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(3rd Grade)
The Pony Express
Long ago, there were no telephones or radios. There were no televisions or computers. There were no airplanes or cars. It was hard to get news all the way to California。
People who lived in California needed a quick way to get mail and news from the East. People wanted news about their friends and families. They also wanted to know what was happening in other places in the country。
Three people started a company called the Pony Express. The Pony Express carried mail and news throughout the West. On April 3, 1860, one Pony Express rider rode west from St. Joseph, Missouri. St. Joseph was the last stop for trains coming from the East. On the same day, another rider rode east from Sacramento, California. Both young men carried four bags of mail. The Pony Express was much faster than the stagecoach. A stagecoach took one month to deliver mail. A Pony Express rider could do it in ten days。
The Pony Express hired young men. They were often younger than 18 years old. They were skinny, too. No rider could weigh more than 120 pounds. That helped their ponies run longer and faster。
The Pony 
Express ponies were mustangs. These were small, wild horses. The horses were less than five feet tall. They galloped almost twelve miles an hour. The horses were smart. They learned their routes fast。
Besides riders, other people helped run the Pony Express. Some people worked at stations. One of their jobs was to take care of the company's horses. Riders picked up fresh horses when they stopped at stations。
The riders and the people who worked at the stations faced many dangers. One was the weather. Snowstorms slowed riders crossing the high mountains. Sandstorms slowed riders crossing the long, dry deserts. Wild animals like wolves were another danger. The riders also had to protect themselves from bandits. Bandits tried to steal horses. They also took whatever money the riders were carrying。
Still, there were young men 
willing to ride for the Pony Express. Together, they covered 2,000 miles of land. A rider would leave one station and gallop to another. At his first stop, he slipped the mail cover off the saddle. He threw it on the saddle of a new horse. Then he was off again. This took about two minutes. Each rider rode 60 to 80 miles. He stopped every 15 to 25 miles to get a fresh horse. At the end of his trip, a fresh rider on a fresh horse took his place. The first rider stayed at his last station until it was time for his next job。
The Pony Express was successful. It delivered the mail faster than stagecoaches. But it only lasted about one and one-half years. It stopped running when telegraph wires reached California. By October 1861, the Pony Express closed its doors. Its riders and horses were no longer needed。
Words and Phrases 单词和短语
Pony Express 驿马快信
St. Jopseph 圣约瑟
Missouri [mi'zuəri] n. 密苏里州(美国州名)
Sacramento [ˌsækrə'mentəu] n. 萨克拉曼多(美国加州首府)
California [kæli'fɔ:njə] n. 加利福尼亚，加州
stagecoach ['steidʒkəutʃ] n. 驿马车；大众马车
deliver [di'livə] v. 递送，交付
skinny ['skini] adj. 极瘦的，皮包骨的
mustang ['mʌstæŋ] n. 野马
gallop ['gæləp] v. (使马)飞驰，奔跑
snowstorm ['snəustɔ:m] n. 狂风雪
sandstorm ['sændstɔ:m] n. 沙暴，戈壁地带的狂风沙
bandit ['bændit] n. 匪贼，匪贼
mail cover 邮袋，邮封
saddle ['sædl] n. 马鞍
译 文
驿 马 快 信
好久之前没有德律风和收音机，更没有电视机和电脑。那时的人们也没有飞机或汽车。加利福尼亚想获得外界的信息很坚苦。
住在加利福尼亚的人们必要一种法子，一种可以或许快速收到邮件和美国东部信息的法子。人们想获得朋侪和家人的信息，也想晓得美国其他各地产生的事务。
那时有三小我组建了一个名叫“驿马快信”的公司，卖力在美国西部输送邮件和消息。1860年4月3日，驿马快信公司的一个骑士从密苏里州的圣约瑟向西驶去。圣约瑟是从美国东部驶来的火车的最后一站。统一天，另外一个骑士从加利福尼亚的萨克拉曼向东急速驶来。两个年青人各自携带四袋信件。驿马快信要比那时的大众马车快多了。大众马车送信用时一月之久，而驿马快信则能在旬日以内送到。
驿马快信公司雇佣的都是年青人，他们凡是都在18岁如下，且身段极瘦。所有的骑士均不得跨越120英磅。如许有助于他们的马匹跑得间隔更长，时速更快。
驿马快公司的马匹都是体形小的野马，它们身高不外五英尺，奔驰不时速可达12英里。这些马很聪慧，它们很快就可以识途。
除骑士，谋划驿马快信公司还必要其他的人手。一些人在驿站事情。他们的事情之一就是顾问公司的马匹，以便骑士们赶到驿站时有精神充分的马匹可骑。
骑士和驿站事情职员都面对很多伤害，卑劣气候就是此中之一。狂风雪会减慢骑士越太高山的速率。沙尘暴也会减慢骑士们穿越漫长干旱的戈壁的速率。狼等野活泼物也是一大伤害。别的，骑士们还得庇护本身以防匪贼的攻击。匪贼们不但诡计偷马，还会掳掠骑士们身上的财帛。
虽然如斯，依然有年青男士愿意在驿马快信公司当差。他们的萍踪遍及2000英里的地皮。骑士分开一个驿站快马飞驰驶向下一个。在第一站时，他会把把邮袋从马鞍上卸下，继而把它扔到一匹新马的马鞍上继续前行，中心的搁浅唯一两分钟。每一个骑士要骑60英里到80英里不等。每15到20英里会在驿站上做短暂地逗留以换取新马。当一个骑士路程竣事后，会有一个新的骑士和一匹新的马来代替他。第一个骑手则在他终极达到的驿站上期待下一次出征。
驿马快信那时很乐成。它送信的速率比大众马车快。但是它只保持了约莫一年到一年半的光景。当电报线在加利福尼亚设立后，驿马快信就遏制了营运。1861年10月，驿马快信公司完全破产。至此，骑士和马匹就不再必要了。
Practice
1.What was the Pony Express?
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2.Why did the Pony Express start?
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3.What dangers did Pony Express riders face?
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练 习
1. 甚么是驿马快信？
2. 为甚么驿马快信会创建？
3. 驿马快信的骑士们会见临甚么伤害？
答 案
1. The Pony Express was a service started in 1860 that carried mail and news throughtout the West。
驿马信使是建于1860年的一个办事机构，它向西部地域送去信件和消息。
2. People who lived in California needed a quick way to get mail and news from the East. A stagecoach took one month to deliver mail. A Pony Express rider could do it in ten days。
糊口在加利福尼亚的人们必要更快地获得来自美国东部的信件和消息，而大众马车送信要用时一个月之久。驿马信使在旬日以内就可以把信送到。
3. Pony Express riders had to ride through dangerous weather, such as snowstorms and sandstorms. They also faced wild animals and bandits。
驿马信使的邮差骑士员面对卑劣的气候，好比狂风雪和沙尘暴，另有野活泼物和匪贼的攻击。
【注】
驿马快信又称快马邮递或小马快递，是美国近代一项快马接力，用于加利福尼亚州和密苏里州际间通报邮件。
驿马快信创建于1860年4月，东起密苏里州圣约瑟夫，西至加利福尼亚州加缅度，全长2900千米，共设有157个驿站。1861年10月，驿马快信破产。固然只用时1年半时候，但它却在美国汗青上留下了一段传奇。
现在，“快马邮递”被用作快递牌号，美国和俄罗斯均有以此定名的公司。
