Top Five Most Haunted Cities in the U.S.

By Evan Andrews

Visit even the smallest of towns in the U.S. and you’re likely to hear some local ghost stories and discover a few haunted houses. But some American cities have gained the reputation for being particularly ghost-ridden thanks to their rich and often bizarre historical backgrounds..1. ghost-ridden: 受鬼魂折磨的；bizarre:怪誕的，古怪的。The following are five of the most haunted cities to steer2. steer: 沿著……前進(jìn)，行駛。away from—or toward, if you dare—this Halloween.

5. Salem, Massachusetts塞勒姆，馬薩諸塞州

In 1692, Salem, Mass. became the sight of a series of infamous trials after three local women were accused of using witchcraft to terrorize a trio of young girls.3. infamous: 聲名狼藉的，臭名昭著的；trial: 審訊，審判；witchcraft: 巫術(shù)，魔法；terrorize: 恐嚇，威嚇；trio: 三人一組。The trials soon escalated into mass hysteria, with townspeople vehemently accusing neighbors and acquaintances, almost all of them unmarried women, of being witches.4. 這些審判很快升級(jí)為集體的歇斯底里，小鎮(zhèn)民情激憤，居民們紛紛指控自己的鄰居和熟人是巫婆，幾乎所有被指控人都是未婚女子。escalate: 逐步升級(jí)；hysteria: 歇斯底里，非理性的情緒爆發(fā)；vehemently: 激烈地，強(qiáng)烈地。Over 150 people were arrested and charged, and as many as 19 were eventually executed by hanging.5. charge: 控告，指控；execute: 處死，處決。Today, the town of Salem encourages its reputation as “Witch City, USA” and has one of the biggest Halloween celebrations in the country. Alongside the tourist shops and museums, though, stand several infamous ghost stories related to the witch trials. One in particular concerns Gallows Hill, the site of several hangings, which is said to be haunted by the spirits of the 19 people lynched for being witches.6. concern: 與……有關(guān)，關(guān)于；Gallows Hill: 絞架山，塞勒姆審巫案行刑之地；lynch: 私刑處死。

在西方的文化傳說(shuō)中，鬼魂只能在每年的萬(wàn)圣節(jié)前夜重返人間，而活著的人也能在這一天看到靈界之物。雖然世界上本不存在所謂的鬼魂，但不得不承認(rèn)，令人膽戰(zhàn)心驚的鬼故事也不失為吸引眼球的好手段；萬(wàn)圣節(jié)前夜的南瓜燈、黑貓、巫婆掃帚亦成為了一種文化象征。在美國(guó)，即使只是一座小鎮(zhèn)，也會(huì)有當(dāng)?shù)芈劽谶兊墓砉适?。在萬(wàn)圣節(jié)來(lái)臨之際，我們向大家介紹美國(guó)五大鬧鬼城市，膽小者勿入哦！

Most Haunted Place: Joshua Ward House

最著名的鬧鬼勝地：約書(shū)亞病房

Known as one of the most haunted houses in America, Joshua Ward House is built on the foundation of the home of George Corwin, the man who served as sheriff during the Salem witch trials.7. 約書(shū)亞病房以“美國(guó)最鬧鬼的房子之一”而著稱，它就建在塞勒姆審巫案時(shí)擔(dān)任治安官的喬治·科文的家宅地基之上。Corwin is infamous for his role in the death of Giles Corey,a local man who was charged with witchcraft. When Corey refused to enter a plea in court, Corwin used an old English legal precedent and placed him under a board piled with rocks in order to coerce him into talking.8. enter a plea: 為自己辯護(hù)；legal precedent: 判例，法庭上已經(jīng)裁決的、可作為同類案件審判依據(jù)的先例；a board piled with rocks: 上面壓著大石頭的木板。當(dāng)時(shí)的法律規(guī)定，被告者若不在法庭上做有罪或無(wú)罪陳述，法庭就無(wú)法做出審判。為了避免其逃避法律判決，被告者會(huì)被壓在沉重的木板之下，再在木板上壓上巨石；coerce: 強(qiáng)制，迫使。Corey never relented9. relent: （態(tài)度等）軟化，屈服。, and was eventually crushed to death under the massive weight. To this day,many claim that Corey and Corwin, who is rumored to be buried beneath the foundation of his old home, haunt the Joshua Ward House.

