高中英语Unit6Goingwest文章富兰克林和他的世界3人教版第三册

1、Benjamin Franklin and His world-BiographyDeborah and Benjamin Franklin seemed to be a solid match. AlthoughDeborah failed to comprehend many of Franklin's intellectual pursuits, sheproved a dutiful, devoted wife, assisting in the cleaning of the print shopand the stitching of papers. Mrs. Frankl

2、in nurtured William as well as hertwo own legitimate children, son Francis and daughter Sarah.During this time, Franklin began to establish himself as a leader inthe Philadelphian community. He made substantial contributions to the establishment of Philadelphia's first library. In order to succe

3、ed, Benjamin pursued moral perfection. He created a list of thirteen virtues and kept adaily log of how well he adhered to these principles. Furthermore, Franklin adopted a rigorous daily schedule that began with the introspective question: "What good shall I do this day?"In 1732, Franklin

4、 published his first almanac- a calendar of weatherforecasts and wise epigrams . Benjamin used the pseudonym Richard Saundersfor the author of the almanac. Therefore, the publication became known asPoor Richard's Almanack . Interestingly, his brother James was publishinga Poor Robin almanac simu

5、ltaneously on Newport, Rhode Island.For manycitizens of Philadelphia, Franklin's almanac was the only book they purchased all year. Therefore, the printer viewed his work as a toolfor educating the public. In the sameway, he refused to publish false storiesin his newspaper, for he considered the

6、 Pennsylvania Gazette as a means ofedifying the Philadelphia populace.Franklin's ideas about education were practical and unconventional for the time period. For example, he believed women should be instructed inbusiness matters. Furthermore, he valued the "useful" languages of French,

7、 Italian, and Spanish over the archaic and classical Latin, which represented a sharp departure from eighteenth century academia.Retiring early from the printing industry, Benjamin Franklin was destined to achieve international fame through his experiments in electricity. Franklin, ever curious and

8、inquisitive, became interested in the natural phenomenonknown as electricity after witnessing demonstrations about static charge and the Leyden Jar. Consequently, he contacted Peter Collinson, a friend from London, and asked him to procure glass tubes and data on the procedure of electrical experime

9、nts. Rubbing the glass tubes with silk, Benjamin was able to generate a static charge that could be used in his many experiments.Franklin was among the first to suggest that lightning was merely naturally-occurring electricity and that it could be drawn from the clouds. To prove this conjecture, he

10、set up tall, pointed rods that provided an easy path for the electricity of lightning to follow. In France, these "Philadelphia experiments" were duplicated for the king and his court. Eventually, these pointed rods were modified to serve as lightning rods designed to protect people's

11、dwellings. By channeling the electricity of lightning strikes through a safe route to the ground, lightning rods eliminated the threat of fires.In 1752, Franklin performed his famous kite experiment with the aid of his twenty-one year old son, William. The kite was constructed with a sharp metallic

12、wire situated on top, and at the end of the kite string,the scientisttied a silk ribbon to which a key was fastened. On a stormy day, lightning struck the kite, and electricity streamed down toward the key, presentingthe final proof of lightning's electrical nature. Miraculously, the chargewas n

13、ot strong enough to be fatal to the observing father and son. Under normal circumstances, a lightning strike would have instantly killed the individuals bold enough to fly a kite during the heart of a thunderstorm.However, Benjamin seemed only dimly aware of the experiment's potential danger. In

14、 fact, there were numerous instances in which an experimenting Benjamin only narrowly escaped death. Once, he attempted to kill his Christmas turkey by administering an electrical shock. Accidentally, Franklin made contact with the current. The inventor's body immediately erupted into seizures b

15、ut, after a while, Benjamin managed to recover.In any event, Franklin's electrical experiments brought him instant fame and, by sheer good fortune, Benjamin managed to survive his own inquisitiveness. Crowds of hawkers began to gather around his Philadelphian residence, hoping to catch a glimpse

16、 of the wizard of electricity. Franklin had transformed electricity from a mere curiosity into a field of scientific study, exerting significant influence on both the theoretical and experimental aspects of the phenomenon. As a testament to his pioneering research, most of the electrical terms we us

17、e today, such as battery, positive/negative, and charge, were originally coined by Franklin. For his efforts, Benjamin received honorary degrees from Harvard College, Yale College, and the College of William & Mary. The prestigious Royal Society in London recognized Franklin with a gold medal in

