名人故事英语

篇一：英语名人故事

英语名人故事－从街头流浪汉到百万富翁 （1）

育龙网 WWW.CHINA-B.C0M2009年05月25日 来源：互联网

育龙网核心提示： Rags to Riches从街头流浪汉到百万富翁Chris Gardner tells 20/20 how he worked to move himself from a life of homelessness

Rags to Riches

从街头流浪汉到百万富翁

Chris Gardner tells 20/20 how he worked to move himself from a life of homelessness to a successful life as a businessman。

Chris Gardner在《美国广播公司新闻》20/20点节目讲述了他如何从街头流浪到成为百万富翁的经历。

Gardner is the head of his own brokerage firm and lives in a Chicago Townhouse－－one of his three homes with a collection of tailored suits， designer shoes， and Miles Davis albums。

Gardner自己开了一家经纪人公司并任总管，住在芝加哥别墅区－－他三处住宅中的其中一处，里面收藏有西装，时装鞋和Miles Davis的唱片集。 His path to this extraordinary success took a series of extraordinary turns。 Just 20 years ago， Gardner was homeless and living， on occasion， in a bathroom at a Bay Area Rapid Transit station in Oakland， Calif。

在成功的道路上，他历经了一系列坎坷挫折。20年前，Gardner无家可归，有时就住在加州奥克兰市湖湾区快速运输站上的洗手间里过夜。

Gardner was raised by his mother， a schoolteacher。 He says he never knew his father while he was growing up。 But his mother had a way of keeping him grounded when he dreamed of things like being a jazz trumpeter。

Gardner从小由当教师的母亲抚养长大。他说自己从未见过父亲。但是，当他梦想作一名爵士乐小号手时，他母亲有一套方法指导他。

Mothers have a way of saying things， Gardner said， She explained to me， ‘Son， there‘s only one Miles Davis and he got that job。 So you have to do something else。 But what that something else was， I did not know。‘

母亲有自己的表述方法。Gardner说：她对我说，‘儿子，只有一个Miles Davis，他从事这个行业。因此，你就得做其他的事情，至于那是什么事情，我就不知道了。‘

Gardner credits his uncles with providing the male influence he needed。 Many of them were military veterans。 So， straight out of high school， he enlisted in the Navy for four years。 He says it gave him a sense of what was possible。 Gardner认为是他的叔叔给他提供了影响他的人生道路的男人。他们中许多人是部队里的老兵。因此，高中一毕业，他就报名参军当了四年的海军。他称这给他带来一种成就感。 A Red Ferrari and a Turning Point

一辆红色法拉利，一次人生转折点

After the military， Gardner took a job as a medical supply salesman。 Then， he says， he reached another turning point in his life。 In a parking lot， he met a man driving a red Ferrari。 He was looking for a parking space。 And I said， ‘You can have mine。 But I gotta ask you two questions。‘ The two questions were： What do you do？ And how do you do that？ Turns out this guy was a stockbroker and he was making $80，000 a month。

退役以后，Gardner作起了医药销售员。他说，那时，他经历了人生又一个转折点。在一处停车场，他遇见一名男子驾着一辆红色法拉利。他正在找一个停车摊位。我说，‘你可以停我这里。但我要问你两个问题。这两个问题是：你做什么工作？你怎样去做？这个人原来是股票经纪人，月薪8万美元。

Gardner began knocking on doors， applying for training programs at brokerages， even though it meant he would have to live on next to nothing while he learned。 When he finally was accepted into a program， he left his job in medical sales。 But his plans collapsed as suddenly as they had materialized。 The man who offered him the training slot was fired， and Gardner had no job to go back to。

Gardner开始上门申请学习经纪人课程，即使这意味着在他学习期间会衣食无着。当他终于被录取上培训班时，他辞掉销售员的工作。然而，他的计划突然之间转为泡影正如他们突然呈现一样。那个曾经答应给他上培训课的人被辞退了，而Gardner又丢掉了自己的工作。 Things got worse。 He was hauled off to jail for $1，200 in parking violations that

he couldn‘t pay。 His wife left him。 Then she asked him to care for their young son without her。 Despite his lack of resources， Gardner said， I made up my mind as a young kid that when I had children

