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  3. He Led a Useful Life Benjamin Franklin would .seem right at home among us if he were alive today. In fact, he did a lot to s

He Led a Useful Life Benjamin Franklin would .seem right at home among us if he were alive today. In fact, he did a lot to s

admin2010-09-10  52
问题                    He Led a Useful Life
    Benjamin Franklin would .seem right at home among us if he were alive today. In fact, he did a lot to shape our way of life. Right now you are probably nodding your head and thinking, "Oh, yes, we learned all about old B.F. in the fifth grade." But let’ s see whether you really know "all about him."
    You probably know that he was a strong old fellow with a bald head who flew a kite with a key fastened to it and signed the Declaration of Independence. All that is true, but there is a lot more to know about this man who had so many useful ideas, served his country in so many different ways and made great contributions to the American ideals.
A practical mind to solve problems
    Franklin had a practical mind. When he saw a problem, he tried to do something about it. The houses of Philadelphia were built of wood and easily caught fire. Neighbors tried to help each other, but they could do little to save a burning house. So Franklin organized a fire-fighting company. Philadelphia’s fire loss became so low that the first fire-insurance company in the United States was soon set up there. Ben Franklin was one of its directors. He also persuaded the city to pave and light its streets. Again, the fact that people had trouble keeping their houses warm in winter set Franklin’s active mind to work. He decided that the big fireplaces were to blame. Because they were set deep into the wall, they did not let enough heat reach the middle of the room. So he drew some plans and hired an ironworker to make the potbellied (大肚皮) Franklin stove. It stood in the middle of a room and threw off heat in every direction.
His attitudes toward money
    He did not patent(申请专利)the invention. He was too busy with his discoveries to bother with making money. Although he was a wealthy man by the time he was forty-two, money by itself did not interest him. He valued it because it enabled him to retire from business. Then he had time to spend on other things that seemed more worthwhile. What he really cared for most of all was science.
An experiment with lightning
    Franklin was always trying to answer the question: What makes things act the way they do? At that time learned men were puzzled about electricity. They wondered whether it was in some way like the lightning in a thunderstorm.  It might be, but how could you prove it? You know how Ben Franklin proved it -- by coaxing some electricity down his kite string. That act made him famous in America and Europe. But of course Franklin did not stop there. He found a way to make the knowledge useful, he invented the lightning rod (避雷针).
Public service
    Franklin would gladly have spent the rest of his days in quiet study and research. But he was a very important person now, and the country needed him for public service.
    Disagreement between the colonies and the British was becoming quite serious. Pennsylvania needed a representative in England. Would Dr. Franklin accept the post? He would. He went to London and stayed there for more than ten years. He did his best and may have helped to delay the war. But both sides were too angry to reach agreement.  Franklin returned home just as the Revolutionary War began, arriving in time to sign the Declaration of Independence.
    He was now seventy years old, and his health was not good. He would gladly have settled down at home. But America needed help from France to carry on the war, and she asked Dr. Franklin to win this help. He answered, "I am like a worn-out piece of carpet. If there is one comer left which can be useful to my country, I will be honored."
    His first step was to turn over all his money as a loan to Congress. He wanted to prove his faith in the new American government and encourage others to support it. Then he set sail for France.
    In Paris, Franklin was warmly welcomed. Although he was a simple man, he was a clever diplomat. He spoke very poor French, but he always chose the right words for the occasion. He finally persuaded King Louis of France to declare war on England. That was an important achievement. It was only with the aid of the French fleet that Washington was able to win the war and American independence.
    Benjamin Franklin returned to America. He was very old now, and in poor health. But still he did not settle down and retire to his comfortable home. He sat through the long arguments on the terms of the Constitution. Twice, the meetings would have failed if he had not helped the delegates to agree.
    Ben Franklin died in 1790 at the age of eighty-four. He had spent all his adult life helping people. Years before, he had told his mother that that was his aim. When he died he did not want people to say, "He died a rich man." All he hoped was that people would remember him and say, "He led a useful life."
Franklin’s contribution to American ideals
    The creation of an American national identity is perhaps Franklin’ s most important contribution to American ideals. His works reflect the growing awareness of America as a country with values and interests distinct from those of England. Besides, Franklin’ s participation in the growing confidence of the eighteenth century that humanity could, through personal effort and social reform, analyze and deal with social problems reveals the optimism and self-confidence of his age, as do his scientific achievements. Finally, his belief that theory should be tested primarily by experience not logic also reflects his age’ s belief that reason should be tested pragmatically. Those are the most important contributions that Franklin made to the ideals that are characteristic of America.
The war between Britain and American colonies might have occurred earlier but for____________.
选项
答案Franklin’s effort in Britain
解析 文中第7段提到"He did his best and may have helped to delay the war．"由此，我们可以知道他在英国的努力可能帮助推迟了战争(the war)，亦即美国独立战争(the American Revolutionary War)的爆发。换句话说，“没有他的努力，战争也许发生得会早一些。”
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