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At the age of 19, Lincoln left his father's farm
未及弱冠之年 19歲的林肯離開了父親的農(nóng)場
and made his way to what was then the frontier state of Illinois.
只身一人來到了在后來變?yōu)榱诉吘持莸囊晾Z伊
A young man without money or connections, the route Lincoln took out of poverty was to run for office as a member of the State Legislature.
這個身無分文 孤親少戚的年輕人林肯 為擺脫貧困 打算去競選這個州的立法機(jī)關(guān)成員一角
Politics was a mode of social advancement.
政治是社會進(jìn)步的一種模式
Politics in the 1830s and '40s was a way for people of modest backgrounds like Lincoln to rise in the social scale.
19世紀(jì)30年代到40年代的政治 對于像林肯這樣出身卑賤的人們來說 是提升社會地位的有效途徑
It was a way to make connections. It was a way to influence the world around you, of course,
它可以幫你建立人際關(guān)系 當(dāng)然 通過這種途徑來影響你身處的世界
but at a time when there weren't that many professions open to people,
但是在那樣一個并未有多少職業(yè)可供人們選擇的年代
politics was one that anybody could get ahead in if they had drive,
政治確實人人都可以參與的工作 只要他們有干勁
if they had the right personality, the right ability to communicate their ideas.
只要他們有優(yōu)秀的品德和高超的談話表達(dá)技巧
Politics transformed Lincoln's life.
政治改變了林肯的人生
By the early 1850s, the young, poorly-educated frontiersmen was long gone.
那個來自邊境地區(qū)卑微的小伙子已經(jīng)不復(fù)存在
Lincoln had become a wealthy man.
林肯富了起來
He'd held office four times, been a congressman in Washington DC,
在首都華盛頓 他一共擔(dān)任了四次國會議員
and between terms of office, he trained as a lawyer.
而在任職期間 他又自學(xué)成了一名律師
And as Lincoln's horizons had spread.
慢慢地林肯的視野逐漸開闊
so had those of his nation, as America's great drive westwards had begun.
隨著轟轟烈烈的西進(jìn)運動的展開 他的祖國的版圖也開始逐漸清晰開闊了
