5 Chapter 2 The Wider World

Chapter 2 The Wider World Abraham Lincoln knew he didn't want to be a farmer like his father. But he didn't know what he did want to do. So when he was twenty-one, he decided to leave home and find out.

亚伯拉罕·林肯知道他不想成为像他父亲那样的农民。 但他不知道自己到底想做什么。 所以当他21岁的时候，他决定离开家去寻找答案。

He was hired to help sail flatboats loaded with supplies down the Sangamon River. One time, the boat got stuck on a dam in front of the town of New Salem in central Illinois. It began filling with water. Lincoln and the others onboard couldn't free it. Suddenly Lincoln had a brilliant idea. He bored a hole in the front of the boat and shifted all the supplies to that end. The boat tipped toward the hole and all the water ran out until the boat was high enough to go over the dam. Denton Offutt, the boat's owner, was so impressed that he

他被雇来帮助驾着装满物资的平底船沿着桑加蒙河顺流而下。 有一次，这艘船被困在伊利诺斯州中部新塞勒姆镇前的大坝上。 它开始充满了水。 林肯和船上的其他人没能解救它。 突然，林肯想到了一个绝妙的主意。 他在船头钻了一个洞，把所有的给养都移到了船头。 船向洞口倾斜，所有的水都流了出来，直到船高到足以越过大坝。 这艘船的主人丹顿·奥法特对此印象深刻

offered to put Lincoln in business. He decided to build a store in New Salem. Lincoln would manage it. NEW SALEM

提出帮助林肯做生意 他决定在新塞勒姆开一家商店。 林肯会解决的。新塞伦

New Salem was a small village. But to Lincoln it seemed large and bustling. The store was a place where people gathered. Lincoln quickly became popular. People trusted him. He would never take advantage of anyone, even for a few cents. He

新塞勒姆是一个小村庄。 但在林肯看来，这里又大又热闹。 这家商店是人们聚集的地方。 林肯很快就流行起来。 人们信任他。他从不占任何人的便宜，哪怕是几分钱。 他

joined a debating club and took part in town politics. He also went to the meetings of the local court. The justice of the peace began asking his opinion on cases, because what he said was always so funny. But his opinions were also very intelligent. Soon people began coming to Lincoln for legal advice. Lincoln didn't just impress people in town. Some rough farm boys called the Clary's Grove gang had heard about Lincoln—the young man everyone was praising so much. They wanted to take him down a peg. So they challenged him to a wrestling match. We don't know whether Lincoln won or lost. But the way he took on the whole gang won the boys over. They became his friends and loyal supporters, too.

参加了辩论俱乐部，参加了镇上的政治活动。 他还参加了当地法院的会议。 治安法官开始问他对案件的看法，因为他说的话总是那么有趣。 但他的观点也非常明智。 很快，人们开始向林肯寻求法律建议。 林肯不仅给镇上的人留下了深刻印象。 一些粗野的农场男孩被称为克拉里的格罗夫帮，他们听说过林肯——那个每个人都如此赞扬的年轻人。 他们想打击他的威风。 所以他们向他挑战摔跤比赛。 我们不知道林肯是赢了还是输了。 但他对整个团伙的态度赢得了男孩们的信任。 他们也成了他的朋友和忠实的支持者。

In 1832, Lincoln's friends convinced him to run for the Illinois State Legislature. He didn't win, but he came close. In the meantime, Offutt's store failed, and Lincoln lost his job. Just then, a war broke out between the Illinois settlers and Native Americans. Lincoln joined the militia. He never actually fought any battles. But he boasted about all the blood he'd shed—because of the mosquitoes. He decided to run for the state legislature again. He could count on support from all his friends in New Salem. But some farmers thought he was just

1832年，林肯的朋友们说服他竞选伊利诺伊州议会议员。 他没有赢，但也差一点。 与此同时，奥法特的商店倒闭了，林肯也丢了工作。 就在这时，伊利诺斯州的移民和印第安人之间爆发了一场战争。 林肯加入了民兵。 他从未真正打过仗。 但他夸耀自己流了多少血——因为蚊子。 他决定再次竞选州议员。 他可以得到新塞勒姆所有朋友的支持。 但是一些农民认为他是公正的