拉·贝林盖尔（la Belinguere）于1686年6月在非洲西海岸，用一顿非裔美式餐款待了米歇尔·亚若莱·德·拉库尔布（Sieur Michel Jajolet de la Courbe）。

本文链接：https://blog.csdn.net/m0_74331272/article/details/146206016

内容概述：从宴请开始到最后的完整逻辑线索

文章从拉·贝林盖尔（La Belinguere）宴请法国商人拉库尔布（La Courbe）开始，逐步展开对17至18世纪西非奴隶贸易、农业经济、食物供应、文化变迁以及营养健康影响的讨论。主要内容可以概括为以下几个阶段：

第一阶段：宴请与文化交流（La Belinguere's Banquet & Cultural Exchange）

（背景：贸易关系的建立）

法国商人拉库尔布访问西非，与非洲女商人拉·贝林盖尔共进晚餐，以巩固商业关系。
晚宴展示了西非与欧洲、美洲之间的文化交流，尤其是食物上的融合，如辣椒、米饭和菠萝等美洲作物已融入当地饮食。
拉·贝林盖尔代表了非洲精英群体，她精通多种语言，习惯与欧洲商人交易，并通过这种关系积累财富和权力。

第二阶段：西非在大西洋奴隶贸易中的角色（West Africa’s Role in the Slave Trade）

（背景：欧洲列强争夺非洲贸易）

17至18世纪，西非成为大西洋奴隶贸易的核心，法国、英国、葡萄牙等国在这里展开竞争。
欧洲人无法直接主导非洲，而是依赖当地统治者，形成“庇护–客户”关系。葡萄牙人通过与酋长家族的女性结婚来获取贸易优势，这些女性（称为 signares）成为关键的商业中介。
西非商人利用欧洲列强之间的竞争来提高自身议价能力，如拉·贝林盖尔后来联合法国对抗英国。

第三阶段：奴隶贸易对西非农业的影响（Impact of the Slave Trade on West African Agriculture）

（背景：农业与食物供应链的变化）

大西洋奴隶贸易带来了巨大的人口流失，特别是青壮年男性的减少，使得农业劳动力不足。
女性在农业生产中承担了更重要的角色，以弥补劳动力损失。
西非沿海地区的农业开始向供给奴隶贸易转变，大量粮食（如高粱、小米）被种植用于供应等待运送的奴隶和欧洲商船。

第四阶段：美洲作物的引入（Introduction of American Crops）

（背景：全球贸易影响西非农业）

**玉米（Maize）和木薯（Cassava）**成为非洲农业的重要新作物。
- 玉米生长周期短，易储存，成为奴隶船上的主要食物供应。
- 木薯耐旱、抗虫害，适应非洲环境，但加工过程繁琐，需要去毒处理后才能食用。
这些作物最初被用来喂养等待出口的奴隶，但随着时间推移，逐渐成为西非人的日常主食。

第五阶段：玉米的扩张与隐性营养不良（Expansion of Maize & Hidden Malnutrition）

（背景：玉米的广泛种植与健康问题）

到18世纪末，玉米取代了许多本土谷物（如高粱、小米），在加纳、尼日利亚等地成为主食。
但玉米的引入没有带来其美洲传统的加工方式（如石灰处理），导致其中的蛋白质和B族维生素难以被吸收。
依赖玉米为主食的人群出现烟酸缺乏症（pellagra，糙皮病）和夸希奥科尔症（Kwashiorkor，蛋白质缺乏病），导致非洲出现长期的隐性营养不良。

总结：从宴请到遗产（The Long-term Legacy of the Slave Trade）

贸易与权力结构：
- 拉·贝林盖尔代表了非洲精英阶层，他们与欧洲列强交往，并利用竞争获取利益。
- 但奴隶贸易最终导致西非被深深卷入大西洋经济，失去了大量劳动力。
农业变革与新作物：
- 由于奴隶贸易带来的社会变化，女性劳动力承担了更多农业工作，西非农业向食物供应方向转型。
- 美洲作物（玉米、木薯）被引入，帮助非洲应对干旱和劳动力短缺，但也带来了营养问题。
食物与健康的长期影响：
- 玉米的广泛种植虽然解决了短期的粮食短缺问题，但由于加工方式缺失，导致了长期的健康危机。
- 奴隶贸易不仅造成了人口损失，还留下了**“隐性营养不良”**这一遗产，影响了非洲社会数个世纪。

整体主旨（Main Idea）

本文围绕西非在大西洋奴隶贸易中的角色展开讨论，重点讲述了食物、农业、人口、贸易与文化之间的复杂联系。奴隶贸易不仅影响了人口结构，还塑造了西非农业，促成了美洲作物（玉米和木薯）的引入。然而，由于对新作物缺乏科学加工，西非也因此经历了长期的营养不良问题。这一切都是奴隶贸易留给非洲的深远遗产。

英文选择题（Multiple Choice Questions）

Question 1:

What was the primary reason for the introduction of maize and manioc to West Africa?

A) To increase food diversity in West Africa
B) To provide a stable food supply for slaves and European traders
C) To replace traditional African grains due to poor yields
D) To encourage local African farmers to trade with Europeans

Answer: B) To provide a stable food supply for slaves and European traders

Question 2:

What was a major consequence of the introduction of maize without proper processing techniques?

A) It improved the nutritional intake of West Africans
B) It led to protein and vitamin deficiencies, causing diseases like pellagra and kwashiorkor
C) It completely replaced millet and sorghum with no negative effects
D) It made West Africa less dependent on American crops

Answer: B) It led to protein and vitamin deficiencies, causing diseases like pellagra and kwashiorkor

Question 3:

How did La Belinguere's role illustrate African agency in the Atlantic trade?

A) She resisted all European traders and blocked their influence
B) She actively participated in trade and played European nations against each other
C) She was solely a victim of European dominance
D) She refused to adopt any European customs

Answer: B) She actively participated in trade and played European nations against each other

中文解答：

引入玉米和木薯到西非的主要原因是什么？
答案：B) 为奴隶和欧洲商人提供稳定的食物供应。
未掌握正确的玉米加工技术导致了什么主要后果？
答案：B) 导致蛋白质和维生素缺乏，引发糙皮病和夸希奥科尔病。
拉·贝林盖尔的角色如何体现了非洲人在大西洋贸易中的主动性？
答案：B) 她积极参与贸易，并利用欧洲国家之间的竞争。

最终总结（Final Conclusion）

从拉·贝林盖尔的宴请开始，文章通过贸易、农业、人口流失、美洲作物的引入及其健康影响，全面展现了大西洋奴隶贸易对西非的深远影响。这一过程不仅塑造了经济和社会结构，也留下了长久的健康遗产，使西非在数个世纪后仍受到影响。

Passage Translation (段落翻译)

Paragraph 1:

English:
Sieur Michel Jajolet de la Courbe had spent the morning buying slaves in Albreda, a trading lodge in the small state of Niumi, on the northern banks of the Gambia River. As a managing director of the Compagnie des Indes, la Courbe commanded the French coastal settlement of Saint-Louis. After a long journey upriver and an uncomfortable night, disturbed by a violent thunderstorm and the unwanted attentions of clouds of mosquitoes, he had risen early that morning to greet the village headman, who arrived at the trading post promptly at eight o’clock. The two men shared the requisite drink–as the chief English factor in Niumi commented, ‘without brandy there is no trade’–before the Africans inspected the ivory la Courbe had brought with him as payment.

中文翻译:
米歇尔·亚若莱·德·拉库尔布爵士（Sieur Michel Jajolet de la Courbe）当天上午在阿尔布雷达（Albreda）购买奴隶，该地是位于冈比亚河北岸的小国纽米（Niumi）中的一个贸易站。作为法国东印度公司（Compagnie des Indes）的总管，拉库尔布负责管理法国沿海定居点圣路易（Saint-Louis）。在经历了一次漫长的上游旅程，并在暴风雨和蚊虫干扰下度过了一个不适的夜晚后，他于清晨早早起床迎接村长，村长在上午八点准时抵达贸易站。按照惯例，两人共饮了一杯酒——正如纽米的英国首席商人所说：“没有白兰地，就没有交易。” 随后，非洲人开始检验拉库尔布带来的象牙，作为交换奴隶的支付方式。

Summary:
拉库尔布在纽米的阿尔布雷达购买奴隶，与当地村长会面，使用象牙作为支付手段。交易前，两人按照惯例喝了一杯白兰地，以示尊重。

Paragraph 2:

English:
A price per slave was agreed upon and the captives were paraded before the French slave trader. Those he regarded as defective were rejected and then payment was made for those he had chosen. Once the deal was done, la Courbe was taken to the nearby village. Mats were set out for him under a large fig tree, and while the women all came to stare at him, he was entertained by a group of musicians playing wooden wind instruments and beating on drums.

中文翻译:
奴隶的价格被商定后，俘虏们被带到法国奴隶贩子拉库尔布面前进行展示。他认为有缺陷的奴隶被拒绝，而他选择的奴隶则被支付了相应的价格。交易完成后，拉库尔布被带到附近的村庄。在一棵大无花果树下，人们为他铺上了垫子。当地妇女纷纷围观他，而一群音乐家则用木制吹奏乐器和鼓进行表演，以示欢迎。

Summary:
拉库尔布挑选奴隶并完成交易后，被带到村庄接受欢迎，村民以音乐和围观的方式接待他。

Paragraph 3:

English:
Later he was taken to meet a prominent figure in Senegambia’s slave trade. La Belinguere was the glamorous daughter of the former ruler of Niumi. She was tall and beautiful and la Courbe was enchanted. She was wearing ‘a small Portuguese-style corset which emphasized her figure’ underneath an ‘elegant man’s shirt’ and a beautiful African prestige cloth for a skirt. Her manner was gracious and her conversation–conducted in a mix of Portuguese, French and English–was assured. Clearly, the Frenchman noted in his account of the meeting, she was accustomed to doing business with men of various nations.

