美文串记考研词汇 早期美国教育

Elementary Schools in Early America

早期美国教育

What propelled the great outbreak of major inventions in early America—breakthroughs such as the fridge, the telegraph, the steamboat or the weaving machine?

是什么推动了美国早期重要发明的涌现——诸如冰箱、电报，蒸汽船和织布机这样的突破?

Speaking of their shaping factors, I take pride in believing that those inventions are mainly ascribed to three premises¹: excellent elementary schools in this country; a native labor² force that welcomes the new technology; the tentative system of giving premiums⁴ to inventors.

在诸多形成因素中，我自豪地认为这主要归因于：美国优秀的小学；当地接受新技术并愿意尝试新技术的劳动大军；对发明者进行奖励的尝试性制度。

Why mention the elementary schools? The reason is that, thanks to these schools, our early mechanics got the chance to receive basic education and be good at arithmetic and some knowledge of geometry and equation.

为什么要提到小学呢？因为全靠这些学校，我们早期的机械工人才能读会写，并精通算术以及一些几何学和方程式的知识。

It's a coincidence that a diplomat⁵ (ambassador) of Commonwealth⁶ also believes that this educational advantage is profitable to American inventiveness.

一名英联邦的外交官(大使)也有一致的观点，认为美国人的创造性得益于这种教育的优势。

A further stimulus⁷ to invention came from the "premium³" system, which preceded the patent system and for years ran parallel with it. This assistant system, originated abroad, conferred medals and sufficient subsidy⁸ and other incentives¹⁰ on the inventors.

对发明的进一步激励来自于“奖励”制度，这种制度在专利制度之前产生，并与其共存了数年。这种起源于国外的制度，通过向发明者授予奖章、足够的补助金和其他奖励，对激励发明起着辅助作用。

In the United States, multitudes of premiums for new devices were awarded at country expositions in major cities. Given this incentive⁹ scheme, American workers took readily to that special kind of nonverbal thinking necessitated¹¹ in mechanical technology. This nonverbal thinking is a visual process which transcends¹² verbal descriptions and thus cannot be generalized by unambiguous verbal descriptions.

对发明的进一步激励来自于“奖励”制度，这种制度在专利制度之前产生，并与其共存了数年。这种起源于国外的制度，通过向发明者授予奖章、足够的补助金和其他奖励，对激励发明起着辅助作用。

This special thinking can be just as creative as painting and writing, which of the essence for the designer and the inventor. With this thinking, the designer and the inventor are able to contrive¹³ (formulate) a locomotive accessory or analyze¹⁴ the configuration¹⁵ of an apparatus¹⁶ in their minds.

对发明的进一步激励来自于“奖励”制度，这种制度在专利制度之前产生，并与其共存了数年。这种起源于国外的制度，通过向发明者授予奖章、足够的补助金和其他奖励，对激励发明起着辅助作用。

They should sit down in the midst of levers, wedges, hinges, gears, etc. with clamping fixture¹⁷, wrench¹⁸ gauge¹⁹ and other tools, like a poet immersed in the letters of the alphabet, considering a gracious verse.

他们应该在杠杆，楔子，铰链、齿轮等之间坐下，使用夹县，扳手，量规等工具，像一个诗人沉浸在字母表的字母中一样，构思着优美的诗篇。

1 premises   

n.建筑物，房屋

参考例句：

• According to the rules,no alcohol can be consumed on the premises.按照规定，场内不准饮酒。
• All repairs are done on the premises and not put out.全部修缮都在家里进行，不用送到外面去做。

2 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。

3 premium   

n.加付款；赠品；adj.高级的；售价高的

参考例句：

• You have to pay a premium for express delivery.寄快递你得付额外费用。
• Fresh water was at a premium after the reservoir was contaminated.在水库被污染之后，清水便因稀而贵了。

4 premiums   

n.费用( premium的名词复数 )；保险费；额外费用；（商品定价、贷款利息等以外的）加价

参考例句：

• He paid premiums on his life insurance last year. 他去年付了人寿保险费。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Moves are afoot to increase car insurance premiums. 现正在酝酿提高汽车的保险费。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

6 commonwealth   

n.共和国，联邦，共同体

参考例句：

• He is the chairman of the commonwealth of artists.他是艺术家协会的主席。
• Most of the members of the Commonwealth are nonwhite.英联邦的许多成员国不是白人国家。

7 stimulus   

n.刺激，刺激物，促进因素，引起兴奋的事物

参考例句：

• Regard each failure as a stimulus to further efforts.把每次失利看成对进一步努力的激励。
• Light is a stimulus to growth in plants.光是促进植物生长的一个因素。

8 subsidy   

n.补助金，津贴

参考例句：

• The university will receive a subsidy for research in artificial intelligence.那个大学将得到一笔人工智能研究的补助费。
• The living subsidy for senior expert's family is included in the remuneration.报酬已包含高级专家家人的生活补贴。

9 incentive   

n.刺激；动力；鼓励；诱因；动机

参考例句：

• Money is still a major incentive in most occupations.在许多职业中，钱仍是主要的鼓励因素。
• He hasn't much incentive to work hard.他没有努力工作的动机。

10 incentives   

激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机

参考例句：

• tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
• Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

11 necessitated   

使…成为必要，需要( necessitate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Recent financial scandals have necessitated changes in parliamentary procedures. 最近的金融丑闻使得议会程序必须改革。
• No man is necessitated to do wrong. 没有人是被迫去作错事的。

12 transcends   

超出或超越（经验、信念、描写能力等）的范围( transcend的第三人称单数 )； 优于或胜过…

参考例句：

• The chemical dilution technique transcends most of the difficulties. 化学稀释法能克服大部分困难。
• The genius of Shakespeare transcends that of all other English poets. 莎士比亚的才华胜过所有的其他英国诗人。

13 contrive   

vt.谋划，策划；设法做到；设计，想出

参考例句：

• Can you contrive to be here a little earlier?你能不能早一点来？
• How could you contrive to make such a mess of things?你怎么把事情弄得一团糟呢？

14 analyze   

vt.分析，解析 (=analyse)

参考例句：

• We should analyze the cause and effect of this event.我们应该分析这场事变的因果。
• The teacher tried to analyze the cause of our failure.老师设法分析我们失败的原因。

15 configuration   

n.结构，布局，形态，(计算机)配置

参考例句：

• Geographers study the configuration of the mountains.地理学家研究山脉的地形轮廓。
• Prices range from $119 to $199,depending on the particular configuration.价格因具体配置而异，从119美元至199美元不等。

16 apparatus   

n.装置，器械；器具，设备

参考例句：

• The school's audio apparatus includes films and records.学校的视听设备包括放映机和录音机。
• They had a very refined apparatus.他们有一套非常精良的设备。

17 fixture   

n.固定设备；预定日期；比赛时间；定期存款

参考例句：

• Lighting fixture must be installed at once.必须立即安装照明设备。
• The cordless kettle may now be a fixture in most kitchens.无绳电热水壶现在可能是多数厨房的固定设备。

18 wrench   

v.猛拧；挣脱；使扭伤；n.扳手；痛苦，难受

参考例句：

• He gave a wrench to his ankle when he jumped down.他跳下去的时候扭伤了足踝。
• It was a wrench to leave the old home.离开这个老家非常痛苦。

19 gauge   

v.精确计量；估计；n.标准度量；计量器

参考例句：

• Can you gauge what her reaction is likely to be?你能揣测她的反应可能是什么吗？
• It's difficult to gauge one's character.要判断一个人的品格是很困难的。