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CHAPTER XXVI EDISON IN COMMERCE AND MANUFACTURE
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AN applicant1 for membership in the Engineers' Club of Philadelphia is required to give a brief statement of the professional work he has done. Some years ago a certain application was made, and contained the following terse2 and modest sentence:
"I have designed a concentrating plant and built a machine shop, etc., etc. THOMAS A. EDISON."
Although in the foregoing pages the reader has been made acquainted with the tremendous import of the actualities lying behind those "etc., etc.," the narrative3 up to this point has revealed Edison chiefly in the light of inventor, experimenter, and investigator4. There have been some side glimpses of the industries he has set on foot, and of their financial aspects, and a later chapter will endeavor to sum up the intrinsic value of Edison's work to the world. But there are some other interesting points that may be touched on now in regard to a few of Edison's financial and commercial ventures not generally known or appreciated.
It is a popular idea founded on experience that an inventor is not usually a business man. One of the exceptions proving the rule may perhaps be met in Edison, though all depends on the point of view. All his life he has had a great deal to do with finance and commerce, and as one looks at the magnitude of the vast industries he has helped to create, it would not be at all unreasonable5 to expect him to be among the multi-millionaires. That he is not is due to the absence of certain qualities, the lack of which Edison is himself the first to admit. Those qualities may not be amiable6, but great wealth is hardly ever accumulated without them. If he had not been so intent on inventing he would have made more of his great opportunities for getting rich. If this utter detachment from any love of money for its own sake has not already been illustrated7 in some of the incidents
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1 applicant | |
n.申请人,求职者,请求者 | |
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2 terse | |
adj.(说话,文笔)精炼的,简明的 | |
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3 narrative | |
n.叙述,故事;adj.叙事的,故事体的 | |
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4 investigator | |
n.研究者,调查者,审查者 | |
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5 unreasonable | |
adj.不讲道理的,不合情理的,过度的 | |
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6 amiable | |
adj.和蔼可亲的,友善的,亲切的 | |
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7 illustrated | |
adj. 有插图的,列举的 动词illustrate的过去式和过去分词 | |
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8 illustrate | |
v.举例说明,阐明;图解,加插图 | |
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9 narrated | |
v.故事( narrate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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10 acumen | |
n.敏锐,聪明 | |
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11 chancellor | |
n.(英)大臣;法官;(德、奥)总理;大学校长 | |
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12 exchequer | |
n.财政部;国库 | |
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13 retail | |
v./n.零售;adv.以零售价格 | |
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14 lighting | |
n.照明,光线的明暗,舞台灯光 | |
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15 tract | |
n.传单,小册子,大片(土地或森林) | |
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16 pointed | |
adj.尖的,直截了当的 | |
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17 dealing | |
n.经商方法,待人态度 | |
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18 stipulated | |
vt.& vi.规定;约定adj.[法]合同规定的 | |
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19 circumspect | |
adj.慎重的,谨慎的 | |
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20 par | |
n.标准,票面价值,平均数量;adj.票面的,平常的,标准的 | |
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21 apparatus | |
n.装置,器械;器具,设备 | |
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22 metallic | |
adj.金属的;金属制的;含金属的;产金属的;像金属的 | |
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23 filaments | |
n.(电灯泡的)灯丝( filament的名词复数 );丝极;细丝;丝状物 | |
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24 incandescent | |
adj.遇热发光的, 白炽的,感情强烈的 | |
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25 platinum | |
n.白金 | |
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26 orchard | |
n.果园,果园里的全部果树,(美俚)棒球场 | |
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27 unwilling | |
adj.不情愿的 | |
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28 persistence | |
n.坚持,持续,存留 | |
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29 afterward | |
adv.后来;以后 | |
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30 machinery | |
n.(总称)机械,机器;机构 | |
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31 crooked | |
adj.弯曲的;不诚实的,狡猾的,不正当的 | |
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32 steadily | |
adv.稳定地;不变地;持续地 | |
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33 lugubrious | |
adj.悲哀的,忧郁的 | |
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34 provocative | |
adj.挑衅的,煽动的,刺激的,挑逗的 | |
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35 busted | |
adj. 破产了的,失败了的,被降级的,被逮捕的,被抓到的 动词bust的过去式和过去分词 | |
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36 sarcastic | |
adj.讥讽的,讽刺的,嘲弄的 | |
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37 banking | |
n.银行业,银行学,金融业 | |
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38 crestfallen | |
adj. 挫败的,失望的,沮丧的 | |
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39 payrolls | |
n.(公司员工的)工资名单( payroll的名词复数 );(公司的)工资总支出,工薪总额 | |
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40 copper | |
n.铜;铜币;铜器;adj.铜(制)的;(紫)铜色的 | |
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41 brass | |
n.黄铜;黄铜器,铜管乐器 | |
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42 pithily | |
adv.有力地,简洁地 | |
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43 journalism | |
n.新闻工作,报业 | |
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44 exponent | |
n.倡导者,拥护者;代表人物;指数,幂 | |
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45 annually | |
adv.一年一次,每年 | |
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46 remarkable | |
adj.显著的,异常的,非凡的,值得注意的 | |
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47 administrative | |
adj.行政的,管理的 | |
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48 mere | |
adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过 | |
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49 appreciation | |
n.评价;欣赏;感谢;领会,理解;价格上涨 | |
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50 faculty | |
n.才能;学院,系;(学院或系的)全体教学人员 | |
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51 lieutenants | |
n.陆军中尉( lieutenant的名词复数 );副职官员;空军;仅低于…官阶的官员 | |
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52 devoted | |
adj.忠诚的,忠实的,热心的,献身于...的 | |
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53 labors | |