中文翻译:
随后，他被带去见塞内冈比亚奴隶贸易中的一位重要人物。拉·贝林盖尔（La Belinguere）是纽米前统治者的女儿，风姿绰约。她身材高挑，美貌非凡，令拉库尔布为之倾倒。她身穿“小巧的葡萄牙风格紧身胸衣，突出了她的身材”，外面穿着“优雅的男式衬衫”，下身是精美的非洲贵族布料裙。她举止优雅，谈吐自信，能够用葡萄牙语、法语和英语进行交谈。拉库尔布在记录这次会面时提到，这位女性显然习惯与来自不同国家的商人打交道。

Summary:
拉库尔布遇到了纽米前统治者的女儿拉·贝林盖尔，她外貌出众，谈吐自信，熟练地与各国商人进行贸易交流。

Main Idea (主旨分析)

这篇文章的核心主旨是探讨17世纪末西非奴隶贸易与跨大西洋文化交流。通过拉库尔布在纽米的经历，文章展示了法国与西非的贸易模式，包括象牙换奴隶、文化融合、以及西非精英阶层（如拉·贝林盖尔）如何与欧洲商人互动。这不仅体现了大西洋贸易的复杂性，也反映了西非如何通过与欧洲接触发展自己的商业和社会习惯。

English Multiple Choice Questions (英文选择题)

Question 1:

What was the primary commodity used by Sieur Michel Jajolet de la Courbe to trade for slaves in Niumi?

A) Gold
B) Brandy
C) Ivory
D) Firearms

Answer: C) Ivory

Question 2:

How did La Belinguere exemplify the cultural exchange between Africa and Europe in the late 17th century?

A) She spoke multiple languages and conducted business with various nationalities.
B) She resisted European influence and refused to engage in trade.
C) She traveled to France to establish diplomatic relations.
D) She only engaged in trade with Portuguese merchants.

Answer: A) She spoke multiple languages and conducted business with various nationalities.

Question 3:

Why was La Courbe particularly impressed by the food served during his meal with La Belinguere?

A) He had never seen chicken before.
B) The dishes contained unfamiliar ingredients like American chili peppers and pineapples.
C) The food was entirely European in style.
D) The meal was very bland and lacked seasoning.

Answer: B) The dishes contained unfamiliar ingredients like American chili peppers and pineapples.

Chinese Explanations (中文解答)

拉库尔布用什么商品来换取奴隶？ 文章提到，他带来象牙作为支付手段，因此答案是 C) Ivory（象牙）。
拉·贝林盖尔如何体现了非洲和欧洲之间的文化交流？ 她精通多种语言，与各国商人进行交易，因此答案是 A) 她会多种语言，并与不同国籍的商人进行贸易。
为什么拉库尔布对这顿饭印象深刻？ 因为食物包含了一些他从未见过的美洲食材，如辣椒和菠萝，因此答案是 B) 这些菜肴含有陌生的美洲食材，如辣椒和菠萝。

Paragraph 4:

English:
She lived in a house that was square in the Portuguese style, rather than round, and whose mud walls were coated in white lime. La Belinguere embodied the cultural interchange that took place along the West African coast in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. With her stylish mixing of customs she was the product of the Atlantic trading world that connected Europe, Africa and the Americas.

中文翻译:
她住在一座葡萄牙风格的方形房屋里，而非传统的圆形房屋，泥墙上涂抹着白色石灰。拉·贝林盖尔体现了17世纪末至18世纪初西非沿海的文化交流。她巧妙地融合了多种风俗习惯，是连接欧洲、非洲和美洲的大西洋贸易世界的产物。

Summary:
拉·贝林盖尔住在葡萄牙风格的方形房屋中，体现了西非与欧洲和美洲的文化交流。她代表了那个时代大西洋贸易世界的产物。

Paragraph 5:

English:
The Frenchman and his African hostess sat on mats on the veranda of la Belinguere’s house to eat a meal with a similarly intriguing melange of flavours and foodstuffs, many of which were new to la Courbe. In Niumi, where most people could only afford flesh on celebratory occasions, the quantity of meat included in the spread served to demonstrate la Belinguere’s elite status. They were served two boiled chickens as well as an elaborate dish of seasoned minced chicken that had been stuffed back into its skin so that it looked as if it were a whole chicken.

中文翻译:
这位法国人和他的非洲女主人坐在拉·贝林盖尔房屋的门廊上，吃着一顿同样充满新奇味道和食材的餐点，其中许多对拉库尔布来说是全新的。在纽米，很多人只有在庆祝活动时才有机会吃肉，而拉·贝林盖尔提供的丰盛菜肴中的肉量展示了她的精英地位。他们被端上了两只煮熟的鸡肉，以及一道复杂的菜肴——调味的剁碎鸡肉被塞回鸡皮中，看起来像是整只鸡。

Summary:
拉·贝林盖尔用一顿丰盛的餐点招待拉库尔布，菜肴中包括多种新奇的食材。通过这顿饭，拉·贝林盖尔展示了她的精英地位，尤其是肉类的丰盛。

Paragraph 6:

English:
La Courbe was less impressed by the ingenuity of this deception than by the food he had never before encountered. He judged the small, round, flat millet cakes, known as batangue, ‘not at all bad’. These were a distinctively Senegambian contribution to the meal, as millet was the local staple crop. A dish of beautifully prepared rice heavily seasoned with chillies was even more surprising. Rice was another African staple but chillies were American and unfamiliar to la Courbe, who explained to his readers that they were ‘green or red fruit, shaped like a cucumber and with a taste resembling that of pepper’.

中文翻译:
拉库尔布对这道看似整鸡的菜肴的巧妙设计印象不深，反而对他从未见过的食物感到惊讶。他认为这些小巧、圆形、扁平的糜子饼（称为batangue）“一点也不坏”。这些饼是塞内冈比亚地区的特色食品，因为糜子是当地的主食作物。另一道美味的米饭，调味浓烈，配有大量辣椒，更是让他吃惊。米饭是非洲的另一种主食，而辣椒则是美洲的作物，拉库尔布不熟悉这种食材，他向读者解释说，辣椒“有绿色或红色的果实，形状像黄瓜，味道类似胡椒”。

Summary:
拉库尔布对糜子饼和带有辣椒的米饭印象深刻，因为这些食物是他从未见过的。辣椒尤其令他惊讶，因为它是美洲的食材，在西非的气候中普遍生长。

Paragraph 7:

English:
West Africa had its own peppery spice in malaguetta pepper–known to medieval Europeans as ‘grains of paradise’–but American chilli peppers grew like weeds in the West African climate and were popular with the people of Niumi. To this day, Gambian stews have a reputation for being the fieriest on the continent.

中文翻译:
西非有自己特色的辛辣香料——马拉盖塔辣椒（malaguetta pepper），中世纪的欧洲人称之为“天堂谷粒”（grains of paradise），但是美洲辣椒在西非气候中像杂草一样生长，并且在纽米人中非常受欢迎。直到今天，冈比亚的炖菜仍然以辛辣著称，是非洲大陆最辣的。

Summary:
西非有马拉盖塔辣椒，而美洲辣椒也在当地气候中生长得如杂草般迅速，成为纽米人喜爱的调料。至今，冈比亚的炖菜以其极辣而闻名。

Paragraph 8:

English:
The bananas la Courbe and la Belinguere ate for dessert were by the seventeenth century well established in Africa, even though they had originally come from East Asia. The Frenchman pronounced them ‘very sweet, and extremely good’ but was more excited by his first encounter with another American interloper: the pineapple. They ate it with wine and sugar to counter its supposedly corrosive effect on the stomach, and la Courbe thought it much better than but ‘somewhat like a sugared rennet apple’.

中文翻译:
拉库尔布和拉·贝林盖尔吃的香蕉在17世纪时已在非洲广泛种植，尽管它们最初来自东亚。拉库尔布称这些香蕉“非常甜，非常好吃”，但他对第一次吃到另一种美洲引入的水果——菠萝更为兴奋。他们用葡萄酒和糖一起食用菠萝，以缓解其对胃的腐蚀作用，拉库尔布认为它比“加糖的凝乳苹果”好吃得多。

Summary:
拉库尔布和拉·贝林盖尔享用了香蕉和菠萝作为甜点，拉库尔布特别对第一次品尝菠萝感到兴奋，认为它比加糖的凝乳苹果更好。

Paragraph 9:

English:
La Belinguere politely tried the brandy la Courbe had brought her as a gift.

中文翻译:
拉·贝林盖尔礼貌地尝试了拉库尔布带给她的白兰地。

Summary:
拉·贝林盖尔礼貌地尝试了拉库尔布作为礼物带来的白兰地。

主旨分析：

文章通过拉库尔布在西非的经历，展示了17世纪末大西洋贸易对文化交流的深刻影响。文章不仅详细描述了食物、风俗与礼节，还通过拉·贝林盖尔的形象展示了欧洲与西非交织的贸易和文化背景。这段历史体现了当时非洲、欧洲及美洲之间的复杂联系，尤其是在食物、习俗和语言交流方面。

English Multiple Choice Questions (英文选择题)

Question 4:

What was La Courbe's reaction to the millet cakes (batangue) served at the meal?

A) He found them unpleasant.
B) He thought they were delicious and unlike anything he had tasted before.
C) He thought they were "not at all bad".
D) He was confused by their texture.

Answer: C) He thought they were "not at all bad".

Question 5:

What did La Courbe use to counter the supposed corrosive effect of pineapple on the stomach?

A) Vinegar
B) Wine and sugar
C) Salt
D) Milk

Answer: B) Wine and sugar

Question 6:

What did La Belinguere’s house signify about her status?

A) It was a simple mud hut, indicating her humble origins.
B) It was built in the round shape, as was typical for the region.
C) The house's square shape and lime-coated walls reflected her elite status.
D) It was designed to resemble a European castle.

Answer: C) The house's square shape and lime-coated walls reflected her elite status.

中文解答：

拉库尔布对食用的糜子饼（batangue）的反应是什么？
答案是 C) 他认为它们“完全不坏”。
拉库尔布用什么方法来缓解菠萝对胃的腐蚀作用？
答案是 B) 用葡萄酒和糖。
拉·贝林盖尔的房屋反映了她的什么地位？
答案是 C) 房屋的方形和石灰涂层反映了她的精英地位。

段落翻译和总结：

段落翻译：

English:
The rice dish described by la Courbe sounds like jollof rice. Now eaten all over West Africa, the spicy, smoky dish probably originated in rice-growing Senegambia. In its modern incarnation, the rice is cooked in a tomato-based stew, often with red bell peppers, but as these New World introductions were integrated into African cookery much later than chillies, it is likely that they were not included in la Belinguere’s heavily seasoned rice.

