English Assignment 2

English Version

A Brief Biography of Thomas Edison

Source: http://www.nps.gov/edis/learn/kidsyouth/a-brief-biography-of-thomas-edison.htm

Thomas Alva Edison was born February 11, 1847 in Milan, Ohio (pronounced MY-lan). In 1854, when he was seven, the family moved to Michigan, where Edison spent the rest of his childhood.

"Al," as he was called as a boy, went to school only a short time. He did so poorly that his mother, a former teacher, taught her son at home. Al learned to love reading, a habit he kept for the rest of his life. He also liked to make experiments in the basement.

Al not only played hard, but also worked hard. At the age of 12 he sold fruit, snacks and newspapers on a train as a "news butcher." (Trains were the newest way to travel, cutting through the American wilderness.) He even printed his own newspaper, the Grand Trunk Herald, on a moving train.

At 15, Al roamed the country as a "tramp telegrapher." Using a kind of alphabet called Morse Code, he sent and received messages over the telegraph. Even though he was already losing his hearing, he could still hear the clicks of the telegraph. In the next seven years he moved over a dozen times, often working all night, taking messages for trains and even for the Union Army during the Civil War. In his spare time, he took things apart to see how they worked. Finally, he decided to invent things himself.

After the failure of his first invention, the electric vote recorder, Edison moved to New York City. There he improved the way the stock ticker worked. This was his big break. By 1870 his company was manufacturing his stock ticker in Newark, New Jersey. He also improved the telegraph, making it send up to four messages at once.

Starting in 1878, Edison and the muckers worked on one of his greatest achievements. The electric light system was more than just the incandescent lamp, or "light bulb." Edison also designed a system of power plants that make the electrical power and the wiring that brings it to people's homes. Imagine all the things you "plug in." What would your life be like without them?

A year later, Edison built a laboratory in West Orange that was ten times larger than the one in Menlo Park. In fact, it was one of the largest laboratories in the world, almost as famous as Edison himself. Well into the night, laboratory buildings glowed with electric light while the Wizard and his "muckers" turned Edison's dreams into inventions. Once, the "chief mucker" worked for three days straight, taking only short naps. Edison earned half of his 1,093 patents in West Orange.

By that time, everyone had heard of the "Wizard" and looked up to him. The whole world called him a genius. But he knew that having a good idea was not enough. It takes hard work to make dreams into reality. That is why Edison liked to say, "Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration."

VOCABULARY

Words	Meaning
Former	Bekas/Mantan
Roamed	Menjelajahi
Spare	Senggang
Invent	Menemukan
Failure	Kegagalan
Big Break	Terobosan Besar
Achievements	Penemuan
Straight	Berturut-turut
Earned	Mendapatkan
Whole	Seluruh

Translate Version

Biografi Singkat Thomas Alva Edison

Thomas Alva Edison lahir 11 Februari 1847 di Milan, Ohio (diucapkan MY-lan). Pada tahun 1854, ketika ia berusia tujuh tahun, keluarganya pindah ke Michigan, di mana Edison menghabiskan sisa masa kecilnya.

"Al," biasanya ia disebut sebagai anak laki-laki, pergi ke sekolah hanya dalam waktu singkat. Dia belajar begitu buruk sehingga ibunya, seorang mantan guru, mengajar anaknya di rumah. Al belajar untuk mencintai membaca, kebiasaan ia terus selama sisa hidupnya. Dia juga suka melakukan percobaan di ruang bawah tanah.

Al tidak hanya sering bermain, tapi juga rajin bekerja. Pada usia 12 ia menjual buah, makanan ringan dan koran di kereta api sebagai "news butcher." (Kereta adalah cara terbaru untuk bepergian, memotong jalan melalui padang gurun Amerika.) Dia bahkan dicetak koran sendiri, Grand Trunk Herald, di kereta bergerak.

Pada 15, Al menjelajahi negara sebagai "tramp telegraph." Menggunakan jenis huruf yang disebut Kode Morse, ia mengirim dan menerima pesan lebih telegraf. Meskipun ia sudah kehilangan pendengarannya, ia masih bisa mendengar klik telegraf. Dalam tujuh tahun berikutnya ia pindah puluhan kali, sering bekerja sepanjang malam, mengambil pesan untuk kereta dan bahkan untuk Angkatan Darat Uni selama Perang Saudara. Dalam waktu luangnya, ia mengambil hal-hal selain untuk melihat bagaimana mereka bekerja. Akhirnya, ia memutuskan untuk menemukan sesuatu sendiri.

Setelah kegagalan penemuan pertamanya, perekam suara listrik, Edison pindah ke New York City. Ada ia memperbaiki cara stok telegraf bekerja. Ini adalah terobosan besar. Pada 1870 perusahaannya manufaktur stok telegraf di Newark, New Jersey. Dia juga mengembangkan telegraf, sehingga mengirim hingga empat pesan sekaligus.

Mulai tahun 1878, Edison dan muckers bekerja di salah satu penemuan terbesar. Sistem lampu listrik adalah lebih dari sekedar lampu pijar, atau "bola lampu." Edison juga merancang sistem pembangkit listrik yang membuat daya listrik dan kabel yang membawa ke rumah-rumah penduduk. Bayangkan semua hal yang Anda "plug in." Apa yang akan hidup Anda menjadi seperti tanpa mereka?

Setahun kemudian, Edison membangun laboratorium di West Orange yang sepuluh kali lebih besar daripada yang di Menlo Park. Bahkan, itu adalah salah satu laboratorium terbesar di dunia, hampir sama terkenal sebagai Edison sendiri. Baik dalam malam hari, bangunan laboratorium bersinar dengan cahaya listrik sementara penyihir dan "muckers" mengubah mimpi Edison menjadi penemuan. Bahkan, "chief mucker" bekerja selama tiga hari berturut-turut, mengambil tidur siang hanya singkat. Edison mendapat setengah dari 1.093 paten di West Orange.

Pada saat itu, semua orang telah mendengar tentang "Wizard" dan melihat kepadanya. Seluruh dunia menyebutnya jenius. Tapi ia tahu bahwa memiliki ide yang baik tidak cukup. Dibutuhkan kerja keras untuk membuat mimpi menjadi kenyataan. Itulah sebabnya Edison suka mengatakan, "Genius adalah 1% inspirasi dan 99% keringat."