英语大赢家 上册 156.Topic 4四大发明 The Four Great Inventions

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May: There are so many people that the tickets are all sold out!

 

Daniel: Luckily we got the last two.

 

May: Look, Danny. The Four Great Inventions!

 

Daniel: Gunpowder¹, compass, the paper making, and the printing.

 

May: I really admire those who made such great inventions!

 

Daniel: May, I don't see why they are great. They are just simple things.

 

May: They look simple today. But they were milestones² in their times.

 

Daniel: Milestones? May, you must be kidding.

 

May: Just think Bill Gates, those inventions are as important as the windows system.

 

Daniel: Well, I suppose the ancient inventors made a lot of money out of them.

 

May: No, quite the contrary.

 

Daniel: Why? Didn't you say that they were milestones?

 

May: Yes, but they went to the public without any patent protection.

 

Daniel: Well, their inventors were not as clever as Bill Gates.

 

听看学

 

阿美：人太多了，票都卖完了。

 

丹尼尔：幸好我们买了最后两张。

 

阿美：看，丹丹，四大发明！

 

丹尼尔：火药、指南针、造纸术和印刷术。

 

阿美：我真崇拜这些伟大的发明者。

 

丹尼尔：阿美，我不明白有什么伟大的。它们只是些很简单的东西啊。

 

阿美：它们今天看起来很简单。但在它们那个时代却是里程碑。

 

丹尼尔：里程碑？阿美，你在开玩笑吧。

 

阿美：想想比尔.盖茨，那些发明的重要性不亚于Windows 操作系统。

 

丹尼尔：我想古代的发明家们肯定从它们身上赚了不少钱吧。

 

阿美：不，恰恰相反。

 

丹尼尔：为什么？你不是说它们是里程碑吗？

 

阿美：是啊，但是它们没有任何专利保护就进入市场了。

 

丹尼尔：哦，它们的发明者可没有比尔?盖茨那么聪明啊。

 

经典背诵 Recitation

 

Daniel: The Four Great Inventions of China are very famous in the world. They are gunpowder, compass, paper making, and printing. They were milestones in human history. But they went to the public without any patent protection. Well, their inventors lost a good chance of making a lot of money out of them.

1 gunpowder   

n.火药

参考例句：

• Gunpowder was introduced into Europe during the first half of the 14th century.在14世纪上半叶，火药传入欧洲。
• This statement has a strong smell of gunpowder.这是一篇充满火药味的声明。

2 milestones   

n.重要事件( milestone的名词复数 )；重要阶段；转折点；里程碑

参考例句：

• Several important milestones in foreign policy have been passed by this Congress and they can be chalked up as major accomplishments. 这次代表大会通过了对外政策中几起划时代的事件，并且它们可作为主要成就记录下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Dale: I really envy your milestones over the last few years, Don. 我真的很羡慕你在过去几年中所建立的丰功伟绩。 来自互联网