美国学生历史 第133期:1830年美国的人口(4)

 　　298. The Steam Locomotive. 298．蒸汽机车

　　Steam was used to drive boats through the water. 人们用蒸汽在水上驱动船，

　　Why should not steam be used to haul wagons¹ over a railroad? 为什么不可以用蒸汽在路轨上拉动马车？

　　This was a very easy question to ask, and a very hard one to answer. 这是一个非常容易想到的问题，也是一个非常难于回答的问题，

　　Year after year inventors worked on the problem. 发明家们年复一年地研究这个问题。

　　Suddenly, about 1830, it was solved in several places and by several men at nearly the same time. 突然，大约是1830年，几乎在同一时间这个问题被不同地方的几个人解决了。

　　It was some years, however, before the locomotive came into general use. 然而，几年后火车头才投入正常的使用。

　　The early railroad trains were rude affairs.  早期的铁路火车非常粗糙，

　　The cars were hardly more than stagecoaches² with flanged³ wheels. 这些所谓的火车几乎比不上带有轮缘的马车，

　　They were fastened together with chains, and when the engine started or stopped, there was a terrible bumping and jolting⁴. 人们用链条将它们紧紧连在一起，当火车头发动或停下来时就有可怕的冲击与震动；

　　The smoke pipe of the engine was very tall and was hinged so that it could be let down when coming to a low bridge or a tunnel. 火车头的烟筒非常高并且是铰接在发动机上，当遇到低矮的桥梁或者隧道时就可以将烟筒放下来，

　　Then the smoke and cinders⁵ poured straight into the passengers' faces. 而此时浓烟和灰烬会直接扑到乘客的脸上。

　　But these trains went faster than canal boats or steamboats. 但这些火车比运河上的船只和汽船跑得都要快，

　　Soon the railroad began to take the first place as a means of transport. 很快，铁路成为首选交通方式。

　　299. Other Inventions. 299．其他发明

　　The coming of the steam locomotive hastened the changes which one saw on every side in 1830. 蒸汽火车的到来加速了发展，从1830年前后的发展都可以看出这一点。

　　For some time men had known that there was plenty of hard coal or anthracite in Pennsylvania. 一段时间以来，人们知道在宾夕法尼亚州有大量的硬煤或者无烟煤，

　　But it was so hard that it would not burn in the old-fashioned stoves and fireplaces. 但是，在老式的火炉或者壁炉中很难烧这种煤。

　　Now a stove was invented that would burn anthracite, and the whole matter of house warming was completely changed. 此时，有人发明了一种燃烧这种煤的炉子，整个房间的取暖问题得以完全解决。

　　Then means were found to make iron from ore with anthracite. 随后，人们找到了用无烟煤从矿石中提炼出铁的方法，

　　The whole iron industry awoke to new life. 钢铁工业获得新生，

　　Next the use of gas made from coal became common in cities. 接着，煤气的使用在城市普及。

1 wagons   

n.四轮的运货马车( wagon的名词复数 )；铁路货车；小手推车

参考例句：

• The wagons were hauled by horses. 那些货车是马拉的。
• They drew their wagons into a laager and set up camp. 他们把马车围成一圈扎起营地。

2 stagecoaches   

n.驿马车( stagecoach的名词复数 )

参考例句：

3 flanged   

带凸缘的，用法兰连接的，折边的

参考例句：

• Has a higher application temperature than Teflon ® seated flanged ball valves. 比特氟隆阀座法兰球阀还高的应用温度。 来自互联网
• Low pressure drop. Micrometer adjustment. Flanged with threaded companion flange. 具有低压降，可微调，配有法兰等产品特点。 来自互联网

4 jolting   

adj.令人震惊的

参考例句：

• 'she should be all right from the plane's jolting by now. “飞机震荡应该过了。
• This is perhaps the most jolting comment of all. 这恐怕是最令人震惊的评论。

5 cinders   

n.煤渣( cinder的名词复数 )；炭渣；煤渣路；煤渣跑道

参考例句：

• This material is variously termed ash, clinker, cinders or slag. 这种材料有不同的名称，如灰、炉渣、煤渣或矿渣。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Rake out the cinders before you start a new fire. 在重新点火前先把煤渣耙出来。 来自《简明英汉词典》