Rags to Riches

从街头流浪汉到百万富翁

Chris Gardner tells 20/20 how he worked to move himself from a life of homelessness to a successful life as a businessman。

Chris Gardner在《美国广播公司新闻》20/20点节目讲述了他如何从街头流浪到成为百万富翁的经历。

Gardner is the head of his own brokerage firm and lives in a Chicago Townhouse－－one of his three homes with a collection of tailored suits， designer shoes， and Miles Davis albums。

Gardner自己开了一家经纪人公司并任总管，住在芝加哥别墅区－－他三处住宅中的其中一处，里面收藏有西装，时装鞋和Miles Davis的唱片集。 His path to this extraordinary success took a series of extraordinary turns。 Just 20 years ago， Gardner was homeless and living， on occasion， in a bathroom at a Bay Area Rapid Transit station in Oakland， Calif。

在成功的道路上，他历经了一系列坎坷挫折。20年前，Gardner无家可归，有时就住在加州奥克兰市湖湾区快速运输站上的洗手间里过夜。

Gardner was raised by his mother， a schoolteacher。 He says he never knew his father while he was growing up。 But his mother had a way of keeping him grounded when he dreamed of things like being a jazz trumpeter。

Gardner从小由当教师的母亲抚养长大。他说自己从未见过父亲。但是，当他梦想作一名爵士乐小号手时，他母亲有一套方法指导他。

Mothers have a way of saying things， Gardner said， She explained to me， ‘Son， there‘s only one Miles Davis and he got that job。 So you have to do something else。 But what that something else was， I did not know。‘

母亲有自己的表述方法。Gardner说：她对我说，‘儿子，只有一个Miles Davis，他从事这个行业。因此，你就得做其他的事情，至于那是什么事情，我就不知道了。‘

Gardner credits his uncles with providing the male influence he needed。 Many of them were military veterans。 So， straight out of high school， he enlisted in the Navy for four years。 He says it gave him a sense of what was possible。 Gardner认为是他的叔叔给他提供了影响他的人生道路的男人。他们中许多人是部队里的老兵。因此，高中一毕业，他就报名参军当了四年的海军。他称这给他带来一种成就感。 A Red Ferrari and a Turning Point

一辆红色法拉利，一次人生转折点

After the military， Gardner took a job as a medical supply salesman。 Then， he says， he reached another turning point in his life。 In a parking lot， he met a man driving a red Ferrari。 He was looking for a parking space。 And I said， ‘You can have mine。 But I gotta ask you two questions。‘ The two questions were： What do you do？ And how do you do that？ Turns out this guy was a stockbroker and he was making $80，000 a month。

退役以后，Gardner作起了医药销售员。他说，那时，他经历了人生又一个转折点。在一处停车场，他遇见一名男子驾着一辆红色法拉利。他正在找一个停车摊位。我说，‘你可以停我这里。但我要问你两个问题。这两个问题是：你做什么工作？你怎样去做？这个人原来是股票经纪人，月薪8万美元。

Gardner began knocking on doors， applying for training programs at brokerages， even though it meant he would have to live on next to nothing while he learned。 When he finally was accepted into a program， he left his job in medical sales。 But his plans collapsed as suddenly as they had materialized。 The man who offered him the training slot was fired， and Gardner had no job to go back to。

Gardner开始上门申请学习经纪人课程，即使这意味着在他学习期间会衣食无着。当他终于被录取上培训班时，他辞掉销售员的工作。然而，他的计划突然之间转为泡影正如他们突然呈现一样。那个曾经答应给他上培训课的人被辞退了，而Gardner又丢掉了自己的工作。 Things got worse。 He was hauled off to jail for $1，200 in parking violations that he couldn‘t pay。 His wife left him。 Then she asked him to care for their young son without her。 Despite his lack of resources， Gardner said， I made up my mind as a young kid that when I had children ， my children were gonna know who their

father was。 Although a broker finally helped him enter a training program， Gardner wound up with no place to live。 He was collecting a meager stipend as a brokerage trainee， and， like many working poor in America， he had a job but couldn‘t make ends meet。

