美国学生历史 第176期:1860年的美国(6)

 368. Progress of Invention. 368．发明方面的进展

The electric telegraph was now in common use. 此时电报已经投入日常使用，

It enabled the newspapers to tell the people what was going on as they never had done before. 它使得报纸可以告诉人们外界正发生着他们之前从没有做过的事。

Perhaps the invention that did as much as any one thing to make life easier was the sewing machine. 也许使得生活更为轻松的发明是缝纫机。

Elias Howe was the first man to make a really practicable sewing machine. 伊莱亚斯·豪是第一个制作出真正可以使用的缝纫机的人，

Other inventors improved upon it, and also made machines to sew other things than cloth, as leather. 其他发明家对之做出改进，还使得缝纫机可以缝制布料以外的东西，如皮革。

Agricultural machinery¹ was now in common use. 此时农业机械也得到普遍使用，

The horse reaper² had been much improved, and countless³ machines had been invented to make agricultural labor⁴ more easy and economical. 马拉收割机已经得到大幅改进，人们发明数不清的机械使农业劳动变得更为容易和有效。

Hundreds of homely⁵ articles, as friction⁶ matches and rubber shoes, came into use in these years. 在这些年间，数以百计如火柴、胶鞋这样的发明也投入使用。

In short, the thirty years from Jackson’s inauguration⁷ to the secession of the Southern states were years of great progress. 总而言之，从杰克森宣誓就职到南方各州宣布退出联邦的这三十年是取得巨大进步的三十年。

But this progress was confined almost wholly to the North. 但是，这些进步几乎完全是在北方取得，

In the South, living in 1860 was about the same as it had been in 1830, or even in 1800. 而在南方，1830年的生活和1860年的生活没有什么两样，甚至与1800年的生活也没有什么两样。

As a Southern orator⁸ said of the South, “The rush and whirl of modern civilization passed her by.” 一名南方的演讲家这样说南方：“现代文明的激流和漩涡，与它擦肩而过。”

1 machinery   

n.(总称)机械，机器；机构

参考例句：

• Has the machinery been put up ready for the broadcast?广播器材安装完毕了吗？
• Machinery ought to be well maintained all the time.机器应该随时注意维护。

2 reaper   

n.收割者，收割机

参考例句：

• The painting is organized about a young reaper enjoying his noonday rest.这幅画的画面设计成一个年轻的割禾人在午间休息。
• A rabbit got caught in the blades of the reaper.一只兔子被卷到收割机的刀刃中去了。

3 countless   

adj.无数的，多得不计其数的

参考例句：

• In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
• I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。

4 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

5 homely   

adj.家常的，简朴的；不漂亮的

参考例句：

• We had a homely meal of bread and cheese.我们吃了一顿面包加乳酪的家常便餐。
• Come and have a homely meal with us,will you?来和我们一起吃顿家常便饭，好吗？

6 friction   

n.摩擦，摩擦力

参考例句：

• When Joan returned to work,the friction between them increased.琼回来工作后，他们之间的摩擦加剧了。
• Friction acts on moving bodies and brings them to a stop.摩擦力作用于运动着的物体，并使其停止。

7 inauguration   

n.开幕、就职典礼

参考例句：

• The inauguration of a President of the United States takes place on January 20.美国总统的就职典礼于一月二十日举行。
• Three celebrated tenors sang at the president's inauguration.3位著名的男高音歌手在总统就职仪式上演唱。

8 orator   

n.演说者，演讲者，雄辩家

参考例句：

• He was so eloquent that he cut down the finest orator.他能言善辩，胜过最好的演说家。
• The orator gestured vigorously while speaking.这位演讲者讲话时用力地做手势。