Module 5 Great People and Great Inventions of Ancient China

高考词汇

invent   vt.   发明

stress   vt.   强调

resign   vi.   辞职

importance   n.   重要;重要性

thinker   n.   思想家

kindness   n.   善良

order   n.   秩序

position   n.   职位

adviser   n.   顾问

honesty   n.   诚实

inventor   n.   发明家

argument   n.   争论;辩论;议论

freedom   n.   自由

fuel   n.   燃料

condition   n.   状况;条件;环境

teaching   n.   （常作复数）教导;学说

love   n.   仁爱

justice   n.   公正

principle   n.   原则;准则

bark   n.   树皮

contribution   n.   贡献

leather   n.   皮革

equal   adj.   平等的

soft   adj.   柔软的

常用短语

be at war with   与……交战

bring up   养育;抚养

become interested in   对……感兴趣

be proud of   为……自豪

in conclusion   总之

for the first time   第一次

in some ways   某些方面

tell the time   看表;说出时间

hear of   听说

on the spot   当场;现场

拓展词汇

monk   n.   和尚

sutra   n.（佛教的）经

category   n.   范畴;种类

philosopher   n.   哲学家

philosophy   n.   哲学

influential   adj.   有影响的

过渡词汇

responsibility   n.   责任;义务

revolution   n.   革命;变革

学习定语从句的用法。

1. 了解定语从句的相关概念：

（1） 定语从句：用来修饰或者限制某个名词或者代词的从句叫定语从句（限制性定语从句）。

（2） 先行词：被定语从句修饰或者限制的那个名词或者代词叫先行词。

（3） 关系代词/关系副词：连接主句和从句，并在从句中充当某个成分的代词或副词。常用的关系代词有：that，which，who，whom，whose;常用的关系副词有：when，where，why。

2. 关系代词/关系副词的具体用法如下：

关系代词/关系副词 指代 充当的成分 例句

that 人或物 主语、宾语、表语 I know the girl that attended the party.

That is the job that Im hunting for.

which 物 主语、宾语、表语 He came from a family which was poor.

Mencius wrote a book which many people have read.

who 人 主语 I met someone who said he knew you.

whom 人 宾语或表语 Is that the teacher whom you referred to？

whose 人或物 定语 Confucius is a great philosopher whose influence has been the greatest.

when 时间 时间状语 It was also a time when there were many great philosopher.

where 地点 地点状语 Ancient China was a place where states were often at war with each other.

why 原因 原因状语 Often， the reason why people are unhappy is that they do not have enough love.

注意：介词放在关系代词的前面时，关系代词只能用which指代物，用whom指代人，不能用that。如：He is a man of whom China can be proud.This is the house in which the inventor lived.

词汇短语园地

1. equal  adj.  平等的

All men are born equal.  人生来平等。

equal  vt.  等;和……相等;抵得上

Three plus five equals eight.

3加5等于8。

None of us can equal her in strength.

在力气方面我们当中无人能比得上她。

n.  相等的事物（或数量）;（地位等）相同的人

She has no equal in English.

谁的英语也比不上她。

be equal to...  与……相等;相当于;能任胜;能应付

on an equal footing  平等地;处于平等地位

2. order  n.  秩序;顺序;状况;命令;指示;订

购;订货

v.  命令;订购

The young teacher cant keep order in her classroom.

那位年轻教师无法维持课堂秩序。

The names are in alphabetical order.

名字按字母顺序排列。

Things were in terrible order.

情况一团糟。

He gave orders that the job be done in three days.

他指示三天内完成这项工作。

The company received a large order for computers.

这家公司接到一份要求大量供应电脑的订单。

order  vt.  命令;吩咐

（1） 跟带不定式的复合结构

The emperor ordered them to work at once.

皇帝命令他们马上干活。

（2） 跟带介词短语或副词的复合结构

He ordered me back.  他命令我回去。

He ordered us to the front.  他命令我们奔赴前线。

（3） 跟从句，从句中用（should）+ 动词原形

He ordered that we （should） do it at once.

他命令我们立刻去做。

（4） 跟名词

The chairman ordered silence.

