一项建议是，全国熄灯一两分钟，让家庭、街道及工厂的供电全部中断。
这项建议也许会使美国人充分认识到爱迪生及其发明的价值。然而，电对于这个国家来说是太重要了，即使是短暂的停电也会导致全面的混乱。熄灯会造成一片黑暗，这样做不堪设想。
在爱迪生安葬的那一天，许多人默默地扭暗了灯光。他们以这种方式，向这位把巨大电力送到全国同胞的手边，从而作出了无与伦比的贡献的人，表示了崇敬之情。
How the Falls of Iguassu Was Discovered
In 1542，Alvar Cabeza de Vaca and his small band of soldiers guided their boats down a jungle river．It was the Iguassu，which now marks the boundary between Brazil and Argentina．Never had the explorers seen a river so beautiful．
At one point the men heard a strange rumble in the distance．It grew louder as they went on．Puzzled and afraid，they rounded a bend．Directly ahead of them the river vanished，plunging with a roar over the brink of a great chasm．
The men fought the swift current and managed to reach shore just in time to keep from being swept over the brink．Then they crept out on the wet rocks and looked into the churning caldron below．They had discovered the greatest waterfall that had ever been seen by white men-the falls of Iguassu．
伊瓜苏瀑布是怎样被发现的
1542年，阿尔瓦·卡维萨·迪·威卡和他的一小队士兵驾船来到一条丛林河的下游，这就是伊瓜苏河——现在巴西和阿根廷之间的边界河。这些探险家们从未看到过这样美丽的河流。
这时，士兵们听到远处传来一种奇怪的隆隆声，越往前走，响声越大。士兵们感到迷惑和恐惧，于是转弯绕行。就在他们的正前方，那条河却越过一个巨大断层的边缘，咆哮着急降而下，消失不见了。
士兵们与激流搏斗，及时到达了岸边，从而免遭被冲刷出断层边缘的厄运。然后他们爬到湿漉漉的岩石上，看着下面那口奔突翻滚的“大锅”。他们终于发现了白人从未见过的最大瀑布——伊瓜苏瀑布。
How the Hawaiian Islands Were Built
Volcanoes have been erupting on the earth for millions of years．More than five hundred still erupt today．These are called active volcanoes．Volcanoes are located in belts or chains．They are found where the earth，s crust is weak．The weak spots let the hot rock escape when the volcano erupts．
Many volcano belts are mountain ranges along the edges of continents．One belt runs along the western coast of South America up through the western part of the United States．Other volcanoes are found in ocean basins．
About threefifths of all active volcanoes in the world are in the Pacific Ocean．Many of these volcanoes erupt under the water．The Hawaiian Islands were built by volcanoes that began erupting under water and finally reached the surface of the ocean．
夏威夷群岛是怎样形成的
火山在地球上喷发已有几百万年的历史。有500多座火山至今还在喷发，这些火山叫做活火山。火山呈带状或链状分布，它们一般位于地壳脆弱的地段。火山喷发时，灼热的岩浆便从脆弱的地点流出。
许多火山带是一些大陆边缘的山脉。有一个火山带沿南美洲的西海岸向北，穿过美国的西部。另一些火山位于海洋盆地中。
世界上大约有3／5的活火山在太平洋，这些火山中有许多在水下喷发。夏威夷群岛便是由从水下喷发、最终达到洋面的火山而形成的。
Iceberg Season of Newfoundland and the Steamship Titanic
Each year about four hundred icebergs survive the long journey from Greenland and Baffin Bay and float into the warm waters off the coast of Newfoundland．
In April 1912 the steamship Titanic struck one of these icebergs．It sank with a great loss of life．Shortly after，the Ice Patrol was founded to patrol the shipping lane near Newfoundland during the iceberg season．
The patrol is carried out by one or two U．S．Coast Guard boats．They locate and chart every iceberg in the waters and the information is radioed to nearby ships．Fourteen nations pay the costs of the patrol service．
Icebergs begin to threaten shipping in March．It is in May that the patrol boats are busiest．During that month an average of 130 icebergs must be located and charted．By June the danger is over．
纽芬兰的冰山季节和轮船泰坦尼克号
每年大约有400座冰山完成格陵兰到巴芬湾的漫长行程，漂入纽芬兰近海地区的温暖水域。
1912年4月，轮船“泰坦尼克”号撞上了其中一座冰山。它沉没了，大批人丧生。旋即冰上巡逻艇队成立，在冰山季节中的纽芬兰附近的航道上进行巡逻。
这项巡逻任务是由一两艘美国海岸警备队的船只执行的。它们确定这一水域内每座冰山的位置，绘出图表，用无线电将情况传送给附近的船只。14个国家为这项巡逻工作支付费用。
冰山在3月份开始威胁船只的航行。巡逻艇最忙碌的时候是5月份，在这个月里，平均有130座冰山需要确定位置，并绘出图表。到6月份危险就不存在了。
If I Were a Boy Again
If I were a boy again， I would practice perseverance more often， and never give up a thing because it was or inconvenient. If we want light， we must conquer darkness. Perseverance can sometimes equal genius in its results. “There are only two creatures，” syas a proverb， “who can surmount the pyramids-the eagle and the snail.”
