeling both annoyed and frustrated, they decided they had done all they could here for the moment.
调查工作一开始就有些拖沓，但他们不愿意去干预。在这种混乱状况下，最初的报告没有什么结论，很多细节都没有提到。作为付过费用的委托人，他们向该岛总督提出申述。几个月过去后，当局在与梅根父母的一次坦率谈话中明确表示，随着时间一天天过去，查明这宗凶案的希望越来越小。他们还举出其他没有解决的案例作为佐证，劝南希和唐回家。在气恼和失望之余，南希和唐明白目前在这里他们已经无能为力了。
Once at home again, Nancy withdrew from community life choosing to spend her time alone. These days, if you went looking, you could often find Don in a local pub having a pint or two of beer. He, too, is unable to come to terms with the sequence of events that tore his family apart this year. Just thinking about Megan brings a lump to his throat and makes his head spin.
回到家中后，南希不再参加社交活动，而是独自一人消磨时光。这些天，要是你出去走走，经常会看到唐正在当地的一个酒吧喝着一、两杯啤酒。一年下来，他也忍受不了使家庭支离破碎的这一系列不幸事件的折磨。只要一想起梅根，他就喉咙哽咽，天旋地转。
As time passed, it was becoming more and more evident that the stack of paperwork pertaining to his daughters case was not going to provide any answers immediately, if ever. Tips provided by the public proved to lead nowhere. The records will remain open until the case is solved, however for the moment the natural rhythm of life has been destroyed. Can a family withstand such a tragedy? Only time will tell.
随着时间的过去，越来越清楚地表明，有关她女儿案件的那堆文件不会马上给出什么答案，也许永远也不会了。公众提供的线索也得不出什么结果。诉状还会保留，直到破案为止。然而，现在正常的生活节奏被破坏了。一个家庭能够承受得了这样的悲剧吗?只有时间才能回答。
加拿大建国Canada Becomes a Nation
Before Canada became a nation in 1867, the area of North America that now composes Canada was a large expanse of widely scattered communities of British and French origins. It was an area with diverse landscapes that physically divided them from the north of the United States. There was little connection among communities politically or economically. These colonies of British North America traditionally traded with Britain and with the United States, very little among themselves. These colonies even had customs duties that, to some extent, restricted such trade. In the mid 1800s, important events and changes took place.
在1867年加拿大成为一个国家之前，组成现在的加拿大的北美地区，辽阔宽广，到处是分散的英国人和法国人的移民社区。这片土地景色多变，很自然观地将其与美国的北方分辨开来。这些社区之间很少有政治或经济上的联系。传统上，这些英属的北美殖民地与英国和美国进行贸易，而相互之间却少有往来。这些殖民地甚至还没有关税，在一定程度上限制贸易往来。19世纪中期发生的几件重大事件，使情况有了变化。
Britain repealed the Corn Laws and Navigations Acts, which had been economically beneficial to the colonies at the same rate it applied to all other trading countries, a situation to which the colonies had never been accustomed.
英国撕毁了给好几代殖民地人带来经济利益的谷物法和航行法案，并开始对殖民地课以与其他所有贸易国家同样高的税率，这是殖民地从未遇到过的情况。
From 1861to 1864, Americans were involved in a major civil war. Britain had traditional economic ties with the southern part of the United States that provided cotton to British markets. In the meantime, since the war was essentially between the North and the South, the North resented Britains connection with the South. In addition, during the last year of the American Civil War, the American Government of the dominant and ultimately victorious North, refused to renew a ten-year free trade agreement with United Canada, the large British colony in the central part of British North America. These arbitrary events brought concern and even fear to these colonies. With the loss of traditional trading arrangements and the end of the civil war, the North being victorious, the colonists feared that the Americans might turn on the British colonies in retaliation for Britains moral support for the South.
