Thomas Edison
电灯发明家——托马斯·爱迪生

Born in 1847 in Ohio, Thomas Edison is one of the greatest American inventors. Edison attended school for only three months. After his teacher claimed that he could not learn, Edison's mother decided to teach him at home. There he was allowed to explore the subjects he was most interested in. By the age of ten, Edison had built a science laboratory in the basement of his family's home and had become an avid experimenter. Edison got his first job at age twelve on the railway selling candy and newspapers. Three years later, he suffered an ear injury from a train accident and lost much of his hearing.
托马斯·爱迪1847年生于俄亥俄州，是美国最伟大的发明家之一。他仅仅上了三个月的学。在爱迪生的老师声称他有学习障碍后，他的母亲决定在家教他学习。在家里，爱迪生可以随心所欲地探索他最感兴趣的事物。十岁那年，爱迪生在家里的地下室建了一间科学实验室。从此，他成了一位孜孜不倦的实验者。十二岁时，爱迪生找到了他的第一份工作——在火车上卖糖果和报纸。三年后，一场火车事故导致他的耳朵受伤，几乎失聪。

As a well-known inventor and businessman, Edison obtained 1,093 United States patents. He developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and a long-lasting, practical electric light bulb. In his late twenties, Edison built an “invention factory” where he and his business partners could dedicate all their time to inventing. Edison established the first central electric power station in 1882, enabling New York to be the first city in the world to have electric lights. This was the beginning of the modern world in which electricity became a way of life. Along with other manufacturing pioneers of his era, Edison helped make the United States a world industrial power.
作为一名家喻户晓的发明家和企业家，爱迪生共获得了1093项美国专利权。他发明了很多东西，包括对世界影响极大的留声机、电影摄影机、钨丝电灯泡等。近三十岁时，爱迪生建立了一所“发明工厂”，可让他和他的同事专心致力于发明工作。1882年，爱迪生建成了第一座中央发电站，使纽约市成为世界上第一个有电力照明设备的城市。这就是现代社会的开始，电成为人们的一种生活方式。爱迪生与同时代的一些制造业领袖联手，使美国成为一支世界工业力量。