神秘海港海事历史博物馆：平衡生活的艺术
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老桑说
神秘海港海事历史博物馆
Mystic Seaport
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「 朋友，你好，我是老桑。」
老桑在Joseph Conrad号上
最近我回到家乡康涅狄格州参加表妹的惊喜生日排队。你可以想象到当她的表弟“从中国”回来，突然出现在她面前时，她欣喜若狂的样子。我送给她了一把手绘扇子，扇子的一面是岳阳楼，另一面是则写有《岳阳楼记》作为纪念。这把扇子在炎热的夏天对她很有用！
老桑与惊讶的表姐琳达
琳达生日聚会的午餐
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那个周末，我还参观了康涅狄格州最著名的旅游景点——神秘海港海事历史博物馆（Mystic Seaport Museum），这是美国最大的海事博物馆。该博物馆以其大型船舶的收藏、对整个19世纪航海小镇的重建以及继续修复历史船只的造船厂而闻名。
神秘海港博物馆门口
博物馆的建筑群令人叹为观止：它拥有一个36个景点的小镇，12处展览(有些是永久性的，有些是临时性的)，一个保存完好的修船厂，还有四艘历史悠久的船只，其他还包括乘船游览和小船租赁。像往常一样，我从问讯处开始游赏。那里的志愿导游帮助我为这次参观进行了指引，建议我把注意力集中在这四艘船上。然后我就开始欣赏这里的历史景观了。
在我思考如何参观神秘海港海事历史博物馆时，我想到应该采用当时在那不勒斯国家考古博物馆相同的策略:从大到小，关注主要思想的关键细节，享受这一切的美。虽然神秘海港海事历史博物馆所处的海洋远离那不勒斯，但我发现它提醒着自己去应用和那次同样的四个方法。
小教堂
灯塔
扬帆中心
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在参观博物馆之前，我一直认为船舶是只能用于航行的。我从来没有真正想过它们在历史上所发挥的作用，我只是模糊地意识到存在着不同类型的船。然而，当我了解到每种船型是如何被发明出来并被用作实现特定目的的工具时，我开始意识到人类社会是如何依赖创新和船舶来生存的。
鲸文化的货品
防患于未然
“主，请增加我们的信德罢”
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我参观了停靠在这个海港里四艘历史悠久的船只，了解了它们的用途以及它们是如何发挥特殊作用的。类比来看，每艘船都代表着我们个人生活的不同方面。这四艘船合在一起，就对海洋历史作了概略的介绍。当然它们也代表了我们在日常生活中需要进行平衡的四种活动。
捕鲸是19世纪时期的一个主要产业，因为鲸脂能够被转化为石油，这为许多国家提供了燃料。船员们会追逐、叉捕、捕杀鲸鱼，并将鲸鱼拖到船上进行处理。当时的捕鲸船必须非常大，因为鲸鱼实在是个庞然大物。举例来看，蓝鲸就是地球上有史以来最大的生物，比任何恐龙都大。
神秘海港海事历史博物馆的所处的小镇展示了沿岸地区围绕捕鲸展开的工业体系。那时对于造船工人、铁工、以及许多行业和工艺都是有需求的。与此同时，捕鲸探险会持续3-6年，这意味着工人与家庭要长期分离。而捕鲸工作是一切的中心，影响着每一个人。
由于神秘海港的捕鲸活动维系着这里的社群，而居民们的工作又维持着他们的生活。尽管你可能不是捕鲸者，但肯定还有其他一些工作是你生活的中心。当我们专注于工作时，我们就会为了做出成功的结果付出努力和牺牲。因此，像捕鲸者一样，选择一条职业道路并持之以恒付出努力是很重要的。
捕鲸者们出海远航去捕捉鲸鱼，其他人则从事着贸易以支持本地工业的发展。他们根据当时的资源和环境状况，脚踏实地的去追寻着自己的梦想。换句话说，他们在采取行动时知道应该：临渊羡鱼，不如退而结网。
Charles W. Morgan号捕鲸船
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于1841年正式下水的摩根号是美国最古老的商业捕鲸船。在她80年的商业生涯(1841-1921)中，她几乎走遍了每一个大陆。虽然她没有在中国停靠过港口，但她确实通过访问俄罗斯的符拉迪沃斯托克和日本的函馆接近了中国。也许当我们在工作中取得成功时，还可以环游世界呢！
康拉德号建造于1882年，设计用于长途运输货物。然而，这艘船被用来容纳80名青少年为商船进行服务培训。在1945年退役之前，这艘船上先后共有4000多名学员在六个月或更长时间的航行中学习航海技术。今天，这艘船被用作博物馆水手计划的训练船。
全装帆船（full-rigged ship）是一种复杂的船，它有三根或三根以上的桅杆，每根桅杆有五或六张帆。学员们将必须学习船的许多部分，以及如何使用和修理它们，升起船帆，放下锚，打结，并作为一个团队一起工作。换句话说，他们需要学习和获得实践经验，以塑造他们的未来。
Joseph Conrad号全帆装船