18、 1753 and inducted him as a member in 1756. Such an honor was rarely bestowed upon an individual from fledgling colonial America, where scientific research had not yet been fully developed. What madethe achievement even more remarkable was the fact that Franklin had no formal education in the scienc

19、es, relying purely on hispersonal intellect and curiosity. Despite the accolades, Franklin remained modest. He even refused to patent the lightning rod or attempt to profit from it.While electricity brought him international acclaim, thebrilliantFranklin investigated a variety of other sciences as w

20、ell. Throughout his life, Benjamin studied the weather and proposed models to describe the progression of storm systems across the continent of North America. He also examined medicine under his own initiative. In fact, Franklin invented themedical instrument known as a catheter in order to treat hi

21、s ill brother and even formulated theories about humancirculation. Not wanting to see valuable arable land wasted, the Philadelphia inventor sponsored experiments designed to improve agricultural techniques and insisted that agricultural sciences be included in the curriculum at his Academy of Penns

22、ylvania.In short, Franklin's genius mastered each and every endeavor that heput his mind to, and, as the imminent colonial conflicts would prove, this included politics.From 1754 to 1763, during the period known as the French and Indian War, France, arch-nemesis of Great Britain, was hoping to w

23、eaken its enemy's hold on the American colonies. French soldiers along with their Native American allies launched raids against colonial frontier settlements. The western regions of the American colonies were in desperate need of defense.Witnessing the threat to its colonies, the English governm

24、ent calledon all of the colonies north of Virginia to send representatives to a meeting at Albany, NY. Although the intention was to bolster colonial unity and form an alliance with the Iroquois Indians, one of the few tribes inhospitablewith the French, Benjamin Franklin had much more grandiose pla

25、ns. The Philadelphian delegate proposed a permanent inter-colonial union, in which a grand council would be established with authority over matters of defense, westward expansion, and Indian relations. This Albany Plan of Union would have given the council the power to levy taxes and to finance an a

26、rmy for colonial protection. Unfortunately, Benjamin's idea was a little too visionary. Not yet willing to commit to a unified government, the colonial assemblies rejected his idea. Nevertheless, the Albany Plan remained a powerful reminder of the enormous potential of a united American colonial

27、 government.As a respected citizen of Pennsylvania, Franklin sought a resolution to the Native American conflict. However, the few treaties that the Pennsylvania Assembly concluded with the Native Americans did little to alleviate the onslaught. In 1755, as part of the French and Indian War, Britain

28、 deployed military regiments to the colonies in order to stymie the French and Native American attacks.Benjamin assisted the British commanding officer, General Braddock, with military advice and with the procurement of supplies. Faced with a severe shortage of wagons necessary for the transportatio

29、n of troops, the General turned to Franklin, who claimed that each farmer in Pennsylvania had a cart available. Rather than permit the British to commandeer the colonists' property and risk alienating them, the keen statesman contracted with Pennsylvanian farmers to supply the much-needed wagons

30、 inexchange formonetary compensation. Franklin also warned Braddock that the Native Americans would resort to guerilla tactics, including ambushesand surprise attacks. Unfortunately, the General did not heed Benjamin's sound advice.British troops, conditioned to fight on the wide-open European p

31、lains,suffered a humiliating defeat near Fort Duquesne at the hands of the French and their Indian counterparts. The myth of English invulnerability was shattered.With no other alternatives, the Pennsylvanian people relied on BenjaminFranklin for assistance. The Governor requested that Franklin be p

32、ut in command of the defense of the northwestern frontier. Aided by the military expertise of his son, William, who served as an officer in the war againstFrench Canada, Benjamin managedto construct a woodenfort while commanding an all-volunteer militia. Nevertheless, before he completed his term as

33、 defender of the frontier, the Pennsylvania legislature requested his services for even more urgent matters. The legislature, irate over theactions of the heirs of William Penn decided to send the statesman to London in 1757 in order to negotiate with the inheritors of the Pennsylvania colony. Near

34、the end of the trans-Atlantic voyage, the ship transporting Franklinnearly suffered a tragic disaster. While the captain was fast asleep, thevessel almost collided with the jagged rocks off the coast of Great Britain. Fortunately, a passenger noticed a dimly lit lighthouse ashore and informed the slumbering captain, whodiverted the ship just in time. Thus, the disaster was averted and one of the greatest colonial citizens avoided a prematuredeath