主席要大家安静。

in order of...  照（依）……排列

in order of size/importance  按大小/重要性排列

out of order  不合规定;坏了

in good working order  处于良好（可以工作的）状态

in order  处于正常情况;情况良好;井井有条

under orders  按命令（行事）;接到命令

take orders from  听从……的命令

注意：以上短语中不使用冠词。

3. condition  n.  状况;环境;条件

（1） 状况;状态（多作不可数名词）

Whats the patients condition？

病人的情况如何？

He cant travel in that condition.

在那种状态下，他不能旅行。

（2） 情况;环境（多作复数）

The miners there worked in dreadful conditions.

那里的矿工们在极其恶劣的环境中工作。

Conditions were favorable for business then.

当时的形势有利于经商。

（3） 条件（可数）

Ill do it on condition that you pay for everything.

我可以做此事，条件是你得支付一切费用。

Hard work is a condition of success.

勤奋是成功的前提。

be in condition  身体很好

be out of condition  身体不适

be in good condition  完好无损

be in no condition to  （身体状况）不适做……

on condition that  在……条件下

on no condition  决不（放在句首会引起部分倒装）

比较：condition，state和situation的区别

（1） state表“状态;状况”时强调人或事物在某种特定时期内具有的特征和所处的环境，如normal state，the mental state，the present state。

The building is in a bad state of repair.

这栋建筑急需修理。

（2） condition含义与state基本相同，用于这一含义时为不可数名词。conditions指“形势;事态;环境”。

The goods arrived in good condition.

货物抵达完好无损。

（3） situation指“形势;情况;局面”，往往指一组情况或一些情况的综合。

The people of the world want to end the situation of war between the two countries.

全世界人民希望结束这两国之间的战争局面。

4. principle  n.  原则;道义;为人之道

You may find the examples dated in this book， but the principles still hold true.

尽管书中的例子陈旧了，但原则仍然适用。

It is a matter of principle with her to answer her childrens questions honestly.

如实回答孩子们的问题对她来说关系到做人的原则。

in principle  原则上;大致上

on principle  按照原则

5. stress  vt.  强调;着重;加压力于;使紧张

n.  压力;重音

The English teacher stressed the importance of reading aloud.

英语老师强调了朗读的重要性。

Stress the second syllable.

重读第二个音节。

The weight of snow stressed the roof to the point of collapsing.

雪的重量压得屋顶快要塌了。

6. bring up  养育;抚养;培养;提出;呕吐

Her parents died when she was a baby and she was brought up by her aunt.

她出生后不久父母双亡，是由姑母抚养大的。

I was brought up to always respect the old.

我从小就被教导要尊重长辈。

The lunar exploration has brought up a new subject.

对月球的探测带来一个新课题。

He was so ill that he brought up everything.

他病得很厉害，什么都吐出来了。

7. for the first time  第一次

Ten years ago， I went to the tropics for the first time.

十年前，我第一次到热带去。

I shall never forget seeing you for the first time in 1964.

我永远忘不了1964年第一次见到你的情景。

比较：for the first time和the first time的区别

（1） for the first time首次;第一次，表示有生以来或一段时间内第一次做某事，在句中一般单独作状语。

The two girl students talked for the first time at the beginning of the term.

两位女生在开学初首次交谈。

（2） the first time首次;第一次，常引导时间状语从句，其重点不是讲第一次做什么，而是说明另一动作或情况;也可以作表语，强调到说话为止某一情况或动作的次数。

I knew we would be good friends the first time I met her.

第一次见到她，我就知道我们会成为好朋友。

This is the first time I have been to the Great Wall.

这是我第一次来到长城。

8. hear of  听说

（1） hear of作“听说”讲，指听到别人说某人或某事（即间接听说），后面通常接名词或代词，与hear about同义。

I have never heard of such a man.

我从未听说过这样一个人。

（2） （will not） hear of  不同意;不允许

He wouldnt hear of me paying for the bill.

他不肯让我付账。

sb hear （that）...  某人听说……

make oneself heard  高声说话使别人听见

hear from  收到……的信息;接……的来信

hear sb out  听完（某人的话）

hear sb do  听见某人做某事（针对已完成的事，被动

时则用sb be heard to do）

hear sb doing  听见某人做某事（针对正在进行的事，

被动时则用sb be heard doing）

9. they say （that）  人家说;据说

They say that Ken is very good at operating computers.

= It is said that Ken is good at operating computers.

= Ken is said to be very good at operating computers.

