老当益壮(英中对照)

古德明《征服英语》之英语军事故事，古德明，香港英语教育作家，他开了一个《征服英语专栏》，在专栏中专门用英语写了世界近代史上的军事小故事，用英语讲述历史中那些惊心动魄的战争。

老当益壮
on 1 july 1863, as the confederates pushed forward towards gettysburg, a 69-year-old man named john burns came up to a company of union infantry with a rifle on his shoulder. the union soldiers found that he was a veteran of the war of 1812 between britain and the united states, and he had come to fight. they offered him a cartridge box, but burns shook his head and slapped his pantaloon pocket saying,"i can get my hands in here quicker than in a box. i'm not used to them newfangled＊ things."burns was wounded by bullets in the arm, the leg, and the breast. as the union line began to give way, the union soldiers were forced to leave him behind. burns, however, managed to crawl away to safety. after the battle, he was elevated to the role of national hero.

一八六三年七月一日，美国南军直压盖茨堡。六十九岁的约翰．朋斯肩扛来复枪，走到北军一队步兵前。北军见他曾在一八一二年英美战争中作战，现在要出力抗南军，就给他一个子弹盒。他摇摇头，一拍紧身裤的口袋说：「我伸手进裤袋里，会快一点。这些时髦玩意，我不惯使用。」朋斯的手、脚、胸部都中了枪。北军终于败退，不得不把他留下来，但朋斯还能够勉力爬离险境。这场战役之后，他被奉为国家英雄。
备注;
＊ newfangled指「新奇的」，常带「不切实际」的贬义。