1861到1864年，美国陷入全面内战。过去是美国南方为英国市场提供棉花，英国与之有着紧密的传统经济联系。在此期间，由于这实际上是一场南北方之间的战争，北方当然不满英国与南方之间的这种传统关系。此外，在美国内战的最后一年，占据优势并最终获胜的北方的美国政府，拒绝延续与联合加拿大英属北美中部最大的英国殖民地签订的十年自由贸易协议。这些独断专横的事件带给这些殖民地的是担忧甚至是恐惧。传统贸易协议的废除和以北方作为胜利者的内战的结束，使殖民者们害怕美国人可能会转而对付英属殖民地，以报复英国对南方的道义支持。
The need for new markets, and a solid defense system from potential invasion by the United States, brought an acute awareness to these diverse colonies that they should look to each other for resolutions to these problems. They felt uneasy trying to cope against these adversities on their own. Sir John A. Macdonald from United Canada, the dominant personality at this time, also saw the acceleration of American settlers moving north and spreading throughout the flat prairie lands to the west. This would potentially put a wall between the colonies in the East and the lonely western British colony in what is today part of British Columbia on the west coast of North America. Macdonald felt that the situation was urgent.
对新市场的需求，以及为了建立对付美国潜在入侵的可靠防御系统，使这些松散的殖民地清醒地认识到，它们应该共同寻求解决这些问题的办法。它们急于设法处理这些难题。联合加拿大的约翰?A?麦克唐纳先生，这个时期的关键人物，也看到美国人加快了向北方移民的速度，从大草原到西部到处都是。这很可能会将东部的殖民地与孤立的西部英属殖民地北美西岸的现在的英属哥伦比亚的一部分分隔开来。麦克唐纳感到情况紧急。
In the summer of 1864, the maritime colonies of Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and New found land scheduled a meeting to discuss the possibility of a customs union or free trade area to compensate for the latest setbacks in trade relations with Britain and the United States. Macdonald managed to get permission for some delegates from United Canada to attend as observers. For a number of years, United Canada was experiencing problems of political deadlock. Canada West was predominantly English-speaking Canada East was predominantly French-speaking. A central government, set up in 1841, required a majority from both Canada West and Canada East for all legislation to become law. It was very difficult to pass significant legislation when two opposing views were constantly being debated and legislative bills were constantly being defeated. The Canadians saw a new, wider union, a potential new national institution or central government, as a possible solution for breaking out of this constant political disorder.
1864年夏，新斯科舍的沿海殖民地，爱德华太子岛和纽芬兰计划召开会议讨论建立关税联盟或自由贸易区的可能性，以弥补最近在与英国和美国贸易关系上遭到的损失。麦克唐纳设法得到许可让联合加拿大的一些代表作为观察员出席。多年来，联合加拿大都面临着政治僵局的难题。加拿大西部以说英语为主，而东部则以说法语为主。1841年成立的中央政府，则要求一切法案成为法律之前，要得到加拿大西部和加拿大东部的多数同意。在两种对立观点争论不休，法律草案一再被否决的情况下，要通过重要的法案非常困难。加拿大人认识到一个更为广泛的新型的联盟，一种可能的新型国家制度或中央政府，可以作为避免这种时常发生的政治混乱的一个可行的解决办法。
The Canadian delegates sailed on board a cruise ship down the St. Lawrence River, into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, to Charlottetown on Prince Edward
Island. This convention expanded to discussions of the possibility of all the British colonies uniting into one nation.
加拿大的代表们乘坐一艘游船沿劳伦斯河航行到劳伦斯湾，抵达爱德华太子岛的夏洛特敦。在那里，大会广泛讨论了联合所有英属殖民地建立一个国家的可能性。
After much complicated debate at another convention in Quebec City that same year, the delegate submitted a draft of an agreement for the formation of the dominion of Canada. The bulk of the work had been done by a group of men of seemingly high virtue, who became know in history as the Fathers of Confederation. United Canada was divided into the provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Some allowances were given to Quebec because it was a predominantly French-speaking Catholic province and had special needs, unlike other provinces. The colony of Nova Scotia was divided into Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. These four provinces formed the original new nation. A flexible approach, in later years, persuaded other colonies to join.
