"From ocean to ocean"—so say the Americans; and these four words compose the general designation of the "great trunk line" which crosses the entire width of the United States. The Pacific Railroad is, however, really divided into two distinct lines: the Central Pacific, between San Francisco and Ogden, and the Union Pacific, between Ogden and Omaha. Five main lines connect Omaha with New York.
New York and San Francisco are thus united by an uninterrupted metal ribbon, which measures no less than three thousand seven hundred and eighty–six miles. Between Omaha and the Pacific the railway crosses a territory which is still infested by Indians and wild beasts, and a large tract which the Mormons, after they were driven from Illinois in 1845, began to colonise.
The journey from New York to San Francisco consumed, formerly, under the most favourable conditions, at least six months. It is now accomplished in seven days.
It was in 1862 that, in spite of the Southern Members of Congress, who wished a more southerly route, it was decided to lay the road between the forty–first and forty–second parallels. President Lincoln himself fixed the end of the line at Omaha, in Nebraska. The work was at once commenced, and pursued with true American energy; nor did the rapidity with which it went on injuriously affect its good execution. The road grew, on the prairies, a mile and a half a day. A locomotive, running on the rails laid down the evening before, brought the rails to be laid on the morrow, and advanced upon them as fast as they were put in position.
The Pacific Railroad is joined by several branches in Iowa, Kansas, Colorado, and Oregon. On leaving Omaha, it passes along the left bank of the Platte River as far as the junction of its northern branch, follows its southern branch, crosses the Laramie territory and the Wahsatch Mountains, turns the Great Salt Lake, and reaches Salt Lake City, the Mormon capital, plunges into the Tuilla Valley, across the American Desert, Cedar and Humboldt Mountains, the Sierra Nevada, and descends, via Sacramento, to the Pacific—its grade, even on the Rocky Mountains, never exceeding one hundred and twelve feet to the mile.
Such was the road to be traversed in seven days, which would enable Phileas Fogg—at least, so he hoped—to take the Atlantic steamer at New York on the 11th for Liverpool.
The car which he occupied was a sort of long omnibus on eight wheels, and with no compartments in the interior. It was supplied with two rows of seats, perpendicular to the direction of the train on either side of an aisle which conducted to the front and rear platforms. These platforms were found throughout the train, and the passengers were able to pass from one end of the train to the other. It was supplied with saloon cars, balcony cars, restaurants, and smoking–cars; theatre cars alone were wanting, and they will have these some day.
Book and news dealers, sellers of edibles, drinkables, and cigars, who seemed to have plenty of customers, were continually circulating in the aisles.
The train left Oakland station at six o'clock. It was already night, cold and cheerless, the heavens being overcast with clouds which seemed to threaten snow. The train did not proceed rapidly; counting the stoppages, it did not run more than twenty miles an hour, which was a sufficient speed, however, to enable it to reach Omaha within its designated time.
There was but little conversation in the car, and soon many of the passengers were overcome with sleep. Passepartout found himself beside the detective; but he did not talk to him. After recent events, their relations with each other had grown somewhat cold; there could no longer be mutual sympathy or intimacy between them. Fix's manner had not changed; but Passepartout was very reserved, and ready to strangle his former friend on the slightest provocation.
Snow began to fall an hour after they started, a fine snow, however, which happily could not obstruct the train; nothing could be seen from the windows but a vast, white sheet, against which the smoke of the locomotive had a greyish aspect.
At eight o'clock a steward entered the car and announced that the time for going to bed had arrived; and in a few minutes the car was transformed into a dormitory. The backs of the seats were thrown back, bedsteads carefully packed were rolled out by an ingenious system, berths were suddenly improvised, and each traveller had soon at his disposition a comfortable bed, protected from curious eyes by thick curtains. The sheets were clean and the pillows soft. It only remained to go to bed and sleep which everybody did—while the train sped on across the State of California.
The country between San Francisco and Sacramento is not very hilly. The Central Pacific, taking Sacramento for its starting–point, extends eastward to meet the road from Omaha. The line from San Francisco to Sacramento runs in a north–easterly direction, along the American River, which empties into San Pablo Bay. The one hundred and twenty miles between these cities were accomplished in six hours, and towards midnight, while fast asleep, the travellers passed through Sacramento; so that they saw nothing of that important place, the seat of the State government, with its fine quays, its broad streets, its noble hotels, squares, and churches.
The train, on leaving Sacramento, and passing the junction, Roclin, Auburn, and Colfax, entered the range of the Sierra Nevada. 'Cisco was reached at seven in the morning; and an hour later the dormitory was transformed into an ordinary car, and the travellers could observe the picturesque beauties of the mountain region through which they were steaming. The railway track wound in and out among the passes, now approaching the mountain–sides, now suspended over precipices, avoiding abrupt angles by bold curves, plunging into narrow defiles, which seemed to have no outlet. The locomotive, its great funnel emitting a weird light, with its sharp bell, and its cow–catcher extended like a spur, mingled its shrieks and bellowings with the noise of torrents and cascades, and twined its smoke among the branches of the gigantic pines.
There were few or no bridges or tunnels on the route. The railway turned around the sides of the mountains, and did not attempt to violate nature by taking the shortest cut from one point to another.
The train entered the State of Nevada through the Carson Valley about nine o'clock, going always northeasterly; and at midday reached Reno, where there was a delay of twenty minutes for breakfast.