4. Chicago, Illinois芝加哥，伊利諾伊州

Thanks to its famous great fire and history of gangsters and underworld criminals like Al Capone,10. great fire: 此處指的是芝加哥大火（Great Chicago Fire），發(fā)生在1871年，是美國(guó)19世紀(jì)最大的火災(zāi)之一；gangster: 黑幫混混，匪徒；Al Capone: 艾爾·卡彭（1899—1947），是上世紀(jì)20年代美國(guó)芝加哥黑幫的控制者，有傳記作者甚至認(rèn)為他是芝加哥的“地下市長(zhǎng)”。Chicago has developed quite a reputation for being haunted. The city has a number of well known ghost stories that are whispered among the locals each Halloween, and perhaps none is more famous than the story of Resurrection Mary. As the story goes, Mary was a young girl who was hit and killed by a car while leaving a dance hall with her boyfriend. She was buried in nearby Resurrection Cemetery, and ever since she can be periodically seen wandering the streets in her white burial dress,11. cemetery: 墓地，公墓；periodically: 定期地，間歇性地；wander: 徘徊，閑逛。still trying to find her way back home. Another famous story concerns what has come to be known as the “Devil Baby of Hull House,” a child born with scaly skin and a pointed tail who supposedly haunts the house once owned by famed activist Jane Addams.12. Hull House: 赫爾館，美國(guó)一所著名的社會(huì)服務(wù)中心，主要為剛剛來(lái)到美國(guó)的歐洲移民提供服務(wù)；scaly: 有鱗的；pointed:尖的，突出的；Jane Addams: 簡(jiǎn)·亞當(dāng)斯（1869—1935），赫爾館協(xié)會(huì)的創(chuàng)始人。她因爭(zhēng)取婦女、黑人移居的權(quán)利而獲得1931年的諾貝爾和平獎(jiǎng)，是美國(guó)第一位贏得此獎(jiǎng)的女性。

Most Haunted Place: Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery

最著名的鬧鬼勝地：?jiǎn)紊頋h樹(shù)林公墓

Rumored to be one of the prohibition-era gangsters’favorite places to dump bodies, Bachelor’s Grove is an old and decaying burial ground that has been the site of countless stories about ghosts, spirits, and devil worship.13. 據(jù)謠傳，單身漢樹(shù)林公墓是禁酒時(shí)期黑幫最常光顧的拋尸地之一，因而成為了一個(gè)擁有無(wú)數(shù)關(guān)于鬼魂、幽靈和魔鬼崇拜故事的古老而衰敗的公墓。prohibition-era: 禁酒時(shí)期，美國(guó)歷史上一段推行全國(guó)性禁酒的時(shí)期，從1920年開(kāi)始至1933年結(jié)束。Several headstones in the cemetery seem to move at will, and many claim that the spirits of the dead often materialize and walk the grounds at night.14. headstone: 墓碑；at will: 隨意，任意；materialize: 使……顯形，使……突然出現(xiàn)。The most famous of these is the “White Lady,” the ghost of a young woman who is always seen in a white dress, often cradling15. cradle: v.（像搖籃似的）懷抱著，捧著。a baby in her arms.

3. Gettysburg, Pennsylvania葛底斯堡，賓夕法尼亞州

In July of 1863, the small college town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania was the site of the biggest military clash of the Civil War, which to this day remains the bloodiest event to ever occur on American soil.16. clash:（武裝）沖突，打斗；Civil War:（美國(guó)）南北戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)，又稱美國(guó)內(nèi)戰(zhàn)，是美國(guó)歷史上最大規(guī)模的內(nèi)戰(zhàn)；soil: 國(guó)土，領(lǐng)土。Over 150,000 total soldiers converged17. converge: 會(huì)合，聚集。on the scene, and when the battle was over as many as 50,000 were killed, wounded, or missing. The shadow of the battle still stands over the town today, and many claim the ghosts of dead soldiers haunt the battle fields. What’s unique about Gettysburg is the sheer amount and frequency of its ghost sightings. Some places in the town, like the home of Jenny Wade, a woman who was killed by a stray bullet from the battle, supposedly experience paranormal activity on a daily basis.18. 在城里的某些地方，例如珍妮·韋德的家，據(jù)稱每天都有靈異事件發(fā)生。珍妮是被戰(zhàn)場(chǎng)上的流彈射死的。stray:偏離的，走失的；paranormal: 超自然的，不平常的；on a daily basis: 每天。Elsewhere, there have even been reports of lone visitors to the battle field park stumbling across what they assume to be a battle reenactment, only to later learn that none took place that day.19. 在別的地方，還曾有報(bào)道說(shuō)有些孤身前往戰(zhàn)地公園的游客偶然能看到戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)場(chǎng)景，他們想當(dāng)然地以為是在進(jìn)行戰(zhàn)場(chǎng)重現(xiàn)活動(dòng)，過(guò)后才發(fā)現(xiàn)那天根本就沒(méi)有這樣的活動(dòng)安排。lone: 獨(dú)身的，無(wú)伴的；stumble across: 無(wú)意中發(fā)現(xiàn)，偶然碰見(jiàn)；battle reenactment:戰(zhàn)場(chǎng)重現(xiàn)，是人們?yōu)榱思o(jì)念歷史事件而重現(xiàn)當(dāng)時(shí)情景的一種慶?；顒?dòng)。在活動(dòng)中，人們會(huì)穿上當(dāng)時(shí)的衣物，重現(xiàn)當(dāng)時(shí)的著名歷史事件。

