A Century of Memories (1900-1909)

（单词翻译）

A Century of Memories (1900-1909)

 

On the eve of the new century, the sense of ¹⁾boundless¹ possibilities also ²⁾ignited an explosion of technological^{2 3)}innovations that would have ⁴⁾profound impact on twentieth-century life. Thomas Edison's electric ⁵⁾light bulb and phonograph, Alexander Graham Bell's telephone. Tens of thousands of ⁶⁾tinkerers across America were trying to invent the future. Among them were two bicycle mechanics in Dayton, Ohio.

Mable Griep --

Mabel: Orville and Wilbur, they as young boys, were interested in flying. And they would sit on the ⁷⁾porch and watch the birds. And the neighbours all around us say, "I don't know what they think they're going to do. Why they will never make an aeroplane?" 

Mabel Griep and her sister Loreen lived next door to the Wright Brothers. 

Loreen: Well, my father found out someway that they were going to try, have a trial flight. So we got in the surrey and we drove out to Hoffman Prairie. 

Mabel: I can hear dad turn more than once and say, "Look, are you all paying attention to this? Now listen to me. You're gonna remember this 'til your last day."

Loreen: When that plane took off the ground, people were speechless! It was spectacular! It was unbelievable!

One of the oldest dreams in human imagination had come true. ⁸⁾Sustained flight in a powered aeroplane. 

 

In 1900, there were only 8,000 cars and less than 10 miles of ⁹⁾concrete road in the entire country. But the car was fast seducing³ Americans.

The historian, Thomas Hughes --

Hughes: The automobile⁴ gave people a sense of the control of their own destiny. That is, behind the wheel, out on the road, you decided⁵ where you were going, what you were doing, and you had a machine at your control.

But early cars were fantastically expensive. The Artsburger, made in Pittsburgh, and the Pierce Arrow were really toys for the rich people until one manufacturer in Detroit saw it differently: Henry Ford⁶. 

Hughes: He saw the automobile as a way to relieve one of the burden of working in nature by the sweat of one's brow. He was motivated by the desire to put the automobile into the hands, first farmers, and then generally into the hands of ordinary people in the population. He wanted to produce many, many, many automobiles⁷ in a short, short time. 

 

 

It was the promise of material abundance and freedom which drew more than thirteen million impoverished⁸ Europeans to America between 1900 and 1914. It was the greatest free ¹⁰⁾migration⁹ in all of human history. The film-maker, Martin Scorcese's grandparents came from Italy. 

Scorcese: My mother's mother, Domenica, was afraid to travel on the boat. And the only way they got her on the boat was, her brother tricked her. He went on the boat with her, said he was going with her. And at the last minute she turned away, he left. 

Clara Hancox --

Hancox:       My mother came by herself through Siberia. She got to the coast, and got on the boat. They were just sitting on the deck. Hoards¹⁰ of people ¹¹⁾huddled over their possessions which consisted of old pillows with feathers and the few pieces of silverware tucked in there and stuff like that, their candlesticks, and sleeping on the deck with one another, next to one another to keep oneself warm. It took weeks and weeks and weeks; it took ages.

Alfred Levitt remembers his voyage from Russia --

Levitt: When I crossed the ocean, I never saw such waves in my life. I never knew an ocean existed. Approaching the New York Harbour, the Statue of Liberty was there and it give me a free feeling; a feeling of a new nation; a feeling of a new hope for the beautiful life.