据说肯很会操作电脑。

10. a bit  有点;稍微

Im a bit tired tonight.

今晚我有点疲倦。

The painting on the wall is a bit crooked.

墙上的油画有些歪。

11. if so  要是那样的话;在那种情况下

If so， then my friend Peter is a bit mad.

要是那样的话，那么我的朋友彼得就有点疯了。

If so， why didnt you tell me？

如果是这样，你为什么不告诉我？

if any  假如有

if possible  如果可能的话

if only  只要……就好了;但愿

if anything  如果有什么（区别）的话

跟踪导练（一）

阅读理解

One of the most popular literary figures in American literature is a woman who spent almost half of her long life in China， a country on a continent thousands of miles from the United States. In her lifetime she got this countrys most honored literary award， the Pulitzer Prize， and also the most prestigious （有声望的） form of literary recognition in the world， the Nobel Prize for literature.

Pearl Buck was almost a household word throughout much of her lifetime because of her literary output， which consisted of some eighty-five published works， including several dozen novels， six collections of short stories， fourteen books for children， and more than a dozen works of nonfiction （非小说）.

When she was eighty years old， some twenty-five books were awaiting publication. Many of those books were set in China， the land in which she spent so much of her life. Her books and her life served as a bridge between the cultures of the East and the West.

Her background （背景） as the product of those two cultures made her into an unusually interesting and versatile （多才多艺的） human being. As we examine the life of Pearl Buck， we cannot help but realise that we are in fact meeting three different people： a wife and mother， an internationally famous writer， and a humanitarian （人道主义者）. One cannot really get to know Pearl Buck without learning about each of the three. Though honored in her lifetime with the William Dean Howell Medal of the American Academy of Arts and Letters in addition to the Nobel and Pulitzer Prize， Pearl Buck as a total human being， not only a famous author， is a fascinating subject of study.

1. What is the authors main purpose of writing the passage？

A. To offer information about the works of Pearl Buck.

B. To show Pearl Bucks views on Chinese literature.

C. To introduce Pearl Buck to readers.

D. To discuss Pearl Bucks influence on the cultures of the East and the West.

2. Pearl Buck is known as a writer of ___ .

A. novels B. childrens books

C. short stories D. all of the above

3. What does the underlined words suggest in Paragraph 2？

A. Pearl Buck was well known.

B. Pearl Buck was a poor woman.

C. Pearl Buck used to be a housewife.

D. The name Pearl Buck was used only at home.

4. Why was Pearl Buck an unusual woman in American literature？

A. She published half of her books abroad.

B. She achieved her first success very late in life.

C. She wrote extensively about a very different culture.

D. She won more awards than any other woman of her time.

选词填空

从下列方框里10个单词中选择8个适当单词的正确形式填入下列各句中，使其句意完整。每个单词只使用一次。

philosopher important kindness teach principle

order equal thinker complain educate

1. We should follow the ____ of seeking truth.

2. This big news is received as a development of major ____ .

3. His ____ had a great influence on my way of thinking.

4. Good looks are not as important as ____ ， which is a good quality we should have.

5. All countries， no matter how big or small they are， should be ____ .

6. He eventually became one of Americas most respected twentieth century ____ .

7. Confucius was not only a great educator but also a well-known ____ .

8. I dont like to think of the means the military will take to keep ____ .

句子翻译

1. 他强调我们应当总是诚实。

2. 尽管她是在城市里出生和长大的，但她更喜欢农村的生活。

3. 中国古代大部分伟大的思想家信奉仁慈的重要性。

4. 有一段时间没有人听从他的劝告。

单项选择

1. — I think he is playing an active part in social work.

— I agree with you ___ .

A. in a way B. in the way

C. by the way D. on the way

2. It is reported that the police will soon ___ the case of the two missing children.

A. look up B. look after

C. look into D. look out

3. All of us want to live ___ ， but some countries are still ___ with each other.

A. in peace; in war B. in peace; at war

C. at peace; in war D. at peace; at war

4. Can you make a sentence to ___ the meaning of the story.

A. bring out B. bring on

C. bring up D. bring about

5. Experts have been ___ warning of the health risks caused by smoking.

A. for the time B. at one time

C. at a time D. for some time

6. All the countries in the world should be equal___ each other， though some developing countries cant develop ___ some sections.

