"From ocean to ocean"—so say the Americans; and these four words compose the general designation of the "great trunk line" which crosses the entire width of the United States. The Pacific Railroad is, however, really divided into two distinct lines: the Central Pacific, between San Francisco and Ogden, and the Union Pacific, between Ogden and Omaha. Five main lines connect Omaha with New York.
New York and San Francisco are thus united by an uninterrupted metal ribbon, which measures no less than three thousand seven hundred and eighty–six miles. Between Omaha and the Pacific the railway crosses a territory which is still infested by Indians and wild beasts, and a large tract which the Mormons, after they were driven from Illinois in 1845, began to colonise.
The journey from New York to San Francisco consumed, formerly, under the most favourable conditions, at least six months. It is now accomplished in seven days.
It was in 1862 that, in spite of the Southern Members of Congress, who wished a more southerly route, it was decided to lay the road between the forty–first and forty–second parallels. President Lincoln himself fixed the end of the line at Omaha, in Nebraska. The work was at once commenced, and pursued with true American energy; nor did the rapidity with which it went on injuriously affect its good execution. The road grew, on the prairies, a mile and a half a day. A locomotive, running on the rails laid down the evening before, brought the rails to be laid on the morrow, and advanced upon them as fast as they were put in position.
The Pacific Railroad is joined by several branches in Iowa, Kansas, Colorado, and Oregon. On leaving Omaha, it passes along the left bank of the Platte River as far as the junction of its northern branch, follows its southern branch, crosses the Laramie territory and the Wahsatch Mountains, turns the Great Salt Lake, and reaches Salt Lake City, the Mormon capital, plunges into the Tuilla Valley, across the American Desert, Cedar and Humboldt Mountains, the Sierra Nevada, and descends, via Sacramento, to the Pacific—its grade, even on the Rocky Mountains, never exceeding one hundred and twelve feet to the mile.
Such was the road to be traversed in seven days, which would enable Phileas Fogg—at least, so he hoped—to take the Atlantic steamer at New York on the 11th for Liverpool.
The car which he occupied was a sort of long omnibus on eight wheels, and with no compartments in the interior. It was supplied with two rows of seats, perpendicular to the direction of the train on either side of an aisle which conducted to the front and rear platforms. These platforms were found throughout the train, and the passengers were able to pass from one end of the train to the other. It was supplied with saloon cars, balcony cars, restaurants, and smoking–cars; theatre cars alone were wanting, and they will have these some day.
Book and news dealers, sellers of edibles, drinkables, and cigars, who seemed to have plenty of customers, were continually circulating in the aisles.
The train left Oakland station at six o'clock. It was already night, cold and cheerless, the heavens being overcast with clouds which seemed to threaten snow. The train did not proceed rapidly; counting the stoppages, it did not run more than twenty miles an hour, which was a sufficient speed, however, to enable it to reach Omaha within its designated time.
There was but little conversation in the car, and soon many of the passengers were overcome with sleep. Passepartout found himself beside the detective; but he did not talk to him. After recent events, their relations with each other had grown somewhat cold; there could no longer be mutual sympathy or intimacy between them. Fix's manner had not changed; but Passepartout was very reserved, and ready to strangle his former friend on the slightest provocation.
Snow began to fall an hour after they started, a fine snow, however, which happily could not obstruct the train; nothing could be seen from the windows but a vast, white sheet, against which the smoke of the locomotive had a greyish aspect.
At eight o'clock a steward entered the car and announced that the time for going to bed had arrived; and in a few minutes the car was transformed into a dormitory. The backs of the seats were thrown back, bedsteads carefully packed were rolled out by an ingenious system, berths were suddenly improvised, and each traveller had soon at his disposition a comfortable bed, protected from curious eyes by thick curtains. The sheets were clean and the pillows soft. It only remained to go to bed and sleep which everybody did—while the train sped on across the State of California.
The country between San Francisco and Sacramento is not very hilly. The Central Pacific, taking Sacramento for its starting–point, extends eastward to meet the road from Omaha. The line from San Francisco to Sacramento runs in a north–easterly direction, along the American River, which empties into San Pablo Bay. The one hundred and twenty miles between these cities were accomplished in six hours, and towards midnight, while fast asleep, the travellers passed through Sacramento; so that they saw nothing of that important place, the seat of the State government, with its fine quays, its broad streets, its noble hotels, squares, and churches.
The train, on leaving Sacramento, and passing the junction, Roclin, Auburn, and Colfax, entered the range of the Sierra Nevada. 'Cisco was reached at seven in the morning; and an hour later the dormitory was transformed into an ordinary car, and the travellers could observe the picturesque beauties of the mountain region through which they were steaming. The railway track wound in and out among the passes, now approaching the mountain–sides, now suspended over precipices, avoiding abrupt angles by bold curves, plunging into narrow defiles, which seemed to have no outlet. The locomotive, its great funnel emitting a weird light, with its sharp bell, and its cow–catcher extended like a spur, mingled its shrieks and bellowings with the noise of torrents and cascades, and twined its smoke among the branches of the gigantic pines.
There were few or no bridges or tunnels on the route. The railway turned around the sides of the mountains, and did not attempt to violate nature by taking the shortest cut from one point to another.
The train entered the State of Nevada through the Carson Valley about nine o'clock, going always northeasterly; and at midday reached Reno, where there was a delay of twenty minutes for breakfast.