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在我们自己的生活中，我们清楚完成学业找到一份好工作是很重要的。然而，学习是一个终生的过程。除了专注于我们的工作，每天学习一些新东西也很重要。通过为我们的进步和新的发展机遇设定目标，就能确保自己获得成长。学无止尽，但我们应该尽可能多地soak（汲取）知识。
如果学员没有在船上受过训练，他们将无法成为水手。尽管有些人可能认为，任何时间的学习都可以更好地用于工作和赚钱，但学员们知道，教育将使他们在以后的生活中取得更大的成就。毕竟磨刀不误砍柴工。
纵帆船也是一种帆船，但没有捕鲸船或装备齐全的船那么大。他们有一个狭窄的身体，容纳更少的船员，具有速度快和versatile（适用范围广）的特点。虽然它们可以载运货物和乘客，但大多数都是用来捕鱼的。由于它们太小，不能捕鲸，所以被用来捕捞较小的鱼，如鳕鱼、黑线鳕和大比目鱼。
邓顿号于1923年下水，多年来一直作为渔船使用。她集速度、机动性和稳定性于一身。船上的志愿导游强调，较之于纵帆船速度快、sleek（造型优美），而较大的船只操作起来可能又慢又笨重。
L.A. Dunton号纵帆船
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纵帆船以用途范围广而闻名，它对我们很重要的一点在于应该保持机智并根据不同的情况随机应变。如果我们坚持以某种方式做某件事，比如捕鲸，一旦这个行业过时，我们可能会被甩在后面。但是拥有适应能力与坚韧的心智，无论是在思想还是行动上，都能使我们能够更好地迎接挑战。
有时生活中当危机发生时，需要你能够快速行动。如果我们感觉不舒服，最好检查一下。如果我们需要做一些家庭修理，那就最好是先处理它，而不是等待问题变得更严重。如果一段关系变得紧张，最好把它说出来，而不是让它加速演变成一场纷争。防患于未然。
萨比诺号是一艘有74个座位的客船。建造于1908年，它仍然使用最初安装的型号相同的双缸复合蒸汽机提供动力。最初是作为一艘客船使用，为道路不便和缺少桥梁的地方提供交通服务，今天，她作为一艘游船，带游客cruise（游览）观光神秘河。
萨比诺号提醒我，花时间与家人和朋友在一起，享受休闲时光的重要性，比如我表妹的生日聚会。生活不必是，也不应该是，全部用在工作和学习上。随着支持捕鲸的全方位航海工业的兴起，我们必须适应多样化的生活来胜任我们自己的工作。在笑声中享受生活。
Sabino号蒸汽船
许多家庭登上萨比诺号沿河旅行。他们在和船长交谈，观察开放的的机舱，相互拍照，结交新朋友，一路上笑个不停。我很确定这趟excursion（旅行）对所有人来说都会比在办公室内的惯常生活更能留下回忆。
修船厂
小镇
晒干的比目鱼
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我的朋友，我的学生经常听到我说，人生是一个由许多阶段组成的旅程，每一个阶段都把我们推向下一个阶段。神秘海港之旅让我明白，我们也需要不同的阶段来平衡每一天:工作、学习、娱乐，如果必要的话，还要快速地解决问题。这种平衡能让我们保持专注和高效，同时也能让我们精神焕发、充满成就感。
本文图片均由老桑拍摄。
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Mystic Seaport:
how to balance your day
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「 Hello, my friend！
I'm John Smagula. 」
I recently went back to my home state of Connecticut to attend my cousin’s surprise birthday party. You can imagine her surprise when her cousin “from China” showed up! I gave her a hand-painted fan with an image of Yueyang Tower on one side and Memorial to Yueyang Tower on the other. The fan served her well on the hot summer day!
That weekend, I also visited Connecticut’s most famous tourist attraction, Mystic Seaport Museum, the largest maritime museum in the United States. The museum is well-recognized for its large watercraft collection, the re-creation of an entire 19th-century seafaring village, and its working shipyard that continues to restore historic boats.
