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What did Thomas Edison invent?
Edison's phonograph machine on display.
Tricia Shay Photography/Workbook Stock/
Today, young kids dream of becoming rock stars and movie celebrities. But before Thomas Alva Edison, people had no way of recording sound, much less capturing moving pictures. With 1,093 patents for inventions that range from light bulbs to cement, Edison was one of the world's most prolific tinkerers. Let's take a look at some of Edison's inventions that still inspire dreamers today:
The Phonograph (1877) -- Edison earned his nickname &The Wizard of Menlo Park& in November 1877 when he invented the world's first method of recording and playing back sound.The Carbon Microphone (1877-78) -- Alexander Graham Bell may have invented the , but it was Edison who invented a microphone that turned the telephone from a promising gadget into an indispensible machine with real, practical applications.The Incandescent
(1879) -- Without a doubt, the light bulb is Edison's most famous invention. Scientists and inventors had been racing against each other for years trying to invent artificial light. Edison cinched the win by creating an incandescent bulb with a carbon filament that could be practically reproduced.The Brockton Breakthrough (1883) -- Once the world had light, it needed a way to power that light. In the tiny town of Brockton, Mass., Edison set out to construct one of the world's first three-wire electrical power plants as a way to show the world that electric power was safer and more efficient than gas power.The Kinetoscope, Kinetograph and Kinetophone (s) -- Edison and his assistant William Dickson first invented the Kinetoscope, a boxlike contraption that enabled a single viewer to watch a motion picture short through a peephole. Films were recorded with a motion picture camera called the Kinetograph -- later, the Kinetophone attempted to add sound to moving pictures.Nickel-iron
(1901) --Before steam- and gasoline-powered engines were popularized, some of the world's first automobiles were powered by batteries. Edison's nickel-iron batteries were an improvement, both in terms of ecological impact and charging time, over the more commonly used lead-acid batteries of the day.
These are just a few of Edison's more well-known inventions. Some of his other inventions include the cement used to construct Yankee Stadium and a way to preserve fresh fruit.
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Thomas Edison was one of ten said to be the greatest genius（天才） of his age. There are only a few m
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Thomas Edison was one of ten said to be the greatest genius（天才） of his age. There are only a few men in all of the history, who have changed the lives of other men as much as the inventor of the first useful electric light. But Edison could never be happy only because someone said he was a genius.“ There is no such thing as genius,” Edison said. He said that what people called genius was mostly hard work.But Edison was a dreamer as well as a worker. From his earliest days as a child he wondered about the secrets of nature. Nature, he often said, is full of secrets. He trie then, he tried to learn what could usefully be done with them.Edison enjoyed thinking. He knew that most people will do almost anything instead of the difficult work of thinking, especially if they do not think very often. But he knew, too, that thinking can give men enjoyment and pleasure.Edison could not understand how anyone could be uninterested in life. As he loved to think, he also loved to work. On the day he became 75 years old, someone asked him what ideas he had about life. “Work,” he answered. “Discovering the secrets of nature and using them to make men happier.” He said he had enough inventions in his mind to give him another 100 years of work.小题1:Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage？A．Edison invented the electric light.B．Many other people have changed Edison’s life.C．Edison has changed the life of many other people.D．Few men in history can change other people’s life.小题2:Edison thought ____________.A．he could be happy if he was a geniusB．genius plays the most important part in one’s successC．hard work could do better than geniusD．genius could do better than hard work小题3:In Edison’s opinion, ____________.A．thinking can supply people with enjoyment and pleasure as well as helpB．people’s successs lies mostly in geniusC．hard work is the second important thing in making people successfulD．there are few secrets for him to discover later小题4:The last sentence in the passage most probably implies(暗示） ____________.A．life is too short for Edison to invent more for human beingsB．Edison made 100 inventions in his lifeC．Edison was able to live and work for 100 yearsD．People of his time were ready to give Edison another 100 years’ work
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Thomas Edison was a great American inventor. He was born to a poor family in 1847. His mother taught him at home. He often observed things carefully and he made over 1,300 inventions during his life time. He was often said to be the greatest genius(天才) of his age. There are only a few men in all of history, who have changed the lives of other men as much as the inventor of the first useful electric light. But Edison could never be happy only because someone said he was a genius. “There is no such thing as genius,” Edison said. He also said that what people called genius was mostly hard work. But Edison was a dreamer as well as a worker. From his earliest days as a child he wondered about the secrets of nature. Nature, he often said, is full of secrets. He trie then, he tried to learn what could usefully be done with them. Edison enjoyed thinking. He knew that most people will do almost anything instead of the difficult work of thinking, especially if they do not think very often. But he knew, too, that thinking can give men enjoyment and pleasure. Edison could not understand how anyone could be uninterested in life. As he loved to think, he also loved to work. On the day he became 75 years old, someone asked him what ideas he had about life. “Work, ” he answered back, “discovering the secrets of nature and using them to make men happier.” He said he had enough inventions in his mind to give him another 100 years of work.