Meet a woman whose ingenuity still affects our lives today
大發明家瑪格麗特 E. 奈 特 -
No one could have predicted that a baby girl born on February 14, 1838, in the cold northern state of Maine would revolutionize the world. Yet, that is what Margaret Knight did . She was not wealthy, received little education and lived at a time when women were not expected to accomplish much.
Nevertheless, Knight's intelligence, effort and persistence enabled her to invent many devices with great significance for her own time and for our lives today. Knight lived during a time when factories were springing up all over the United States and manufacturing was booming. Her father died when she was 10 years old, so she like many young women of her day, began working in a textile mill.
When she was 12, Knight witnessed an accident in which a component of one of the machines flew off, seriously injuring a worker. Horrified, she determined to devise a way to prevent such accidents in the future. Knight designed a safety feature that would stop the machines if something got caught in them. The device soon became common in textile mills and is still used in some factories to this day.
Although factories were eager to adopt her first invention, Knight did not receive much in the way of compensation for her effort. Because of her youth and her family's lack of education, Knight was unable to patent her safety device to earn a profit from selling it. But Knight did patent many of her later inventions, including one of her most enduring creations - a machine for producing flat-bottomed paper bags.
In Knight's day, paper bags were shaped like envelopes, which made them difficult to fill. While working at a paper bag factory, Knight conceived of bags with flat, rectangular bottoms that would be stronger and more practical. Then she endeavored to invent a machine that would manufacture them, and she succeeded. Knight's one machine could perform the work of 30 people, cutting, folding and gluing the bags together.
Knight worked for months to perfect her masterpiece, but when she applied for a patent, one was already on file! A man named Charles Annan had seen an early prototype of Knight's idea and had attempted to patent the machine as his own.
Knight insisted that the patent should be hers and ended up taking Annan to court. During the case, Annan argued that a woman would not be able to invent such a complex and innovative machine. But Knight provided evidence proving that the device rightfully belonged to her and received the patent in 1871.
Knight then founded the Eastern Paper Bag Company, a business that would utilize her new machines. But invention remained her primary work, and Knight didn't limit her ideas to a single industry. In her lifetime, Knight received at least 27 patents, and some sources claim she invented over eighty devices. These include several machines designed to help with shoe manufacturing, a numbering machine, a clasp, a skirt protector and several improvements to her paper bag machine. She continued inventing things into her sixties, even patenting some designs for rotary engines.
Knight died in 1914, and on her death one newspaper described her as a "woman Edison," At a time when women's intelligence was often underestimated, this mechanical genius proved that women too could develop innovative ideas that would shape the future of manufacturing.
Grammar Gym:
".....factories were springing up all over the United States."
"spring up " - "to appear and usually in a very quick way."
When the park was opened to the public, hotels and motels began to spring up nearby.
Shops and restaurants were springing up along the beach as the place became more popular.
Vocabulary Tips:
ingenuity -very creative in thinking. 独创性，别出心裁，发明的才能，创意。
*The girl showed ingenuity in her paintings.
*We were amazed by the artist's ingenuity.
persistence -坚持，毅力，契而不舎。
*The tennis player's persistence and hard work contributed to his success today.
persist (v) -坚持。
persist in -在那方面坚持用（ｉｎ）。
*If you persist in that behavior, I'll take away your computer privileges.
textile mill -纺织工厂。
textile -纺织或纺织品。
mill - 工厂。
*Patrick used to work in a textile mill when he was young.
a steel mill -铁工厂。
a cotton mill -棉花工厂。
component - a piece or a part of something. parts (fancy word) 零件，成份。
*Fresh fruit and vegetables are important components of a healthy diet.。。 重要成份。
*Most of the car's components were made in Germany. 车零件。。。
revolutionize - change something for better. 改革，革新，革命。
nevertheless - despise, even so. something did not look good, still...
boom -a loud voice like thunder, here means something successful, growing, increase..