中文翻译:
拉库尔布所描述的米饭菜肴听起来像是“乔洛夫米饭”（Jollof rice）。这种辣味烟熏的菜肴如今在整个西非广泛食用，可能起源于种植水稻的塞内冈比亚（Senegambia）地区。在现代版本中，米饭是用番茄为基础的炖菜烹制的，通常会加入红甜椒，但由于这些新世界食材比辣椒晚得多才被融入非洲烹饪，因此很可能拉·贝林盖尔的重调味米饭中没有加入红甜椒。

食谱翻译和总结：

Jollof Rice (乔洛夫米饭)食谱：
食材：

350克清洗并浸泡过的长粒米
700克新鲜番茄，切丁
2个大红椒，切丁
1个哈瓦内罗辣椒，切丁（可替换为其他红辣椒，但哈瓦内罗辣椒非常辣，可能需要多个）
2个大洋葱，1个切丁，1个切片
2茶匙熏制辣椒粉
30克新鲜姜，磨碎
1瓣大蒜，压碎
4大勺花生油
4大勺番茄酱
1个绿辣椒，切丁
5根塞利姆或几内亚辣椒的香料（如没有可使用黑胡椒和少量肉豆蔻）
15克新鲜百里香和/或其他香草（可根据口味调整）
盐和胡椒粉适量
150毫升鸡肉高汤

做法：

将米洗净并浸泡至少15分钟，然后沥干水分。
将番茄、红椒、哈瓦内罗辣椒、切丁的洋葱、1茶匙熏辣椒粉、姜和大蒜混合搅拌成糊状。
在重底锅中，用花生油炒切片的洋葱，频繁搅拌。加入1茶匙熏辣椒粉，继续炒1分钟。
加入番茄酱，再炒3分钟。加入切丁的绿辣椒，继续炒1分钟。
加入混合的番茄糊，小火慢慢煮至变成浓稠的酱料，约需40-45分钟。
加入塞利姆香料、新鲜香草和盐、胡椒粉，搅拌均匀。
加入沥干的米，搅拌至米粒均匀裹上酱料。
加入鸡肉高汤，煮沸后调小火，盖上烤纸或铝箔，并加盖。用小火焖煮20-22分钟，直到米饭松软。
关火，让米饭在锅中继续蒸熟7-8分钟。

总结：

文章描述了西非广泛食用的传统菜肴“乔洛夫米饭”，并提供了一个详细的食谱，展示了这道辛辣、烟熏的菜肴如何通过番茄、辣椒、香料等食材烹制而成。食谱包括了基本的米饭烹饪步骤，并强调了西非风味和食材的多样性。

主旨分析：

这段文字的核心主题是介绍“乔洛夫米饭”作为西非重要的传统菜肴，特别是在塞内冈比亚地区的起源和发展。此外，文章通过对食谱的描述，突出了西非烹饪文化与新世界食材（如辣椒、番茄）相结合的过程，展现了全球食材的融合及其对传统菜肴的影响。

英文选择题：

Question 1:

Where is jollof rice believed to have originated?

A) Nigeria
B) Senegal
C) Senegambia
D) Ghana

Answer: C) Senegambia

Question 2:

What is the primary base for the sauce in modern jollof rice?

A) Coconut milk
B) Tomato-based stew
C) Meat stock
D) Vegetable broth

Answer: B) Tomato-based stew

Question 3:

What spice in the jollof rice recipe is native to West Africa?

A) Habanero chilli
B) Grains of selim (Guinea pepper)
C) Paprika
D) Nutmeg

Answer: B) Grains of selim (Guinea pepper)

中文解答：

乔洛夫米饭被认为起源于哪里？
答案是 C) 塞内冈比亚（Senegambia）。
现代乔洛夫米饭的酱料主要以什么为基础？
答案是 B) 番茄为基础的炖菜。
乔洛夫米饭食谱中的哪种香料原产于西非？
答案是 B) 塞利姆香料（几内亚辣椒）。

段落翻译：

Paragraph 10:

English:
After leaving la Belinguere, la Courbe journeyed on to Gilfroid (Juffure), where he visited the English trading station. Here the interchange between cultures taking place on African soil was also apparent. The station was built in the Portuguese style and surrounded by a garden where the English cultivated European cabbages and cauliflowers; tropical vegetables like yams; and New World crops such as manioc and potatoes, which la Courbe reported tasted like boiled chestnuts. Here the Frenchman observed the curious pineapple plant growing, with the large fruits balanced on a stem like an artichoke coming out of a crown of prickly thistle-like leaves. While la Belinguere had served la Courbe a sweet and mildly intoxicating African wine made from the fermented sap of a palm tree, the English drank their visitor’s health from a large silver bowl of punch, made with brandy, sugar and lime juice and–adding a touch of the East Indies to the medley–spiced with nutmeg.

中文翻译:
离开拉·贝林盖尔后，拉库尔布前往吉尔弗罗伊（吉夫富尔），参观了英国的贸易站。在这里，非洲土地上文化交流的迹象也很明显。这个贸易站是葡萄牙风格的建筑，周围有一个花园，英国人种植了欧洲的卷心菜和菜花；还有像山药这样的热带蔬菜；以及新世界的作物，如木薯和土豆，拉库尔布报告说，这些土豆尝起来像煮熟的栗子。在这里，这位法国人还观察到了奇特的菠萝植物，菠萝的果实平衡在一根茎上，就像一个从棘刺状叶冠中长出的朝鲜蓟。虽然拉·贝林盖尔曾给拉库尔布提供了一种用棕榈树发酵树液制成的甜美且轻微醉人的非洲酒，但英国人则从一个大银碗中喝着由白兰地、糖和酸橙汁混合而成的打孔酒，还加入了一些肉豆蔻，增添了东印度的风味。

Summary:
拉库尔布访问了英国的贸易站，这里展示了欧洲和非洲的文化交融。英国人种植了欧洲和新世界的作物，提供了带有肉豆蔻的东印度风味饮品，而拉·贝林盖尔则款待了拉库尔布一款非洲酒。

Paragraph 11:

English:
The French and the English had begun arriving on the West African coast in the mid seventeenth century, their ships loaded with guns, cotton, alcohol, glassware, iron bars and copper bowls, which they traded for slaves. It was the Portuguese who had opened up the African coastline to Europe when they discovered how to negotiate the difficult winds that persistently blow from the north-east, driving ships out of sight of land into the Atlantic Ocean. They succeeded in rounding Cape Bojador in 1434, and a decade later discovered that if on the voyage home they counterintuitively sailed first in a north-westerly direction, they could pick up trade winds that would blow them back towards the European continent.

中文翻译:
法国人和英国人自17世纪中期开始抵达西非海岸，他们的船只装满了枪支、棉花、酒精、玻璃器皿、铁条和铜碗，用这些物品交换奴隶。是葡萄牙人首次为欧洲打开了非洲海岸线，他们通过发现如何应对从东北方向吹来的强烈风浪，使得船只不再消失在陆地视线之外，而进入大西洋。他们成功绕过了1434年的博哈多角（Cape Bojador），十年后发现，如果他们在回航时先逆风朝西北方向航行，便可以利用贸易风把他们吹回欧洲大陆。

Summary:
法国和英国商人从17世纪中期开始进入西非，而葡萄牙人则是最早打通通往非洲的海上航道，并发现了利用贸易风回归欧洲的航行策略。

Paragraph 12:

English:
The Portuguese were seeking access to Africa’s gold, but soon tapped into the West African slave trade, bringing the first consignment of slaves to reach Europe by sea back to Lisbon in 1434. Their advances in navigation opened up the Atlantic Ocean to European seafarers and eventually led to the discovery of the Americas, where the Portuguese introduced sugar into Brazil and began to transport Africans across the Atlantic to work on the plantations. In the mid seventeenth century other Europeans–French, Prussians, Danes, Swedes, Dutch and the English–joined the Portuguese on the West African coast, all jostling for a share of the lucrative slave trade. Markets for African slaves had opened up in the tobacco and rice plantations of North America, but it was rising European demand for West Indian sugar that did most to propel the growth of the British slave trade during the eighteenth century. The great majority of those carried away from the African coast in British ships were taken to the West Indies. Conditions on the islands were so appalling that on reaching them the life expectancy of slaves was only seven years.

中文翻译:
葡萄牙人最初寻求非洲的黄金，但很快也进入了西非奴隶贸易，在1434年将第一批通过海路到达欧洲的奴隶带回里斯本。他们在航海技术上的进展为欧洲航海者打开了大西洋，并最终导致了美洲的发现，葡萄牙人在巴西引入了甘蔗种植，并开始将非洲人运送过大西洋到种植园工作。17世纪中期，其他欧洲国家——法国、普鲁士、丹麦、瑞典、荷兰和英国——也开始进入西非海岸，争夺这一利润丰厚的奴隶贸易份额。非洲奴隶的市场在北美的烟草和水稻种植园中得以打开，但欧洲对西印度糖的需求增加，成为推动18世纪英国奴隶贸易增长的主要动力。绝大多数被英国船只带走的非洲人被运往西印度群岛。岛上的条件极其恶劣，以至于奴隶抵达后，他们的平均寿命只有七年。

Summary:
葡萄牙人开启了奴隶贸易并利用其航海技术打开了大西洋航道，随后其他欧洲国家也加入到西非奴隶贸易中。英国的奴隶贸易因西印度糖的需求而大幅增长，然而奴隶在岛上的生活条件恶劣，寿命极短。

Paragraph 13:

English:
Therefore the plantations needed a continual flow of new supplies of Africans. In Senegambia, the French and the English competed with each other, constantly trying to partition the region into exclusive zones of commercial influence. European power, however, was much more limited in Africa than it was in the Americas, where Europeans dominated and destroyed the peoples they encountered. Even in 1800, after 300 years of interaction, the European presence in West Africa was confined to just over 60 forts and factories dotted along a 3,000-mile stretch of coastline. Dilapidated, vulnerable to siege and manned by a rabble of ragtag soldiers, these forts were often indefensible in the case of a concerted attack. European merchants were frequently intimidated and occasionally murdered by the local rulers. Except for a few trading posts established along the course of the rivers, Europeans hardly penetrated into the interior of the continent.