事情弄得一团糟，更糟糕的是，他因交不起$1，200停车违章罚款费而被监禁。他的妻子离他而去。之后，她要求他来抚养孩子。尽管缺少经济，Gardner说，‘我从小就打定主意：我有了孩子，他们一定会知道他们的爸爸是谁。尽管一个经纪人终于帮他上了培训班，最后，Gardner弄得身无栖身之地。当时，他只筹集到少量的培训班学费。正像许多美国穷人一样，他找了一份工作，但还是入不敷出。

The Kindness of Strangers

陌生人施善帮助

When he could afford it， he stayed with his son， Chris Jr。， in cheap motels。 When they returned home at night， Gardner says， he received help from some unexpected sources。 The ladies of the evening were beginning their shift。 And they would always see myself， this baby and the stroller。 当他交起学费时，他和儿子Chris Jr。住在廉价汽车旅馆里。 Gardner说，他们深更半夜回家时意外地受到一些人的帮助。晚上，女士来汽车旅馆上夜班，总是看见我、小婴儿和那辆推车。 So they started giving him $5 bills。 Without their help， Gardner said， there would have been nights when he couldnt have fed his son。 The Rev。 Cecil Williams， founder of Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco， remembers the first time he saw Gardner， who had gone to the church with his son to stand in a meal line。 He said， I wondered， What in the world is a man doing with a baby？

于是，她们就掏出五块钱给他。Gardner说，没有她们的帮助，儿子可能就会挨饿。旧金山Glide 教堂的创建人Rev。 Cecil Williams回忆第一次见到Gardner的情形，当时他带着儿子排在就餐队伍中间。他说，我当时纳闷：一个大男人怎么会身边拖着一个婴儿？

Even to Williams， it was an unusual sight。 The Urban Institute estimates that children make up 25 percent of the nations homeless population， but most are living with a single mother，not the father。 就连Williams也弄不明白这是怎么回事。根据

篇二：中国名人故事及英文翻译

我国当代数学家陈景润，在攀登数学高峰的道路上，翻阅了国内外上千本有关资料，通宵达旦地看书学习，演算研究，最后取得了震惊世界的成就，成为最接近数学王冠上的明珠—— 哥德巴赫猜想的第一人。

Chen Jing Run, one of the most famous contemporary mathematicians, he reads thousands of workings both in our own country and foreign countries. He works so hard, reads books all night and does calculus study. Finally, he reaches a shocked world achievement and becomes well-known all over the world.

顾炎武读破万卷书。明末清初的思想家顾炎武童年非常不幸，天花病差点夺走了他的生命。虽然他体弱多病，但是在母亲的教导和鼓励下，顾炎武勤奋苦读，以过人的毅力手抄《资治通鉴》，终于成为一代大学者。

中国科学院学部委员（院士）、生物学家、教育家、中国实验胚胎学研究的创始人之一。曾任山东大学副校长，中国科学院海洋研究所首任所长、中国海洋湖沼学会副理事长、中国科学院生物学部主任、中国科学院副院长、全国政协副主席、山东大学动物系主任兼教授等职。 童第周是我国著名的生物学家，也是国际知名的科学家。他从事实验胚胎学的研究近半个世纪，是我国实验胚胎学的主要创始人。

童第周出生在浙江省鄞县的一个偏僻的小山村里。由于家境贫困，小时候一直跟父亲学习文化知识，直到17岁才迈入学校的大门。

读中学时，由于他基础差，学习十分吃力，第一学期末平均成绩才45分。学校令其退学或留级。在他的再三恳求下，校方同意他跟班试读一学期。

此后，他就与“路灯”常相伴：天蒙蒙亮，他在路灯下读外语；夜熄灯后，他在路灯下自修复习。功夫不负有心人，期末，他的平均成绩达到70多分，几何还得了100 分。这件事让他悟出了一个道理：别人能办到的事，我经过努力也能办到，世上没有天才，天才是用劳动换来的。之后，这也就成了他的座右铭。

