英语故事Industrialist and Philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.docx

英语故事Industrialist and Philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.docx

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英语故事IndustrialistandPhilanthropistAndrewCarnegie

英语故事

IndustrialistandPhilanthropistAndrewCarnegie

美国“钢铁大王”安德鲁·卡内基的一生

IndustrialistandPhilanthropist:

AndrewCarnegieManytownsintheUnitedStateshaveabrickorstonebuildingsomewherenearthecenterofthetown,withthename“CarnegieLibrary”overthedoor.WhoisthisCarnegiewhoseemstohavebeeneverywhere?

AndrewCarnegiewasnotbornanAmerican.HewastheelderoftwosonsofWillandMargaretCarnegie,ownersofasmallweavingbusinessinDunfermline,Scotland.Thefamilylivedintwolittleroomsabovetheshop,andAndrewwasbornthereonNovember25,1835.Hismotherworkedintheshopforafewhourseveryday,spinninglinenthreadfortheweaverstomakeintocloth.WillCarnegiedidmostoftheweavingandthesellingofthefinishedmaterial.

ButwhenyoungAndrewwastenyearsold,hisfatherhadtoclosetheshopandsellhislooms.Aclothfactoryhadopenedinthetown;steam-poweredmachinesmadeclothtentimesfasterthananymancouldweave.Thefactory-madeclothwascheap,andthenewmachinesendedtheonlywaytheCarnegiefamilycouldmakealiving.WillCarnegiecouldhaveworkedinthemillthathadruinedhim.Butinsteadhesoldeverythinghehadandtookthemoney,hisfamily,andhishopestotheUnitedStates.

AfteratripofsixweeksacrosstheAtlanticOcean,theysailedintoNewYorkHarbor.ItwasJune1848.

TheCarnegiesdidnotstayinNewYork.TheywantedtoreachsomerelativesinPittsburgh,Pennsylvania,assoonaspossible.AndrewwasimpressedbythelargesizeoftheUnitedStates,andyethehadseenonlyasmallpartofthenewcountry.Afterthreemonthsoftravel,theyreachedPittsburgh.

DuringtheirfirstyearsinAmerica,lifewasveryhardfortheCarnegies,eventhoughtheirrelativestriedtohelpthem.Willbegintoweaveclothashehaddoneathome,butfewerpeoplewantedhandmadeclothinPittsburgheventhaninDunfermline.Mrs.Carnegiehelpedthefamilybymakingshoes.Andrew,whenhewasonlytwelveyearsold,begantoworkasabobbinboyinacottonmill.Heworkedfromsixinthemorninguntilsixatnight,puttingthreadonthebobbinsthatwereusedonweavingmachines.Heearned20centsaday,or$1.20aweek.

Andrewwasdeterminedtobecomesomethingbetterthanabobbinboy.Heknewthathehadtohavemoney,butwhathewantedmorethanmoneywasthecomfortablelifeforhisparentsthatmoneycouldbuy.Heworkedhard,andinafewmonthswasgivenanewjobat$1.65aweek.Hewasresponsibleforputtingcoalintothefurnacethatprovidedthesteampowerforthelooms.ExtramoneywasneededintheCarnegiehome,buttheworkwashardanddangerousbecausetheboilermightexplodeandkillhimifhewerenotcareful.Hismotherworriedabouthimandwantedhimtogotoschoollikeotherboys.SheknewthathehadbeenaverygoodstudentinScotland,particularlyinarithmeticandhandwriting.

Inthosedaysthetelegraphwasanewinvention;lineswerebeingbuiltalloverthecountry.Businessmenhadbeguntosendtelegramsinsteadofletters.Boyswereneeded,then,totakemessagesfromthecentraltelegraphofficeofPittsburghtobusinesshousesinthecity.AndrewCarnegiebecameamessengerboyfor$2.50aweek.Thiswasverygoodpayforaboyoffourteen,whichhadbeenabletogotoschoolforsoshortatime.Andrewworkedhard,andsoonheknewjustwheretofindeverybusinessofficeinPittsburgh.Hewassmallerthantheotherfourmessengers,buthewasthefastestofall.Soonhewasearning$3.00aweek.

Whenhewasnotrunningaroundtownwithmessages,Andrewlistenedtotheclickingofthetelegraphmachine.HesoonlearnedtounderstandtheMorsecode—thearrangementoflongandshortsoundsthatMorse,theinventorofthetelegraph,hadmadetorepresentthelettersofthealphabet.SometimesAndrewwouldsendmessagestooperatorsinothercities,justtoseehowfasthecouldmovethetelegraphkey.Finally,hestudiedwellenoughtobecomeatelegraphoperator,earning$25amonth.Hewasthensixteenyearsold.Nowhismotherwascontent.Hewouldmeeteducatedpeople,andhewouldbeabletobuybooks.

Andrewlovedtoread.AgenerouscitizenofPittsburgh,ColonelAnderson,builtalibraryforboys.Andrewborrowedbooksfromthislibrary,andlaterfromColonelAndersonhimself.HewantedtolearnallhecouldaboutAmericanhistory,thetelegraph,railroads,andthemanufactureofiron.

In1853hemetThomasScott,ayoungsuperintendentofthePennsylvaniaRailroad.Carnegiesaidthathethoughttherailroadsshouldhavetheirowntelegraphlinestodirectthemovementsoftheirtrainssothattheycouldchangeroutesanddirectionsquicklywhenstormsoranyotherdifficultiesmadethisnecessary.Mr.Scottbecameveryinterestedinhisideas.TherailroadactedonCarnegie’ssuggestionsanddidbuilditsowntelegraphlines.ScottaskedAndrewtooperatethenewtelegraphandtobehisassistantintheoffice.Andrewaccepted.Thepaywas$35.00amonthandbesides,itofferedAndrewawonderfulopportunitytoriseintheworld.