The museum complex is overwhelming: a village with 36 attractions, 12 exhibitions (some permanent, some temporary), a preservation shipyard, and four historic vessels, not to mention boat rides and rentals. So as usual, I started at the information desk. The volunteer guide helped me plan my visit, advising me to focus on the four vessels. And so I did.
Buckingham-Hall House
Chapel
Greenmanville Church
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In working my way through Mystic Seaport, I used the same strategy that I did at the Naples National Archeological Museum: go from big to small, focus on the main idea, hone in on the key details, and enjoy the beauty of it all. Even though Mystic is an ocean away from Naples, I found myself reminding myself of these same four steps.
Maxwell House Coffee & Lipson Tea
Before I visited the museum, I pretty much thought that a boat was just a boat. I never really thought about their role in history, and I was only vaguely aware of the different types of boats that exist. Yet as I learned how each type was invented and used as a tool to achieve a particular purpose, I became aware of how society relied on innovation and boating to survive.
Haddock Cargo
I toured the four historic vessels docked at the seaport, learning about their purpose and how they served a particular role. By analogy, each boat represented to me a different aspect of our personal lives. Together, the four vessels come together give a general overview of maritime history. They also represent four activities that we need to achieve balance in our everyday life.
Whaling was a major industry in the 19th century, as the blubber was turned into oil that fueled many nations. The ship’s crew would chase, harpoon, kill, and drag whales to the ship for processing. Whaleboats had to be extremely large, as whales are enormous creatures. For example, the blue whale is the largest creature ever to live on earth, bigger than any dinosaur.
The village at Mystic Seaport demonstrated the entire seaside industry that arose to support whaling. Ship makers, ironworkers, and many trades and crafts were needed. Meanwhile, whaling expeditions lasted from 3-6 years, meaning families were separated for long periods. The work of whaling was the center of everything and influenced everyone.
As whaling sustained this community, work sustains our own lives. Even though you’re probably not a whaler, there certainly is some other job that is the center of your life. When we focus on our work, we make the effort and sacrifices needed to succeed. And thus, it is important to choose a career path and persevere, just as the whalers did.
The whalers went far and wide to catch whales, while others labored in their trade to support the industry. They took practical steps to achieve their aim, based on the resources and circumstances at the time. In other words, they took action, understanding it is “better to go home and weave a net than to stand by the pond longing for fish.”
Charles W. Morgan
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Launched in 1841, the Morgan is American’s oldest commercial ship. In her 80-year career (1841-1921), she visited almost every continent. Although she did not make a port call in China, she certainly got close by visiting Vladivostok in Russia and Hakodate in Japan. Perhaps once we succeed at work, we will also be able to travel around the world!
The Conrad was built in 1882 and designed to carry cargo long distances. However, the ship was used to accommodate 80 teenagers in training for the merchant service. Until her retirement in 1945, the ship hosted over 4,000 of cadets on six-month or longer journeys to learn seamanship. Today, the ship is used as a training ship for the museum’s mariner program.
A full-rigged ship is a complicated vessel, with three or more masts each with five or six sails. The cadets would have to learn the many parts of the vessel and how to use and repair them, hoist the sails, drop anchor, tie knots, and work together as a team. In other words, they needed to study and gain practical experience in order to build their future.
Joseph Conrad
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In our own lives, we know it is important to finish school to get a good job. Yet learning is a lifelong process. So in addition to focusing on our work, it’s also important to learn something new every day. This ensures our own growth by positioning us for advancement and new opportunities. Knowledge is infinite, and we should seek to soak up as much as we can.
If the cadets didn’t train on the ship, they would not have been able to become sailors later on. Although some may think that any time studying could be better spent working and earning, the cadets knew that the education would enable them to achieve more later on in life. After all, you have to “sharpen an axe in order to cut firewood.”
A schooner is also a sailing ship, but not as large as whaleships or full-rigged ships. They have a narrow body, require a smaller crew, and are fast and versatile. Although they could carry cargo and passengers, most were used for fishing. As they are too small for whaling, they were used for fishing smaller fish such as cod, haddock, and halibut.
Launched in 1923, the Dunton served as a fishing boat for many years. She combined the best features of speed, maneuverability, and stability. The volunteer guide on board the ship emphasized how the larger ships could be slow and cumbersome to operate, whereas schooners were fast and sleek in comparison.