 

光阴的故事（1900-1909）

1903年12月17日，莱特兄弟制造的动力飞行器成功地实现了首次持续飞行。“在莱特兄弟之前，无人有正确的飞行基础。在莱特兄弟之后，无人改动过此基础。”（达勒·科林斯）

 

20世纪到来前夕，人们认识到没有实现不了的想法，这导引了新科技革命的爆发，并对20世纪的生活产生了深远的影响。托马斯·爱迪生发明了电灯和留声机，亚历山大·格拉罕·贝尔发明了电话。美国各地有数不清的人在尝试未来发明，其中包括俄亥俄州戴顿的两名自行车修理工。

玛宝·格里普——

玛宝：奥维尔和威尔保那时候年纪还小，他们对飞行很有兴趣。他们会坐在前廊观察鸟儿。我们身边所有的邻居都说：“我不明白他们以后想干什么。他们怎么不去造飞机呢？”

玛宝·格里普和妹妹罗琳当时住在莱特兄弟的隔壁。

罗琳：我父亲发现这兄弟俩怎么也要试上一试，他们要试飞。所以我们就坐上马车，去到霍夫曼大草原。

玛宝：我听到爸爸不止一次地说：“你们是不是全力以赴了？那么听我说。一直到死的那天，你们都会记住今天。”

罗琳：当飞机离开地面时，人们鸦雀无声！太壮观了！简直难以置信！

动力飞机的持续飞行，实现了人类最古老的一个梦想。

 

亨利·福特对美国的转型做出了无价的贡献。说他象征着美国由农业社会转为工业社会是无可厚非的。1879年小亨利离家去闯荡底特律的时候，八个美国人中只有两个住在城市里，而等到1947年亨利去世时，比率增加到八个中有五个。

1900年，全美国仅有八千辆小汽车，水泥公路不足10英里长。可是汽车对美国人的诱惑力实在太大了。

历史学家托马斯·休思——

休思：汽车带给人们一种掌控命运的感觉。也就是说，开着轮子上路，去向由你决定，怎么做由你决定，这个机器由你来控制。

可是早期的汽车价格惊人地昂贵。匹兹堡生产的亚茨伯格汽车和利箭汽车历来只是富人的玩具，直到底特律的一名制造商另有了想法，他就是亨利·福特。

休思：他希望用汽车来缓轻人们在自然中汗流浃背的劳作负荷。这个决心驱使他要普及汽车，首先在农民当中普及，然后是寻常大众。他想在很短、很短的时间内生产出许许多多、许许多多的汽车来。

 

十九世纪末，美国加大了工业化程度。许多工业都大量需要劳动力。工业发展为许多欧洲国家的贫民创造了巨大的机遇。

1900年至1914年间，对丰富物质和自由的向往使一千三百多万穷困潦倒的欧洲人流向美国。这是人类历史上最大规模的自由迁徙。电影制片商马丁·史科瑟思的祖父母来自意大利。

史科瑟思：我妈妈的妈妈叫多米尼加，她很怕乘船旅行。他们只好让她兄弟把她骗到船上。他上了船，说会和她一起走。最后一分钟，她刚转身，他就溜走了。

克拉拉·汉科斯——

汉科斯：我母亲独身一人从西伯利亚来。她去到海边，搭上船。人们都坐在甲板上。人群挤在一起，抱着自己的财物——有旧的羽毛枕头，里面塞着一两件银器、蜡烛台之类的东西——睡觉也和别人一块儿在甲板上睡，挨着别人取暖。船开了一周、一周又一周；行程漫漫。

    阿尔弗莱德·列维特清楚地记得他从俄罗斯过来的航程。

列维特：我横越汪洋，我一辈子都没见过这样的波浪。我还从不知道有海。船靠向纽约港，我看到自由女神像，感受到了自由，感受到了一个新的国度，感受到了对美好生活的新生希望。

 

注释：

1) boundless [5baJndlIs] a. 无边无际的

2) ignite [i^5nait] v. 点燃

3) innovation [7inEu5veiFEn] n. 改革，创新

4) profound [prE5faund] a. 意义深远的

5) light bulb 电灯泡

6) tinkerer [5tiNkErE] n. 修补匠

7) porch [pC:tF] n. 门廊

8) sustained [sEs5teind] a. 持续不变的

9) concrete [5kCnkri:t] n. 混凝土

10) migration [mai5^reiFEn] n. 迁徙

11) huddle¹¹ [5hQdl] v. 挤成一团，蜷缩