最新15篇文章贯通英语四级词汇MP3(含lrc字幕)Unit10-Part2

[00:00.00]The need for new markets,
[00:02.17]and a solid defense system
[00:04.26]from potential invasion
[00:05.79]by the United States,
[00:07.21]brought an acute awareness
[00:08.96]to these diverse colonies that
[00:10.92]they should look to
[00:12.78]each other for resolutions
[00:14.21]to these problems.
[00:15.85]They felt uneasy trying
[00:18.58]to cope against these
[00:20.44]adversities on their own.
[00:21.98]Sir John A. Macdonald from United Canada,
[00:26.35]the dominant personality at this time,
[00:29.64]also saw the acceleration of
[00:31.71]American settlers moving north
[00:34.23]and spreading throughout the flat
[00:36.85]prairie lands to the west.
[00:38.60]This would potentially put a wall
[00:41.78]between the colonies in the East
[00:43.96]and the lonely western British colony
[00:46.60]in what is today part
[00:48.35]of British Columbia on the west
[00:49.98]coast of North America.
[00:52.39]Macdonald felt that
[00:54.80]the situation was urgent.
[00:56.44]In the summer of 1864,
[01:00.05]the maritime colonies of Nova Scotia,
[01:03.77]Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland
[01:06.83]scheduled a meeting to discuss
[01:08.91]the possibility of a customs union
[01:11.53]or free trade area to compensate
[01:14.16]for the latest setbacks
[01:16.35]in trade relations with Britain
[01:18.65]and the United States.
[01:20.29]Macdonald managed to get permission
[01:23.79]for some delegates from United Canada
[01:25.76]to attend as observers.
[01:27.73]For a number of years,
[01:31.12]United Canada was experiencing
[01:33.20]problems of political deadlock.
[01:36.26]Canada West was predominantly English speaking
[01:40.48]and Canada East was
[01:42.68]predominantly French speaking.
[01:44.97]A central government, set up in 1841,
[01:49.01]required a majority from
[01:51.86]both Canada West and Canada East
[01:54.27]for all legislation to become law.
[01:57.55]It was very difficult
[02:00.06]to pass significant legislation
[02:02.26]when two opposing views
[02:04.33]were constantly being debated
[02:06.63]and legislative bills were
[02:08.49]constantly being defeated.
[02:10.46]The Canadians saw a new,
[02:13.31]wider union, a potential new national
[02:16.91]institution or central government,
[02:18.99]as a possible solution for
[02:20.96]breaking out of this
[02:23.15]constant political disorder.
[02:24.79]The Canadian delegates sailed
[02:27.97]on board a cruise ship down
[02:30.15]the St. Lawrence River,
[02:31.57]into the Gulf of St. Lawrence,
[02:33.11]to Charlottetown on Prince Edward Island.
[02:35.73]This convention expanded to
[02:39.02]discussions of the possibility
[02:41.20]of all the British colonies
[02:43.17]uniting into one nation.