【英语阅读】外刊精读 |五件由女性发明的东西

导读：

计算机程序设计应该是个男性工作的领域，对吗？仅从目前的从业人数来看，男性程序员的人数超过女性从业人数，但曾经一度可不是这样的。本集《外刊精读》带你认识50年代的一位女性先锋程序员，同时介绍那些由女性发明的日用品。

一、语篇泛读

Vocabulary: Innovation 词汇: 创造

Here’s a simple challenge: name a famous inventor. Perhaps RenaissancepolymathLeonardo da Vincisprings to mind. Or thepioneerof the telephone, Alexander Graham Bell. But you might behard-pressedto name many female inventors, even though women are behind some of the most widely used technologies in the modern world.

For example,where would we be withoutthewindscreen wiper? Back on a freezing winter’s day in 1902, Mary Anderson was travelling by tram through New York city. Snow was falling, forcing the driver to stop repeatedly and get out to clear it. Each time the door opened, Mary suffered a gust ofsub-zeroair. She had abrainwave: why not make some kind of a rubber blade that could be operated from inside the vehicle? And that’s exactly what she did.

Let’s step in from freezing New York for our next invention. Thedishwasherdates back even earlier to the 19th Century, and to the dinner partiesthrownby a lady called Josephine Cochrane. As a frequent host, she wanted a machine that could wash dishes faster than people. Her response was to develop what was to become the first commercially successful dishwasher. Interestingly, innovation wasin her blood: her grandfather had invented the steamboat.

Need something to do while the dishwasher iswhirringaway? How about a round of Monopoly? One of the most popular board games around, the rules were first drawn up by a lady called Elizabeth Magie, andpatentedin 1904. Her intention was to create a game to highlight what she saw as thepitfallsof capitalism. It was originally called The Landlord’s Game.

To an altogether different kind of innovation: Kevlar is the lightweight fibre used inbulletproof vests. The material is used by millions every day and has saved countless lives. The super tough fabric is also used in objects ranging from gloves to aeroplanes towind turbines. Incredibly, its strength-to-weight ratio is five times higher than steel. Again, it was invented by a woman, the American chemist Stephanie Kwolek, in 1964.

Finally, one of the most important inventions of the 20th Century must surely be the computer programme. The world of programming isnotoriouslyunbalanced in terms ofgender. Men vastlyoutnumberwomen, and take home around 30% more pay than their female counterparts on average. But back in the 1940s and 50s, women were at the forefront of this new field. Grace Hopper is credited with inventing the first compiler in 1952, which serves as the bridge between code and thebinaryones and zeros understood by computers.

二、词汇表

三、测试与练习

1.阅读课文并回答问题。

1. How did a cold day cause the windscreen wiper to be invented?

2. Why did Cochrane invent the dishwasher?

3. Which word expresses the relationship between two amounts?

4. Which word refers to something lone with a sharp edge?

5. Which industry used to employ comparatively more women in the past than today?

2.请你在不参考课文的情况下完成下列练习。选择一个意思合适的单词填入句子的空格处。

1. I’ve just had a ______. Why don’t we invent a machine that answers questions in Take Away English?

brainwave       innovation

invention       idea

2. Where would we be without you, Matt? Your quick thinking ______ our company.

hard-pressed       whirred

ruined       saved       

3. There are a number of ______ to consider when starting a business. Do your research so you don’t face these problems.

polymaths       pitfalls

patents          opportunities

4. What’s that whirring sound? It’s just the ______.

drill       television

washing machine       cat

5. This area is ______ for violence. Take care on the streets.

notorious       pitfall

in the blood

outnumbered

【参考答案】

1.阅读课文并回答问题。

1. How did a cold day cause the windscreen wiper to be invented?

Every time the driver opened the door, freezing air came inside. Mary Anderson thought there had to be a better way of cleaning the window from inside – which exactly what her invention does.

2. Why did Cochrane invent the dishwasher?

Josephine Cochrane wanted a machine that could wash dishes quicker than humans could, so she could continue to host large parties for her guests.

3. Which word expresses the relationship between two amounts?

Ratio

4. Which word refers to something lone with a sharp edge?

Blade.

5. Which industry used to employ comparatively more women in the past than today?

Computing. Women were at the forefront in the 1940s and 50s, but now the field is dominated by men.

2.请你在不参考课文的情况下完成下列练习。选择一个意思合适的单词填入句子的空格处。

1. I’ve just had abrainwave. Why don’t we invent a machine that answers questions in Take Away English?

2. Where would we be without you, Matt? Your quick thinkingsavedour company.

3. There are a number ofpitfallsto consider when starting a business. Do your research so you don’t face these problems.

4. What’s that whirring sound? It’s just thewashing machine.

5. This area isnotoriousfor violence. Take care on the streets.