America’s Generous Builder 美国慈善钢铁大王－卡内基
- 详细资料
- 创建于 2013年11月11日
- 最后更新于 2023年12月18日
- 发布于 2013年11月11日
- 作者：Mike Lee
- 点击数：417
课文朗读
课文讲解
Andrew Carnegie, born in 1835 in Scotland, came to the US when he was 13. Through a lifetime of hard work, he became known as one of “America’s builders.” He not only built a business empire, but used his enormous fortune to improve the lives of others. He is remembered today as one of the greatest philanthropists in history.
安德鲁．卡内基于1835年出生于苏格兰，于13岁时来到美国。经过一生的努力，他以「美国建造者」之一着称。他不只打造了一个经济王国，还运用自己巨大的财富改善他人的生活。如今在人们的心中，他是历史上最伟大的慈善家之一。
Soon after he arrived in the US, Carnegie got a job with the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. He worked his way up to a prominent position, and then left to start his own business. His steel company revolutionized the metal processing industry. By controlling every step of production, he was able to maximize profit, which made him extremely wealthy.
到美国不久后，卡内基在宾夕法尼亚铁路谋得一职，他从基层一路攀升到位居要职，接着便离开公司自己创业。他的钢铁公司彻底改革了金属加工业。藉由控制制造过程的每项步骤，他足以使利润最大化，因而变得十分富有。
Then, in a surprising move, Carnegie sold his successful company to devote his time and money to helping others. By the time he died, 18 years after selling Carnegie Steel, he had put US$350 million toward charity. He focused his generosity on bringing education and peace to the world. The man truly believed he had the power, and more importantly, the duty to help society.
接着，卡内基出乎众人意料地售出他成就辉煌的公司，并将自己的时间和金钱投注于帮助他人身上。在他过世时，也就是卡内基钢铁公司被卖出18年后，他总共投注了美金3亿5千万元于慈善事业。他将自己的慷慨行径聚焦于为世界带来教育与和平。卡内基深信他有能力，更重要的是他有义务要帮助这个社会。
单词发音
Vocabulary
lifetime [ˋlaɪf͵taɪm] n. 一生，终身
Mozart spent a lifetime practicing and playing different instruments.
revolutionize [͵rɛvəˋluʃən͵aɪz] v. 彻底改革
revolution n. 革命
The invention of the smartphone revolutionized how people use cellphones.
profit [ˋprɑfɪt] n. 利润
Every company wants to makes as much profit as possible.
extremely[ɪkˋstrimlɪ] adv. 极端地；极其；非常
extreme adj. 极端的
My grandmother is extremely nice and does anything she can to help people in need.
devote [dɪˋvot] v. 奉献；专心于
Jenny devotes many hours each week to help her little brother with his homework.
generosity [͵dʒɛnəˋrɑsətɪ] n. 慷慨
generous adj. 慷慨的; 大方的
We all saw Terry's generosity when he gave half of his savings to charity.
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philanthropist [fɪˋlænθrəpɪst] n. 慈善家
be able to 能够
maximize [ˋmæksə͵maɪz] v. 最大化
课文朗读
课文讲解
Andrew Carnegie began working as a young teenager, so he never received formal higher education. He did, however, read any book he could get his hands on. As soon as he had earned enough money, Carnegie wanted to allow others the same opportunity to educate themselves. So in 1881, he donated money for a public library in his hometown, Dunfermline, Scotland.
安德鲁．卡内基打从青年时期就开始工作，因此他从未受过正规高等教育；然而他尽可能读遍所有他有办法接触到的书籍。当卡内基赚进足够的钱后，他便希望给予其他人相同的机会教育自己。于是在1881年，他捐钱在自己的家乡－苏格兰邓弗姆林，兴建了一座公共图书馆。
Over the next four decades, Carnegie founded 2,500 more libraries. He also provided funds for a variety of schools, including Carnegie-Mellon University. His effort also aimed to reduce the threat of war. The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace is a think tank that works to increase cooperation among countries and to promote peace.
在接下来的40年，卡内基一共创建了超过2,500座图书馆。他还提供基金给予包括卡内基美隆大学在内的众多大学。他也致力于推动减少战争的威胁。「卡内基国际和平促进会」就是一个致力于增进国际合作并推动和平的智囊团。
Some may wonder why Carnegie would want to earn so much money just to give most of it away. In an 1889 article titled “Wealth,” he declared that it is disgraceful to die rich. Furthermore, it is the responsibility of the rich to improve the lives of everyday people. Today, Andrew Carnegie’s name lives on as a symbol of the spirit of philanthropy.
有些人可能会疑惑卡内基为何要赚取大笔金钱，只为了将绝大部分捐献出去。在一篇1889年标题为〈财富〉的文章中，他声称：「富有的死去是可耻的。」此外，改善平民百姓的生活是有钱人的责任。如今，卡内基的名字仍以慈善精神的化身永存人间。
－by Geoffrey Trager
单词发音
Vocabulary
donate [ˋdonet] v. 捐献，捐赠
The family donated their old clothes that they don't want anymore to the poor.
fund [fʌnd] n. 基金
Scott created a fund when his daughter was born to pay for her university education.
reduce [rɪˋdjus] v. 减少
Cindy reduced the amount of time she spent on watching TV in order to study more.
think tank 智囊团
This think tank provides advice and ideas to the president of this country.
promote [prəˋmot] v. 促进；发扬
The company promoted its new products by placing ads on the Internet.
declare [dɪˋklɛr] v. 宣布，宣告
The player declared to the public that he has never cheated in any game.
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get one's hands on 把……弄到手
disgraceful [dɪsˋgresfəl] adj. 不名誉的，可耻的
philanthropy [fɪˋlænθrəpɪ] n. 博爱,仁慈,慈善
The Life of Andrew Carnegie