中文翻译:
因此，种植园需要不断地补充新的非洲奴隶。在塞内冈比亚地区，法国和英国互相竞争，试图将该地区划分为各自的商业影响区。然而，欧洲在非洲的权力远不如在美洲那样强大，在美洲，欧洲人几乎摧毁了他们遇到的土著民族。即使到了1800年，经过300年的互动，欧洲在西非的存在仍然仅限于分布在3,000英里海岸线上的60多个要塞和工厂。这些要塞年久失修，易受围攻，驻守的士兵素质低劣，在遭遇集中的攻击时往往无法防守。欧洲商人经常受到当地统治者的威胁，甚至偶尔被杀害。除了在河流沿线建立的几个贸易站外，欧洲人几乎没有深入到非洲大陆的内部。

Summary:
种植园对奴隶的需求导致了不断的非洲奴隶供应。在西非，欧洲大国之间的竞争激烈，但相较于美洲，欧洲在非洲的影响力较弱，且西非的欧洲存在十分有限。

Paragraph 14:

English:
The purpose of la Belinguere and la Courbe’s dinner had been to cement trading relations. The Frenchman was aware that he was acting in a treacherous world where the motives of each side were often only dimly understood by the other and in which relationships were unstable and contingent. Despite the fact that he found his dinner companion charming, he recognised that she was a potential enemy who could easily choose to scheme against him. In fact he described her as ‘the reef on which many white men had shipwrecked’. When he departed after the meal, having presented her with gifts of coral and amber, he likened himself to Ulysses leaving the home of the enchantress Circe.

中文翻译:
拉·贝林盖尔与拉库尔布的晚餐目的是巩固贸易关系。这位法国人意识到他所处的世界充满背叛，在这个世界里，每一方的动机通常只有对方模糊了解，且这些关系不稳定，充满变数。尽管他觉得晚餐伴侣很迷人，但他也认识到她是一个潜在的敌人，她很容易选择针对他策划阴谋。实际上，他形容她是“许多白人船只失事的礁石”。在晚餐结束后，他送给她珊瑚和琥珀作为礼物，离开时，他将自己比作离开魔女奇尔刻之家的尤利西斯。

Summary:
晚餐的目的是巩固贸易关系，拉库尔布意识到拉·贝林盖尔虽然迷人，但可能是潜在的敌人，并且他在离开时将自己比作尤利西斯，离开了魔女奇尔刻的家。

主旨分析：

文章通过描述拉库尔布与拉·贝林盖尔的互动以及当时西非奴隶贸易的背景，展示了18世纪初的欧洲与非洲的复杂关系。这些文化和经济互动揭示了贸易如何影响双方的利益、矛盾和不信任。

英文选择题：

Question 1:

What was the purpose of la Belinguere and la Courbe’s dinner?

A) To settle a personal dispute
B) To strengthen trade relations
C) To discuss European expansion in Africa
D) To introduce new trade goods

Answer: B) To strengthen trade relations

Question 2:

What did la Courbe compare himself to when leaving la Belinguere?

A) A lost explorer
B) A defeated merchant
C) Ulysses leaving the home of Circe
D) A sailor returning home

Answer: C) Ulysses leaving the home of Circe

Question 3:

What did la Courbe find surprising about the pineapples in the English trading station’s garden?

A) The fruits were smaller than expected
B) The fruits grew on stems like artichokes
C) The fruits tasted like chestnuts
D) The fruits had no seeds

Answer: B) The fruits grew on stems like artichokes

中文解答：

拉·贝林盖尔与拉库尔布的晚餐目的是？
答案是 B) 巩固贸易关系
拉库尔布在离开拉·贝林盖尔时将自己比作什么？
答案是 C) 离开魔女奇尔刻之家的尤利西斯
拉库尔布对英国贸易站花园中的菠萝有何惊讶？
答案是 B) 菠萝的果实像朝鲜蓟一样长在茎上

段落翻译和总结：

Paragraph 15:

English:
Just how dangerous la Belinguere could be if disappointed or annoyed was brought home to the English when they fell out of favour with her a few months later. La Belinguere was invited to a party at the English fort on James Island at the entrance to the Gambia River. During the course of the evening, a fight broke out and she was injured by a knife wielded by Captain Cornelius Hodges, a brutal and unsavoury man. (When his African mistress had given birth to a black baby, he was said to have accused her of infidelity, crushed the infant in a mortar and fed it to dogs.) Angered by the incident, the chief of Niumi, Jenung Wuleng Sonko, took the English factor at Juffure hostage and confiscated his trade goods. When the head agent on James Island tried to negotiate with Sonko, he was also taken hostage. Meanwhile, la Belinguere joined forces with the French and began recruiting a network of merchants to break the English monopoly over the slave trade along the upper river. Eventually a neighbouring African ruler intervened and brought about a reconciliation. The English had to pay 200 iron bars to free their unfortunate compatriots. The incident demonstrates the power of the Africans, who were able to use the competition between the Europeans to play one side off against another.

中文翻译:
如果拉·贝林盖尔感到失望或生气，她的危险性会显现出来。几个月后，英国人与她失宠时，她的危险性被充分展示。拉·贝林盖尔受邀参加了在冈比亚河口詹姆斯岛上英国要塞的一个聚会。在晚会过程中，发生了争执，拉·贝林盖尔被一名粗暴的英国军官科尼利厄斯·霍奇斯队长用刀伤害。（当他的非洲情妇生下一个黑色婴儿时，据说他指控她不忠，将婴儿压在臼中并喂给狗吃。）这起事件激怒了纽米的酋长詹农·乌伦·松科，他将詹姆斯岛上的英国商人作为人质，并没收了他的贸易货物。当詹姆斯岛的首席代理人试图与松科谈判时，他也被扣为人质。与此同时，拉·贝林盖尔与法国人联手，开始招募商人网络，打破英国在上游地区奴隶贸易的垄断。最终，邻近的非洲统治者介入并促成了和解。英国人不得不支付200根铁条才能释放他们不幸的同胞。这一事件展示了非洲人利用欧洲国家之间的竞争，巧妙地一方对另一方施压的权力。

Summary:
拉·贝林盖尔在英国失宠后，与法国合作打破了英国在上游的奴隶贸易垄断。通过与当地非洲酋长联合，她使得欧洲商人支付赎金解救被扣为人质的同胞。这一事件展示了非洲人如何利用欧洲国家之间的竞争来取得自己的利益。

主旨分析：

文章通过拉·贝林盖尔与拉库尔布的互动，以及随后的英国与非洲领导人的冲突，展现了17世纪末至18世纪初欧洲与非洲之间复杂的互动和利益博弈。文章的主要目的是揭示在西非的奴隶贸易中，非洲统治者如何利用欧洲国家之间的竞争来增强自己的地位，并展示了欧洲商人面对非洲势力时的脆弱。

英文选择题：

Question 1:

What was the key factor in the conflict between la Belinguere and the English?

A) A trade disagreement
B) A personal injury caused by a British captain
C) Disputes over land ownership
D) A diplomatic failure

Answer: B) A personal injury caused by a British captain

Question 2:

How did the African rulers use the rivalry between the French and the English to their advantage?

A) By offering exclusive trade deals
B) By manipulating the course of events and holding merchants hostage
C) By preventing Europeans from accessing African resources
D) By organizing a revolt against European settlers

Answer: B) By manipulating the course of events and holding merchants hostage

Question 3:

What does the incident with la Belinguere and the English demonstrate about European presence in Africa?

A) The Europeans had strong military control in Africa
B) The Europeans dominated African trade without resistance
C) The European presence in Africa was fragile and vulnerable
D) The Europeans were successful in colonizing large parts of Africa

Answer: C) The European presence in Africa was fragile and vulnerable

中文解答：

拉·贝林盖尔与英国人之间冲突的关键因素是什么？
答案是 B) 由一名英国队长造成的个人伤害。
非洲统治者如何利用法国和英国之间的竞争为自己谋取利益？
答案是 B) 通过操控事件的发展并将商人扣为人质。
拉·贝林盖尔与英国人之间的事件展示了什么关于欧洲在非洲的存在？
答案是 C) 欧洲在非洲的存在是脆弱且容易受到威胁的。

段落翻译和总结：

Paragraph 16:

English:
The incident demonstrates the power of the Africans, who were able to use the competition between the Europeans to play one side off against another.

中文翻译:
这一事件展示了非洲人的力量，他们能够利用欧洲国家之间的竞争，巧妙地将一方与另一方对立。

Summary:
非洲人在欧洲竞争中发挥了重要作用，通过利用欧洲之间的竞争，成功地获得了更多的控制权和利益。

Paragraph 17:

English:
In order to participate in the slave trade, Europeans had to adapt to African trading practices. The most effective way to gain access to slaves was to establish a patron–client relationship with an African chief. The English paid the chief of Niumi 20 gallons of rum a year in order to establish their right to first choice of any slaves that he had to sell. But when the Portuguese had arrived on the West African coast in the fifteenth century, they discovered that the best way to cement this patron–client relationship was for the traders to marry women from the chief’s wider family. In this way they became affiliated to him through kinship ties and were treated preferentially. The women who entered into these alliances were known as nharas (a corruption of the Portuguese senhorita). No mere pawns, they were often active participants in their husbands’ affairs, translating and mediating for the men, who were ignorant not only of African languages but also the nuances of African politics and culture.

