说出会让人笑掉大牙的傻瓜英语.doc

本杰明.富兰克林 本杰明.富兰克林资本主义精神最完美的代表，十八世纪美国最伟大的科学家，著名的政治家和文学家。他一生最真实的写照是他自己所说过的一句话“诚实和勤勉，应该成为你永久的伴侣。” 1706年1月17日，本杰明.富兰克林出生在北美州的波士顿。他的父亲原是英国漆匠，当时以制造蜡烛和肥皂为业，生有十个孩子，富兰克林排行第八。富兰克林八岁入学读书，虽然学习成绩优异，但由于他家中孩子太多，父亲的收入无法负担他读书的费用。所以，他到十岁时就离开了学校，回家帮父亲做蜡烛。富兰克林一生只在学校读了这两年书。十二岁时，他到哥哥詹姆士经营的小印刷所当学徒，自此他当了近十年的印刷工人，但他的学习从未间断过，他从伙食费中省下钱来买书。同时，利用工作之便，他结识了几家书店的学徒，将书店的书在晚间偷偷地借来，通宵达旦地阅读，第二天清晨便归还。他阅读的范围很广，从自然科学、技术方面的通俗读物到著名科学家的论文以及名作家的作品。 就是在当学徒的这段时期里，富兰克林把在学校曾两度考试不及格的算术学了一遍，又读了赛勒和舍尔梅的关于航海的书，从这些航海的书里，他接触到了几何学知识。他还读了洛克的人类的悟性和波尔洛亚尔派的作者们写的思维的艺术。富兰克林的学习日渐深入。 1723年富兰克林离开了波士顿，到费城的基未尔印刷所和英国伦敦的帕尔未和瓦茨印刷厂当工人。1726年秋，富兰克林回到费城，这时他已掌握了精湛的印刷技术，开始独立经营印刷所，印刷和发行宾夕尼亚报，并出版了可怜的李查历书，当时被译成十二种文字，销行于欧美各国。1727年秋，在费城他和几个青年创办了“共读社”，组织了小型图书馆，帮助工人、手工业者和小职员进行自学。每星期五晚上，论讨有关哲学、政治和自然科学等问题。这时富兰克林还不到三十岁，通过刻苦自修，已经成为一个学识渊博的学者和启蒙思想家，在北美的声誉日益提高。在富兰克林的领导下，“共读社”几乎存在了四十年之久，后来发展为美国哲学会，成为美国科学思想的中心。 1736年，富兰克林当选为宾夕尼亚州议会秘书。1737年，任费城副邮务长。虽然工作越来越繁重，可是富兰克林每天仍然坚持学习。为了进一步打开知识宝库的大门，他孜孜不倦地学习外国语，先后掌握了法文、意大利文、西班牙文及拉丁文。他广泛地接受了世界科学文化的先进成果。为自己的科学研究奠定了坚实的基础。 富兰克不仅是一位优秀的科学家，而且还是一位杰出的社会活动家。他一生用了不少时间去从事社会活动。富兰克林特别重视教育，他兴办图书馆、组织和创立多个协会都是为了提高各阶层人的文化素质。 正当他在科学研究上不断取得新成果的时候，由于英国殖民者的残暴统治，北美殖民地的民族解放运动日益高涨。为了民族的独立和解放，他毅然放下了实验仪器，积极地站在了斗争的最前列。从1757到1775年他几次作为北美殖民地代表到英国谈判。独立战争爆发后，他参加了第二届大陆会议和独立宣言的起草工作。1776年，已经七十高龄的富兰克林又远涉重洋出使法国，赢得了法国和欧洲人民对北美独立战争的支援。1787年，他积极参加了制定美国宪法的工作，并组织了反对奴役黑人的运动。 富兰克林度过的最后一个冬天是在亲人环护中度过的。1790年4月17日，夜里11点，富兰克林溘然逝去。那时，他的孙子谭波尔和本杰明正陪在他的身边。4月21日，费城人民为他举行了葬礼，两万人参加了出殡队伍，为富兰克林的逝世服丧一个月以示哀悼。本杰明富兰克林就这样走完了他人生路上的84度春秋，静静地躺在教堂院子里的墓穴中，他的墓碑上只刻着：“印刷工富兰克林”。 Benjamin Franklin and His World Benjamin Franklin and His World What makes a leader? intelligence, passion, strength, devotion, charisma, tenacity, perseverance, generosity, forgiveness Franklin possessed all of these qualities and that is why he is considered to be one of the greatest American minds and a proud pillar of our national heritage. However, our affinity for Franklin extends deeper. He seems to embody and personify the American dream. Born the son of a candle maker, few people would have surmised that Franklin would master so many disciplines. His story proves that with determination and dedication, success is within anyones grasp. A leading American statesman, inventor, philanthropist, publisher, revolutionary, and thinker, Benjamin Franklin was truly the Enlightened American. Biography: Benjamin Franklin, one of the greatest American minds of all time, arose from humble beginnings. Born in Boston on January 17, 1706 to a tradesman and a homemaker, it seemed unlikely that Benjamin would succeed in becoming the embodiment of the American dream. Josiah Franklin, his father, a well-versed and industrious young man, was a dyer of textiles in Ecton, England. With his first wife Anne and his three children, Elizabeth, Samuel, and Hannah, Josiah emigrated to Boston in 1683, leaving behind a two-hundred year legacy of the Franklin family in England. In the infant society of Puritan Boston (population 5,000) there seldom was a need for Josiahs skill, forcing him to adopt a new trade: candle and soap making. Several years later, Anne Franklin died of complications while giving birth to her seventh child. The grieving husband soon married Abiah Folger of Nantucket, who went on to bear him ten more children, of which Benjamin was the eighth. From Benjamins accounts, Abiah was a very affectionate and caring mother, who served her family with loving devotion. The Franklin shop and household were situated together on Milk Street, directly opposite the Old South Church, of which the parents were members. Josiah insisted that each of his sons learned a trade. He had great dreams of Benjamin becoming a minister, consequently enrolling him in a grammar school at the age of eight. Although he grasped reading and writing with ease, the young student had difficulty mastering arithmetic. As a result, his father was forced to remove him from school, dashing all hopes of his sons future as a clergyman. Benjamin began to assist his father at his trade, but gained little satisfaction. As an alternative, Josiah decided to apprentice his son in the printing business, taking his sons voracious appetite for reading into consideration. James, Benjamins elder brother, had already established himself as a printer by the age of twenty-one. Recognizing an opportunity, Josiah had Benjamin sign his indentures in 1718. The contract committed the apprentice to work for his brother for the next nine