A. with; on B. to; in

C. to; on D. with; in

7. The children are all at ___ table， while the father sits at ___ table， watching TV.

A. /; / B. the; the

C. /; the D. the; /

8. I dont like the way ___ he speaks to me.

A. how B. which

C. that D. of which

9. The reason ___ he failed to be the leader of our group is ___ he seemed to be over self-confident.

A. that; which B. that; why

C. why; which D. why; that

10. Do not forget your ___ to help your parents.

A. justice B. duty

C. freedom D. honesty

跟踪导练（二）

选词填空

从下列方框里10个单词中选择8个适当单词的正确形式填入下列各句中，使其句意完整。每个单词只使用一次。

duty stress respect resign active

influential position honest order inventor

1. He accepted the ____ ， but asked so small a salary.

2. The development of education is ____ in his report.

3. They said he had ____ from their company.

4. I know he is a very ____ writer， whose books are popular， especially among young people.

5. I believe him. I am sure of his ____ .

6. Since I have been helping their masters to solve the problem， they have treated me with ____ .

7. The danger that suddenly threatened recalled him to a sense of ____ .

8. Another third of the elementary schools are ____ working to acquire computers.

句子翻译

1. 已经到达的那列火车是从成都来的。

2. 你喜欢的女孩就是我喜欢的女孩。

3. 上海是我的父亲曾经住过的地方。

4. 车祸发生在我到达的那天。

单项选择

1. We hope to get such a tool ___ he is using.

A. where B. that

C. as D. which

2. This is the best hotel in the city ___ I know.

A. it B. where

C. that D. which

3. There isnt so much noise in the countryside ___ in big cities.

A. as B. where

C. which D. that

4. I often think of my childhood ___ I lived on a farm.

A. who B. when

C. where D. which

5. He talked happily about the men and books ___ interested him greatly in the school.

A. that B. when

C. who D. which

6. The young woman ___ I spoke just now is a young doctor.

A. who B. to whom

C. whom D. that

7. Please show me the book ___ you bought yesterday.

A. which B. when

C. whose D. where

8. I will never forget the day ___ we worked together in London.

A. when B. on that

C. which D. in which

9. I will never forget the day ___ we spent together.

A. when B. on which

C. which D. while

10. Make sure you have turned off the computer before going out.

___ .

A. Hear it B. Made it

C. Got it D. Forgot it

完形填空

In 1896， 17-year-old Einstein went to Zurich to study physics. There he met Marits， a girl from Hungary. They    1    in the same class and the common interest in physics    2    the two together and they became good friends. Before long they    3    in love with each other. In 1903， when Einstein was 24， he    4    Marits， who was 4 years older than he.

Before their marriage， Einstein    5    himself to the research of the great theory of relativity （相对论）. To give her husband more    6   ， Marits    7    up her own work， and became a good wife and    8   . She tried her best to encourage him    9    possible. She was sure that her husband would succeed. They often    10    the theory while walking outside or sitting together in the room. They    11    did that in their    12    when one of them was away from home.

In 1914， the Einsteins moved to Berlin and    13    down there. At that time， Einsteins theory    14    to be correct and he became  famous all over the world. Marits was very    15    of her husband with his success.    16    it was not long after the First World War

17   ， Marits as well as her two sons， who were    18    in Switzerland， couldnt come back to Berlin any longer. The    19    not only stopped Einsteins work but also broke up the warm， happy

20   . In 1919， Einstein and Marits had to get divorced （离婚）.

