西部落：19岁少年的风车梦

William Kamkwamba: How I built my family a windmill

When he was just 14 years old, Malawian inventor William Kamkwamba built his family an electricity-generating windmill from spare parts, working from rough plans he found in a library book

William, hi, good to see you!

Thanks.

So, um, we got a picture I think, where is this?

This is my home, this is where I live.

Where, what country?

In the Malawian zone, in Kasonga, yeah, Malawi.

OK, now, you’re 19 now?

Yeah, I am 19-year-old now.

5 years ago, you had an idea. What was that?

I want to make a windmill.

Windmill?

Yeah.

And so, just water power electric for lighting² and stuff³?

Yeah.

So what did you do, how do you realize that?

Er, after I dropped out from school, I went to library and I read a book Technology, using energy, and I get information about doing the mill¹. And I tried and I made it.

So, (applause) so, you copied, you exactly copied the design in the book?

Er, no, I adjust.

What happened?

In fact, a design of the windmill, it was in the book, it had got for up 3 plates, and mine have got four plates.

The book had 3, yours have 4? (Yeah.) And you made that out of what?

Er, I made 4 plates just because I want to increase power.

OK, did you test it 3 and found that 4 works⁴ better?

Yeah, I adjust.

And what did you make the windmill out of? What materials did you use?

I use a bicyle frame⁵ and a pulley and plastic pipe, wooden poles.

Do we have a picture of that claim in the next slide?

Yeah, so that’s the windmill.

And so, and that windmill, what, it worked?

When the wind blows, it produces and generates⁶ (electricity).

How much electricity?

2 volts⁷.

And so, that lit a light for the house? How many lights?

4 bulbs and 2 radios.

Well!

Yeah.

And so, next slide.

So who’s that?

This is my parents. Work in the radio.

So, what did they make of that, you were 14, 15 at that time, what did they make of this?

They impressed?

Yes.

So what are you gonna do with this? What do you I mean, do you want to build another one?

Yeah, I want to build another one to pump water, irrigation for crops.

So, this sort of has to be bigger?

Yeah.

How big?

I think it will produce more than 20 volts.

So that would produce irrigation for the entire village? (Yeah.) Wow, and so you are talking to people here attend to get people who might be able to help in some way to realize this dream.

Yeah, if they can help me, ….

And as you think of your life going forward, you’re 19 now, do you picture continuing with this dream of working in energy?

Yeah, I am still thinking to work on energy.

Wow, William, it’s a real honor⁸ to have you at the Thai conference. Thank you so much for coming.

Thank you.

来自马拉威的发明家William Kamkwamba14岁的时候，就利用从图书馆得来的资料制定了大致计划，利用多余的零部件做成了一部家用发电风车。

William，见到你很高兴。

谢谢。

那么，我们这里有一张照片，这是哪里呢？

这是我家，我生活和居住的地方。

哪个国家呢？

马拉维的卡松加。

你今年19岁？

是的，19岁。

五年前，你产生了一个想法。能说一下是什么想法吗？

我想制作一个风车。

风车？

是的。

那么，用水力发电来供应照明和其他用途？

是的。

那你是怎么做的呢，你怎样想到这一点的呢？

从学校辍学以后，我经常去图书馆读书，我看到一本叫做技术的书，教给我们应用能源，我从书上获得制作风车的信息。我进行了尝试，终于做成了。

那么，你只是抄袭模仿了书上的设计？

不，我进行了改造？

哪些方面呢？

实际上，按照书上的描述制造的风车有三片面板，而我制作的有四块面板。

书上是三块，你的是四块？那你是用什么材料做的呢？

我用了一个自行车架，一个滑轮，塑料管和木质支点。

在下一张幻灯片上有没有这个风车的图片呢？

是的，这就是我做的风车。

这样，这就是风车，它能够正常工作吗？

刮风的时候，风车就可以产生电能。

能产生多少呢？

两伏特。

那么，这能够为房屋提供照明吗？能点亮多少盏灯呢？

能够供应4个灯泡和2个收音机！

哇！

是的。

那么，下一张。

他们是谁呢？

是我的父母。

你那时候才14岁，他们对此有什么反应呢？

他们印象非常深刻？

是的。

你接下来会怎么做呢？我是说，你会不会在制作另外一个风车呢？

是的，我想再做一个，用来抽水灌溉庄稼。

那么，这种风车是不是更大一点呢？

是的。

有多大？

我认为应该发的电超过20伏特。

那这个风车发的电可以供整个村子的灌溉之用吗？那么，在这里，你是想跟人们说，如果他们能在某些方面帮助你的话，请他们加入你的行列。

是的，如果他们可以帮助我……

你的生活是不断向前发展的，你现在19岁，你有没有想过以后继续发展在能源方面的梦想？

是的，我还想从事能源方面的工作。

William，能够见到你真的很荣幸。非常感谢你的到来。

谢谢。

1 mill   

n.磨坊，碾磨机；制造厂，工厂；vt.磨，碾

参考例句：

• The rice mill was wrecked by the enemy bombing.碾米厂遭到了敌机的轰炸。
• The farmer took his grain to the mill.这个农民把谷子送到磨房。

2 lighting   

n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光

参考例句：

• The gas lamp gradually lost ground to electric lighting.煤气灯逐渐为电灯所代替。
• The lighting in that restaurant is soft and romantic.那个餐馆照明柔和而且浪漫。

3 stuff   

n.原料，材料，东西；vt.填满；吃饱

参考例句：

• We could supply you with the stuff in the raw tomorrow.明天我们可以供应你原材料。
• He is not the stuff.他不是这个材料。

4 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

5 frame   

n.框架，结构，体格；vt.构成，设计，制定，使适合，陷害； 框架，（是指在数据链路层中，将网络层数据包加上开始与结尾信息包组成一个框架）

参考例句：

• The house has a wooden frame which is faced with brick.这个房子是木质结构的砖瓦房。
• We must frame up that picture.我们必须给那幅画装上框。

6 generates   

v.生（儿、女）( generate的第三人称单数 )；（通过物理或化学过程）发生；生成；引起

参考例句：

• This new boiler generates more heat than the old one. 这个新锅炉产生的热量比旧锅炉多。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The atomic reactor generates enormous amounts of thermal energy. 原子反应堆发出大量的热能。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 volts   

n.（电压单位）伏特( volt的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The floating potential, Vf is usually only a few volts below ground. 浮置电势Vf通常只低于接地电位几伏。 来自辞典例句
• If gamma particles are present, potential differences of several thousand volts can be generated. 如果存在γ粒子，可能产生几千伏的电位差。 来自辞典例句

8 honor   

n.光荣；敬意；荣幸；vt.给…以荣誉；尊敬

参考例句：

• I take your visit as a great honor.您的来访是我莫大的光荣。
• It is a great honor to receive that prize.能拿到那个奖是无上的光荣。