【美国精神】第68期

 Explanation:

  "Early to bed, early to rise (or get up) makes a man healthy, wealthy (or rich), and wise (or intelligent)." This was just one of the many quotes¹ (or famous phrases) of a man named Benjamin Franklin that are still popular today. Benjamin Franklin, who lived from 1706 to 1790, was one of the most famous Founding Fathers (or the men who were very important in creating the United² States).

  Benjamin Franklin is famous for many things. He was a U.S. diplomat³, which is a person who represents⁴ his or her government in another country. Benjamin Franklin was the U.S. diplomat to France. He got the French to send guns and other things to the Americans while they fought for their independence (or freedom) from Britain.

  Benjamin Franklin was also the first U.S. postmaster general (or the person who makes sure that the mail gets delivered within the United States). Later in life, Benjamin Franklin participated in the Constitutional Convention⁵ (or the meetings to write the country's most important legal⁶ document, the Constitution). At 79 years old, he was the oldest member there.

  Benjamin Franklin loved books. He wrote a popular book called Poor Richard's Almanac. This book was printed every year and had many different kinds of information, including the weather, a calendar, poems, and more. Benjamin Franklin made a lot of money by printing Poor Richard's Almanac and many other books. At that time, books were very expensive and very few people could buy books. So Benjamin Franklin had the idea to create a free library, or a building that would have many books that people could read without having to buy the books. America's first library opened in 1731 and soon they became very popular all over the country.

  Benjamin Franklin is also very well-known for his inventions (or tools and machines that are created for the first time). For example, he created bifocals (or glasses that has two types of glass in them: one that helps people see things that are close, and one that helps people see things that are far away). He also did many experiments (or scientific tests) on electricity.

 

问题：

What is one thing Benjamin Franklin is famous for?

Answer:

U.S. diplomat

Oldest member of the Constitutional Convention

First Postmaster General of the United States

Writer of "Poor Richard's Almanac?"

Started the first free libraries

1 quotes   

v.引用，援引( quote的第三人称单数 )；报价；引述；为（股票、黄金或外汇）报价

参考例句：

• He quotes a few verses from Tennyson in his paper. 他在论文中引用了英国诗人丁尼生的几行诗句。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He quotes (from) the Bible to support his beliefs. 他引用圣经来支持自己的信念。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

2 united   

adj.和谐的；团结的；联合的，统一的

参考例句：

• The whole nation is closely united.全国人民紧密团结。
• The two men were united by community of interests.共同的利益使两个人结合在一起。

3 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

4 Represents   

v.表现( represent的第三人称单数 )；代表；体现；作为…的代表

参考例句：

• This represents a volte-face in government thinking. 这代表着政府观点的彻底转变。
• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history. 俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 convention   

n.惯例，习俗，常规，会议，大会

参考例句：

• How many delegates have checked in at the convention?大会已有多少代表报到？
• He sets at naught every convention of society.他轻视所有的社会习俗。

6 legal   

adj.法律的，依照法律的，合法的，法定的，正当的

参考例句：

• He is my legal adviser.他是我的法律顾问。
• This is partly a political and partly a legal question.这个问题部分是政治问题，部分是法律问题。