高中英语Unit6 Going west文章 富兰克林和他的世界 3人教版第三册

Benjamin Franklin and His world-BiographyDeborah and Benjamin Franklin seemed to be a solid match. Although Deborah failed to comprehend many of Franklins intellectual pursuits, she proved a dutiful, devoted wife, assisting in the cleaning of the print shop and the stitching of papers. Mrs. Franklin nurtured William as well as her two own legitimate children, son Francis and daughter Sarah.During this time, Franklin began to establish himself as a leader in the Philadelphian community. He made substantial contributions to the establishment of Philadelphias first library. In order to succeed, Benjamin pursued moral perfection. He created a list of thirteen virtues and kept a daily 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 published his first almanac- a calendar of weather forecasts and wise epigrams . Benjamin used the pseudonym Richard Saunders for the author of the almanac. Therefore, the publication became known as Poor Richards Almanack . Interestingly, his brother James was publishing a Poor Robin almanac simultaneously on Newport, Rhode Island.For many citizens of Philadelphia, Franklins almanac was the only book they purchased all year. Therefore, the printer viewed his work as a tool for educating the public. In the same way, he refused to publish false stories in his newspaper, for he considered the Pennsylvania Gazette as a means of edifying the Philadelphia populace.Franklins ideas about education were practical and unconventional for the time period. For example, he believed women should be instructed in business matters. Furthermore, he valued the useful languages of French, 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 inquisitive, became interested in the natural phenomenon known 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 experiments. 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 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 peoples 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 wire situated on top, and at the end of the kite string, the scientist tied a silk ribbon to which a key was fastened. On a stormy day, lightning struck the kite, and electricity streamed down toward the key, presenting the final proof of lightnings electrical nature. Miraculously, the charge was not 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 experiments potential danger. In 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 inventors body immediately erupted into seizures but, after a while, Benjamin managed to recover.In any event, Franklins 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 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 use 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 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 made the achievement even more remarkable was the fact that Franklin had no formal education in the sciences, relying purely on his personal 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, the brilliant Franklin investigated a variety of other sciences as well. 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 the medical instrument known as a catheter in order to treat his ill brother and even formulated theories about human circulation. 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 Pennsylvania.In short, Franklins genius mastered each and every endeavor that he put 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 weaken its enemys 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 government called on 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 inhospitable with the French, Benjamin Franklin had much more grandiose plans. 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 army for colonial protection. Unfortunately, Benjamins 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 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 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 transportation 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 in exchange for monetary compensation. Franklin also warned Braddock that the Native Americans would resort to guerilla tactics, including ambushes and surprise attacks. Unfortunately, the General did not heed Benjamins sound advice. British troops, conditioned to fight on the wide-open European plains, 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 Benjamin Franklin for assistance. The Governor requested that Franklin be put 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 against French Canada, Benjamin managed to construct a wooden fort while commanding an all-volunteer militia. Nevertheless, before he completed his term as defender of the frontier, the Pennsylvania legislature requested his services for even more urgent matters. The legislature, irate over the actions 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 the end of the trans-Atlantic voyage, the ship transporting Franklin nearly suffered a tragic disaster. While the captain was fast asleep, the vessel 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, who diverted the ship just in time. Thus, the disaster was averted and one of the greatest colonial citizens avoided a