Most Haunted Place: the Devil’s Den

最著名的鬧鬼勝地：魔鬼老巢

The Devil’s Den is a rocky outcropping of boulders and shrubs that was the site of one of the clashes of the second day of the battle.20. rocky: 巖石的，多巖石的；outcropping:〈地質(zhì)學(xué)〉（巖石、礦脈等）露出地面的部分；boulder: 巨礫，大石頭；shrub: 灌木叢。The spot is famous for being the location of a small skirmish that took place when a Union artillery unit returned fire on a Confederate sharpshooter who was taking shots at them from behind the rocks.21. 這個(gè)景點(diǎn)以發(fā)生了一次小規(guī)模沖突而聞名：一個(gè)南部邦聯(lián)狙擊手在巖石后向一隊(duì)北方聯(lián)軍炮兵射擊，北方聯(lián)軍炮兵予以回?fù)?。skirmish: 小沖突，小規(guī)模戰(zhàn)斗；artillery unit: 炮兵分隊(duì)；sharpshooter: 狙擊兵。They later found a body, and photographer Alexander Gardner took a photo of it that has since become one of the most iconic22. iconic: 標(biāo)志性的，代表性的。images of the battle. But recent evidence suggests that the body in the photo was not the man responsible, and some even claim that Gardner dragged the corpse of another man to the spot in order to stage the picture.23. drag: 拖拽，拖動(dòng)；corpse: 尸體；stage:展現(xiàn)，呈現(xiàn)。Supposedly,this man’s ghost now haunts the Devil’s Den, and to this day visitors to the park often have a great deal of trouble trying to take photos anywhere near the site. Pictures often come out blurry24. blurry: 難辨認(rèn)的，模糊不清的。and unusable,and cameras have a strange way of suddenly dying whenever they are turned on in the area.

2. Savannah, Georgia薩瓦納，佐治亞州

With its many cemeteries, gothic mansions, and trees covered in hanging Spanish moss, Savannah, GA fits the bill of a haunted city about as well as any town in America.25. gothic: 哥特式的。此處指哥特式建筑，整體風(fēng)格為高聳瘦削，以卓越的建筑技術(shù)表現(xiàn)了神秘、哀婉等強(qiáng)烈情感；mansion: 宅邸，大住宅；Spanish moss: 松蘿鐵蘭，一種依附于大樹(shù)生長(zhǎng)的植物，形狀就像一頂假發(fā)或一團(tuán)胡須； fit the bill: 符合……要求。It was one of only a few places that escaped being burned during Sherman’s famous “March to the Sea” during the Civil War, and so it still contains a good deal of antebellum architecture that serves as a perfect breeding ground for ghost stories.26. 它是少數(shù)幾個(gè)躲過(guò)了內(nèi)戰(zhàn)期間著名的“舍曼向大海進(jìn)軍”戰(zhàn)役而未被燒毀的城市之一，因此它保存了許多戰(zhàn)前建筑，正好滋生恐怖故事。Sherman’s March to the Sea: “舍曼向大海進(jìn)軍”是南北戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)中薩凡納戰(zhàn)役的通俗名稱，由聯(lián)邦少校威廉·特庫(kù)姆塞·舍曼領(lǐng)導(dǎo)；antebellum:（美國(guó)南北）戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)前的；breeding: 滋養(yǎng)的，繁殖的。One example is the Pirates’ House, a restaurant that in the late 1700s served as a pub for a notoriously rough clientele of sailors and buccaneers.27. pub: 酒館；notoriously: 臭名昭著地，惡名遠(yuǎn)揚(yáng)地；clientele: 顧客群，主顧；buccaneer: 海盜。As in Portland, shanghaiing was a common practice, and unsuspecting or drunk patrons were often waylaid and then dragged to the harbor via a series of underground tunnels connected to the bar’s rum cellar.28. 就像在波特蘭一樣，此處劫掠船工的現(xiàn)象很普遍， 而毫無(wú)防備或喝醉了的顧客常常被伏擊，然后通過(guò)與酒吧朗姆酒窖相連的隧道拖到港口。shanghai:（以暴力或不正當(dāng)手段）劫掠……去作水手或船工；patron: 主顧，顧客；waylay: 伏擊，埋伏；rum:朗姆酒；cellar: 酒窖，地窖。To this day, many consider the cellar to be haunted, and it is said that at night the sounds of drunken sailors singing can still be heard.

