(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
I'm Phoebe Zimmermann. And I'm Steve Ember with People in America in VOA Special English. Today we tell about a man who made possible one of the most important communications devices ever created -- television. His name was Philo Farnsworth. In nineteen sixty-nine, American astronaut Neil Armstrong climbed down the side of the space vehicle that had taken him to the moon. As his foot touched the surface of the moon, pictures of the event were sent back to televisions on Earth. The pictures were not very good. It was hard to see astronaut Armstrong clearly. The surface of the moon was extremely bright. And the moon lander vehicle created a very dark, black shadow. But the quality of the television pictures was not important.
Every man, woman and child who saw the television pictures understood they were watching an important event. They were watching history take place as it was happening many hundreds of thousands of kilometers away. For a few minutes, the poor quality television pictures captured the imagination of millions of people throughout the world. Experts believe about six hundred million people around the world watched as Neil Armstrong stepped from the space vehicle to the surface of the moon. In the years since then, people around the world have shared in many events. Television has made it possible for people in distant places to share a single experience. A television system changes light and sound waves from a moving picture into electronic signals that travel through the air. The signals are changed back into sound and pictures in a television receiver. Scientists in Britain, Germany, France, Japan, the former Soviet Union and the United States all made important discoveries that led to the development of modern television. Yet it was a young boy living on an American farm who was the first person to invent and design what became television. He first thought of the idea of an electronic television when he was only fourteen years old. His name was Philo Taylor Farnsworth.
Philo Farnsworth was born on August nineteenth, nineteen-oh-six, near Indian Creek in the western state of Utah. The house he lived in for the first few years of his life had no electric power. But Philo read about electricity. He was very excited when his family moved to a new house in Idaho that had electric power. He quickly began to experiment with electricity. He built an electric motor when he was twelve. Then he built the first electric washing machine for clothes that his family had ever owned. Philo Farnsworth attended a very small school near his family's farm. He did very well in school. He asked his teacher for special help in science. The teacher began helping Philo learn a great deal more than most young students could understand. One night, Philo read a magazine story about the idea of sending pictures and sound through the air. Anyone with a device that could receive this electronic information could watch the pictures. The magazine story said some of the world's best scientists were working on the idea. It said these scientists were using special machines to try to make a kind of device to send pictures. The story made Philo think. Fourteen-year-old Philo decided these famous scientists were wrong. He decided that mechanical devices would never work. They could never be made to move fast enough to clearly capture and reproduce an electronic picture sent through the air.
Philo decided that such a device would have to be electronic, not mechanical. Philo knew electrons could be made to move extremely fast. All he would have to do was find a way to make electrons do the work. Very quickly Philo had an idea for such a receiver. It would trap light in a container and send the light on a line of electrons. Philo called it "light in a bottle." Several days later, Philo told his teacher about a device that could capture pictures. He drew a plan for it that he gave his teacher. Philo's drawing seems very simple. But it still clearly shows the information needed to build a television. In fact, all television equipment today still uses Philo's early idea. Philo's teacher was Justin Tolman. Many years later Philo would say Mister Tolman guided his imagination and opened the doors of science for him. Philo Farnsworth had to solve several problems before he could produce a working television system. One was that he was only fourteen years old. He knew no one would listen to a child. In fact, experts say that probably only ten scientists in the world at that time could have understood his idea.
Philo also had no money to develop his ideas. His idea for a working television would have to wait. After only two years of high school, Philo entered Brigham Young University in Utah. But he did not finish his education. He was forced to leave school when his father died. Philo did not give up his idea for creating a television. He began serious work on it when he moved to San Francisco, California a few years later. He was twenty-one years old. On September seventh, nineteen twenty-seven, Philo turned on a device that was the first working television receiver. In another room was the first television camera. Philo had invented the special camera tube earlier that year. The image produced on the receiver was not very clear, but the device worked. Within a few months, Philo Farnsworth had found several people who wanted to invest money in his invention. In August, nineteen thirty, the United States government gave Philo patent documents. These would protect his invention from being copied by others.