If I were a boy again， I would school myself into a habit of attention； I would let nothing come between me and the subject in hand. I would remember that a good skater never tries to skate in two directions at once.
The habit of attention becomes part of our life， if we begain early enough. I often hear grown up people say “ I could not fix my attention on the sermon or book， although I wished to do so” ， and the reason is， the habit was not formed in youth.
If I were to live my life over again， I would pay more attention to the cultivation of the memory. I would strengthen that faculty by every possible means， and on every possible occasion. It takes a little hard work at first to remember things accurately； but memory soon helps itself， and gives very little trouble. It only needs early cultivation to become a power.
假如我又回到了童年
假如我又回到了童年，我做事要更有毅力，决不因为事情艰难或者麻烦而撒手不干，我们要光明，就得征服黑暗。毅力在效果上有时能同天才相比。俗话说：“能登上金字塔的生物，只有两种——鹰和蜗牛。”
假如我又回到了童年，我就要养成专心致志的习惯；有事在手，就决不让任何东西让我分心。我要牢记：优秀的滑冰手从不试图同时滑向两个不同的方向。
如果及早养成这种专心致志的习惯，它将成为我们生命的一部分。我常听成年人说：“虽然我希望能集中注意听牧师讲道或读书，但往往做不到。”而原因就是年轻时没有养成这种习惯。
假如我现在能重新开始我的生命，我就要更注意记忆力的培养。我要采取一切可能的办法，并且在一切可能的场合，增强记忆力。要正确无误地记住一些东西，在开始阶段的确要作出一番小小的努力；但要不了多久，记忆力本身就会起作用，使记忆成为轻而易举的事，只需及早培养，记忆自会成为一种才能。
If George Washington Could Visit the United States Now
If George Washington were able to travel back and forth in time，he would feel much more at home in ancient Babylon，3700 years before his time，than in our modern age，200 years after he lived．
Torches，chairots，and rough streets，like those of Babylon in 2060 B．C．，would not surprise him．He read by candlelight and rode in carriages on unpaved roads．He never saw a building more than four stories high．Electric lights，autos，highways，and skyscrapers would amaze him．
When Washington was ill，he might have expected to be cut and bled to let out the“bad blood”that was making him sick．He would not know what a modern doctor meant by serums，germs，and allergies．
If the Father of His Gountry could visit the United States now，he might think that he had landed on another planet！
假如乔治·华盛顿能参观今日的美国
假如华盛顿能在历史的长河中来回遨游的话，他会觉得，呆在他的时代之前3700年的古巴比伦，要比生活在他身后200年的现代自在得多。
像公元前2060年的巴比伦所拥有的那些火炬、战车和凸凹不平的街道，不会使他感到惊讶。他借烛光读书，乘马车在未铺砌的路上旅行。他从未见过高于4层的楼房。电灯、汽车、公路和摩天大楼都会使他惊奇不已。
如果华盛顿生病了，他也许会盼望切开身体放血，让致病的“坏血”流出来。他会对现代医生讲的什么血清、微生物和过敏症感到不知所云。