中文翻译:
为了参与奴隶贸易，欧洲人必须适应非洲的贸易习惯。获得奴隶的最有效方式是与非洲酋长建立庇护–客户关系。英国人每年向纽米的酋长支付20加仑朗姆酒，以确保他们优先选择酋长出售的任何奴隶。然而，当葡萄牙人在15世纪到达西非海岸时，他们发现巩固这种庇护–客户关系的最佳方式是商人与酋长家族的女性结婚。通过这种方式，商人与酋长建立了亲戚关系，并因此受到了优待。进入这些婚姻关系的女性被称为nharas（葡萄牙语"senhorita"的变体）。这些女性并非仅仅是附属品，她们往往积极参与丈夫的事务，帮助翻译并调解，他们的丈夫不仅不懂非洲语言，还不了解非洲的政治和文化的细微差别。

Summary:
欧洲人在参与奴隶贸易时必须与非洲酋长建立庇护–客户关系。葡萄牙人通过与酋长家族女性结婚来加深这种关系，这些女性在商贸中扮演了重要角色，帮助商人理解非洲文化和政治。

Paragraph 18:

English:
By the seventeenth century, these unions had given rise to a community of Luso-Africans living along the coast and on the shores of the main trading rivers. They bore Portuguese names, claimed to be Catholic, lived in Portuguese-style houses, wore European clothing and spoke a Portuguese creole. It was this mixed community that acted as the cultural brokers between the British and the French and Senegambia’s African rulers. The ledgers from the English fort on James Island list 31 men and several women (known among the English as signares) with Portuguese names through whom the English conducted their business. According to la Courbe, it was the Luso-African signares who controlled ‘almost all the trade of Senegal. They own female slaves who they send far away into the country to buy hides [cotton cloth, grain and other foodstuffs] which they carry for more than 15 leagues on their heads… they buy them cheaply, and when they have gathered a considerable number they bring them to the fort on boats.’

中文翻译:
到了17世纪，这些婚姻关系催生了一种由卢索-非洲人组成的社区，生活在沿海和主要贸易河流的岸边。他们拥有葡萄牙名字，声称是天主教徒，住在葡萄牙风格的房屋里，穿着欧洲服饰，讲葡萄牙克里奥尔语。正是这个混合的社区充当了英国、法国和塞内冈比亚非洲统治者之间的文化中介。詹姆斯岛英国要塞的账本列出了31名男性和几名女性（在英国人中被称为signares），他们有葡萄牙名字，并通过这些人，英国人开展贸易。据拉库尔布所说，正是这些卢索-非洲的signares控制了“几乎所有的塞内加尔贸易。他们拥有女性奴隶，将她们派往远方购买兽皮（棉布、谷物和其他食品），这些奴隶背着这些物品走了超过15英里的路程…他们以低价购买，等到积累了相当数量的商品后，会用船把它们带到要塞。”

Summary:
17世纪，卢索-非洲社区成为了文化中介，帮助英国、法国和塞内冈比亚的非洲统治者进行贸易。这些社区中的女性，特别是signares，在贸易中起着至关重要的作用。

Paragraph 19:

English:
La Belinguere was one such woman. The daughter of a chief, she had been married to several Luso-African traders and become rich and powerful in her own right. It was said that her fortune was worth 40,000 gold livres.

中文翻译:
拉·贝林盖尔就是其中一位女性。她是酋长的女儿，嫁给了几位卢索-非洲商人，并因此积累了财富，成为了一个富有且有权势的人。据说她的财富价值40,000黄金里弗。

Summary:
拉·贝林盖尔作为卢索-非洲社区中的一员，嫁给了几位商人，积累了巨大的财富，并成为一个有权有势的女性。

Paragraph 20:

English:
Thus the Africa the Europeans encountered was not a backward continent where they were able to simply impose their will. When they arrived looking for slaves, they were tapping into an established trade. Indeed, slavery was integral to the fabric of African society and slaves were not necessarily treated as mere chattels. Usually captured in a raid, they were put to work growing crops for the nobility on plantations, mining gold, carrying goods along trading routes, weaving cloth, pounding millet and cooking food. But they also occupied trusted positions within the households of African kings and nobles, acting as administrators, guards and warriors. In the villages, they were often assimilated into the community, caring for children, working in the fields and processing and preparing food alongside the free women of the family.

中文翻译:
因此，欧洲人遇到的非洲并不是一个落后的大陆，他们不能简单地强加自己的意志。刚到非洲时，他们是在进入一个已经存在的贸易体系。事实上，奴隶制是非洲社会结构的组成部分，奴隶不一定被视为简单的财产。奴隶通常是通过突袭被捕获的，他们被迫为贵族在种植园里耕种、开采黄金、沿贸易路线运输货物、编织布料、捣碎小米和做饭。但他们也在非洲国王和贵族的家庭中担任信任职位，担任行政管理、守卫和战士。在村庄里，奴隶们往往被同化进社区，照顾孩子、在田地里工作、与自由女性一起处理和准备食物。

Summary:
奴隶制是非洲社会的一部分，奴隶不仅仅是财产，而是参与了农业、矿业、贸易等多个领域，有时在贵族家庭中担任重要职位。

Paragraph 21:

English:
Englishmen stationed on the island of Gorée at the mouth of the Gambia River in the 1770s and 1780s remarked that it was ‘impossible to distinguish the [slaves] from free men’.

中文翻译:
1770年代和1780年代驻扎在冈比亚河口戈雷岛上的英国人指出，“奴隶与自由人几乎无法区分”。

Summary:
英国人发现，驻扎在戈雷岛的奴隶与自由人难以区分，表明奴隶在非洲社会中的地位和作用远超过简单的财产。

主旨分析：

文章通过拉·贝林盖尔的故事和西非的奴隶贸易，展示了非洲社会复杂的奴隶制度。欧洲人虽然进入了一个看似“新”的市场，但这个市场已经存在并且是非洲社会的一部分。欧洲人不仅需要适应非洲的贸易习惯，还必须依赖卢索-非洲人这样的文化中介。在这一过程中，奴隶的地位比许多欧洲人想象的要复杂得多，奴隶往往在社会中扮演着比单纯财产更为重要的角色。

英文选择题：

Question 1:

What was the role of the women in the patron-client relationships in the African slave trade?

A) They were passive participants, merely exchanging goods.
B) They acted as cultural mediators and helped in business transactions.
C) They were completely isolated from the trade operations.
D) They had no influence in the negotiations or trade activities.

Answer: B) They acted as cultural mediators and helped in business transactions.

Question 2:

What did the Europeans realize when they arrived in Africa in search of slaves?

A) Africa was a continent that had no established trade system.
B) They were entering an established trade system.
C) Africans were not involved in the slave trade.
D) They could easily impose their will on African societies.

Answer: B) They were entering an established trade system.

Question 3:

What was the role of slaves in African society, according to the passage?

A) They were purely property with no social role.
B) They played crucial roles in agriculture, mining, and trade, and occupied important positions in households.
C) They were only used for household chores.
D) They were treated as outsiders and not integrated into the community.

Answer: B) They played crucial roles in agriculture, mining, and trade, and occupied important positions in households.

中文解答：

在非洲奴隶贸易中的庇护–客户关系中，女性的角色是什么？
答案是 B) 她们充当了文化中介，并帮助进行商业交易。
当欧洲人来到非洲寻找奴隶时，他们意识到什么？
答案是 B) 他们进入了一个已经存在的贸易体系。
根据文章，奴隶在非洲社会中的作用是什么？
答案是 B) 奴隶在农业、矿业和贸易中发挥着关键作用，并在家庭中担任重要职务。

段落翻译和总结：

Paragraph 23:

English:
Those slaves who were surplus to requirements had since the twelfth century been transported across the Sahara Desert to the Muslim world around the Mediterranean basin. Now the insatiable demand for a steady stream of miserable captives to feed the maws of the European slave ships created a burgeoning new market. It was the fate of 12–15 million Africans to be sold into the Atlantic slave trade. With the arrival of the Europeans, West Africa was inexorably drawn into the Atlantic economy.

中文翻译:
自12世纪以来，那些多余的奴隶一直被运输通过撒哈拉沙漠进入地中海沿岸的穆斯林世界。如今，对稳定流入欧洲奴隶船肚子的悲惨俘虏的无底需求创造了一个新兴的市场。约有1200万至1500万非洲人命运悲惨，被卖入大西洋奴隶贸易。随着欧洲人的到来，西非不可避免地被卷入了大西洋经济体系。

Summary:
大西洋奴隶贸易的到来，迫使西非进入了全球经济，导致大量非洲人被卖到欧洲及美洲，形成了一个崭新的市场。奴隶贸易的需求激增，使得西非地区深受其影响。

Paragraph 24:

English:
The Atlantic slave trade placed an immense strain on West Africa’s agriculture. The loss of millions of fit and able men and women increased the ratio of dependants to every worker from 65 to 80. The demand for food was particularly intense on the coast. The men and women who were sold to the Europeans were often captured far inland. In Senegal they were purchased 300 miles upriver and brought down to the coast by boat when the water was high in the rainy season. They then had to be held there for several months until the weather and winds were favourable for the transatlantic ships to arrive. Coastal agriculture reoriented to feed the large numbers of captives waiting to embark for America. And once the ships arrived, although they were provisioned with Irish salt beef and butter, cheese and hardtack, they needed to take on substantial quantities of additional food to sustain the slaves on the middle passage across the Atlantic. Even though the importance of the food supply to the workings of the slave trade was rarely acknowledged by the Europeans, the market in foodstuffs that developed in West Africa during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries underpinned the Atlantic trade.

中文翻译:
大西洋奴隶贸易给西非的农业带来了巨大压力。数百万健康的男女的失去使得每个工人所依赖的人数从65人增加到80人。对食物的需求在沿海地区尤为紧迫。被卖给欧洲人的男女往往是在远离海岸的内陆被捕获。在塞内加尔，他们在300英里外的上游被购买，并在雨季水位较高时通过船只运送到海岸。之后，他们还必须在那里等待几个月，直到天气和风向适合大西洋船只的到来。沿海的农业开始调整，旨在喂养大量等待出发前往美洲的奴隶。而一旦船只到达，尽管船上已经准备了爱尔兰盐牛肉、黄油、奶酪和硬饼干，但它们仍需要补充大量额外的食物，以维持奴隶在横渡大西洋的中途航程中生存。尽管欧洲人很少承认食物供应对奴隶贸易运作的重要性，但在17世纪和18世纪，西非发展起来的食品市场为大西洋奴隶贸易提供了支撑。

Summary:
大西洋奴隶贸易对西非农业造成巨大影响，特别是沿海地区。为了供养大量等待运输的奴隶，农业生产重新定向。虽然欧洲人未曾充分承认食物供应的重要性，但西非的食物市场在17和18世纪的形成支持了整个奴隶贸易。

Paragraph 25:

English:
When famine afflicted the region, it affected the slave trade. In the eighteenth century, West Africa was hit by a prolonged period of dry weather, and periodic droughts sent the cost of food skyrocketing. A French company employee at Saint-Louis complained in 1726 that a hogshead of millet that would normally have cost four livres in iron now cost between 30 and 35 livres in coral. The English governor John Hippisley noted in 1766 that famine had increased the cost of corn on the Gold Coast to ‘six times what it is in Ordinary Years’.