Very soon, however, several other inventors claimed they had invented a television device. One of these inventors, Vladimir Zworykin, worked for the powerful Radio Corporation of America. The RCA company began legal action against Philo Farnsworth. It said Mister Zworykin had invented his device in the nineteen twenties. The big and powerful RCA claimed that it, not the small Philo Farnsworth Television Company, had the right to produce, develop and market television. The legal action between RCA and the Farnsworth company continued for several years. RCA proved that Mister Zworykin did make a mechanical television device. But it could not demonstrate that the device worked. At the same time, RCA claimed that Mister Farnsworth had produced his television image tube after Mister Zworykin had developed his. When Mister Farnsworth said he had developed the idea much earlier, RCA said it was impossible for a fourteen-year-old boy to produce the idea for a television device. Company representatives said Mister Farnsworth was not even a scientist. He had never finished college. RCA said Philo Farnsworth should be forced to prove he had invented the television image tube. Philo could not prove he invented it. But his high school teacher could. In court, Justin Tolman produced the drawing that Philo had made for him many years before as a student. At that moment, the legal experts for RCA knew they had lost.
Philo Farnsworth won the legal action and the right to own the invention of television. However, he did not have the money or support to build a television industry. It was the nineteen fifties before television became a major force in American life. Vladimir Zworykin and David Sarnoff, the head of RCA, became the names connected with the new industry. Philo Farnsworth continued to invent more than one hundred devices that helped make modern television possible. He also developed early radar, invented the first electronic microscope, and worked on developing peaceful uses of atomic energy. In his last years, Mister Farnsworth became a strong critic of television. He did not like most of the programs shown on television. Yet, as he watched Neil Armstrong's first step on the moon, Mister Farnsworth knew the event clearly showed the power of his invention. Philo Farnsworth died in March, nineteen seventy-one. Today, a statue of him stands in the United States Capitol. He is considered one of the most important inventors of the twentieth century.
重点解析
1.capture the imagination of 激发...的想象力
Tango will continue to capture the imagination of humans throughout the world.
探戈将继续捕捉全世界人类的想像力。
2.make it possible 使…成为可能
Today's clever financial instruments make it possible for firms to hedge their risks.