1. A. met B. attended C. studied D. appeared

2. A. let B. connected C. caused D. brought

3. A. fell B. got C. lost D. turned

4. A. left B. knew C. married D. followed

5. A. adopted B. impressed C. aimed D. devoted

6. A. freedom B. help C. money D. changes

7. A. gave B. held C. kept D. took

8. A. mother B. cook C. servant D. assistant

9. A. whatever B. whenever C. however D. whichever

10. A. mentioned B. practised C. discussed D. exchanged

11. A. thus B. yet C. ever D. even

12. A. experiments B. works C. books D. letters

13. A. put B. lived C. settled D. worked

14. A. seemed B. appeared C. looked D. proved

15. A. fond B. proud C. crazy D. sure

16. A. Where B. Since C. That D. When

17. A. gave out B. broke out C. went up D. took place

18. A. living B. working C. travelling D. performing

19. A. country B. job C. world D. war

20. A. life B. time C. home D. family

跟踪导练（三）

选词填空

从下列方框里10个单词中选择8个适当单词的正确形式填入下列各句中，使其句意完整。每个单词只使用一次。

contribution justice discover importance invent

equal material soft afford category

1. Everybody should be treated with ____ .

2. The money came from worldwide ____ .

3. The Chinese ____ the compass.

4. He closed the door ____ so that he should not rouse anybody.

5. These books can be divided into two ____ .

6. Please send us the ____ at once. Its urgently needed.

7. Im very busy this week and cant ____ to see two films.

8. In 1932， an American scientist reported an unexpected and astonishing ____ .

句子翻译

1. 他和他的哥哥都不仔细。（no + 比较级 + than）

2. 我不认识我昨天给她雨伞的那位妇女。

3. 尽管她开车很快，但她的方向感很差。

4. 他对公司的成功做出了重要的贡献。

单项选择

1. The subject ___ I am interested is English.

A. in that B. that

C. in which D. which

2. Ill show you a store ___ you can buy all ___ you need.

A. that; that B. which; that

C. where; which D. in which; /

3. The cloth ___ this coat is made is produced in Nanjing.

A. of which B. for which

C. from which D. with which

4. David is such a good boy ___ all the teachers like him.

A. that B. who

C. as D. whom

5. The train ___ she was traveling was late.

A. which B. where

C. on which D. in that

6. Hes got himself into a dangerous situation ___ he is likely to lose control over the plane.

A. where B. which

C. that D. when

7. The goals ___ he had fought all his life no longer seemed important to him.

A. at which B. with which

C. after which D. for which

8. This is the very bike ___ he is going to take a sightseeing.

A. in which B. on which

C. with which D. by which

9. The hours ___ the children spend watching TV may affect their relationships with real-life people.

A. when B. that

C. in which D. on which

10. The English play ___ my students acted at the New Years party was a great success.

A. for which B. at which

C. in which D. on which

阅读表达（阅读下面短文，并按照题目要求用英语回答问题。）

Alexander Graham Bell （1847—1922）， inventor of the telephone， was born in Edinburgh， Scotland， on March 3， 1847. He was educated in Edinburgh schools and studied briefly at University of Edinburgh. At the age of sixteen he became an instructor in speech and music at a college in Scotland. He moved to London in 1865. In 1870 he went with his family to Ontario， Canada. In 1871 he lectured on his system of speech for the deaf. From his use of visual device （视觉装备） to teach speech to deaf children， he developed the idea of the telephone. He was also， at this time， deeply interested in a telegraph system that would allow more than one transmission （转换） over the same wire to pass at the same time. Three years later he discovered that sound could be transmitted over a wire by electricity. On February 14， 1876， both Bell and Elisha Gray applied for patents （专利） for the invention of the telephone. Bells patent was issued on March 7， but it was not until 1893，after many lawsuits， that the Supreme Court decided in his favor. On March 10， 1876， the first sentence ever transmitted by electricity over wires was sent by him. Among Bells other achievements was an improvement on Edisons phonograph and， working with others， a device to improve the stability of airplanes.

Bell received an award at the international Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876， and the following year was awarded Francess Volta Prize and membership in the Legion of Honor. In 1882 he became an American citizen. He wrote over one hundred articles and pamphlets and between 1875 and 1922 received thirty patents which had to do with communication by telephone and speech by the deaf. He died in Nova Scotia on August 2， 1922.

1. What did Bell instruct at the college in Scotland？ （no more than 3 words）

2. What did Bell discover in 1874？ （no more than 10 words）

3. Why wasnt Bells patent for the invention of the telephone accepted at once？ （no more than 10 words）

4. When did Bell get his patent for the invention of the telephone？ （no more than 2 words）

5. At what age did Bell become an American citizen？ （no more than 5 words）

 跟踪导练（四）

阅读理解

Even before my father left us， my mother had to go back to work to support our family. Once I came out of the kitchen， complaining， “Mom， I cant peel potatoes. I have only one hand.”