中文翻译:
当饥荒袭击该地区时，它也影响了奴隶贸易。18世纪，西非遭遇了长期的干旱天气，周期性的旱灾使得食品价格飙升。1726年，一位在圣路易的法国公司雇员抱怨道，一桶通常只需4里弗的高粱，现在却需要用30到35里弗的珊瑚来购买。1766年，英国总督约翰·希皮斯利指出，饥荒使得黄金海岸的玉米价格上涨至“平常年份的六倍”。

Summary:
饥荒严重影响了西非的奴隶贸易，食物价格的飙升导致了欧洲商人面临更多困难，甚至加剧了奴隶的价格。

Paragraph 26:

English:
If the Europeans had sufficient stocks of food themselves, famines could work in their favour. Owners would sell off any slaves they could not feed, and the desperate sold themselves into slavery in order to escape death by starvation. When Senegal was hit by famine between August 1715 and February 1716, the French filled five ships with 1,190 slaves. But when their own stocks of food ran low, the Europeans ran into difficulties. In 1750, the French were forced to turn 500 slaves awaiting shipment to the Americas out of the fort at Saint-Louis as they could not feed them.

中文翻译:
如果欧洲人自己有足够的食物存货，饥荒反而可能对他们有利。奴隶主会卖掉任何无法喂养的奴隶，而绝望的人则会为了逃避饥饿而自愿卖身为奴。当塞内加尔在1715年8月到1716年2月之间遭遇饥荒时，法国人用五艘船装载了1190名奴隶。然而，当他们自己的食物存货减少时，欧洲人陷入了困境。1750年，法国人因无法再为500名等待运输到美洲的奴隶提供食物，不得不将他们从圣路易的要塞赶走。

Summary:
在西非饥荒期间，欧洲商人有时能够利用饥荒来增加奴隶数量，但当他们的食物存货不足时，面临着无法继续支持奴隶的困境。

主旨分析：

文章展示了大西洋奴隶贸易如何对西非农业、社会和经济产生深远影响。奴隶贸易不仅消耗了大量劳动力，还造成了食物需求激增，进一步加重了非洲人生活的困境。饥荒和干旱使得食物价格飙升，而奴隶价格也随之波动。尽管食物供应对奴隶贸易至关重要，但欧洲商人并未充分认识到这一点。文章揭示了食物和奴隶贸易之间的密切联系，以及非洲在这种全球贸易体系中的重要角色。

英文选择题：

Question 1:

How did famine affect the slave trade in West Africa?

A) It decreased the price of slaves.
B) It led to an increase in the cost of food, which affected the trade.
C) It had no effect on the slave trade.
D) It led to an immediate decline in slave exports.

Answer: B) It led to an increase in the cost of food, which affected the trade.

Question 2:

What strategy did European traders use when they had sufficient food supplies during a famine?

A) They bought more slaves to sell at higher prices.
B) They forced Africans to provide more slaves.
C) They took advantage of the famine by buying slaves from desperate Africans.
D) They reduced the number of slaves transported to minimize costs.

Answer: C) They took advantage of the famine by buying slaves from desperate Africans.

Question 3:

What happened when European traders’ food supplies ran low in 1750?

A) They were forced to cut back on slave imports.
B) They abandoned their trade altogether.
C) They had to release 500 slaves due to a lack of food.
D) They increased the price of slaves to cover the shortage.

Answer: C) They had to release 500 slaves due to a lack of food.

中文解答：

饥荒如何影响了西非的奴隶贸易？
答案是 B) 它导致了食物价格上涨，从而影响了贸易。
当欧洲商人在饥荒期间有足够的食物供应时，他们采取了什么策略？
答案是 C) 他们利用饥荒，通过购买绝望的非洲人的奴隶。
1750年，当欧洲商人的食物供应短缺时发生了什么？
答案是 C) 他们因缺乏食物而不得不释放500名奴隶。

段落翻译和总结：

Paragraph 28:

English:
Surprisingly, demographic estimates suggest that while the population of West Africa did not grow over the 300 years of the slave trade, it did remain stable. The region managed to achieve the remarkable feat of sustaining its population and the slave trade by holding back women: only about a quarter of the Africans transported to the Americas were female. This was not because there was a greater demand for male slaves in the New World, but because there was reluctance in Africa to sell women. Female slaves were used as concubines and so they allowed the men that were left in Africa to maximise the number of children they fathered. In this way they helped to compensate for the loss of young men. Slave birth rates were low, however, and female slaves were valued less for their fertility and more because African food production depended upon their labour. Traditionally, men cleared the land, but once the trees had been chopped down and troublesome roots had been dug up, it was women who prepared the soil, sowed, weeded, harvested and processed the crops.

中文翻译:
令人惊讶的是，人口统计估计表明，尽管在奴隶贸易的300年间，西非人口没有增长，但它保持了稳定。该地区通过限制女性的出售，成功地维持了人口和奴隶贸易：约四分之一的被运送到美洲的非洲人是女性。这并不是因为新世界对男性奴隶的需求更大，而是因为在非洲，出售女性的意愿较低。女性奴隶通常被当作妾，这样留在非洲的男性就能最大化他们所生育的孩子数量。通过这种方式，她们帮助弥补了年轻男性的损失。然而，奴隶的出生率较低，女性奴隶的价值并不在于她们的生育能力，而更多体现在她们在非洲农业生产中的劳动力作用。传统上，男性负责开垦土地，但一旦树木被砍伐，根部被挖掘，土地的准备、播种、除草、收获和作物加工等工作通常是由女性承担。

Summary:
西非在奴隶贸易期间，通过限制女性奴隶的数量，维持了人口的稳定和农业生产。女性奴隶的主要作用是为农业提供劳动力，而不是生育后代。她们在农业中的重要角色帮助弥补了失去的男性劳动力。

Paragraph 29:

English:
While Senegambia had been one of the first parts of Africa to supply slaves to the Europeans, in the first half of the eighteenth century the region became more important as a supplier of food. The only way to increase food production was to bring new land under cultivation and employ more slaves to plant, tend and reap the crops. Indeed, in the first half of the eighteenth century, Senegambia probably imported more slaves than it exported. They were concentrated near the trading ports and set to work in the fields. La Courbe witnessed an African aristocrat standing ‘in the middle of his field, with his sword at his side and his spear in his hand’ supervising the work of a gang of newly caught naked slaves who wielded their iron hoes as if possessed to the beat of ‘the energetic music of six griots, who played drums and sang’.

中文翻译:
虽然塞内冈比亚是非洲最早向欧洲人供应奴隶的地区之一，但在18世纪上半叶，该地区变得更加重要，成为食品供应的来源。增加食物生产的唯一方式是开垦新土地，并雇佣更多的奴隶来种植、照料和收获作物。事实上，在18世纪的前半段，塞内冈比亚进口的奴隶可能比出口的还要多。奴隶们集中在贸易港口附近，并被派到田地里工作。拉库尔布目睹了一位非洲贵族站在“他田地的中央，身边佩剑，手持长矛”，监督一群新捕获的裸体奴隶的工作，这些奴隶挥舞着铁锄，仿佛在节奏感十足的“六位歌手敲鼓唱歌”的音乐中陶醉。

Summary:
18世纪上半叶，塞内冈比亚不仅成为奴隶输出的重要地区，还成为食物供应的重要来源。为了提高农业产量，更多的奴隶被投入到田地工作，尤其是在靠近贸易港口的区域。

Paragraph 30:

English:
The only way to increase food production was to bring new land under cultivation and employ more slaves to plant, tend and reap the crops. Indeed, in the first half of the eighteenth century, Senegambia probably imported more slaves than it exported. They were concentrated near the trading ports and set to work in the fields.

中文翻译:
增加食物生产的唯一方式是开垦新土地，并雇佣更多的奴隶来种植、照料和收获作物。事实上，在18世纪的前半段，塞内冈比亚进口的奴隶可能比出口的还要多。奴隶们集中在贸易港口附近，并被派到田地里工作。

Summary:
为了增加食物产量，塞内冈比亚依靠奴隶来开垦新土地并参与农业劳动，特别是在贸易港口附近的区域。

Paragraph 31:

English:
They were concentrated near the trading ports and set to work in the fields. La Courbe witnessed an African aristocrat standing ‘in the middle of his field, with his sword at his side and his spear in his hand’ supervising the work of a gang of newly caught naked slaves who wielded their iron hoes as if possessed to the beat of ‘the energetic music of six griots, who played drums and sang’.

中文翻译:
奴隶们集中在贸易港口附近，并被派到田地里工作。拉库尔布目睹了一位非洲贵族站在“他田地的中央，身边佩剑，手持长矛”，监督一群新捕获的裸体奴隶的工作，这些奴隶挥舞着铁锄，仿佛在节奏感十足的“六位歌手敲鼓唱歌”的音乐中陶醉。

Summary:
拉库尔布描述了塞内冈比亚的一个贵族如何监督奴隶在田地中劳作，奴隶们挥舞铁锄，伴随着激烈的音乐节奏。

Paragraph 32:

English:
No doubt agricultural productivity in the region was also improved by the exchange of slaves for the flat iron bars the blacksmiths fashioned into hoes and machetes.

中文翻译:
毫无疑问，地区的农业生产力也通过奴隶与铁条交换而得到提升，这些铁条由铁匠打造成锄头和弯刀。

Summary:
通过交换奴隶与铁条，铁匠制造的工具如锄头和弯刀提升了农业生产力。

Paragraph 33:

English:
The millet they grew was sold to the European merchants, and as the Europeans moved along the coast, other areas were integrated into the food supply chain.

中文翻译:
他们种植的高粱被卖给欧洲商人，随着欧洲人沿海岸线移动，其他地区也被纳入了食品供应链。

Summary:
塞内冈比亚生产的高粱被卖给欧洲商人，随着贸易网络的扩展，其他地区也融入了食品供应链。

Paragraph 34:

English:
In what is now south-eastern Nigeria the cultivation of yams intensified. Ships’ captains did not like to take yams as a food supply for the middle passage because they were bulky and took up too much room in the hold, besides being prone to turn putrid. But Africans from the Bight of Benin preferred yams above all else, and the slaves’ tendency to become ill and refuse to eat when they were given unfamiliar foods placed the Europeans under pressure to take on at least some.