years, until the age of twenty-one. The new occupation opened new horizons for the young Benjamin. Through his brothers dealings with booksellers, the novice was exposed to the vast worlds of literature and philosophy. Benjamin Franklins precocious talent and ingenuity were instrumental in making his brothers business a success. James had a contract for the printing of the Boston Gazette. However, after ten months, the contract was transferred to a rival printer. In retaliation, the angered Franklin founded his own newspaper, the New England Courant, in August of 1721. Benjamin was assigned the task of composing the type and printing the pages. Moreover, it was his responsibility to distribute the paper and increase its readership. The New England Courants political satires on the Puritan leadership in Boston resulted in Jamess imprisonment on two occasions. During these difficult periods, Benjamin carried on the publishing and boldly refused to surrender to the pressures of political leaders. As his responsibilities mounted, the younger Franklin began to resent the overbearing authority exerted upon him by his brother. Inspired by dreams of becoming a writer, and certain that James would refuse to publish his works, Benjamin adopted the pseudonym Silence Dogood and slipped his stories underneath the door of his brothers print shop. These lively tales were published in the Franklin newspaper and received wide acclaim. No one suspected that a sixteen-year old was capable of such witty writings. When the authors true identity was revealed, James was plagued with envy and the two siblings soon came to physical blows. Quarreling constantly, the brothers could no longer maintain their roles of master and apprentice. Benjamin desperately sought to escape his brothers disapproval and the narrow-mindedness of Puritan society. In September of 1723, he got his chance. With his close friend John Collins, Franklin began an arduous journey. After a brief stay in New York, they arrived in Philadelphia on October 8th, broke, weary, and facing an uncertain future. At the time of Franklins arrival in Philadelphia in 1723, the city was a small town of fewer than 10,000 people. However, within 50 years, the town would grow to become the second largest city in the British Empire. As it turned out, Franklins and Philadelphias fortunes were inextricably linked. Franklins liberal mind soon developed an affinity for the Pennsylvania city. Unlike conservative Boston, with its Puritan religious orthodoxy, Philadelphia was founded on the principle of religious tolerance. The colonys founder, William Penn, opposed an official church. Thus, Philadelphia was characterized by religious as well as ethnic diversity, serving as a main entry point for Irish and German immigrants. Benjamins immediate concern, though, was to find employment and a means of sustenance. Arriving with only three cents in his pocket, he spent the money on three loaves of bread, generously sharing one of them with an old widow. At that point, the young traveler did not have a single penny to his name. Nevertheless, on the second day in town, Franklin found a position as a journeyman printer in the shop of Samuel Keimer, only one of two printers of Philadelphia. He stayed at a boardinghouse next door to the shop maintained by John Read. Interestingly, Reads daughter, Deborah, would later become Benjamins wife. Simultaneously laboring assiduously in Keimers shop and getting acquainted with Deborah, Benjamin began to associate with the educated elite of the city. His first big opportunity occurred as a strange twist of fate. His brother-in-law, Robert Holmes, was a naval captain. At the behest of Franklins family, Robert wrote the young apprentice, urging him to return to Boston. His parents were worried that their son lacked the skills to succeed independently. However, the journeyman wrote his brother-in-law back, discussing his motivations for leaving his family behind and describing his grand plans for his life in Philadelphia. By pure chance, Holmes showed Franklins letter to one of his close acquaintances, Governor Keith of Pennsylvania. The governor was struck by the precocity of the young apprentice. In fact, Keith paid a visit to Keimers shop in search of the 18-year old journeyman printer. Over a glass of wine at a local tavern, the Governor, by now fully impressed with Benjamins intelligence and mastery