From this point the road, running along Humboldt River, passed northward for several miles by its banks; then it turned eastward, and kept by the river until it reached the Humboldt Range, nearly at the extreme eastern limit of Nevada.
Having breakfasted, Mr. Fogg and his companions resumed their places in the car, and observed the varied landscape which unfolded itself as they passed along the vast prairies, the mountains lining the horizon, and the creeks, with their frothy, foaming streams. Sometimes a great herd of buffaloes, massing together in the distance, seemed like a moveable dam. These innumerable multitudes of ruminating beasts often form an insurmountable obstacle to the passage of the trains; thousands of them have been seen passing over the track for hours together, in compact ranks. The locomotive is then forced to stop and wait till the road is once more clear.
This happened, indeed, to the train in which Mr. Fogg was travelling. About twelve o'clock a troop of ten or twelve thousand head of buffalo encumbered the track. The locomotive, slackening its speed, tried to clear the way with its cow–catcher; but the mass of animals was too great. The buffaloes marched along with a tranquil gait, uttering now and then deafening bellowings. There was no use of interrupting them, for, having taken a particular direction, nothing can moderate and change their course; it is a torrent of living flesh which no dam could contain.
The travellers gazed on this curious spectacle from the platforms; but Phileas Fogg, who had the most reason of all to be in a hurry, remained in his seat, and waited philosophically until it should please the buffaloes to get out of the way.
Passepartout was furious at the delay they occasioned, and longed to discharge his arsenal of revolvers upon them.
"What a country!" cried he. "Mere cattle stop the trains, and go by in a procession, just as if they were not impeding travel! Parbleu! I should like to know if Mr. Fogg foresaw this mishap in his programme! And here's an engineer who doesn't dare to run the locomotive into this herd of beasts!"
The engineer did not try to overcome the obstacle, and he was wise. He would have crushed the first buffaloes, no doubt, with the cow–catcher; but the locomotive, however powerful, would soon have been checked, the train would inevitably have been thrown off the track, and would then have been helpless.
The best course was to wait patiently, and regain the lost time by greater speed when the obstacle was removed. The procession of buffaloes lasted three full hours, and it was night before the track was clear. The last ranks of the herd were now passing over the rails, while the first had already disappeared below the southern horizon.
It was eight o'clock when the train passed through the defiles of the Humboldt Range, and half–past nine when it penetrated Utah, the region of the Great Salt Lake, the singular colony of the Mormons.
背景介紹與作者介紹
這段文字出自儒勒·凡爾納的經典冒險小說《八十天環遊世界》，他是一位法國作家，以其富有想像力和開創性的科幻小說和冒險故事而聞名。這部小說寫於 1873 年，捕捉了 19 世紀對探索、科技以及因橫貫大陸鐵路和輪船等創新而縮小的世界的迷戀。凡爾納的作品經常將詳細的科學知識與驚險的敘事相結合，激勵了一代又一代的讀者去追逐夢想，重視好奇心和毅力。
故事詳解與意義
這段摘錄描述了主角福克先生旅程中的關鍵部分，他乘坐新建成的太平洋鐵路穿越美國。這條連接東西海岸的鐵路象徵著進步、人類的創造力以及決心的力量。敘事生動地描繪了穿越廣闊、荒野的景觀的挑戰，與大群水牛等自然障礙的遭遇，以及征服如此廣闊大陸的技術成就的奇蹟。
福克先生在水牛延誤期間的冷靜和哲學態度與他的僕人路路通的不耐煩形成了鮮明對比，突出了耐心、適應能力以及對自然和超出人類控制範圍的情況的尊重等主題。這段文字還暗示了那個時代美國的文化和地理多樣性，提到了摩門教徒和崎嶇的山脈，豐富了故事的歷史和社會背景。
給學生的啟示和靈感
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毅力與耐心： 福克先生的旅程教導學生在面對意想不到的障礙時保持冷靜和耐心的重要性。在生活中，並非一切都會按計劃進行，學會等待和適應是一項寶貴的技能。
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對自然的尊重： 故事表明，自然並非總是可以被控制或倉促行事。理解和尊重自然世界至關重要，尤其是在當今的環境意識背景下。
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好奇心和學習： 凡爾納的詳細描述激發了對地理、歷史和技術的好奇心。學生可以受到啟發，去了解更多塑造我們世界的地點和發明。
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文化意識： 提到不同的群體，如摩門教徒，以及廣闊的美國景觀，向讀者介紹了不同的文化和環境，促進了開放的心態和全球意識。
在日常生活中的應用
- 在學習中： 就像福克先生有條不紊地計劃他的旅程一樣，學生可以學會組織他們的學習和項目，預測挑戰並準備解決方案。
- 在社交場合： 福克先生所表現出的耐心和冷靜，有助於處理友誼和團隊合作中的衝突或延誤。
- 在個人成長中： 將挑戰視為生活旅程的一部分，可以培養韌性和積極的心態。
從故事中培養積極的品質
- 適應能力： 當計劃意外改變時，例如水牛群擋住了火車，靈活和開放的心態有助於克服困難。
- 尊重和同情： 理解他人的觀點，無論是工程師的謹慎方法還是動物的自然行為，都能培養同情心。
- 勇氣和決心： 福克先生對其目標的堅定承諾激勵學生以勇氣和毅力追求他們的夢想。
通過閱讀和思考《八十天環遊世界》，學生不僅可以享受驚險的冒險，還可以深入了解歷史、地理、人類性格和價值觀，這些對於他們成長為有思想和有韌性的個體至關重要。