Mom never looked up from sewing. “You get yourself into that kitchen and peel those potatoes，” she told me. “And dont ever use that as an excuse for anything again！”

In the second grade， our teacher lined up my class on the playground and had each of us race across the monkey bars， swinging from one high steel bar to the next. When it was my turn， I shook my head. Some kids behind me laughed， and I went home crying.

That night I told Mom about it. She hugged me， and I saw her “well see about that” look. The next afternoon， she took me back to school. At the deserted playground， Mom looked carefully at the bars.

“Now， pull up with your right arm，” she advised. She stood by as I struggled to lift myself with my right hand until I could hook the bar with my other arm. Day after day we practiced， and she praised me for every rung （横档） I reached. Id never forget the moment when I was crossing the rungs. I looked down at the kids who were standing with their mouths open.

One night， after a dance at my new junior high， I lay in bed sobbing. I could hear Mom come into my room. “Mom，” I said， weeping， “none of the girls would dance with me.”

For a long time， I didnt hear anything. Then she said， “Oh， honey， someday youll be beating those boys off with a bat. ”Her voice was soft and weak. I glanced at her to see tears running down her cheeks. Then I knew how much she suffered on my behalf. She had never let me see her tears.

1. Whats Moms attitude when she made the writer peel potatoes？

A. Cruel. B. Serious.

C. Strict. D. Cold.

2. From the passage， we know monkey bars can help a child train ___ .

A. the skill to circle round a bar

B. the skill to throw and catch things

C. the speed of ones hand movement

D. the strength and skill to hang and swing

3. What does the underlined sentence imply？

A. Mom believed every aim could be achieved if you stuck to it.

B. What the writer had said brought Mom great attraction and curiosity.

C. Mom was determined to prove she herself was better than the teacher.

D. The race across monkey bars was not difficult enough for a kid to give up.

4. Why were the kids standing with mouths open when the writer was crossing the rungs？

A. They felt sorry for what they had done before.

B. They were astonished to find the writers progress.

C. They were afraid the writer might fall off and get hurt.

D. They enjoyed watching what the writer was doing on the bars.

选词填空

从下列方框里10个单词中选择8个适当单词的正确形式填入下列各句中，使其句意完整。每个单词只使用一次。

figure adviser condition spread ruin

argument freedom love invention fuel

1. His forceful ____ put his opponent to silence.

2. He is one of the ____ to the President.

3. The American flag stands for ____ and justice.

4. Doctors say there is no change in the patients physical ____ .

5. Edison was considered to be one of the greatest ____ in the world.

6. Many small plants in that country closed down for lack of ____ .

7. The disease is ____ ， and all children under 5 are at risk.

8. I remembered the lady I was half in ____ with， only for her dancing.

句子翻译

1. 总之，我要感谢你为我所做的一切。

2. 他六岁时第一次乘坐飞机，从那以后便对飞行产生了兴趣。

3. 我为作为一个发明家感到骄傲。

4. 他以前住的那栋房子现在是工厂了。

单项选择

1. The man is in very good ___ ， but his living ___ bad.

A. conditions; conditions are

B. conditions; condition is

C. condition; condition is

D. condition; conditions are

2. I thought her kind and honest ___ I met her.

A. first time B. for the first time

C. the first time D. by the first time

3. The meeting， ___ he was absent， is ___ .

A. which; important

B. that; important

C. from which; of great important

D. from which; of great importance

4. Cant you ___ a better excuse than hers？

A. discover B. invent

C. produce D. create

5. Please just listen ___ . Then turn to page 68 and point to the sentence you hear.

A. at first B. for the first time

C. the first time D. first of all

6. His handwriting is ___ ， and his sisters is ___ his.

A. not good; no better than

B. not good; not better than

C. good; no better than

D. good; not better than

7. That is the day ___ Ill never forget.

A. which B. on which

C. in which D. when

8. The manager ordered that the mail ___ to him at once.

A. to send B. sent

C. be sent D. will be sent

9. Thanks to the environmental protection plan， our living conditions have been greatly ___ .

A. increased B. improved

C. developed D. grown

10. They agreed to the plan only ___ .

A. in all B. in conclusion

C. in common D. in principle

The Great Inventions of Edison's

爱迪生的伟大发明

There are many people who say Thomas Edison single-handedly invented the twentieth century. Although there are those who may disagree， one thing cannot be denied： Edison was a genius， and his inventions greatly affected the development of modern society.

