Amelis Earthart

张玉凤

There is perhaps no greater mystery in the annals1 of American history as that of the Amelia Earhart story. Earharts story is one of controversy， and intriguing2. She was an accomplished aviator3， the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean solo. She accomplished this during a time when women were not highly regarded in the United States. American women during the 1930s did not have the same advantages men had. There were few employment chances. Educated women were a scarcity4. Women who did find employment during this times were working as grade-school teachers， nannies， and maids for the most part. Amelia Earhart did a lot to change that idea.

在美国的编年史上，也许没有比阿梅莉亚·埃尔哈特的故事更神秘的了。埃尔哈特的故事充满争议，也很耐人寻味。她是一位很有造诣的飞行员，也是第一位独自飞越大西洋的女性。她是在美国妇女不受重视的时期实现这一目标的。20世纪30年代的美国女性没有和男性一样的优势，就业机会很少，受过教育的妇女稀缺。在这一时期找到工作的女性大多是当小学教师、保姆和女佣。阿梅莉亚·埃尔哈特为改变这种看法起了很大作用。

Although Earhart was born into a rich family， but that was fleeting5. There were times in her life when her family struggled to make ends meet because of poor money management. Earhart was home educated for most of her life， and she gained her pilots license at an early age. In December of 1920， Earharts father took Amelia to an airshow in Long Beach， California. This is where she first became interested in flying. After earning her aviators license， she accomplished a feat that only a few men had ever done： flying alone across the Atlantic. She earned national fame for this and was soon a household name.

然埃爾哈特出生在一个富裕的家庭里，但这只是昙花一现。在她的生活中，有几次她的家庭因为资金管理不善而入不敷出。埃尔哈特一生中的大部分时间都在家里接受教育，她很小就获得了飞行员执照。1920年12月，埃尔哈特的父亲带着她去加州长滩参加航空展。这是她第一次对飞行产生兴趣的地方。在拿到飞行执照后，她完成了一项只有少数人完成过的壮举：独自飞越大西洋。她因此闻名全国，并很快成为家喻户晓的人物。

Unfortunately， Earhart was lost in an attempt to fly around the world in 1937. She was never found. The theories about how she met her end are countless. Many think she fell victim6 to the Japanese before the start of World War II. This thinking was rooted in the idea that Earhart was a spy. Other strange theories include alien kidnapping， but most likely she had mechanical difficulties flying over the Pacific Ocean. Earhart was either killed instantly7， or survived， according to one popular theory， and lived out her days on a deserted island.

不幸的是，埃尔哈特在1937年尝试环球飞行时迷路了。人们一直没有找到她。关于她的生命是如何终结的，众说纷纭。许多人认为她在二战开始前就成了日本人的受害者。这种想法的根源是埃尔哈特是个间谍。其他稀奇古怪的说法包括外星人绑架，但最有可能的是她在飞越太平洋时遇到了机械故障。根据一种流行的说法，埃尔哈特要么当场死亡，要么幸存下来，然后在一个荒岛上度过了她的余生。

Notes

1. annal [] n. 记录;编年史

2. intrigue [] v. 激起……的兴趣;

引发……的好奇心

3. aviator [] n. 飞行员;飞机驾驶员

4. scarcity [] n. 缺乏;不足;稀少

5. fleeting [] adj. 短暂的，瞬间的

6. victim [] n. 受害者;罹难者

7. instantly [] adv. 立即地;马上地;即刻地