v.努力争取(for)( labor的第三人称单数 );苦干;详细分析;(指引擎)缓慢而困难地运转 | |
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54 thoroughly | |
adv.完全地,彻底地,十足地 | |
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55 refinement | |
n.文雅;高尚;精美;精制;精炼 | |
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56 strenuous | |
adj.奋发的,使劲的;紧张的;热烈的,狂热的 | |
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57 quacked | |
v.(鸭子)发出嘎嘎声( quack的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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58 ERECTED | |
adj. 直立的,竖立的,笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立,建立 | |
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59 debut | |
n.首次演出,初次露面 | |
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60 cylinder | |
n.圆筒,柱(面),汽缸 | |
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61 cylindrical | |
adj.圆筒形的 | |
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62 fully | |
adv.完全地,全部地,彻底地;充分地 | |
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63 experimentation | |
n.实验,试验,实验法 | |
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64 incessant | |
adj.不停的,连续的 | |
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65 incessantly | |
ad.不停地 | |
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66 necessitating | |
使…成为必要,需要( necessitate的现在分词 ) | |
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67 lull | |
v.使安静,使入睡,缓和,哄骗;n.暂停,间歇 | |
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68 corporate | |
adj.共同的,全体的;公司的,企业的 | |
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69 thereby | |
adv.因此,从而 | |
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70 proceedings | |
n.进程,过程,议程;诉讼(程序);公报 | |
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71 restrictions | |
约束( restriction的名词复数 ); 管制; 制约因素; 带限制性的条件(或规则) | |
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72 necessitated | |
使…成为必要,需要( necessitate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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73 outgrown | |
长[发展] 得超过(某物)的范围( outgrow的过去分词 ); 长[发展]得不能再要(某物); 长得比…快; 生长速度超过 | |
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74 radical | |
n.激进份子,原子团,根号;adj.根本的,激进的,彻底的 | |
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75 foresight | |
n.先见之明,深谋远虑 | |
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76 aggregate | |
adj.总计的,集合的;n.总数;v.合计;集合 | |
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77 imposing | |
adj.使人难忘的,壮丽的,堂皇的,雄伟的 | |
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78 entirely | |
ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地 | |
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79 sanitation | |
n.公共卫生,环境卫生,卫生设备 | |
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80 exterior | |
adj.外部的,外在的;表面的 | |
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81 specially | |
adv.特定地;特殊地;明确地 | |
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82 lapidaries | |
n.宝石匠,玉石雕刻师( lapidary的名词复数 ) | |
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83 sufficiently | |
adv.足够地,充分地 | |
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84 bespeaks | |
v.预定( bespeak的第三人称单数 );订(货);证明;预先请求 | |
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85 marketing | |
n.行销,在市场的买卖,买东西 | |
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86 wares | |
n. 货物, 商品 | |
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87 stimulated | |
a.刺激的 | |
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88 advertising | |
n.广告业;广告活动 a.广告的;广告业务的 | |
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89 jobbers | |
n.做零活的人( jobber的名词复数 );营私舞弊者;股票经纪人;证券交易商 | |
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90 dealers | |
n.商人( dealer的名词复数 );贩毒者;毒品贩子;发牌者 | |
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91 civilized | |
a.有教养的,文雅的 | |
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92 cape | |
n.海角,岬;披肩,短披风 | |
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93 Portuguese | |
n.葡萄牙人;葡萄牙语 | |
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94 recording | |
n.录音,记录 | |
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95 vaudeville | |
n.歌舞杂耍表演 | |
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96 acting | |
n.演戏,行为,假装;adj.代理的,临时的,演出用的 | |
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97 varied | |
adj.多样的,多变化的 | |
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98 pivot | |
v.在枢轴上转动;装枢轴,枢轴;adj.枢轴的 | |
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99 suburban | |
adj.城郊的,在郊区的 | |
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100 borough | |
n.享有自治权的市镇;(英)自治市镇 | |
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101 profusion | |
n.挥霍;丰富 | |
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102 paraphernalia | |
n.装备;随身用品 | |
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103 pertaining | |
与…有关系的,附属…的,为…固有的(to) | |
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104 beholding | |
v.看,注视( behold的现在分词 );瞧;看呀;(叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现)哎哟 | |
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105 heterogeneous | |
adj.庞杂的;异类的 | |
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106 rehearsal | |
n.排练,排演;练习 | |
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107 necessitates | |
使…成为必要,需要( necessitate的第三人称单数 ) | |
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108 Augmented | |
adj.增音的 动词augment的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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109 exigencies | |
n.急切需要 | |
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110 animate | |
v.赋于生命,鼓励;adj.有生命的,有生气的 | |
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111 corps | |
n.(通信等兵种的)部队;(同类作的)一组 | |
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112 territorial | |
adj.领土的,领地的 | |
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113 situated | |
adj.坐落在...的,处于某种境地的 | |
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114 peculiar | |
adj.古怪的,异常的;特殊的,特有的 | |
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115 supervision | |
n.监督,管理 | |
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116 oxide | |
n.氧化物 | |
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117 flake | |
v.使成薄片;雪片般落下;n.薄片 | |
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118 ingenuity | |
n.别出心裁;善于发明创造 | |
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119 investigations | |
(正式的)调查( investigation的名词复数 ); 侦查; 科学研究; 学术研究 | |
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120 justified | |
a.正当的,有理的 | |
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121 judgment | |
n.审判;判断力,识别力,看法,意见 | |
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122 consecutive | |
adj.连续的,联贯的,始终一贯的 | |
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123 originality | |
n.创造力,独创性;新颖 | |
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124 caption | |
n.说明,字幕,标题;v.加上标题,加上说明 | |
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