大学毕业后他去比利时留学。在国外学习期间，童第周刻苦钻研，勤奋好学，得到了老师的好评。获博士学位后，他回到了灾难深重的祖国，在极为困难的条件下进行科学研究工作。 没有电灯，他们就在阴暗的院子里利用天然光在显微镜下从事切割和分离卵子工作；没有培养胚胎的玻璃器皿，就用粗瓷陶酒杯代替，所用的显微解剖器只是一根自己拉的极细的玻璃丝；实验用的材料蛙卵都是自己从野外采来的。就在这简陋的“实验室”里，童第周和他的同事们完成了若干篇有关金鱼卵子发育能力和蛙胚纤毛运动机理分析的论文。

解放以后，童第周担任山东大学副校长的同时，研究了在生物进化中占重要地位的文昌鱼卵发育规律，取得了很大成绩。

到了晚年，他和美国坦普恩大学牛满江教授合作研究起细胞核和细胞质的相互关系，他们从鲫鱼的卵子细胞质内提取一种核酸，注射到金鱼的受精卵中，结果出现了一种既有金鱼性状又有鲫鱼性状的子代，这种金鱼的尾鳍由双尾变成了单尾。这种创造性的成绩居于世界先进行列。

（童第周，我国著名的生物学家，也是国际知名的科学家。从小家境贫困，学习基础差，但他经过不断刻苦努力，最终取得了卓越的成就。）

Tong Di Zhou, China’s famous biologist, is also the international famous

scientist. He has a poverty-stricken family and his learning foundation is bad, but after his continuous hard work, eventually he got outstanding achievement.

欧阳修刻苦练字。北宋大文学家欧阳修，自幼天资过人，但是由于家境贫寒，家里无钱买纸买笔，欧阳修的母亲郑氏为了让儿子习文练字，想出了一个巧妙的办法，用荻草代替毛笔教小欧阳修写字。欧阳修勤奋刻苦，练成了一手好字，成为远近闻名的神童，而这种刻苦精神也影响了他的小伙伴李尧辅，将李尧辅带上好学之路。

廖昌永——这一响铛铛的名字，为我们中国人在世界歌唱家中搏得了地位，你可知道他原来是农民的儿子，廖昌永7岁那年，父亲病故了，这对本来就十分贫困的廖昌永来说，无疑是雪上加霜，上学后，廖昌永渐渐地喜欢上了音乐，他对音乐的最初了解，来自于农村的大喇叭，每天清晨村头电线杆的喇叭里传出的歌声，如同细雨一样，滋润着他那颗热爱音乐的心。从此，廖昌永不放弃任何学习音乐的机会。虽然他也曾失败过，但音乐那优美的旋律一次次漫湿了他枯干的心灵，最终他从阴影中走出来了，成为一个著名的男高音歌唱家。

（著名的世界歌唱家廖昌永，家境贫困，7岁那年，父亲病故，上学后，廖昌永渐渐地喜欢上了音乐，并抓住任何学习音乐的机会，虽然他也曾失败过，但音乐那优美的旋律一次次漫湿了他枯干的心灵，最终他从阴影中走出来了，成为一个著名的男高音歌唱家。）

World famous singer, Liao Chang Yong, when he was 7 years old, his father died. For his poor family, it is undoubtedly worse. After he went to school, Liao grew to like music and seized any opportunity to learn music, though he had failed for many times, the beautiful melody music again wet his aimless mind,eventually he dried out from the shadows and became a famous tenor.桑兰

原国家女子体操队队员.曾参加第八届全运会,获得跳马冠军.她在一次国际比赛中意外受伤致残.但她身残志不残.在治疗的同时,她抓紧时间学习,继续参加体育锻炼,积极参与各种社会活动.

The original national women's gymnastics team. The eighth national games, participated in get vault in an international competition. She

accidentally wounded disability. But she handicapping volunteers don't

remnants. In treatment at the same time, she take the time to study, to continue to participate in sports exercise, actively participate in various social activities.

