Alexander Graham Bell： Five Facts on the Father of the Telephone 亚历山大·格拉汉姆·贝尔—伟大的电话之父 Track 3

by Wendy Mead

翻译：寒星

Alexander Graham Bell： Five Facts on the Father of the Telephone 亚历山大·格拉汉姆·贝尔—伟大的电话之父 Track 3

by Wendy Mead

翻译：寒星

欢迎童鞋们来到“名人密码”和小编一起探索名人背后的故事！往后在“名人密码”一栏里，我们将会了解学习众多古今中外的重要人物，并从他们的故事中得到启发。本期小编将带着你们走进伟大发明家贝尔的发明之路，准备好了吗？

Alexander Graham Bell probably wouldn’t know what to make of a1）selfie， but he started the2）communication3）revolution with his telephone back in the 1870s.He was really fascinated by sound and speech as the son of a professor of4）elocution.With his father’s encouragement， he even worked with his older brother Melville on creating a talking machine that changed the way we communicate.

Born in Edinburgh， Scotland in 1847， Alexander Graham Bell was the middle child in his family.Around the time of his 11thbirthday， he decided to become Alexander Graham Bell instead of just Alexander Bell.Perhaps he was tired of being the third Alexander， sharing this first name with his father and grandfather.Whatever reason for the addition， Bell get5）inspiration from one of his father’s former students， Alexander Graham， to add “Graham” to the mix.Bell may have liked the ring of his new name， but he was still known to his family as simply “Alec” or “Aleck.”

1） selfie ［＇selfI］ n.自拍照

2） communication ［kəmjuːnI＇keIʃən］ n.通讯

3） revolution ［revə＇luːʃən］ n.革命

4） elocution ［elə＇kjuːʃən］ n.演说术，演说技巧

5） inspiration ［Inspə＇reIʃən］ n.灵感

6） gifted ［＇gIftId］ adj.有天赋的，有才华的

7） boarding school 寄宿学校

8） phonetic symbol 音标

9） physically ［＇fIzIkəllI］ adv.身体上地

10） diction ［＇dIkʃən］ n.发音

11） hearing loss 听觉损耗，听觉损失

12） deaf mute 聋哑人

13） private ［＇praIvIt］ adj.私人的，私下的

14） benefactor ［＇benIfæktə］ n.捐助人

15） promotion ［prə＇məʊʃən］ n.提升，促进

16） patent ［＇peItənt］ n.专利权

17） file ［faIl］ v.提出，提交

18） announcement ［ə＇naʊnsmənt］ n.公告，宣告

19） on one’s behalf 代表某人

He started as a teacher at a boys’7）boarding school when he was only 16.His father had developed “Visible Speech注1注1：可见语言（Visible Speech），即用以教聋人说话的发音部位分解图。”， a system of8）phonetic symbols.These symbols showed how to9）physically make the sounds needed to say any word.Bell was able to use this system to help deaf students learn to talk and improve their10）diction.Bell also had some of his own ways， too.His mother had suffered serious11）hearing loss after an illness as a child， and Bell had used different ways to communicate with her.

While working in Boston， Bell became a popular teacher of the deaf.He worked at the Boston School for12）Deaf Mutes and saw13）private students as well.One of his students， Mabel Hubbard， eventually became his wife.Her father also became one of Bell’s14）benefactors and supported his work on inventions.For another students， Bell developed special gloves with the letters on them， which allowed them to communicate through spelling words.

Bell was devoted to supporting education for the deaf throughout his life.He met with Helen Keller in 1893 and helped the young deaf mute girl with looking for a good teacher.That same year， Bell also built the Association for the15）Promotion of Teaching Speech to the Deaf.

Yes， the early bird does catch the worm， or the patent， in this case.Bell filed his patent for his version of the telephone on February 14th， 1876.Later that same day， a lawyer working for Elisha Gray sent an18）announcement for the telephone19）on his behalf.As he wrote to his parents in 1874， Bell had realized his competitor’s efforts and felt a lot of pressure to finish his own design.“It is a race between Mr.Gray and I who shall complete our invention first，” Bell said.

In March 1876， Bell received the telephone patent and he built the Bell Telephone Company the following year.Over the years， Bell20）vigorously21）defended his telephone patent in a number of other22）lawsuits.

Bell created the23）photophone， which used light to24）transmit sound.Bell considered it to be one of his greatest inventions.He also used his talent for inventing to solve problems.After the death of his baby son in 1881， Bell made a metal25）vacuum jacket to help with breathing.This idea influenced the design of the iron lung注2注2：铁肺，一种人工呼吸器。device used to help26）polio patients in the 1950s.

He began experimenting with kites in the 1890s and even had a special building to work on these27）projects.After a lot of experimentation， Bell created a new kite design.In 1907， he formed the28）Aerial Experiment Association.The association developed flying machines，the most famous of which was the Silver29）Dart.On February 23rd， 1909， the Silver Dart became the first plane to make a30）powered flight in Canada.

