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Early in the 17th century, a group of people called the pilgrims wanted to reform and purify England's churches.
17世紀早期，被稱作清教徒的一群人想要改革并凈化英格蘭教會。
As a result of their efforts, they were persecuted, so they sailed to the Netherlands; also known as Holland, seeking religious freedom.
他們努力的結果卻是遭到了迫害，于是他們橫渡到了尼德蘭，也被稱作荷蘭，去那里尋找宗教自由。
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.
在荷蘭生存了12年后，他們掙扎求生。受到荷蘭社會寬容文化的威脅，清教徒決定尋找一個避難所，在那里開拓一個符合他們宗教理想的新社會。
In exchange for seven years of work the puritans persuaded a London stock company to finance their journey to the New World.
清教徒說服一所倫敦證券公司，以七年工齡換來了他們去新世界旅行的資助。
In September 1620,102 passengers set sail from Plymouth, England on a ship called the Mayflower.
1620年9月，102人踏上五月花號從英格蘭普利茅斯啟航。
The journey took 65 days and was filled with much difficulty.
此番航程耗費65日，期間充滿各種艱難險阻。
Bad storms weakened the ship and cause many leaks.
巨大的風暴席卷船只，造成了許多滲漏。
Many passengers were cold and damp for much of the journey and others were concerned that they wouldn't even survive.
在大部分航行時間里，許多乘客都遭遇著寒冷和潮濕，其他人都認為自己無法存活。
Though many were sick and one person died, they did make it.
盡管很多人生病，還有一人死亡，但他們還是成功了。
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，清教徒抵達普利茅斯岸，并開始開拓周邊合適的地段來建造他們的領地。
They chose Plymouth because it had an excellent harbor and a large brook in which to catch fish to eat.
他們選擇普利茅斯是因為這里有絕佳的海港，以及一條捕魚吃的大河。
While living on the Mayflower and ferrying back and forth to land, the Pilgrims built their houses and barns.
當住在五月花號上并來回渡到岸上的時候，清教徒們建造了他們自己的房子以及谷倉。
Construction was hindered by exceptionally heavy snow and intense cold but the settlement was completed in late March 1621.
雖然意外的大雪和刺骨的嚴寒耽擱了建造房屋的時間，但是到1621年3月末，他們終于安頓了下來。
Their success was dampened by great sorrow, nearly half of their original group died that first winter.
他們的成功被巨大的悲傷淹沒，因為近半數原來的人員死于第一個冬天。
Besides survival the Pilgrims were concerned that the Native American Indians would attack them.
除了生存，清教徒們也擔心當地的土著印第安人會攻擊他們。
To their surprise, an Indian named Samoset walked right into the colony and welcomed them in broken English.
令他們吃驚的是，一個名叫薩姆塞特的印第安人直接走進了他們的領地，并用殘缺不全的英語來表示歡迎。
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.
薩姆塞特是從緬因州的印第安部落來的，并從港口那里的漁夫口里學到了一些英語。
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.
他也告訴了他們有另一個名叫斯寬圖的印第安人曾今去過英國，可以講比他更好的英語。
The Pilgrims used the opportunity to negotiate a peace treaty and to establish trading relations.
清教徒們使用這個機會和他們簽了和平條約，并建立了貿易關系。
Squanto's importance to the Pilgrims was enormous and it can said that they would not survived without his help.
斯寬圖對清教徒的影響是巨大的，可以說沒有他的幫助，他們無法生存下來。
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.
斯寬圖教清教徒們如何敲打楓樹來獲取水源，如何種植印第安玉米和其他農作物，還告訴他們分辨哪些植物有毒，哪些可以入藥。
