The Genius of Tesla
美音、自然拼读、分级阅读与词汇复习
Table of Contents The Magician.
内容表 The Magician. 中国植物物种信息数据库.
4 Meeting Mr.
第4次会议
Edison.
爱迪生
6 Digging Ditches.
6个掘地沟.
9 Battle of the Currents.
9 海流之战.
11 Radio Days.
11个广播日.
13 A Lasting Influence.
13 持久影响。
15 Glossary.
15 词汇。
16 The Magician One day, a man invited a group of people into his laboratory to watch one of his experiments.
16 魔术师 一天,一个男人邀请一群人进入他的实验室观看他的一个实验.
As the crowd took their seats, the man, Nikola Tesla, walked calmly to a wooden stage and sat on a chair.
当人群入座时,男子尼古拉·特斯拉(Nikola Tesla)平静地走入了木制舞台并坐在椅子上.
Under the stage was a powerful electrical generator.
在舞台下是一台强大的发电机。
Tesla flipped a switch.
特斯拉打开了开关
Wild streaks of light sparked across the room.
狂野的光照亮了整个房间
Some struck Tesla.
有人袭击了特斯拉
When the light show was over, Tesla stepped off the stage unharmed.
当灯光秀结束的时候,特斯拉毫不伤害地从舞台上走出.
The crowd burst into applause.
人群冲出掌声.
Tesla sits calmly reading a book while artificial lightning fills his laboratory.
特斯拉静静地坐着读了一本书,而人造闪电则填补了他的实验室.
Electrical displays from Tesla and Westinghouse amazed crowds at the World’s Fair in Chicago in 1893.
来自特斯拉和威斯丁豪斯的电展在1893年的芝加哥世界博览会上令人惊讶地吸引了观众.
Tesla was no magician.
特斯拉不是魔术师
He was a scientist who had just showed how safe a newly discovered form of electric current was.
他是一位科学家,他刚刚展示了 新发现的电流是多么安全。
His discovery, alternating current (AC), changed the world.
他的发现,交替流 (AC),改变了世界。
It would go on to power modern industry and light up nations.
它将继续发展现代工业,使国家更加光明。
Meeting Mr.
会 议 纪 要
Edison Tesla was born during a lightning storm in 1856 in Eastern Europe.
爱迪生·特斯拉生于1856年东欧闪电风暴期间.
Tesla’s love of inventing came from his mother, who built small household appliances in her spare time.
特斯拉对发明的热爱来自他的母亲,她在业余时间制造了小型家用电器.
Tesla wanted to study electricity when he grew up.
特斯拉长大后想学习电能.
After years of schooling and work, he figured out a way to generate electricity safely by using alternating current.
经过多年的学习和工作,他想出一个方法,通过使用交替电流安全发电.
Tesla moved to the United States in 1884 at age twenty-eight.
特斯拉于1884年28岁时移居美国.
On his second day in America, he walked into Thomas Edison’s New York office.
在美国的第二天,他走入了托马斯·爱迪生的纽约办公室.
Tesla handed the great inventor a letter from one of Edison’s European friends.
特斯拉将爱迪生的欧洲朋友之一的信交给了伟大的发明家.
It read: “My Dear Edison: I know two great men and you are one of them.
上面写道:“亲爱的爱迪生:我认识两个伟大的人,你也是其中之一。
The other is this young man!”
另一个是这个年轻人!”
Thomas Edison was a smart businessman as well as an inventor.
托马斯·爱迪生是一个聪明的商人以及发明家.
Tesla’s demonstrations of new technology were often spectacular.
特斯拉对新技术的展示往往非常壮观。
AC and DC: What’s the Difference?
空调公司和DC: 有何不同?
Electricity is the flow of charged particles called electrons.
电是电荷粒子称为电子的流出.
Electricity can flow in two ways: by an alternating current or by a direct current.
电流可以有两种方式:相交电流或直流电流.
Direct current moves in one direction as a straight line and is difficult to send over long distances without losing energy.
直流作为正线向一个方向移动,很难在不失去能量的情况下远距离发送.
Direct current is not easily changed to higher or lower voltages.
直流电不易被改变为高压或下压.
In an alternating current, electrons move rapidly back and forth, changing direction sixty times per second.
在交替电流中,电子回向和回向迅速移动,改变方向为每秒60回.
Alternating current can easily be changed to lower and higher voltages and be sent over long distances without losing a lot of energy.
换向电流可以很容易地被改变为电压更低和电压更高,并且在不损失大量能量的情况下被远距离发送.
At the time, Edison was famous as the father of the electrical age.
当时,爱迪生以"电气时代"之父而出名.
He had invented a lighting system that used lightbulbs and direct current (DC) power stations.
他发明了使用灯泡和直流电站的照明系统。
Edison gave Tesla a job.