张海迪在五岁时，这个只能用画笔来描绘一串串梦想的时候，厄运就无情地降临在他身上，残酷的剥夺了她的自由。她因患脊髓血管瘤造成高位截瘫，从此变成了一个残疾儿童，但在残酷的命运面前，她没有沮丧和沉沦，而是以顽强的毅力和恒心与疾病做斗争，经受了严峻的考验，圆了她的轮椅梦！

Zhang Hai Di at 5 years old, this can only use the brush to portray a dream, doom is relentlessly comes on him, cruel deprived her freedom. She caused by high because of spinal cord hemangioma, since then became a conservative, but for disabled children in cruel fate, she didn't before, but frustration and destruction with strong perseverance and perseverance struggle against disease, suffered a severe test, round her wheelchair dream!

华罗庚。初中毕业后，华罗庚曾入上海中华职业学校就读，因学费而中途退学，故一生只有初中毕业文凭。

此后，他开始顽强自学，他用5年时间学完了高中和大学低年级的全部数学课程。1928年，他不幸染上伤寒病，靠妻子的照料得以挽回性命，却落下左腿残疾。20岁时，他以一篇论文轰动数学界，被清华大学请去工作。

南朝的祖冲之，在当时极其简陋的条件下，靠一片片小竹片进行大量复杂的计算，一遍又一遍，历经无数次失败，终于在世界上第一个把圆周率精确到小数点后第七位。

篇三：名人小故事中英文共三篇

名人小故事中英文共三篇

名人小故事 一个改变爱因斯坦的故事 爱因斯坦小时候十分贪玩。他的母亲常常为此忧心忡忡再三告诫他应该怎样怎样然而对他来讲如同耳边风。这样一直到16岁的那年秋天一天上午父亲将正要去河边钓鱼的爱因斯坦拦住并给他讲了一个故事正是这个故事改变了爱因斯坦的一生。故事是这样的 “昨天”爱因斯坦父亲说“我和咱们的邻居杰克大叔清扫南边工厂的一个大烟囱。那烟囱只有踩着里边的钢筋踏梯才能上去。你杰克大叔在前面我在后面。我们抓着扶手一阶一阶地终于爬上去了。下来时你杰克大叔依旧走在前面我还是跟在他的后面。后来钻出烟囱我发现一个奇怪的事情你杰克大叔的后背、脸上全都被烟囱里的烟灰蹭黑了而我身上竟连一点烟灰也没有。”爱因斯坦的父亲继续微笑着说“我看见你杰克大叔的模样心想我肯定和他一样脸脏得像个小丑于是我就到附近的小河里去洗了又洗。而你杰克大叔呢他看见我钻出烟囱时干干净净的就以为他也和我一样干净呢于是就只草草洗了洗手就大模大样上街了。结果街上的人都笑痛了肚子还以为你杰克大叔是个疯子呢。” 爱因斯坦听罢忍不住和父亲一起大笑起来。父亲笑完了郑重地对他说“其实别人谁也不能做你的镜子只有自己才是自己的镜子。拿别人做镜子白痴或许会把自己照成天才的。” 爱因斯坦听了顿时满脸愧色。 爱因斯坦从此离开了那群顽皮的孩子们。他时时用自己做镜子来审视和映照自己终于映照出生命中的熠熠光辉。 盲目地与别人相比较以为自己比身边的人聪明就满足了或者觉得自己不如别人就沮丧了。这多么愚蠢啊每一个人都有其不同的人生目标和生活方式自己才是自己在这个世界上最可靠的人生向导。 名人小故事 巴尔扎克的童年故事 巴尔扎克小时候很爱好文学 父亲却硬要他学习法律。他就是不服从父亲的旨意 父子之间常为此事发生冲突。 一天 父亲再也按捺不住气愤 质问巴尔扎克 “我让你学习法律 你为什么要学习文学” “爸爸 您知道 我对法律是毫无兴趣的。”巴尔扎克非常亲切地对父亲说。 “毫无兴趣 ”父亲暴怒地快要跳起来 “你有兴趣的是什么是文学 搞文学谈何容易 我看你根本不是搞文学的料 ” “那不一定 ”巴尔扎克摇摇头 非常自信地说 “一个人的成功 往往取决於他的信心和努力。” “信心和努力那好 从今天起 给你两年的期限 搞不成 就得学习法律 你敢答应吗” “敢 ”巴尔扎克斩钉截铁地回答。 从此 巴尔扎克被父亲关在房子里 整天埋头写作。这期间 他写了一个历史剧 由於自己的阅历有限 对剧本的特点了解不够 没有成功。但巴尔扎克并没有丧失信心 他坚信 只要有决心、肯努力 一定能在文学上取得成绩。 一段时间的写作实践 使巴尔扎克感到自己的知识和经验都很浅薄。於是 他拼命阅读世界文学名着 广泛地接触社会和了解人生。他天天出入於图书馆和书店 总是来得最早 离开最晚。有一次 他在图书馆里翻阅资料 边看边记 忘记了时间的早晚。图书馆的人员下班了 也忘记招呼巴尔扎克一声。第二天早晨 图书馆的人员来上班了 发现巴尔扎克还在边看边记。为了读书 巴尔扎克真到了废寝忘食的地步。 巴尔扎克在一部小说中需一打架斗殴的情节 就到街上