同年，在魁北克城的另一次会议上，经过错综复杂的讨论后，代表们提交了一份建立加拿大国家的协议草案。大部分工作是由一些那时德高望重的人完成的，他们成为历史上有名的联邦国父。联合加拿大被划分为安大略省和魁北克省。一些特权给了魁北克，因为它与其他省不同，是一个以说法语为主的天主教省，有其特殊需要。新斯科舍和新布伦斯威克。这四个省形成了新国家的雏形。在以后的岁月里，他们以灵活的方式说服了其他殖民地加入了这个国家。
A federal system, with powers distributed between the central and provincial governments, was created. The provinces were assigned powers to have their own governments to deal with more local or provincial issues, the federal system would promote harmony among provinces, with different perspectives on nationhood. This was a compromise, so that the bigger provinces of Ontario and Quebec wouldnt completely dominate the smaller provinces. The country was to be called the Dominion of Canada, but would still remain loyal to Britain as a member of the British Empire.
一种在中央和省政府之间分享权力的联邦体制创建起来了。各省被赋予权力，拥有自己的政府以处理更多的地方事务。这种联邦体制可望促进各省之间彼此协调，尽管它们站在本民族立场上有不同的观点。这是一种折衷的办法，致使较大的安大略省和魁北克省不能完全支配较小的省。这个国家被称为加拿大自治领，但仍然是大英帝国的一个成员，效忠英国。
The new legislation that created Canada was a British act of Parliament called The British North America Acts of 1867. Canada officially became a nation on July 1st, 1867. This would be the anniversary occasion each year, for joyous celebration of a national holiday commemoration the birth of Canada.
使加拿大成为一个国家的新法案是一项叫做1867年英属北美法案的英国国会法案。1867年7月1日，加拿大正式成为一个国家。每年的7月1日为周年纪念日，在这个法定假日里举行庆典活动，纪念加拿大的诞生。
The development of the country, as we know it today, was an evolutionary process over more than eight decades. Manitoba became a province after some controversial events involving the federal government and the Mtis, French-speaking descendants of French fur traders who married American Indian girls. This ethnic group settled near Fort Gary, the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba what is called today.
正如我们今天所知道的那样，这个国家在80多年里不断发展演进。在几次涉及联邦政府和梅蒂斯人的有争议的事件之后，马尼托巴成为加拿大的一个省。梅蒂斯人是美洲印第安女孩与法国毛皮贸易商的后裔，讲法语。这个族群定居在加里要塞附近的温尼伯城，即今马尼托巴。
John A. Macdonald, the new and first Prime Minister of the new nation, made a deal with the western-most colony in Vancouver guaranteeing on the building of a railroad from the east to the west if that colony would join Canadian Confederation. The property of the Mtis, to which the letter felt legally entitled, was in the path of the new railway. The federal government essentially took the land. The Mtis were compelled to move further west, but not without a fight. . The federal government was able to defeat the Mtis in both clashes. Louis Riel, the leader of the Mtis was hanged for treason in 1885 for his leading role in resisting the federal government. He became a martyr to French-Canadians. His death only added fuel to the growing discontent between French and English Canada.
约翰?A?麦克唐纳，这个新兴国家的第一任总理，与温哥华的最西边的殖民地达成协议，保证说如果该殖民地加入加拿大联邦，他将建一条从西到东的铁路。梅蒂斯人的地产他们认为是合法拥有的正好在这条新铁路线上。联邦政府完全剥夺了他们的土地。梅蒂斯人被迫向西，但并非没有抵抗。在两次冲突中，联邦政府都成功以失败了梅蒂斯人。1885年，梅蒂斯人的领袖路易斯?瑞尔，因带头试图反抗联邦政府以叛国的罪名被绞死。他成为说法语的加拿大人的死难者。他的遇难对说法语和说英语的加拿大之间日益激化的纠纷无疑是火上浇油。
Throughout this whole period, 1869 to 1885, the federal government ignored the appeals of the Mtis. It appeared that, according to Macdonald and his followers, the creation of the new nation was more important than relieving the plight of a relatively small minority group. The Mtis probably deserved much better of the federal government. Different versions of these events are still debated in Canadian classrooms today.