爱迪生给了特斯拉一份工作.
Edison promised the young engineer $50,000 if he could increase the power of his DC electric system in New York City.
爱迪生答应年轻工程师5万美元,如果他能增加他在纽约市的DC电力系统的功率.
Tesla accepted the challenge.
特斯拉接受了挑战.
Edison’s first successful lightbulb gave off the light of sixteen candles.
爱迪生第一个成功的灯泡,
Digging Ditches Tesla worked long hours.
Digging Ditches Tesla工作了很长时间。
He slept and ate very little.
他睡觉吃得很少
A few months later, Tesla announced success.
几个月后,特斯拉宣布成功.
Edison, however, refused to pay the $50,000.
然而,爱迪生拒绝支付这5万美元.
He said his offer had only been a joke.
他说他的提议只是一个玩笑
Tesla was angry.
特斯拉很愤怒
He quit his job and stormed out of Edison’s office.
他辞职后冲出爱迪生的办公室.
However, word spread about Tesla’s achievements.
然而,关于特斯拉的成就的流言传开来.
A short time later, a group of businessmen asked Tesla to invent a better lightbulb.
不久后,一群商人要求特斯拉发明出更好的灯泡.
His new lightbulb made the businessmen rich.
他的新灯泡使商人富有.
Almost none of the money went to Tesla, however.
然而,几乎没有一笔钱流向特斯拉。
Tesla ran out of money.
特斯拉没钱了
He took a job digging ditches for Edison’s light company.
他为爱迪生的灯光公司挖了地沟。
It paid two dollars per day.
它每天付了两美元。
Tesla’s luck changed when he met A.
特斯拉遇到A后运气变了.
K.
凯.
Brown of the Western Union Company.
西部联合公司的布朗.
Tesla told Brown about his ideas of how to use alternating current.
特斯拉告诉了布朗他如何使用交替流的想法.
Brown was impressed.
布朗印象深刻.
He gave Tesla money to work on his ideas.
他给了特斯拉钱来研究他的想法.
Working just a few short blocks from Edison’s office, Tesla designed and built all the parts needed for an AC power station.
Tesla在Edison办公室附近短短的几条街工作,设计并建造了空调发电站所需的所有部件。
Tesla born “at the stroke of midnight” as a lighting storm rages.
特斯拉生于"午夜中风",
Tesla, 17, contracts cholera and nearly dies.
特斯拉,17岁,感染了霍乱,几乎死亡.
Tesla’s father promises to send his son to an engineering school if he recovers.
Tesla的父亲承诺,如果他康复的话,会送儿子去一所工程学校.
Tesla arrives in America.
特斯拉抵达美国.
Tesla founds the Tesla Electric Light Company.
特斯拉发现了特斯拉电光公司.
Tesla builds a special coil that he uses to produce high-voltage, high-frequency alternating current.
特斯拉建立了一个特殊的线圈,用来产生高电压,高频交替电流.
Tesla’s AC generators illuminate the Chicago World’s Fair.
特斯拉的AC发电机照亮了芝加哥世界博览会。
Tesla experiments with radio waves.
特斯拉用无线电波实验.
Tesla demonstrates the first robot—a remote- controlled boat.
特斯拉展示了第一艘机器人——一艘遥控船只。
Tesla dies at the age of 86.
特斯拉逝世于86岁.
Battle of the Currents A wealthy inventor named George Westinghouse was sure that alternating current was the future.
洋流之战 一个名叫乔治·威斯丁豪斯的富有发明家 确信交替流是未来
He bought the rights to use Tesla’s inventions for $60,000— about $1.
他以6万-约一美元的价格购买了使用特斯拉发明的权利.
4 million today— plus part ownership in Westinghouse’s company.
今天有400万 加上Westinghouse公司的部分所有权
Tesla quickly spent the money on a new laboratory.
特斯拉很快把钱花在了一个新的实验室上.
The two men then began to deliver electricity to different parts of the United States.
两人随后开始向美国各地提供电力.
Edison was angry as Westinghouse began building AC generators in rural areas that Edison’s DC system could not reach.
爱迪生感到愤怒,因为Westinghouse开始在农村地区建造爱迪生的DC系统无法到达的AC发电机.
Westinghouse sold the electricity at a cheap price in order to cut into Edison’s business.
威斯丁豪斯以低廉的价格出售了电力,以削减爱迪生的生意.
Edison stood to lose a lot of money.
爱迪生输了很多钱
He said bad things about Westinghouse and warned the public that alternating current was dangerous.
他说了有关威斯丁豪斯的坏话,并警告公众交替流是危险的.
Westinghouse got a chance to prove Edison wrong when he won the job of lighting the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago.
威斯廷豪斯赢得了1893年芝加哥世界博览会的照明工作,从而获得了证明爱迪生错误的机会.