especially in teaching the deaf how to use it. For in those days you see the deaf lived in permanent solitude. Not only could they not hear they could not speak. After all how could they pronounce words they couldnt hear Perhaps this obsession of the elder Bell was one of the reasons he married whom he did. For the woman who would give birth to the inventor of the telephone…… was deaf 1847年他生于苏格兰的爱丁堡市。他的父亲全神贯注、满怀激情地全神贯注于研究人的声音的发生和作用过程特别是教耳聋的人如何运用声音。因为那个时候耳聋的人生活在永恒的孤寂之中。他们不仅听不见而且也不会说话。毕竟他们听不见说的话又怎么能发得出声来呢也许老贝尔的这一执着爱好是促使他日后同成为自己妻子的人结婚的原因之一。因为后来生下电话的发明者的那位妇女????是个聋人 Young Alexander Graham Bell grew up with his fathers passions. In 1870 because of poor health he migrated to Canada. It was not long before his success in teaching the deal to speak brought him to the attention of a wealthy merchant in Boston who had a deaf daughter Mabel. Would Mr. Bell please teach Mabel how to speak Yes he would. And did. And they fell in love. It was she who inspired him through an of the exhausting experiments. who pulled him through the clepressioljs that often irtflict those whose drive to succeed is so intense while he developed the then remarkable instrument that transformed speech into electrical impulses that could then be converted back into human speech at the end of a wire. he had pierced yet another solitude the one that up until then had denied human speech between people distant from one another. A year later in 1877 he and Mabel were married. He later became an American citizen. 年轻的亚历山大·格雷厄姆。贝尔带着自己父亲的执着爱好长本。1870年他由于健康不佳移居加拿大。不久之后他就以成功地教会耳聋者说话而引起波士顿一位富商的注意。这位商人有个耳聋的女儿梅布尔。可否请贝尔先生教梅布尔说话呢可以。他愿意教。他教了梅布尔。他们相爱了。是梅布尔鼓舞他进行了所有那些使人精疲力竭的实验也是梅布尔使他克服了不时产生的沮丧情绪——那种常常困扰着紧张工作去夺取成功的人们的沮丧情绪——使他得以研制出当时很了不起的一种工具。它能把人说的话转变为电脉冲之后又在金属丝的末端使之还原成人说的话。这样他就打破了又一种孤寂那种在此之前一直使相距遥远的人无法通话的孤寂。一年之后1877年他同梅布尔结为夫妻他后来成为美国公民。 Oh ALexander Grahahl Bell was showered with the praise of the world. Honors came to him from all the points of the compass. Yes he would go on to other discoveries many of them. But in his own view he was most proud of his efforts to help the deaf. 啊全世界的赞美如雨点般倾注下来荣誉来自四面八方。是的他后来继续做出发明多项发明。但是他本人认为他为帮助聋人所做的努力最使他自豪。 So when the government of France awarded him the Volta Prize for inventing the telephone he combined this monetary award with the money hye made from selling the patent on another invention to establish the Volta Bureau in Washington D. C. . Its purpose was to fund research on deafness. Today it is called the Alexander Graham Bell Association. Its role has been changed to providing the latest information to the deaf of the world on how best to cope with their disability. 所以当法国政府因为他发明了电话而授与他沃尔塔奖金时他用这笔奖金再加上他通过出售另一项发明所得到的钱在华盛顿建立起沃尔塔办事处其目的就是为医治耳聋提供资金。今天这—机构称作“亚历山大·格雷厄姆·贝尔协会”它的作用已改为向全世界的聋人提供如何最有效地对付耳聋的最新资料。 Alexander Graham Bell died in 1922: Mabel five months later. She loved him that much. His name is likely to live as long as man recalls history. After all there is this constant reminder of how he brought the human family into closer touch. 亚历山大·格雷厄姆·贝尔死于1922年梅布尔在他去世5个月后也死了因为她太爱贝尔了。贝尔的名字很可能。会像人类记忆历史那样永世长存。毕竟有了这样一件物品它经常提醒人们是贝尔使人类大家庭彼此得以保持更密切的联系。 The first voice to travel over a wire