of words, made a proposal. Keith complained about the incompetence of the two Philadelphian printers. If Benjamin was willing to establish his own printing business, the Governor promised that he would have the lucrative privilege of printing official government documents. Benjamin was flattered by the faith the politician invested in him. However, he lacked the capital essential to initiate his enterprise. Governor Keith wrote a letter to Josiah, Franklins father, explaining the situation and, with the letter in hand, Benjamin ventured back to his Boston home. Nevertheless, Josiah was unconvinced and unwilling to finance his son. Returning to Philadelphia, Benjamin found Governor Keith adamant in his proposal. He now promised to provide Franklin with the funds himself and insisted that he travel to London to establish business connections and purchase a press, types, and other equipment. Meanwhile, Benjamin continued his relationship with Deborah Read. They made personal vows to each other to get married upon his return from England. By the time he prepared to venture across the Atlantic, Benjamin Franklin had already risen up the social ladder by demonstrating his enormous knowledge to the educated community of Philadelphia. With Governor Keiths promise of support, the nineteen-year old Franklin set sail for London with his close friend James Ralph, a merchants clerk who aspired to establish a literary career in England. Unfortunately, Keiths lack of trustworthiness became evident, and he did not provide Benjamin with any letters of recommendation or funds. Consequently, the young printer, arriving penniless and without any sources of credibility, made the best of a bad situation. Finding work at Samuel Palmers printing office and lodging with Ralph, he managed to experience the spectacle and many attractions of London-the theater, the taverns, the libraries, and the brothels. Soon afterward, he forgot all about Deborah and their future engagement. Taking advantage of the liberal nature of his employer, he published a pamphlet refuting the tenets of The Religion of Nature Delineated, by William Wollaston. Entitled A Dissertation on Liberty and Necessity, Pleasure and Pain, the Franklin rejoinder argued that free will was nonexistent, for everything in the world happened as it was fated to happen, thus leaving no reason for men to act virtuously. The end of the reign of King George I brought upon an atmosphere of noisy merrymaking and overwhelming chaos in the great city of London. A series of violent brutalities, murders, and other immoralities swept the city, all to the fancy and delight of the English press. Newspapers such as the London Journal wildly exaggerated these public outrages, and those like Benjamin Franklin tasted the charm of this wonderful and colorful life. However, he did not approve of the cruelty and sights that were plaguing London. After a bitter dispute with James Ralph, concerning Ralphs mistress and a matter of money, Franklin and his companion parted ways. Benjamin, who was now destitute, left Palmers print shop for employment at Watts, who was an even more famous printer. By erasing the past incidents that had recently occurred, he gathered his moral strength and came to live on Duke Street with a Catholic widow who embraced his stocky figure as protection from the dangers of London. Meanwhile, Franklin was contemplating his future in England: should he remain in Europe and make his pay by teaching swimming or should he return to his homeland, the United States? His good friend and Quaker, the merchant Mr. Denham, suggested that Benjamin work for him in Pennsylvania as a clerk. The young and ambitious publisher, possessing limited funds and yearning to return to the colonies, graciously accepted and on July 2, 1726, he left London, England on board the Berkshire. Philadelphia was his destination, and success had become his motivation. Sailing from England on July 23, 1726, Franklin finally landed in Philadelphia on October 11. Benjamin was now bound to work for the merchant Thomas Denham for the period of one year, and he had the former Governor William Keith to blame for his troubles. Sir Keith never offered any apologies or explanations as to why he sent Franklin to England without providing the proper funding. Unbeknownst to Benjamin, Deborah Read, the woman Franklin secretly pledged to marry, had abandoned any hope of