Westinghouse asked Tesla to use his AC generators for the event.
威斯通豪斯要求特斯拉使用他的AC发电机进行活动.
When opening day arrived, U.
开幕日到来时,U.
S.
师曰.
President Grover Cleveland pushed a button.
格罗弗总统 克利夫兰按了个按钮
One hundred thousand lightbulbs turned on, to the delight of the crowd.
10万个灯泡被打开, 给观众带来乐趣。
The “City of Light” showed that AC power was better than DC power and not as dangerous as Edison had claimed.
“光之城”表明,AC电能比DC电能好,没有爱迪生声称的那么危险。
Unfortunately, Westinghouse’s company had almost run out of money after years of fighting with Edison.
不幸的是,威斯丁豪斯的公司在与爱迪生多年的争斗后,资金几乎用尽.
To save the company, Tesla tore up the contract he had signed with Westinghouse.
为了拯救公司,特斯拉撕毁了他与西宁豪斯签订的合同.
Tesla’s kindness cost him millions of dollars over the years.
特斯拉的好心多年来花了他数百万美元。
George Westinghouse Tesla designed large AC generators for Westinghouse, such as the ones shown here.
乔治·韦斯丁豪斯 特斯拉为Westinghouse设计了大型AC发电机,如这里所显示的.
Radio Days Tesla had won the war of the electric currents.
特斯拉电台赢得了电流之战
He now began exploring ways to send electricity through the air without wires.
他现在开始探索在没有电线的情况下通过空气输送电力的方法.
To that end, he built a special wire coil.
为此他建造了专用的线圈.
Tesla used the coil to develop new kinds of lightbulbs and to take the first X-ray photographs.
特斯拉用线圈来开发出新型的灯泡并拍摄出第一批X光相片.
In November 1890, Tesla used the coil to do what many people thought was impossible.
1890年11月,特斯拉用圈来做许多人认为不可能做的事.
He sent an AC current through the air to light up a lightbulb.
他通过空气发送了AC电流来点燃一盏灯泡.
Soon afterward, he began experimenting with radio waves.
不久后他开始用无线电波进行实验.
In early 1895, Tesla was ready to send a radio signal fifty miles from New York City to West Point, New York.
1895年初,特斯拉准备从纽约市到纽约西点50英里处发送无线电信号.
Years of work were lost, however, when an accidental fire destroyed his laboratory.
然而,当一场意外火灾摧毁了他的实验室时,工作损失了多年。
In 1901, an inventor in England, Guglielmo Marconi, used many of Tesla’s ideas to send a radio signal across the Atlantic Ocean.
1901年,英国的发明家古格列尔莫·马可尼(Guglielmo Marconi)利用特斯拉的许多想法,向整个大西洋发出无线电信号.
The achievement made Marconi a huge star.
成就使马可尼成为了巨星.
People—including Tesla’s rival, Thomas Edison—gave Marconi money to start a radio company.
包括Tesla的对手Thomas Edison-gave Marconi创办一家无线电公司的钱。
Marconi, not Tesla, got the credit for inventing the radio.
马可尼,不是特斯拉, 获得了发明无线电的功劳。
A modern Tesla coil sends electrical power through the air to light up a neon tube.
一个现代的特斯拉线圈通过空气发送出电能来点亮一个霓虹管.
Guglielmo Marconi sits surrounded by early radio equipment in 1901.
1901年Guglielmo Marconi被早期无线电设备所包围.
A Lasting Influence In 1943, Tesla died at age eighty-six while living in a hotel room that had been paid for by Westinghouse.
1943年,特斯拉活活在西宁豪斯付过钱的旅馆房间,享年86岁.
After his death, the U.
死后为吴.
S.
师曰.
Tesla’s invention, calling him the “father of radio.”
特斯拉的发明,称他为"无线电之父". “
Tesla had spent his riches on failed project after failed project and never received the credit he deserved for his research and inventions.
特斯拉在失败后将他的财富花在了失败的项目上,并且从未因他的研究和发明而得到他应得的荣誉.
Still, the inventor had a huge effect on technology and the shape of the modern world.
然而,发明家对技术和现代世界的外形产生了巨大影响.
His use of alternating current powered modern cities and completely changed life in rural areas that had been without electricity.
他使用交替的电流为现代城市供电,并彻底改变了农村一直没有供电的生活.
His experiments with robots, radio, radar, X-rays, and wireless technology pointed the way to the future.
他与机器人,收音机,雷达,X射线,无线技术的实验指明了通向未来的道路.
Tesla’s love of creating things made him a giant among modern-day scientists.
特斯拉对创造事物的热爱使他成为了现代科学家中的巨人.
His favorite thing in life was the “thrill” of seeing an invention work for the first time.
他一生中最喜欢的就是第一次看到发明作品的"旋风".