在整个1869年至1885年期间，联邦政府都没有理睬梅蒂斯人的诉求。很显然，在麦克唐纳和他的继任者们看来，建立一个新国家比解除一个相对弱小的少数民族的困境更重要。也许，梅蒂斯人可以享受到联邦政府更好的待遇。今天，在加拿大的教室里，对这些事件的不同看法不在争论不休。
Macdonald was also criticized for concealing the fact that he took some money illegally to complete the railway. In 1873 as The Pacific Scandal became known, the construction of the railway suspended temporarily. The determined Macdonald and his government, obsessed by the possibility of the Americans moving in and taking over the west, boldly pushed railway construction to completion.
麦克唐纳还被指责隐瞒事实，非法挪用资金完成铁路建设。那次有名的1873年的太平洋丑闻曾使铁路建设一度停了下来。后来麦克唐纳和他的政府，由于担心美国人入侵并接管西部，坚定果断地推动完成铁路建设。
Manitoba became a province in 1870, British Columbia in 1871, Prince Edward Island in 1873, Alberta and Saskatchewan in 1905. The admission of Newfoundland into Confederation in 1948 completed the Canadian Confederation of ten provinces from sea to sea, as they exist today. The railway, the Canadian Pacific Railway was completed before the agreed deadline.
1870年马尼托巴成为一个省，1871年英属哥伦比亚加入，1873年爱德华太子岛加入，1905年艾伯塔和萨斯喀彻温加入。1949年，纽芬兰岛获准加入联邦，使拥有10个省的东岸到西岸的加拿大联邦完整起来，也就是今天的加拿大。那条铁路，即加拿大太平洋铁路在预定完工日期之前也已建成。
Canadas becoming a nation was not an easy road. Canadas remaining a nation has perhaps been an even harder road. There were many challenges facing it over the first one hundred or more years. The most serious challenge has been, and still is, staying together as a country. Relations between French-speaking and English-speaking Canada have been difficult to improve. This persistent theme in Canadian history began with the defeat of New France by Britain during the Seven Years War from 1756to 1763 . In the last twenty years, referenda held in Quebec for possible separation from Canada, were narrowly defeated. This challenge still lies ahead.
加拿大的立国之路崎岖不平，继续保持下去更是充满艰辛。在开始的100多年里，她面临许多挑战一直是并且现在仍然是保持国家的统一。说法语与说英语的加拿大之间的关系是最难处理的。这个加拿大历史上的房屋主题，始于1756年至1763年的七年战争期间英国打败新法兰西的时候。近20年里，魁北克举行的旨在使该省脱离加拿大的公民投票，在那里勉强被失败。这个挑战在今后的日子里还会依然存在。
So far, the country has remained strong, and has traditionally played a significant role in international affairs. Canada has much promise for the 21st century. It will need to find creative diplomatic strategies to keep the internal rumblings beneath the surface from exploding into self-destruction. It will need to find a way to fulfill the dreams of the Fathers of Confederation of so many years ago. A good guess is that the odds are in favor of Canada achieving those dreams and truly becoming the nation that was originally intended.
迄今为止，这个国家还是强大的，并一直在国际事务中扮演着重要角色。加拿大对21世纪寄以厚望。好需要具有创造性的外交策略，避免隐藏在外表下的内部摩擦导致自我毁灭。她需要找到一条道路，实现多年以前联邦国父的梦想。一个美好的期待是，机遇关照加拿大去实现这些梦想，真正成为最初所设想的那样一个国家。
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