Most Haunted Place: the Hampton Lillibridge House

最著名的鬧鬼勝地：漢普頓莉莉橋屋

The Hampton Lillibridge house is an assuming threestory building that was built in 1796 and originally served as a boarding house.29. assuming: 據(jù)推測(cè)的，假設(shè)的；boarding house: 旅館，短期租借處。It was purchased in the 1960s by a builder who hoped to restore it, and it was then that strange phenomena30. phenomena:（phenomenon的復(fù)數(shù)形式）現(xiàn)象。began to occur. At one point during construction, a portion of the roof collapsed, killing one of the workers. Other builders claimed they would hear voices and footsteps whenever they were alone, and that pieces of construction equipment would often be thrown across the room. Even creepier, they said they often spotted a man in a black suit staring at them from inside the house.31. creepy: 令人毛骨悚然的；spot: 發(fā)現(xiàn)，看到。Countless exorcisms and investigations have taken place at the house since, and it has gone through several owners, but the presence that haunts it is said to still remain there today.32. exorcism:（用祈禱、儀式或符咒等）驅(qū)邪；presence:（能感覺(jué)到存在的）精靈，鬼魂。

1. New Orleans, Louisiana新奧爾良，路易斯安那州

All southern port towns have their share of ghost stories, but none more so than New Orleans, which has truly embraced its reputation as a center of all things paranormal. All of the criteria that tend to produce ghost legends—a coastal location, a checkered past, a rich cultural history, and a potent mix of old and new world religion—can be found here.33. criteria:（criterion的復(fù)數(shù)）標(biāo)準(zhǔn)，條件；checkered: 多波折的，坎坷的；potent: 有影響力的。The city is full of haunted mansions,taverns, and graveyards, and you can’t go far without hearing stories of cursed pirate ships, Civil War-era spirits, and voodoo hexes.34. tavern: 酒館，客棧；voodoo: 伏都教的；hex: 巫術(shù)。One of the most famous figures is undoubtedly Marie Laveau, a Creole35. Creole: 克里奧爾人的，指不屬于歐洲大陸且現(xiàn)在或曾經(jīng)是殖民地上的人，最早是用來(lái)稱呼具有外國(guó)血統(tǒng)的人。woman who gained a massive following during the 1800s as one of the first practitioners of voodoo. She died in 1881, but for years after many people claimed to see her walking throughout the French Quarter, and more than 120 years later many ghostly legends about the “Voodoo Queen of New Orleans” still persist.36. French Quarter: 法語(yǔ)區(qū)，美國(guó)新奧爾良市中最古老、最著名的街區(qū)；persist: 留存，持續(xù)下去。

Most Haunted Place: LaLaurie House

最著名的鬧鬼勝地：拉勞里宅邸

In the heart of the French Quarter lies an ornate mansion that in the 1800s belonged to physician Louis LaLaurie and his socialite wife Delphine.37. ornate: 華麗的，過(guò)分裝飾的；socialite: 社會(huì)名流，社交名媛。As the story goes, it was rumored at the time that the couple treated their slaves viciously38. viciously: 邪惡地，殘忍地。, and there was evidence Lady LaLaurie was responsible for the murder of a 12-year-old girl.The rumors were validated39. validate: 證實(shí)，確認(rèn)……是真實(shí)的。when one night a fire broke out in the mansion’s kitchen. Firemen raced to the scene, and when they kicked down a door to the slave quarters they were astonished to find several slaves chained to the wall in a kind of makeshift dungeon.40. race: 快跑，疾行；astonish: 使……驚訝，使……驚恐；makeshift: 臨時(shí)代用的，暫時(shí)湊合的；dungeon:地牢，土牢。Many have since claimed that the LaLaurie’s were performing grotesque surgical experiments on the slaves, but modern evidence suggests that this is probably an exaggeration.41. grotesque: 怪誕的，怪異的；surgical:外科手術(shù)的；exaggeration: 夸大之詞，言過(guò)其實(shí)。Either way, the sadistic42. sadistic: 虐待狂的，殘酷成性的。couple is said to have soon fled the city, and Lady LaLaurie eventually disappeared. The mansion where the horrors took place still stands today, and several ghosts have been sighted, among them the spirits of both Delphine LaLaurie and the young slave girl she is said to have murdered.