中文翻译:
如今的尼日利亚东南部，山药的种植加剧。船长们不喜欢将山药作为横渡中途的食物供应，因为它们体积庞大，占据货舱太多空间，而且容易腐烂。但来自贝宁湾的非洲人偏爱山药，奴隶们一旦被给与不熟悉的食物就容易生病并拒绝进食，这让欧洲人面临压力，至少必须携带一些山药。

Summary:
为了满足奴隶的食物需求，贝宁湾的非洲人倾向于选择山药，尽管船只不愿携带这种占空间且容易腐烂的食物。

Paragraph 35:

English:
The African–American sea route also opened a channel whereby a host of American plants and foodstuffs entered West African agriculture. It was not just the elite who grew pineapples and experimented with chilli peppers: ordinary African farmers embraced a range of American crops. The two that enabled them to withstand drought and the sustained loss of agricultural workers were maize and manioc (cassava).

中文翻译:
非洲-美洲航线还开辟了一条渠道，使得大量美洲植物和食材进入西非农业。不仅是精英阶层种植菠萝并试验辣椒，普通非洲农民也开始种植多种美洲作物。帮助他们抵御干旱和持续失去农业劳动力的两种作物是玉米和木薯（又称马铃薯）。

Summary:
非洲-美洲航线促进了美洲作物进入西非农业，尤其是玉米和木薯，它们帮助非洲农民抵御干旱和劳动力的流失。

主旨分析：

本文主要讲述了大西洋奴隶贸易对西非社会和农业的深远影响。西非不仅成为了奴隶的输出地区，同时也在供给食物方面发挥了重要作用。文章强调了奴隶贸易如何通过改变农业生产和劳动力结构，推动了农业作物的种植和食品市场的形成。随着新世界作物的引入，西非农业发生了重要变化，尤其是玉米和木薯等作物的种植，不仅帮助农民抵御了干旱，也弥补了劳动力的流失。此外，女性奴隶在农业生产中发挥的作用，以及奴隶贸易与食物供应链的紧密联系，都展示了西非在大西洋经济体系中的重要角色。

题目：

西非农业和社会在大西洋奴隶贸易中的角色
大西洋奴隶贸易与西非农业的变化
女性奴隶在西非农业中的作用与影响

解答：

在大西洋奴隶贸易中，西非的农业如何应对劳动力的损失？
- 西非通过增加对新土地的开垦和雇佣更多奴隶从事农业劳动来弥补劳动力的损失。女性奴隶在农业生产中起到了重要作用，帮助维持农业生产的稳定。
在18世纪上半叶，塞内冈比亚地区在大西洋经济中的角色发生了什么变化？
- 塞内冈比亚地区逐渐从主要供应奴隶的地区，转变为更重要的食物供应源。为了满足奴隶贸易需求，农业生产需要更多的土地和劳动力，因此更多奴隶被引进。
哪些美洲作物对西非农业产生了重要影响？
- 玉米和木薯（马铃薯）是帮助西非农业度过干旱和劳动力损失的重要作物。这些作物的引入帮助非洲农民维持了粮食生产，并应对了外部经济压力。

英文选择题：

Question 1:

What was the role of female slaves in West African agriculture during the Atlantic slave trade?

A) They were mainly valued for their fertility.
B) They were valued for their agricultural labor, which was essential for food production.
C) They were mostly involved in trading goods.
D) They were not involved in agriculture.

Answer: B) They were valued for their agricultural labor, which was essential for food production.

Question 2:

Which crops became important in West Africa due to the introduction of American plants?

A) Rice and wheat
B) Maize and cassava
C) Cotton and tobacco
D) Barley and oats

Answer: B) Maize and cassava

Question 3:

How did the Atlantic slave trade impact food production in West Africa?

A) It led to a decrease in food production due to loss of labor.
B) It created a surplus of food due to efficient agricultural practices.
C) It made food production more dependent on slave labor.
D) It resulted in the abandonment of agricultural activities.

Answer: C) It made food production more dependent on slave labor.

中文解答：

女性奴隶在大西洋奴隶贸易期间在西非农业中的作用是什么？
答案是 B) 她们因为在农业生产中的劳动力作用而受到重视，这对食品生产至关重要。
哪些作物由于美洲植物的引入而在西非变得重要？
答案是 B) 玉米和木薯（马铃薯）。
大西洋奴隶贸易如何影响了西非的食品生产？
答案是 C) 它使食品生产更加依赖奴隶劳动力。

段落翻译和总结：

Paragraph 37:

English:
The earliest mention of maize in West Africa dates from 1534, when a Portuguese document lists it being loaded onto slave ships as provisions in São Tomé. It seems that the Portuguese islands just off the coast were the launch pad into mainland West Africa for many American crops. The Portuguese planted sugar there in the 1470s and later brought over a range of American foodstuffs to feed the slaves who worked on the plantations. Throughout the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries maize spread along the Gold Coast, where it was referred to as ‘Indian sorghum’ or ‘white man’s grain’. Two crops of maize could be grown in the same time span as one crop of sorghum, and because it ripened more quickly it filled the hungry gap when last year’s reserves had been eaten and before the yam and sorghum could be harvested.

中文翻译:
西非最早提到玉米的记录来自1534年，当时一份葡萄牙文件列出了玉米作为供应品被装载到圣多美的奴隶船上。看起来，葡萄牙海岸附近的岛屿是许多美洲作物进入西非大陆的起点。葡萄牙人在1470年代在那里种植甘蔗，并随后引入了一系列美洲食品，以供种植园上的奴隶食用。在16世纪和17世纪，玉米传播到黄金海岸，被称为“印度高粱”或“白人的粮食”。两季玉米的生长时间相当于一季高粱的生长时间，而且由于玉米成熟得更快，它填补了上季储备吃完之后、山药和高粱还未收获之间的饥饿间隙。

Summary:
玉米于1534年首次作为供应品出现在西非，并迅速在黄金海岸传播。由于玉米的快速成熟，它成为了解决季节性粮食短缺的一个重要作物，并逐渐被广泛种植。

Paragraph 38:

English:
Maize was not more nutritious than yams but it was easier to store. It was therefore a useful food to give to the slaves when they were being transported across the Atlantic. Maize never replaced millet in the affections of the Senegambian people: it was grown by farmers in the region to sell to European slave ships.

中文翻译:
玉米的营养价值并不比山药高，但它更容易储存。因此，它成为了运输奴隶过大西洋时的有用食品。玉米从未取代高粱在塞内冈比亚人民心中的地位：它由该地区的农民种植，用于出售给欧洲奴隶船。

Summary:
玉米因其储存方便，成为了跨大西洋奴隶贸易中的一种重要食品，但它并没有替代高粱在塞内冈比亚的地位，主要还是作为出口商品。

Paragraph 39:

English:
However, it eventually displaced both sorghum and millet in Benin, Ghana, Nigeria and Togo, Angola and Cameroon. An Akan proverb in Ghana refers to maize as ‘the chief among foods’, while in Nigeria, Yoruba folk tales feature mysterious maize figures, and a distinctive ‘maize cob roulette’ pattern is used to decorate pottery.

中文翻译:
然而，玉米最终取代了贝宁、加纳、尼日利亚、托戈、安哥拉和喀麦隆的高粱和小米。在加纳，一句阿干谚语将玉米称为“食物中的首领”，而在尼日利亚，约鲁巴民间故事中则有神秘的玉米形象，并且有一种独特的“玉米棒轮盘”图案被用来装饰陶器。

Summary:
玉米在西非的多个地区逐渐取代了高粱和小米，成为一种重要的主食，并在文化中占据了重要地位，体现了其在当地的影响力。

Paragraph 40:

English:
Today maize is so integrated into African cultures that villagers regard it as an indigenous, ‘traditional’ crop that has always been part of the African landscape, and are surprised to learn that it was introduced to the continent only relatively recently.

中文翻译:
今天，玉米已经如此深度融入非洲文化，以至于村民们认为它是本土的“传统”作物，认为它一直是非洲景观的一部分，他们惊讶地发现玉米其实是相对近期才被引入到非洲的。

Summary:
如今，玉米已经成为非洲文化中不可或缺的一部分，许多人认为它是传统的本土作物，并对它的引入历史感到惊讶。

Paragraph 41:

English:
When in 1594 the British privateer Sir Richard Hawkins captured a Portuguese slave ship on its way from Brazil to the Guinea coast, it was carrying a cargo of cassava or manioc as slave provisions.

中文翻译:
1594年，英国海盗理查德·霍金斯爵士捕获了一艘从巴西驶向几内亚海岸的葡萄牙奴隶船，船上载有木薯或木薯粉作为奴隶的食品。

Summary:
1594年，英国海盗捕获了一艘葡萄牙奴隶船，船上装载着木薯作为奴隶运输的食品，标志着木薯开始作为大西洋奴隶贸易中的重要食品。

Paragraph 42:

English:
The Portuguese had learned to value this Amerindian root in their Brazilian colony. It was drought-resistant, high-yielding and required little labour to cultivate. Its one great disadvantage was that it was incredibly labour-intensive to process. First the roots had to be soaked in water for up to three days. It was then possible to slip off their skins; the Africans sometimes bypassed this stage, which resulted in a dark and bitter flour. Once the skins had been taken off, the roots were set to soak for another twenty-four hours until they were soft enough for the tough filaments to be removed. Then they were grated and the toxic prussic acid squeezed out of the mass of pulp. Once this process was complete, it could be left to dry in the sun and eventually ground into flour. Manioc meal was easily transportable and, if properly stored, lasted for months.