From this point the road, running along Humboldt River, passed northward for several miles by its banks; then it turned eastward, and kept by the river until it reached the Humboldt Range, nearly at the extreme eastern limit of Nevada.
Having breakfasted, Mr. Fogg and his companions resumed their places in the car, and observed the varied landscape which unfolded itself as they passed along the vast prairies, the mountains lining the horizon, and the creeks, with their frothy, foaming streams. Sometimes a great herd of buffaloes, massing together in the distance, seemed like a moveable dam. These innumerable multitudes of ruminating beasts often form an insurmountable obstacle to the passage of the trains; thousands of them have been seen passing over the track for hours together, in compact ranks. The locomotive is then forced to stop and wait till the road is once more clear.
This happened, indeed, to the train in which Mr. Fogg was travelling. About twelve o'clock a troop of ten or twelve thousand head of buffalo encumbered the track. The locomotive, slackening its speed, tried to clear the way with its cow–catcher; but the mass of animals was too great. The buffaloes marched along with a tranquil gait, uttering now and then deafening bellowings. There was no use of interrupting them, for, having taken a particular direction, nothing can moderate and change their course; it is a torrent of living flesh which no dam could contain.
The travellers gazed on this curious spectacle from the platforms; but Phileas Fogg, who had the most reason of all to be in a hurry, remained in his seat, and waited philosophically until it should please the buffaloes to get out of the way.
Passepartout was furious at the delay they occasioned, and longed to discharge his arsenal of revolvers upon them.
"What a country!" cried he. "Mere cattle stop the trains, and go by in a procession, just as if they were not impeding travel! Parbleu! I should like to know if Mr. Fogg foresaw this mishap in his programme! And here's an engineer who doesn't dare to run the locomotive into this herd of beasts!"
The engineer did not try to overcome the obstacle, and he was wise. He would have crushed the first buffaloes, no doubt, with the cow–catcher; but the locomotive, however powerful, would soon have been checked, the train would inevitably have been thrown off the track, and would then have been helpless.
The best course was to wait patiently, and regain the lost time by greater speed when the obstacle was removed. The procession of buffaloes lasted three full hours, and it was night before the track was clear. The last ranks of the herd were now passing over the rails, while the first had already disappeared below the southern horizon.
It was eight o'clock when the train passed through the defiles of the Humboldt Range, and half–past nine when it penetrated Utah, the region of the Great Salt Lake, the singular colony of the Mormons.
背景介绍和作者介绍
这段文字选自儒勒·凡尔纳的经典冒险小说《八十天环游地球》。儒勒·凡尔纳是一位法国作家，以其富有想象力和开创性的科幻小说和冒险故事而闻名。这部小说写于1873年，捕捉了19世纪对探索、技术以及由横贯大陆的铁路和汽船等创新带来的世界变小的着迷。凡尔纳的作品常常将详细的科学知识与惊险的叙事相结合，激励了一代又一代的读者去大胆梦想，重视好奇心和毅力。
故事的详细解读和意义
这段摘录描述了主人公福格先生穿越美国，乘坐新竣工的太平洋铁路旅行的关键部分。这条连接东西海岸的铁路象征着进步、人类的智慧和决心。叙述生动地描绘了穿越广阔、荒野的景观的挑战，与大群野牛等自然障碍的遭遇，以及驯服如此广阔大陆的技术成就的奇迹。
福格先生在野牛阻碍行程时的冷静和哲学态度，与他的仆人路路通的不耐烦形成了鲜明对比，突出了耐心、适应能力以及对自然和人类无法控制的环境的尊重等主题。这段文字还暗示了那个时代美国的文化和地理多样性，提到了摩门教徒和崎岖的山脉，丰富了故事的历史和社会背景。
给学生的启示和灵感
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毅力和耐心： 福格先生的旅程教会学生在面对意想不到的障碍时保持冷静和耐心的重要性。在生活中，并非一切都按计划进行，学会等待和适应是一项宝贵的技能。
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对自然的尊重： 故事表明，大自然并非总是可以被控制或被催促的。理解和尊重自然世界至关重要，尤其是在当今的环境意识背景下。
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好奇心和学习： 凡尔纳的详细描述激发了对地理、历史和技术的好奇心。学生可以受到启发，去了解塑造我们世界的地点和发明。
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文化意识： 提到不同的群体，如摩门教徒，以及广阔的美国景观，向读者介绍了不同的文化和环境，从而促进了开放的心态和全球意识。
在日常生活中的应用
- 在学习中： 就像福格先生有条不紊地计划他的旅程一样，学生可以学会组织他们的学习和项目，预见挑战并准备解决方案。
- 在社交场合中： 福格先生表现出的耐心和冷静有助于处理友谊和团队合作中的冲突或延误。
- 在个人成长中： 将挑战视为生活旅程的一部分，可以培养韧性和积极的心态。
从故事中培养积极的品质
- 适应能力： 当计划意外改变时，比如野牛群挡住了火车，灵活和开放的心态有助于克服困难。
- 尊重和同情： 理解他人的观点，无论是工程师的谨慎方法还是动物的自然行为，都能培养同情心。
- 勇气和决心： 福格先生对目标的坚定承诺激励学生以勇气和毅力追求他们的梦想。
通过阅读和思考《八十天环游地球》，学生不仅可以享受惊险的冒险，还可以深入了解历史、地理、人类性格和价值观，这些对于他们成长为有思想和有韧性的个体至关重要。