his return from London. Consequently, she had wedded a potter and a poor husband named John Rogers. Upon discovering that Rogers practiced polygamy, Deborah promptly left him and renounced his name. Benjamin, meeting Deborah for the first time since his arrival, was ashamed, for he had written his sweetheart only once while in Europe. Acting as an expert salesman in Denhams shop, Franklin gained valuable experience. The store dealt essentially with English goods imported to the colonies in order to earn high profits. Through the course of Franklins employment, Denham became a virtual father figure, filling in for the natural father Franklin left behind in Boston. Denham even lent his favorite employee large sums of money over and above his wages. Tragically, just after Benjamin reached the age of twenty-one, both individuals contracted deadly diseases. Franklin, stricken with pleurisy, managed to recover. However, Denham was not so fortunate. After a long bout of illness, he passed away. As a testament to his generosity, Denham forgave Franklins debt in his will. Unemployed due to the collapse of Denhams operation, Franklin desperately sought work. Reluctantly, he returned to assist his former boss, Keimer, a Philadelphian printer. At the print shop, Benjamins job entailed training the lower-paid and often inexperienced workers. He was, in essence, the shops manager and was instrumental in making Keimers business a success. When his boss received an order from the assembly in Burlington, New Jersey to print the first paper currency ever created in the colonies, Franklin aided in the design of the bills and even constructed a copper plate press, the first in America. Nevertheless, verbal arguments and disputes over pay drove Franklin to quit his term of employment. Upon discovering Franklin was leaving Keimers shop, Hugh Meredith, a fellow worker, proposed that Franklin and he establish their own printing business, using the capital of Hughs father. The idea came to fruition in 1726 with Meredith and Franklin acting as the two principal partners. Benjamins shop quickly blossomed into a successful business venture. Many citizens had claimed Philadelphia could not support three competing printers. However, Franklin proved his critics wrong and established a reputation as being the most skilled and the most industrious printer in town. One wealthy Phialdelphian said of Franklin: For the industry of that Franklin is superior to anything I ever saw of the kind; I see him still at work when I go home from the club, and he is at work again before his neighbors are out of bed. At around the same time, Franklin founded the printing business, he also established the Junto, an informal gathering of his friends and close associates. Every Friday evening, members met to discuss political, religious, and business matters. Above all, the men who gathered discussed how to improve both their individual lives and society as a whole. All of the individuals were up-and-coming citizens who provided Franklin with business contacts and political allies throughout life. Astonishingly, the Junto lasted for approximately forty years. The club was both an influential and enjoyable turning point in Franklins life. Emboldened with his successes in the printing industry, Franklin hoped to garner a share of the newspaper market. However, there were already two weekly Philadelphian journals in print, one being published by Franklins rival and former boss, Keimer. Keimers weekly, The Universal Instructor in All Arts and Sciences: and Pennsylvania Gazette, seemed promising initially, but then failed, partly due to Franklins scathing criticisms of the paper. Benjamin seized the opportunity, purchasing the rights to the newspaper in 1729 and renaming it (Thank Heavens!) The Pennsylvania Gazette. Due to Franklins outstanding writing talent, the weekly Gazette turned a handsome profit. Unable to compete with his witty former employee, Keimer saw his dreams of a successful print shop dissolve into false hopes. He sold his operation and moved to the West Indies, regretting the day he aroused the anger of Benjamin Franklin. In that same year, Franklin became the sole owner of the print shop. He purchased the entire share of Hugh Meredith, his one-time partner. Hugh had never been much of an asset to the enterprise, for he was generally drunk and possessed dubious printing skills. Around 17