Edison

Edison (3) For fully 70 years, it had been understood that light could be produced by electricity, but the only commercial technology that so far had been developed was arc lighting — a method that forced a current to jump between two carbon rods, and produced a light so blinding it could only be used outdoors or else in very large public spaces. The alternative was the incandescent bulb — a technology that first had been patented in 1841, six years before Edison was born, and still, nearly four decades later, had yet to be made viable. Although he'd done no more than a couple days' worth of preliminary experiments, Edison was sure he'd cracked the problem. Edison kept on grabbing headlines over the next month — claiming to have conceived of not merely a long-lasting incandescent bulb, but also an entire electrical power system, which would be both cheaper and safer than gas. In short order, gas stocks plunged, and financiers began lining up at the Wizard's door — all because of a germ of an idea. Nearly four years had passed since Edison had promised to bring electricity into people's homes — four years full of obstacles and pressure and the persistent, pioneering work of hundreds. Now that he had achieved what many thought impossible, the garrulous inventor was almost too worn out for comment. "I have accomplished all that I promised," Edison said to a reporter.  arc [ɑːk; ɑːrk] n. 弧形 v. 做弧形运动 lighting [ˈlaɪtɪŋ] n. 照明设备，舞台灯光 current [ˈkʌrənt; ˈkɜːrənt] adj. 当前的；现在的 n.（水，气，电）流；趋势；涌流 rod [rɒd; rɑːd] n. 杆；竿；棒 blinding [ˈblaɪndɪŋ] adj. 使人眩目的；挡住视线的 alternative [ɔːlˈtɜːnətɪv; ɔːlˈtɜːrnətɪv] n. 二中择一；供替代的选择（《背诵营1》第95课学过） incandescent [ˌɪnkænˈdesnt; ˌɪnkənˈdesnt] adj. 辉耀的；炽热的；发白热光的 bulb [bʌlb] n. 电灯泡；（植物）鳞茎 preliminary [prɪˈlɪmɪnəri; prɪˈlɪmɪneri] adj. 预备性的；初步的；开始的 n. 初步行动；预备性措施 crack [kræk] v.（使）破裂；成功获得；（使）发出爆裂声；吃不消；出现问题；突破，攻克 stock [stɒk; stɑːk] n. 股份，股票；库存；血统 vt. 储备，贮存 plunge [plʌndʒ] v.（使）突然下落；骤降；跳入；**；（使）陷入 financier [faɪˈnænsiə(r);ˌfɪnənˈsɪr] n. 投资家，理财家，财政家；投资家 germ [dʒɜːm; dʒɜːrm] n. [植] 胚芽，萌芽；细菌 garrulous [ˈɡærələs] adj. 唠叨的；喋喋不休的；多嘴的