【小题1】Edison was______________.A．interested in changing people’s ideasB．interested in discovering the secrets of natureC．very much uninterested in natureD．uninterested in making people happier by discovering the secrets of nature【小题2】Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the passage?A．Many other people have changed Edison’s life.B．Edison has changed the lives of many other people.C．Only a few men in history can change other people’s lives.D．Edison invented the electric light.【小题3】The last sentence in the passage most probably implies(意指)___________.A．people of his time were ready to give Edison another 100 year’s workB．Life is too short for Edison to invent more for human beingsC．Edison made 100 inventions in his lifeD．Edison was able to live and work for 100 years
Thomas Edison was a great American inventor. He wasborn to a poor family in 1847. His mother taught him at home. He often observedthings carefully and he made over 1,300 inventions during his life time. He wasoften said to be the greatest genius(天才) of hisage. There are only a few men in all of history, who have changed the lives ofother men as much as the inventor of the first useful electric light. ButEdison could never be happy only because someone said he was a genius. “Thereis no such thing as genius,” Edison said. He also said that what people calledgenius was mostly hard work. But Edison was a dreamer as well as a worker. Fromhis earliest days as a child he wondered about the secrets of nature. Nature,he often said, is full of secrets. He trie then, he triedto learn what could usefully be done with them.Edison enjoyed thinking. He knew that most people willdo almost anything instead of the difficult work of thinking, especially ifthey do not think very often. But he knew, too, that thinking can give menenjoyment and pleasure.Edison could not understand how anyone could beuninterested in life. As he loved to think, he also loved to work. On the dayhe became 75 years old, someone asked him what ideas he had about life. “Work,” he answered back, “discovering the secrets of nature and using them to makemen happier.” He said he had enough inventions in his mind to give him another100 years of work.1.Edison was______________.A．interested inchanging people’s ideasB．interested indiscovering the secrets of natureC．very muchuninterested in natureD．uninterestedin making people happier by discovering the secrets of nature2.Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to thepassage?A．Many otherpeople have changed Edison’s life.B．Edison haschanged the lives of many other people.C．Only a fewmen in history can change other people’s lives.D．Edisoninvented the electric light.3.The last sentence in the passage most probablyimplies(意指)___________.A．people of histime were ready to give Edison another 100 year’s workB．Life is tooshort for Edison to invent more for human beingsC．Edison made100 inventions in his lifeD．Edison wasable to live and work for 100 years&
Thomas Edison was a great American inventor. He was born to a poor family in 1847. His mother taught him at home. He often observed things carefully and he made over 1,300 inventions during his life time. He was often said to be the greatest genius(天才) of his age. There are only a few men in all of history, who have changed the lives of other men as much as the inventor of the first useful electric light. But Edison could never be happy only because someone said he was a genius. “There is no such thing as genius,” Edison said. He also said that what people called genius was mostly hard work. But Edison was a dreamer as well as a worker. From his earliest days as a child he wondered about the secrets of nature. Nature, he often said, is full of secrets. He trie then, he tried to learn what could usefully be done with them. Edison enjoyed thinking. He knew that most people will do almost anything instead of the difficult work of thinking, especially if they do not think very often. But he knew, too, that thinking can give men enjoyment and pleasure. Edison could not understand how anyone could be uninterested in life. As he loved to think, he also loved to work. On the day he became 75 years old, someone asked him what ideas he had about life. “Work, ” he answered back, “discovering the secrets of nature and using them to make men happier.” He said he had enough inventions in his mind to give him another 100 years of work.小题1:Edison was______________.A．interested in changing people’s ideasB．interested in discovering the secrets of natureC．very much uninterested in natureD．uninterested in making people happier by discovering the secrets of nature小题2:Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the passage?A．Many other people have changed Edison’s life.B．Edison has changed the lives of many other people.C．Only a few men in history can change other people’s lives.D．Edison invented the electric light.小题3:The last sentence in the passage most probably implies(意指)___________.A．people of his time were ready to give Edison another 100 year’s workB．Life is too short for Edison to invent more for human beingsC．Edison made 100 inventions in his lifeD．Edison was able to live and work for 100 years
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