horrified - terrified. (emotional feel)
devise (v) vs. device (n) -
devise (v)- design, come out with something, create.
device (n) - an item. a product, a thing.
adopt - make it your own.
in the way of something - something as idea, experience or compensation.
compensation - get back in turn of what you give.报酬，津贴，补偿金。
*Nathan claimed compensation for his surgery. claim -申请。
*Ricky received $10,000 in compensation for his injury.
in ( someone's ) day - in her day, in my grandfather's day...在（某某人）那个年代。
conceive -pregnant, or some idea in mind.怀孕，也指构思，设想，孕育，酝酿。 "ceive" -有“接受”之意。
*The idea of platform computers was conceived many year ago.酝酿经年（以久）
*The novel's plot was conceived during a trip to Rome.
endeavor (v)- put afford to carry out the idea.尽力，努力。
*The CEO endeavored to save the company but failed.
endeavor (n)- 尽力，努力
*Helen's endeavors to win the case proved to be successful.
on file -already been recorded.存档的，有档案可查的。 "file" -档案。
*I'm sure my application is on file already.有记录可查了。
*You should keep this document on file for future reference.未来的参考
prototype - 原型，原形，标准，模范。
patent - give you rights to protect the product, work or invention idea who created or made.专利。
copyright - same idea as patent to protect singer, writer, composer etc works. 版权。
innovative -create, inventing new things.创新，革新，有创新精神的。
*The innovative design of this computer system won several international awards.
innovation (n)- 改革，新的方法。
*an innovation of telecommunications.- 电信通讯的创新之举。
utilize (v)-to put something to use.使用，利用，运用。 "uti" -有“使用”之意。
*The power plant utilizes wind power to generate electricity.
utilization -使用，利用，运用
*Howard is skilled in the utilization of different kinds of software.。。 利用不同的软体非常得心应手。
clasp - bring two things connect together.栓扣，扣子。
*The belt's clasp was handmade.皮带的栓扣。。
clasp -紧握（手），紧紧地拥抱。
*The host of the banquet gave me a warm clasp when he greeted me.
under -在。。之下。
estimate -评估，估计，估价。
underestimate - give low estimate. 低估。
*Never underestimate the influence of the media.。。。地估了媒体的影响力。
underestimation (n)-低估
*The underestimation of the raw materials' price caused serious problems.
claim - says that is yours.
Language Tips:
Margaret Knight received little education.
little education - 一点点，几乎没有。。。
a little education - 一些些，还有些。。。
a little / little - （a little 正面）／（little 负面）
a little -有一点。有一些，比较乐观的想法或看法。
I have a little money. 我有一点钱。
little - 没什么，根本就没有，很少一点点，有等于无。
I have little money. 我没什么钱。
a few / few -（a few 正面）／（few 负面）
a few -不少，有一些。
A few friends came to see him.有些朋友来看他。
few -没什么，几乎没有。
Few friends came to see him.－几乎没什么朋友来看他。
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eager/anxious -渴望的，迫不及待的。
eager -比较正面，渴望，巴望。。
anxious -较负面，带有忧虑，焦虑的巴望，渴望。from "anxiety".
anxiety -焦虑。
I'm anxious to see my son. (when he is not home when he should be).孩子在该回家时不见人影，是焦虑的盼望，渴望。
I'm eager to see my friends.一般没什么特殊关系，特殊事情，都用"eager",而不用“ anxious”，避免混肴。
Not say: " I'm anxious to see my friends" unless in some specific situation.
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a woman Edison - 比喻为女爱迪生。
allusion -运用文学典故，或历史背景，来比喻。
illusion - 假象。
allusion - 运用文学典故，可用历史知名人士或发生的历史著名的战事，史事来比喻。
Waterloo - 滑铁卢即是一例，提到滑铁卢就会连想起拿破仑的最后一战。
Taking notes of study "Studio Classroom"
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