was even a surprise for its inventor. Alexander Graham Bell. He was experimenting in his laboratory late one night and quite by accident he succeeded in transmitting a message to his assistant in the next room. What Mr. Bell could not know at the time was that that night in 1876 would mark the start of a revolution in communications. 通过电线传送的第一个声音甚至使它的发明人亚历山大·格雷厄姆·贝尔都感到惊讶。一天深夜贝尔正在实验室里做实验他向在隔壁房间里的助手偶然传递的一个口信获得了成功。贝尔先生当时无法知道的是1876年的那个夜晚将标志着通信革命的开始。 At first two iron wires connected each pair of telephones. Then switchboards brought phone wires into one location. Other inventions - the vacuum tube to amplify sound and coaxial cables to link long distances on land and under the seas -- greatly expanded phone service. Transistors replaced the old vacuum tubes and by the 1960s communications satellites eliminated the necessity of landlines. Today bundles of glass fibers carry calls on laser beams of light. 最初每一对电话是用两根铁丝连接起来的。然后交换台使电话线集中到一个地点、其他的发明——如放大声音的真空管和在陆上及海底连接长距离的同轴电缆一一极大地扩展了电话服务。晶体管取代了真空管。到了60年代通信卫星又消除了对地面线路的需要。今天一束束的玻璃纤维用激光传递人们彼此间的通话。 Many of these inventions—including sound motion pictures and stereo recording along with 2300 other patents—come from ATT Bell Laboratories founded in 1925. John Davis is executive director of Bell Laboratories Consumer Products Division. He says as we move into the 1900s we can expect even greater flexibility in telecommunications. 这些发明当中有许多项发明——包括有声电影和立体声录音随同23000项其他专利——来自1925年建立的ATT贝尔实验室。约翰·戴维斯是贝尔实验室消费产品部执行主任。他说当我们进入90年代的时候可以预期电信将具有更大的灵活性。 It is hard to imagine a world without the telephone. Our lives have grown to depend on computers linked into phone lines to do our shopping our banking or helping us through a typical day work. 很难想象没有电话的世界是什么样子。我们的生活已变得要依靠把电脑同电话线连接在一起来购物、办理银行存款、取款手续或者帮助我们完成一天的工作了。 When you walk into your office the first thing you do is to turn on the computer and pull up your electronic mail for the day. Of course your electronic mail does not come in through the mailbox bit comes in through telephone lines. The nice thing is you can turn them around by simply forwarding back without having to worry about addressing or stamping or enveloping the information to the person that sent you the message. 当你走进办公室后所做的第一件事就是把电脑打开提取出当天的电子信件。当然你的电子信件不是通过邮箱送进来的而是通过电话线输送进来的。好处是你只需向回输送就能掉转方向把信息发给来信者而不用费事写地址贴邮票装信封。