词汇提示

1.undefended 不设防的

2.deserter 逃兵

3.outnumber 比...点

4.troops 军队

5.bold 勇敢

6.ally 联盟

7.scattered 分散的

8.treaty 协议

原文

The War That Both Sides Won

Today, the 3000 mile boundary between Canada and the United States is known as "the longest undefended boundary" in the world.

But for three years in a row--1812, 1813and 1814--U.S. armies invaded Canada.

When both sides failed to win a clear victory, and the costs of the war kept growing, the two countries decided that peace was the best policy.

On June 18, 1812, the United States declared war on Great Britain.

The United States had proclaimed their independence from Britain in 1776--36 years earlier.

There were still bad feelings between the two countries.

Great Britain was not treating the United States as an equal independent country.

British ships were stopping American ships from trading with Europe.

British sailors went aboard American ships looking for deserters from the British Navy.

If an American sailor could not prove that he was an American, he was taken to work for the British.

At the same time, the population of the United States was expanding.

Americans wanted to move west into lands held by various American Indian tribes.

Some Americans felt that Britain was encouraging the Indians to fight them and was supplying guns to the Indians.

In 1812, Canada was made up of a small number of British colonies just north of the American border.

Americans felt that it would be easy to take over Canada;then Canadian land would provide homes for their growing population.

Since Americans outnumbered Canadians ten to one, the U.S. government thought that no one in Canada would dare to oppose them.

Moreover, Britain was fighting a terrible war in Europe against Napoleon, the Emperor of Francem, and could not spare any troops to help defend Canada.

But, in 1812, Canada had one advantage over the U.S.A. - good leadership.

British General Isaac Brock had served in Canada for ten years.

He knew how to inspire both his own soldiers and the ordinary people of Canada to fight for their country.

He was a bold and energetic leader who moved quickly to attack American positions before they could attack him.

Brock found a valuable ally in the American Indian Chief Tecumseh.

Tecumseh had been trying to unite the scattered groups of Indians to fight together against American expansion.

He convinced the Indians that their best chance for success was to join the British and Canadians against the Americans.

Although both Brock andT ecumseh were killed in battles,their example continued to inspire the defenders of Canada to fight against the American invasions.

Before the end of 1814, all American forces had been driven out of Canada.

By 1814, Britain had defeated the French Emperor Napoleon.

Now it was the turn of the United States to be invaded,and burned the government buildings at Washington.

Another British force attacked the U.S.A. near the mouth of the Mississippi River, but it was defeated at the Battle of New Orleans.

Both sides were tired of fighting by this time, and a peace treaty was signed on December 24, 1814.

This agreement restored everything to the way it had been when the war began.

Although this really meant that no one had won the war, both sides claimed victory.

The Americans felt that they had gained full recognition of their independence.

Britain would no longer board their ships, or encourage the Indians to fight them.

Canadians felt that they had shown Americans that they wanted to develop heir own country in their own way,separate from the United States.

But the biggest result of the war was the decision by both countries never to fight each other again.

翻译

双方都赢了的战争

今天，加拿大和美国之间3000英里的边界被称为世界上“最长的不设防边界”。
但连续三年，即1812年、1813年和1814年，美国军队入侵加拿大。
当双方都未能取得明显的胜利，战争的代价不断增加时，两国决定和平是最好的政策。
1812年6月18日，美国向大不列颠宣战。
美国于1776年宣布脱离英国独立，距今36年。
这两个国家之间仍有不好的感情。
英国没有将美国视为一个平等的独立国家。
英国船只正在阻止美国船只与欧洲进行贸易。
英国水手登上美国船只，寻找英国海军的逃兵。
如果一名美国水手不能证明他是美国人，他就被带到英国工作。
与此同时，美国的人口也在增加。
美国人想向西迁移到由美洲印第安部落控制的土地上。
一些美国人认为英国在鼓励印第安人与他们作战，并向印第安人提供枪支。
1812年，加拿大由美国边境以北的少数英国殖民地组成。
美国人觉得接管加拿大很容易；那么加拿大的土地将为他们不断增长的人口提供住房。
由于美国人的人数比加拿大人多十倍，美国政府认为加拿大没有人敢反对他们。
此外，英国正在欧洲与法国皇帝拿破仑进行一场可怕的战争，无法腾出任何军队来帮助保卫加拿大。
但是，在1812年，加拿大比美国有一个优势——良好的领导能力。
英国将军艾萨克·布洛克在加拿大服役十年。
他知道如何激励自己的士兵和加拿大普通民众为国家而战。
他是一位勇敢而精力充沛的领导人，在美国的阵地攻击他之前，他迅速行动起来。
布洛克在美国印第安酋长特库姆塞身上找到了一个宝贵的盟友。
特库姆塞一直试图团结分散的印第安人群体，共同对抗美国的扩张。
他让印度人相信，他们取得成功的最佳机会是加入英国和加拿大对抗美国。
尽管布洛克和特埃克姆什都在战斗中阵亡，但他们的榜样仍激励着加拿大的守军抗击美国的入侵。
在1814年底之前，所有美国军队都被赶出了加拿大。
到1814年，英国击败了法国皇帝拿破仑。
现在轮到美国被入侵，烧毁了华盛顿的政府大楼。
另一支英国军队在密西西比河口附近袭击了美国，但在新奥尔良战役中被击败。
双方此时已经厌倦了战斗，并于1814年12月24日签署了和平条约。
这项协议使一切恢复到战争开始时的样子。
虽然这真的意味着没有人赢得这场战争，但双方都声称胜利。
美国人觉得他们已经充分认识到自己的独立性。
英国将不再登上他们的船，或鼓励印第安人与他们作战。
加拿大人觉得，他们已经向美国人表明，他们希望以自己的方式发展自己的国家，与美国分开。
但这场战争的最大结果是两国都决定不再相互开战。