L.A. Dunton
As the schooner is known for its versatility, it is important for us as well to be resourceful and act according to the circumstances as well. If we stay fixed on doing something in one way, like whaling, we may be left behind when the industry becomes obsolete. Adaptability and resilience, in mind and action, enable us to better meet challenges.
There are times in life when crises occur that require fast action. If we’re not feeling well, it’s wise to get it checked out. If we need to do some home repair, better to fix it rather than wait for it to become something larger. If there is tension in a relationship, best to talk it out rather than let it accelerate into a war. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
The Sabino is a 74-seat passenger boat. Built in 1908, she is still powered by the same two-cylinder compound steam engine that was originally installed. Originally used as a passenger ship when there were poor roads and few bridges, today she serves as a pleasure boat, bringing tourists on river cruises up and down the Mystic River.
The Sabino reminded me of the importance of taking time out for family and friends, enjoying time together in leisurely activities—like my cousin’s birthday party. Life doesn’t have to be, nor should it be, all work and study. As a multifaceted seafaring industry arose to support whaling, so must we lead diverse lives to support our own work. Take time out to laugh.
Sabino steamboat
Many families boarded the Sabino for a trip down the river. They were talking with the captain, observing the open engine room, taking pictures, making new friends, and laughing all the way. I’m quite sure that this excursion will be much more memorable to everyone than a routine day in the office.
Shipyard
Village
Small Boat Exhibit
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My friend, my students often hear me say that life is a journey made of many phases, with each phase moving us up toward the next level. My visit to Mystic Seaport taught me that we need different phases to balance each day as well: work, study, fun, and…if necessary…quick problem solving. This balance can keep us focused and productive, while also refreshed and fulfilled.
{ 今日英文速记卡 }
1.Soak (up) \ ˈsōk \
a)含义：v. 吸收；吸入
b)例句：
i.Knowledge is infinite, and we should seek to soak up as much as we can.
学无止尽，但我们应该尽可能多地汲取知识。
ii.The first thing to do is to soak up like a sponge everything your coach and swimmers older than you have to offer to make your practices and swim meets better experiences.
第一个要做的事情就是要像海绵一样吸收所有的一切：你教练的建议、那些老运动员的建议，根据他们好的建议多加练习，以期得到更好的经验。
c)近义词： absorb, assimilate, incorporate
2.Versatile \ ˈvər-sə-ˌtī(-ə)l \
a)含义：adj. 通用的；万能的
b)例句：
i.They have a narrow body, require a smaller crew, and are fast and versatile.
他们有一个狭窄的身体，容纳更少的船员，具有快速和适用范围广的特点。
ii.The more versatile the tool, the less you can predict how people will use it.
这个工具越多才多艺，你越难以预计人们可以用它来做些什么。
c)近义词：adaptable, multipurpose, universal
3.Sleek \ ˈslēk \
a)含义：adj. 井然有序的；光滑的
b)例句：
i.The volunteer guide on board the ship emphasized how the larger ships could be slow and cumbersome to operate, whereas schooners were fast and sleek in comparison.
船上的志愿导游强调，较之于纵帆船速度快、造型优美，而较大的船只操作起来可能又慢又笨重。
ii.His submersible designs have fixed wings and sleek, elongated fuselages, like those on an aircraft.
潜艇的设计包含固定的机翼和光滑细长的机身，和飞机一样。
c)近义词：buffed, burnished, glossy
4.Cruise \ ˈkrüz \
a)含义：v. 乘船游览
b)例句：
i.Originally used as a passenger ship when there were poor roads and few bridges, today she serves as a pleasure boat, bringing tourists on river cruises up and down the Mystic River.
最初是作为一艘客船使用，为道路不便和缺少桥梁的地方提供交通服务，今天，她作为一艘游船，带游客游览观光神秘河。
ii.How wonderful it is to cruise by sea under the bright sunshine!
在明媚的阳光下巡游海上是多么惬意的一件事情！
c)近义词： passage, sail, voyage
5.Excursion \ ik-ˈskər-zhən \
a)含义：n. 短程旅行
b)例句：
i.I’m quite sure that this excursion will be much more memorable to everyone than a routine day in the office.
我很确定这趟旅行对所有人来说都会比在办公室内的惯常生活更能留下回忆。
ii.We had one last trip to make, a day excursion from Damascus by car.
最后的游程是从大马士革乘汽车出发作一天的远足。
c)近义词：jaunt, outing, ramble
Thank you for watching me to inspire, encourage, and accompany you.
See you next time.
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