中文翻译:
葡萄牙人在其巴西殖民地学会了重视这种美洲原住民的根茎。它耐旱、高产，并且种植所需的劳动力较少。它的一个大缺点是加工非常费力。首先，根部必须在水中浸泡多达三天。之后，皮肤可以被剥去；非洲人有时会跳过这一步骤，导致粉末呈现暗色且味道苦涩。去皮后，根部需再浸泡24小时，直到足够柔软，才能去除坚韧的纤维。然后它们被磨碎，毒性氰酸被从浆果中挤出。完成这一过程后，木薯可以在阳光下晒干，最终被磨成粉。木薯粉易于运输，并且如果储存得当，可以保存几个月。

Summary:
木薯作为一种高产、耐旱的作物在巴西获得了重视，尽管其加工过程非常劳动密集，但它的易储存性和长久的保质期使其成为奴隶贸易中的重要食品。

主旨分析：

本文详细描述了美洲作物（如玉米和木薯）是如何被引入到西非的，并逐渐成为当地农业的重要组成部分。随着这些作物的引入，西非的农业生产不仅能应对干旱，还帮助维持了大西洋奴隶贸易的供给链。玉米和木薯的引入，不仅改变了非洲的粮食结构，也影响了文化和社会的各个方面。

英文选择题：

Question 1:

What was the significance of maize in West Africa during the Atlantic slave trade?

A) It replaced millet as the primary crop.
B) It was used as a provisioning food for slaves being transported across the Atlantic.
C) It was less important than other crops like yams.
D) It was only grown for export to the Americas.

Answer: B) It was used as a provisioning food for slaves being transported across the Atlantic.

Question 2:

How was manioc (cassava) processed before it could be used as food?

A) It was dried and then ground into flour.
B) It was boiled and consumed without processing.
C) It was soaked, grated, and had toxic substances removed.
D) It was frozen and stored for later use.

Answer: C) It was soaked, grated, and had toxic substances removed.

Question 3:

What was one of the key advantages of introducing maize and manioc to West Africa?

A) They were resistant to pests.
B) They helped provide food during times of drought and labor shortages.
C) They were only grown for export to Europe.
D) They had a higher nutritional value than native crops.

Answer: B) They helped provide food during times of drought and labor shortages.

中文解答：

玉米在大西洋奴隶贸易期间在西非的意义是什么？
答案是 B) 它作为运输奴隶的食品供应。
木薯（Cassava）在可用作食品之前是如何加工的？
答案是 C) 它被浸泡、磨碎，并去除了有毒物质。
引入玉米和木薯到西非的关键优势是什么？
答案是 B) 它们帮助在干旱和劳动力短缺的时期提供食物。

段落翻译和总结：

Paragraph 44:

English:
Manioc was introduced to the Bights of Benin and Biafra and western central Africa by the Portuguese, whose slave trading activities in the eighteenth century were concentrated on these parts of the coast. Around the port of Ouidah in the Bight of Benin domestic slaves were set to work planting cassava, which they processed into flour to sell to the slaving ships.

中文翻译:
木薯是由葡萄牙人引入到贝宁湾、比亚夫拉湾和西部中非的。葡萄牙人在18世纪的奴隶贸易活动主要集中在这些海岸地区。在贝宁湾的奥伊达港，家奴被安排种植木薯，并将其加工成面粉，卖给奴隶船。

Summary:
葡萄牙人将木薯引入西非，特别是在贝宁湾的奥伊达港，奴隶被迫种植木薯并将其加工成面粉，供奴隶船使用。

Paragraph 45:

English:
In western central Africa manioc spread along slave-trading routes. European visitors travelling on the Zaire River in the nineteenth century were struck by the eerie all-female settlements along the riverbanks, with not a man or child in sight. These were slave villages where cassava was grown to supply the trading canoes.

中文翻译:
在西部中非，木薯沿着奴隶贸易路线传播。19世纪，欧洲游客在扎伊尔河旅行时，惊讶地发现河岸边有一些奇特的全女性定居点，那里没有男人或孩子。这些是奴隶村庄，木薯在这些村庄中种植，用来供给贸易独木舟。

Summary:
木薯在西非的奴隶贸易路线中传播，部分奴隶村庄由女性组成，专门种植木薯供贸易使用。

Paragraph 46:

English:
Africans valued manioc for its resistance to drought, the fact that it was impervious to the depredations of locusts, and because it was easy to store, as the mature roots could be left in the ground for up to two years. Besides fitting in well with African ecology, soft maize and manioc flour suited local cookery. Sorghum and millet were made into breads or porridges, stiff pastes of a polenta-like consistency. Maize could be treated in much the same way.

中文翻译:
非洲人重视木薯，因为它耐旱、不容易被蝗虫破坏，而且易于储存，因为成熟的根部可以在地里留存长达两年。除了与非洲生态环境适配外，软玉米和木薯粉也非常适合当地的烹饪方式。高粱和小米通常被做成面包或粥，质地类似于波伦塔的硬糊状。玉米的处理方式与此相似。

Summary:
木薯因其耐旱、抗虫害和储存方便而受到非洲农民的青睐。玉米和木薯粉与当地烹饪方式兼容，成为非洲饮食的重要组成部分。

Paragraph 47:

English:
Slave cooks at the British fort of Elmina Castle on the Gold Coast would soak dry maize grains in water before grinding them. They would then mix the maize mush with a little water and leave it to ferment. The soft paste could be wrapped in waxy leaves and baked. The resulting kenkey soon became the staple food along the Gold Coast, and workmen referred to their wages as ‘canky-money’.

中文翻译:
在黄金海岸的英国要塞埃尔米纳堡的奴隶厨师们会先将干玉米粒浸泡在水中，然后研磨成糊状。接着，他们将玉米糊与少许水混合，静置发酵。发酵后的软糊可以用蜡叶包裹并烘烤。最终制作出的肯凯（Kenkey）很快成为黄金海岸的主食，工人们甚至将他们的工资称为“canky-money”。

Summary:
肯凯（Kenkey）成为黄金海岸的主食，奴隶们用浸泡发酵的玉米制作这种食物，并将工钱称为“canky-money”。

Paragraph 48:

English:
By the end of the eighteenth century, maize had superseded most indigenous grains throughout large parts of West Africa. In an effort to save millet from extinction, the kings of Dahomey reserved it for royal use, thus hoping to turn millet consumption into a statement of high status.

中文翻译:
到18世纪末，玉米已取代西非大部分地区的本土谷物。为了防止小米灭绝，达荷美国王将小米保留供皇室使用，希望通过这种方式将小米消费转变为高贵地位的象征。

Summary:
玉米在18世纪末逐渐取代了西非的大部分本土谷物，而达荷美国王则将小米保留为皇家专用，以此彰显其高贵地位。

Paragraph 49:

English:
By deploying female slaves to grow maize and manioc, West African farmers substantially increased the number of available calories in the food supply. This meant that West Africa was able to supply the Atlantic slave trade with men and food while also nourishing enough men, women and children to maintain the population. But the exchange of men for maize had tragic consequences. Manioc was transferred into the Old World with the knowledge of how to process it into an edible food. But the introduction of maize was marred by its arrival in Africa without the technique necessary to optimise its nutritional potential. The proteins and B vitamins present in maize occur in an exceptionally indigestible form. Mesoamericans had learned to break the maize down so as to release these nutrients by boiling the grains in a mixture of water and slaked lime made from burnt seashells. Only if left to soak in this mixture for a day or two before it was ground did maize become a nutritionally satisfactory food. As early as 1600, a Dutch visitor to the Gold Coast noticed that those who relied on maize for their staple food developed ‘scabs and itch… [and] are plagued with great boils’, symptoms of pellagra, or niacin deficiency. West African children weaned only on maize porridge would apparently receive plenty to eat but became apathetic and irritable, a condition their mothers named kwashiorkor. This is now recognised as a disease caused by protein deficiency. Thus, the slave trade bequeathed to Africa a form of hidden malnutrition that was to plague the continent in the following centuries.

中文翻译:
通过让女性奴隶种植玉米和木薯，西非农民大大增加了食品供应中的热量。这意味着西非不仅能够为大西洋奴隶贸易提供奴隶和食物，同时也能养活足够的男女和儿童以维持人口。但将人类与玉米交换的后果是悲惨的。木薯被带入旧世界，并附带了如何将其加工成可食用食品的技术。但玉米的引入却因未能传入优化其营养潜力所需的技术而受到影响。玉米中的蛋白质和B族维生素以一种非常难以消化的形式存在。美洲原住民学会了通过将玉米粒与水和石灰混合煮沸，释放这些营养成分。只有将玉米浸泡在这种混合液中一两天，玉米才能成为营养充足的食物。早在1600年，荷兰人访问黄金海岸时注意到，那些依赖玉米为主食的人会长出“疮和瘙痒……并且遭受严重的脓包”，这是糙皮病或烟酸缺乏症的症状。西非的婴儿只喝玉米粥时，虽然能获得充足的食物，但会变得麻木和易怒，这种情况母亲称之为“夸希奥科尔”。现在这种病被认为是由蛋白质缺乏引起的。因此，奴隶贸易将一种隐藏的营养不良形式遗留给了非洲，这种营养不良在接下来的几个世纪里困扰着非洲大陆。

Summary:
通过使用女性奴隶种植玉米和木薯，西非的食物供应得到了极大的补充，但玉米的引入没有携带必要的营养优化技术，导致了非洲人出现了由于营养不良（如烟酸和蛋白质缺乏）引起的健康问题，如夸希奥科尔和糙皮病。

主旨分析：

本文通过描述美洲作物（如玉米和木薯）进入西非的过程，探讨了这些作物如何在奴隶贸易期间影响了西非的农业和社会。玉米和木薯虽然为当地提供了大量的食物，但由于技术上的不足，玉米的引入却导致了营养不良问题。木薯则帮助缓解了干旱和劳动力的短缺，成为了重要的食物来源。

英文选择题：

Question 1:

How did manioc (cassava) benefit West African agriculture?

A) It was drought-resistant and easy to store.
B) It was more nutritious than local crops.
C) It grew faster than other crops.
D) It required less land to cultivate.

Answer: A) It was drought-resistant and easy to store.

Question 2:

What was one of the major disadvantages of maize in West Africa?

A) It was difficult to store.
B) It lacked essential nutrients like proteins and B vitamins.
C) It was resistant to pests.
D) It could not be grown in large quantities.

Answer: B) It lacked essential nutrients like proteins and B vitamins.

Question 3:

How did the introduction of maize contribute to hidden malnutrition in West Africa?

A) Maize provided all necessary nutrients for a balanced diet.
B) Maize caused digestive problems when not properly processed.
C) Maize replaced all other staple crops.
D) Maize increased food availability but decreased crop yields.

Answer: B) Maize caused digestive problems when not properly processed.