Lesson12 The Wright Brothers
When they were young boys， Orville and Wilbur Wright received aninexpensive toy from their father． It was a flying toy made of cork andbamboo． The body was made of paper and the power was supplied by a rubberband． The toy was able to fly across the living room using its own power．The boys were fascinated． Older brother Wilbur began reading every book andnewspaper article he could find about wings and flying machines． Orvillelater wrote， “We were lucky enough to grow up in an environment wherethere was always much encouragement to children to pursue intellectualinterests； to investigate whatever aroused curiosity．” From what he read， he became convinced that it was possible to build an aircraft that wouldcarry a man through the air．The two brothers worked hard on their dreams for several years． Finallythey flew the first manageable aircraft into the air on December 17， 1903．They proved to the world the secrets of human flight．
cork ? 软木
pursue ? 追求，追寻
convince ? 确信，相信
manageable 可管理的
prove ? 证实，证明
怀特兄弟
当奥威尔和威尔伯•怀特还是小男孩的时候，他们从父亲那里得到了一个便宜的玩具。这是一个由软木和竹子做成的飞行玩具，它的身体是用纸做的，动力由一个橡皮筋提供。这个玩具可以靠其自身的动力在起居室里飞。
孩子们对它着了迷。哥哥威尔伯开始读他所能找到的所有关于机翼和飞行器的书籍和报道。奥威尔在后来写到，“我们很幸运成长在这样的环境中，人们总是鼓励孩子去追寻自己的研究兴趣，去钻研任何引起他们好奇心的东西。”从他所读过的书中，他确信人类是可以造出载人飞行器的。
兄弟俩为着他们的梦想努力工作了多年，终于在1903年12月17日驾驶着第一架可操控的飞行器飞上了天。他们向世界解开了人类飞行之迷。 |