现今各种巧妙的金融手段使得各公司防范风险成为可能。
3.protect from 保护
A covering that is intend to protect from damage or injury.
防止破坏或受伤的一种保护层。
4.legal action 法律诉讼
They have threatened us with legal action.
他们用起诉来要挟我们。
5.claim 声称
He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.
他声称这完全是一个针对他的阴谋。
6.critic 批评家
The newspaper has been one of the most consistent critics ever of the government.
该报纸是政府最坚持的批评者之一。
参考译文
我是菲比·齐默尔曼。我是史蒂夫·恩贝尔。这里是VOA慢速英语栏目《美国人物志》。今天我们将讲述最重要沟通设备之一—电视的发明人。他的名字是菲洛·法恩斯沃思。1969年，美国宇航员尼尔·阿姆斯特朗从登月太空飞船上爬下来。当他踏上月球时，这场盛事在地球上的电视机中播放。画质不是很好。很难看清宇航员阿姆斯特朗。月球表面非常亮。月球着陆工具投下的阴影非常黑暗。但是电视画面的质量并不重要。观看电视的每个男人、女人和孩子都知道他们是在观看一场重要盛事。他们观看着发生在几十万千米以外的事情。有那么几分钟，糟糕的画质激发了全球数百万人的想象力。专家认为全球约有六亿人观看了阿姆斯特朗从太空飞船踏入月球表面的画面。自那以后，世界人民共享了很多盛事。
电视让遥遥相隔的人可以共享经历。电视系统将光和声波从移动画面改变成了能够穿过空气的电子信号。在电视接收器中，信号又变成了声音和画面。英国、德国、日本、前苏联以及美国的科学家都做出了重要发现促进了现代电视的发展。而发明设计出电视的第一人是一个生活在美国农场的小男孩。他第一次想到电子式电视是在只有14岁的时候。这个小男孩的名字叫做菲洛·泰勒·法恩斯沃思。
1906年8月19日，菲洛·法恩斯沃思出生于西部美国犹他州印第安溪附近。他小时候住的房子是没有电的。但是菲洛读到了关于电的知识。当他们一家搬到爱达荷的新房子时，他很兴奋，新房子有电。很快，他便开始利用电流做实验。 12岁的时候，他做了一个电动机。然后他做了家里的第一个洗衣机。菲洛·法恩斯沃思在家附近的一个小学校读书，他成绩非常好。他找自己的老师在科学方面帮助自己。老师开始帮助菲洛学习很多年轻学生无法理解的知识。一天晚上，菲洛读到了一篇关于通过空气传播画面和声音的杂志故事。有了这种设备人们可以接收电子信息观看画面。这篇故事写到世界上一些顶级科学家正在致力于实现这个想法。故事中说这些科学家采用特殊机器试图制造出一种可以传输画面的设备。这篇故事让菲洛开始思考。
14岁的菲洛认为这些著名科学家的想法是错误的。他认为机械装置是不可能成功的。它们运转的再快也无法清晰捕捉并重现那些通过空气传播的电子画面。菲洛认为这种设备应该是电子化的，而非机械化的。菲洛知道可以让电子极速移动。他所要去做的是找到让电子极速移动的方法。很快菲洛就想到了一种接收器。在容器中抓捕光，在电子中发送光。菲洛将这种设备称为“瓶中之光”。几天后，菲洛将这种可以捕捉画面的设备告知老师。他制定了方案并交给了老师。菲洛的画看似简单，但图中仍清楚显示出了制作电视所需的信息。事实上，如今所有的电视器材仍在使用菲洛早期的想法。菲洛的老师是贾斯廷.杜尔曼。多年后，菲洛说杜尔曼引导他想象并为他开启了科学的大门。
在制作可以运转的电视系统前，菲洛·法恩斯沃思不得不解决几个问题。一个是他那时年仅14岁，他知道没人会听一个孩子的想法。事实上，专家表示那时世界上可能仅有10位科学家听得懂他的想法。而且菲洛没有钱实现他的想法。他制作电视的想法不得不延期。读了两年高中后，菲洛就去了犹他州杨百翰大学。但是他没有完成学业。父亲去世，他被迫辍学。菲洛没有放弃他制作电视机的想法。几年后他搬到加利福尼亚旧金山，便开始为实现自己的梦想而努力，那时他21岁。1927年9月17日，菲洛启动了第一台电视接收器设备。另一个房间里是第一台电视摄像机。菲洛早年便发明了一种特殊摄像管。接收器上的画面不是非常清晰，但这台设备可以运转的。几个月内，菲洛·法恩斯沃思找到了几个想要投资这个发明的人。
1930年8月，美国政府授予菲洛专利文件。这些文件将保护他的发明不被他们窃取。但很快，几个其他发明家声称他们已经发明出了一个电视设备。其中一位发明家维拉蒂米尔·斯福罗金在美国无线电公司工作（RCA）。RCA公司开始对菲洛·法恩斯沃思提起法律诉讼。他们称斯福罗金在20世纪20年代就发明了自己的设备。RCA声称他们才拥有生产、发展、销售电视的权利。RCA和法恩斯沃思公司之间的法律诉讼进行了好几年。RCA证实斯福罗金确实制作了一个机械式电视设备。但是却无法阐明这个设备可以运转。同时，RCA声称法恩斯沃思是在斯福罗金开发了电视显示管后才生产自己的电视显示管。当法恩斯沃思说自己很早就有这个想法时，RCA称一个14岁小孩是不可能有电视设备这种想法的。公司代表称法恩斯沃思甚至都不算是一名科学家。他大学都没毕业。RCA表示菲洛·法恩斯沃思应被勒令证明自己发明了电视成像管。菲洛无法证明这一点。但是他的高中老师可以。在法庭上，贾斯廷·杜尔曼拿出了多年前菲洛给他的设计图。那时，RCA的法律专家知道他们输了。
菲洛·法恩斯沃思赢了官司以及电视发明的权利。但他没有钱，也无法支撑建立电视工业。电视直到20世纪50年代才成为美国生活主要力量。RCA总裁维拉蒂米尔·斯福罗金和戴维·萨尔诺夫这两个名字和这个新工业紧密相连。菲洛·法恩斯沃思继续发明，他发明了一百多种设备帮助使现代电视成为可能。他还研发了早期雷达、发明了首个电子显微镜并致力于研发原子能的和平利用方法。在生命后期，法恩斯沃思开始激烈批评电视。电视上的大部分节目他都不喜欢。但是当他看到尼尔·阿姆斯特朗踏入月球的第一步时，法恩斯沃思知道这场盛事清楚地展现了他这项发明的力量。菲洛·法恩斯沃思与1971年3月去世。如今美国国会大厦树立起了他的雕塑。他被认为是20世纪最重要的发明家之一。
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