胡敏读双语故事记考研英语词汇(13)

《胡敏读双语故事记考研词汇》通过学习有趣的双语故事，使你在娱乐中掌握考研词汇。

In 1773, the United States was quite different that it is today. At that time, the U.S. was still a charter colony, and was under the control of England.

But, for many reasons, the new Americans were not happy with this situation. The unfairness of the government in England’s laws seemed chronic. One example of a law that the Americans would claim was unfair, was the tax on tea. The Americans had to pay a large tax on the tea they were buying. It was a very large amount of money and so it made them very angry. They felt the government in England was trying to cheat them, and they wanted more civil rights. Even though they were very angry, they did not want to have a violent clash with English soldiers. They were not soldiers, just normal people upset with the unfair circumstance. So, in December of 1773, in Boston, these people felt the choice was clear, and they decided to protest by sneaking onto the boats to destroy the tea.

That December night must have been freezing due to Boston’s cold climate. Despite the cold, a group of men took from a closet a secret pile of special costumes, made to make them look like Native American Indians. They wore leather clothing, and feathers. They painted their faces to disguise who they were.

Then they made one last check to make sure that no one could hear the tell-tale click of the English soldiers boots on the road. Sneaking slowly to muffle the chorus of their footsteps, they went out. They went to the boat pier, boarded the ships and threw the boxes of tea into the ocean! Before any soldiers could chase them, they ran away. Their plan worked like a charm.

The next day, rumors began to circulate among the people of Boston about what had happened the night before. The people gave a big cheer for the stubborn men who had been brave enough to cling to their ideals, and stand up to the unfair laws. They knew that the leader of the soldiers from England would almost choke with surprise while trying to chew on his dinner! Although over two hundred years have passed, time has only helped to clarify what happened that night. This group of brave men called themselves the “Son of Liberty” and the people of American continue to cherish their memory.