In1861,theAmericanCivilWarbegan.Railroadsandtelegraphlineswereimportanttobotharmies,andbothsidesoftensentraidersonhorsebacktocapturetelegraphstations.ThomasScottwasmadethechiefoftheNorth’ssystemofcommunication;hisfriend,AndrewCarnegie,workedwithhim.CarnegiewasgiventhejobofrebuildingdestroyedrailroadlinesandtelegraphpolesleadingtoWashington.Hewasabletodothisinaveryshorttime.Later,hewasgivencompletechargeofalltheNorth’stelegraphlines,andhekeptatworkuntilthefightingwasover.

Andrewwasnotabletogotoschoolverymuch.Hemadeupforhislackofeducationthroughenergy,hardwork,quicknessandthecouragetofollowhisownideas.Forexample,heborrowedmoneyandputitintotheWoodruffCompany,ownersofthefirstpatentsforsleepinganddiningcarsonrailroads.Withthemoneyhemadefromthisinvestment,heboughtlandnearOilCity,Pennsylvania,thefirstbigoilfieldintheUnitedStates.Beforealmostanyoneelseknewit,herealizedthatwoodenrailroadbridgeswereold-fashioned.In1862heorganizedtheKeystoneBridgeCompanytobuildthefirstironbridgeacrosstheOhioRiver.

Now,AndrewwasabletotakeatriptoScotland.Heenjoyedseeingthehomeofsomanychildhoodmemories,buthealsonoticednewmethodsofmakingironandsteel.InLondon,CarnegievisitedHenryBessemer.HewenttotheworkshopandsawthenewconverterthatBessemerhadmade.Thisnew,roundkettlecouldheatironandcarbontogetherandmakefivetonsofgoodsteelatonetime.

CarnegiereturnedtotheUnitedStatessurethatsteelcouldbeusedformanymorethingsthanknives,needles,andsmallpartsofmachinery.Whynotmakebridges,tracksfortrains,andthefoundationsforbuildingsofsteel?

Hispartnersintheironbusinessdidnotagreewithhim.Theyinsistedthatsteelwastooexpensivetomake,andwasreallynobetterthanironinanycase.Theydidnotwanttochange.Carnegieleftthemandjoinedafewmenwhowerebraveenoughtoputtheirmoneyintosomethingnew.In1873heestablishedtheJ.EdgarThomasSteelMill.

Thenewmillwasasuccessfromthestart.In16yearsmoresteelwasmadeintheUnitedStatesthaninEngland,whereithadbeenmadesomuchearlier.In1888AndrewCarnegieboughtacontrollinginterestinacompanyalmostaslargeashis,andinsevenothersteelmillsnearPittsburgh.HejoinedallthesedifferentcompaniesintotheCarnegieCorporation.Thisorganizationincludedmines,steelmills,ships,andrailroadlinestobringmaterialsintoPittsburghfromalloverthecountryandtotakethefinishedsteeloutagain.TheCarnegieCorporationownedeverythingneededtomakeanddistributesteel.

Allduringthe1890’sAndrewCarnegiehadtalkedofretiringfrombusiness.Hehadwritteninamagazinethatallmenshouldleavetheirworkwhentheybecamesixtyyearsold.In1895Carnegiewassixty;everyonewonderedwhetherornothewouldgiveuphispowerfulposition.Hedid.In1901hiscompany,valuedatfivehundredmilliondollars,wassoldtotheUnitedStatesSteelCorporation,formedbythefamousAmericanbanker,JohnPierpontMorgan.Mr.MorganthensaidthatCarnegiewas“therichestmanintheworld.”Hehadcomefrom$1.20aweektothis.

Now,herewashisrealtask.Whatshouldhedowithhismoney?

Carnegiespentalmostallofthetwentyyearslefttohimgivinghiswealthaway.Hebelievedthatthosewhobecamerichshouldreturnwhattheydidnotneedtosociety.Hehadsaidthatarichman“diesdisgraced”ifhedoesnotusetheabilityhehasshowningatheringmoneytogiveawayhismoneyforthepublicgoodduringhisownlifetime.

Butwhatisthepublicgood?

Richmenreceivehundredsofletterseveryday,askingformoney.Nomanororganizationcanpossiblygivetoeveryonewhodemandsit.AndrewCarnegiesolvedhisproblemwiththesameenergyandexactnessthathehadshowninbuildinghissteelcompany.HerememberedhowmuchhehadenjoyedthebookshehadreadinColonelAnderson’slibrarysolongago.Hebegantousehismoneytobuildfreepubliclibraries.In1919itwassaidthathismoneyhadbuiltalmost3,000libraries,valuedaltogetheratoversixtymilliondollars.MostofthesewereintheUnitedStates,butsomeofthemwereinCanada,GreatBritain,NewZealand,andevenasfarawayastheFujiIslands.

AgiftoffourmilliondollarswasmadetoCarnegie’shometown,Dunfermine,Scotland.Itwasusedtobuildparksandplaygroundsforthepeopleofthetown.Pittsburgh,wherehehadmadehisfortune,wasgivenamusichall,amuseum,anartgallery,andapubliclibrary.

AndrewCarnegie’spubli