有许多人认为是爱迪生一手创造了20世纪。虽然不少人可能有不同的看法，但有一件事无法否认：爱迪生是个天才，他的发明深刻地影响了现代社会的发展。

Born in 1847 in Ohio， Thomas Edison attended school for only three months. After his teacher claimed that he could not learn， Edisons mother decided to teach him at home. There he was allowed to explore the subjects that most interested him. By age ten， Edison had built a science laboratory in the basement of his familys home and had become an avid experimenter.

1847年，爱迪生出生于俄亥俄州。他仅仅上了三个月的学。在爱迪生的老师声称他有学习障碍之后，他的母亲决定在家教他。在家里，爱迪生可以随心所欲地探索最使他感兴趣的事物。十岁那年，爱迪生在家里的地下室建了一间科学实验室。从此，爱迪生就成为一位孜孜不倦的实验者。

Edison got his first job at age twelve on the railway selling candy and newspapers. Three years later， he suffered an ear injury from a train accident and lost much of his hearing. He could have had an operation， but he refused. He insisted that being deaf helped him concentrate on his experiments.

十二岁时，爱迪生找到了他的第一份工作──在火车上卖糖果和报纸。三年后，一场火车事故导致他耳朵受伤，几乎完全失聪。他本可以接受手术治疗，但他拒绝了，因为他坚信，听觉的丧失可以让他更专心地做实验。

Thomas Edisons first invention was the automatic telegraph repeater. He was already an expert on the telegraph before he came up with a gadget that sent telegraph signals between unmanned stations. Thanks to Edison， people were then able to send several telegraph messages simultaneously.

电报自动转发器是爱迪生的第一个发明。他发明的这种装置，用于在无人看管的两站之间传输电报信号。在此项发明前，爱迪生就已经是位电报专家了。幸亏有爱迪生，我们才能在同一时间传送好几封电报讯息。

Next came the electric vote recorder. It made voting quicker and more accurate， yet no one wanted to buy it. Edison then moved on to tackle the stock market ticker， the machine that gave information about stock market prices. Edison improved it， and sold the rights for US$40，000.

接下来的电子计票器让统计票数的速度更快、更准确，但却没有人买。之后，爱迪生转而进行股票行情收录器的研究，他改进了收录器，并将该项专利以四万美元卖出。

In his late twenties， Edison built an “invention factory” where he and his business partners could dedicate all their time to inventing. After improving upon the telephone， Edison created the phonograph， his favorite and most lucrative invention. Although Edison did not actually invent the light bulb， he did create an electric lighting system which led to its widespread use.

近三十岁时，爱迪生盖了一座“发明工厂”，可让他和他的同事专心致力于发明工作。在改进了电话功能后，爱迪生又发明了留声机，这是他喜爱的而且最能赚钱的一项发明。虽然爱迪生实际上并没有发明灯泡，但他的确发明了电灯照明系统，这促进了灯泡的广泛使用。

A tireless achiever， Edison established the first central electric power station in 1882， enabling New York to be the first city in the world to have electric lights. This was the beginning of the modern world in which electricity became a way of life.

1882年，这位孜孜不倦的实践家建成了第一座中央电站，使纽约市成为世界上第一个有电力照明设备的城市。这就是现代世界的开始，用电成为人们的一种生活方式。

The following year， one of Edisons engineers discovered electrons， which eventually led to electronics. This discovery was patented as the “Edison effect”. Without electronics， we might not have radio， TV， computers， or space travel. The rest of Edisons life was spent making and improving inventions including the motion picture camera， the alkaline battery， the copy machine， and the microphone.

第二年，爱迪生手下的一名工程师发现了电子，最终产生了电子学。这个发现以“爱迪生效应”为名获得发明专利。假若没有电子学，我们很可能就没有收音机、电视机、电脑甚至没有太空旅行。在最后的岁月里，爱迪生继续创造并改进那些发明，其中包括电影摄像机、碱性电池、复印机及麦克风。

Thomas Edison died at the age of eighty-four in 1931. Three days later， much of America dimmed its lights in honor of the inventor—man who had more impact on the development of present-day civilization than anyone else in history.

爱迪生于1931年去世，享年八十四岁。在他死后三天，美国大部分地区暗下灯来，纪念这位在历史上对现代文明发展最具影响力的发明家。