英語美文名人勵志故事22:詹姆斯·瓦特發(fā)現(xiàn)水蒸汽秘密的故事

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22. James Watt and the Teakettle

22. 詹姆斯·瓦特和水壺

A little scotch boy was sitting in his grandmother's kitchen. He was watching the red flames in the wide open fireplace and quietly wondering about the causes of things. Indeed, he was always wondering and always wanting to know.

一個蘇格蘭小男孩坐在祖母的廚房里。他望著大壁爐里通紅的火焰，默默地思索著事物發(fā)生的緣由。確實，他總是產(chǎn)生疑惑，總是想要知道究竟。

"Grandma," he presently asked, "what makes the fire burn?" This was not the first time he had puzzled his grandmother with questions that she could not answer. so she went on with her preparations for supper and paid no heed to his query. Above the fire an old-fashioned teakettle was hanging. The water within it was beginning to bubble. A thin cloud of steam was rising from the spout. Soon the lid began to rattle and shake. The hot vapor puffed out at a furious rate. Yet when the lad peeped under the lid he could see nothing.

“奶奶，是什么東西使爐火燃燒的?”一會兒他問道。奶奶被他所提出的問題難倒已經(jīng)不是第一次了。所以她繼續(xù)做她的晚餐，不理會他的疑問。在爐子上懸吊了一只老式水壺，那里面的水開始沸騰，壺嘴冒出淡淡的云霧般的蒸氣。不一會兒，壺蓋兒開始掀動，發(fā)出格格的響聲。接著，熱氣猛烈地噴出來。可是，孩子仔細窺看壺蓋下面，卻什么也沒看見。

"Grandma, what is in the asked. "Water, my child—nothing but water." "But I know there is something else. There is something in there the lid and makes it rattle." The grandmother laughed. "Oh, that is only steam," she said. "You can see it coming out of the spout and puffing up under the lid." "But you said there was nothing but water in the kettle. How did the steam get under the lid?" "Why, my dear, it comes out of the hot water. The hot water makes it."

“奶奶，壺里裝的是什么呀?”他問道。“水呀，孩子，沒有別的東西。”“但是我知道還有別的東西，里面有東西在把壺蓋頂起來，而且使壺蓋格格響。” 奶奶笑了起來，說：“啊那是整齊。你可以看見蒸氣從壺口冒出來，還在壺蓋底下噗吱噗吱著。”“但你剛才說壺里只有水，沒有別的東西。那么壺蓋底下的蒸氣又是打哪兒來的呢?”“噯，親愛的，它是從熱水里出來的。熱水產(chǎn)生蒸氣。”

The grandmother was beginning to feel puzzled. The lad lifted the lid and peeped inside again. He could see nothing but the bubbling water. The steam was not visible until after it was fairly out of the kettle. "How queer! " he said. "The steam must be very strong to lift the heavy iron lid. Grandma, how much water did you put into the kettle?" "About a quart, Jamie." “Well, if the steam from so little water is so strong, why would not the steam from a great deal of water be a great dea1 stronger?

奶奶開始感到說不清楚了。孩子拎起壺蓋，再一次向壺里窺探，只見壺里的水在喋唉地冒著氣泡，其他可什么也沒發(fā)現(xiàn)。蒸氣只有在完全離開水壺以后才看得見。“多么奇怪!”他說。“蒸氣要頂起這樣重的鐵蓋子，力量一定不小。奶奶，你在壺里裝了多少水呢?”“大約一夸脫，杰米。”“噢，如果這么一點點水產(chǎn)生的蒸氣力量有那么大，那么大量的水產(chǎn)生的蒸氣力量不就大得多了嗎?

Why couldn't it be made to lift a much greater weight? Why couldn't it be made to turn wheels?" The grandmother made no reply. These questions of Jamie's were more puzzling than profitable , she thought. She went about her work silently, and Jamie sat still in his place and studied the teakettle.

為什么不可以使蒸氣頂起比這重得多的東西呢?為什么不可以使蒸氣轉(zhuǎn)動輪子呢?”奶奶沒有回答。她想：杰米的這些問題沒有什么用處，卻難以回答。她默默地繼續(xù)干她的活，而杰米仍一動不動地坐在老地方研究著這把水壺。