20） vigorously ［＇vIgərəslI］adv.精神旺盛地，大力地

21） defend ［dI＇fend］ v.辩护，保卫

22） lawsuit ［＇lɔːsjuːt］ n.诉讼（尤指非刑事案件）

23） photophone ［＇fəʊtəʊfəʊn］n.光音机，光线电话机

24） transmit ［træns＇mIt］ v.传输，传播

25） vacuum jacket 真空套

26） polio ［＇pəʊlIəʊ］ n.小儿麻痹症

27） project ［＇prɒdʒekt］ n.项目

28） aerial ［＇eərIəl］ adj.空中的，航空的

29） dart ［dαːt］ n.镖

30） powered ［＇paʊəd］adj.有动力装置的，以……为动力的

亚历山大·格拉汉姆·贝尔也许不懂得自拍照是什么，但是在19世纪70年代，他发明的电话引发了通讯革命。作为一名演说学教授的儿子，他对声音和演说十分着迷。在父亲的鼓舞下，他甚至与哥哥梅尔维尔一同创造了一台改变人类交流方式的交谈机。

亚历山大·格拉汉姆·贝尔于1847年出生在苏格兰的爱丁堡，是家中的老二。临近11岁生日时，他决定成为“亚历山大·格拉汉姆·贝尔”，而不仅仅是“亚历山大·贝尔”。也许他已经厌倦了当第三个“亚历山大”—他的父亲和祖父都叫“亚历山大”。不管增加这个中间名源于何种理由，贝尔是从他父亲以前一个名叫“亚历山大·格拉汉姆”的学生身上获得灵感，将“格拉汉姆”加入到自己的姓名当中。贝尔大概挺喜欢他这个新名字的发音，可是在家里，他依然是大家的“亚历克”。

贝尔年仅16岁就开始在一间男生寄宿学校担任教师一职。他的父亲开发了“可见语言”音标系统。这些音标展示了如何用身体发出每一个单词的声音。贝尔能够使用这一套系统帮助聋人学生去学习如何说话并提高其发音清晰度。贝尔也有自己的一套方法。他的母亲因童年患病导致听力严重受损，贝尔使用了各种方法与其沟通。

在波士顿工作时，贝尔成为了一名颇受欢迎的聋人教师。他在波士顿聋哑学校工作，同时也独立辅导了一些学生。他的其中一名学生梅布尔·哈伯德后来成为了他的妻子。贝尔的岳父也成了他的捐助人之一，大力支持他的发明事业。贝尔还为其他一些学生研发了一种印有字母的特殊手套，让他们能够通过拼写单词与他人交流。

贝尔一生都在为支持聋人教育奉献力量。1893年，他认识了海伦·凯勒，并帮助这位年轻的聋哑女孩找到了一位好老师。同年，贝尔创办了聋人教育促进协会。

是的，早起的鸟儿有虫吃，或者说在这个案例里，早申请的人才能获得专利。1876年2月14日，贝尔为他发明的电话提出了专利申请。当天晚些时候，伊利沙·格雷的代表律师以伊利沙·格雷的名义也发出了一份关于电话的公告文件。1874年，贝尔在给父母的一封信中表示自己已经察觉到其竞争对手也在做着同样的努力，而对于完成自己的设计，他倍感压力。“在谁会先完成发明的这个竞赛上，我和格雷先生不分上下。”贝尔如是说。

1876年3月，贝尔获得了电话专利权，并在第二年成立了贝尔电话公司。多年来，贝尔在其他多起诉讼中积极地捍卫着自己的电话发明专利。

贝尔创造了通过光来传播声音的光线电话机，并认为那是他最伟大的发明之一。他同时也运用自己在发明上的天赋来解决难题。1881年，贝尔那尚在襁褓中的儿子不幸夭折，随后，他制作了一个可以帮助呼吸的金属真空保护罩。这个创意影响了上世纪50年代的铁肺呼吸器的设计，这种呼吸器被用于帮助小儿麻痹症患者呼吸。

19世纪90年代，贝尔开始利用风筝进行试验，甚至还拥有一幢特殊的楼房，为这些研究项目提供场地。经过多次试验后，贝尔创造出了一种新型风筝。1907年，他创立了航空试验协会。该协会专门研发飞行器，其中最著名的当属“银镖”。1909年2月23日，“银镖”成为加拿大第一架使用动力装置飞行的飞机。

True or False

1.Around the time of Bell’s 13thbirthday， he decided to become Alexander Graham Bell instead of just Alexander Bell.

2.Bell was able to use “Invisible Speech” to help deaf students learn to talk and improve their diction.

3.Mabel Hubbard’s father became Bell’s benefactor and supported his work on inventions.

4.In February 1876， Bell received the telephone patent.

5.The Silver Dart became the first plane to make a powered flight in Canada on February 23rd，1909.