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1912年的一天，爱迪生正在工作室里为无声电影试制镍铁电池，一不小心，引发了火灾。熊熊大火很快失去了控制，实验室被烧成了一片瓦砾。虽然200万美元的损失算不得什么，但爱迪生研究有声电影的所有资料和样板也被烧成了灰烬，几乎一生的心血都因此付之一炬了。 爱迪生的儿子查尔斯为自己的父亲在实验室里抢救那些宝贵的研究成果非常担心。当一次次寻找后仍没什么结果时，查尔斯却意外地听到了父亲的呼唤。只见他站在浓烟和废墟里，声调极其平静地说道：“查尔斯，快把你的母亲找来，这样的大火，百年难得一见，不看一看太可惜了。” 看到现场的狼藉后，爱迪生的老伴难过地哭了起来。没想到这时候爱迪生依然非常平静地说道：“灾难自有灾难的价值，我所有的谬误和过失都被大火烧得一干二净了。”然后，他高高地举起双手宣布道：“我又可以重新开始了。” 第二天，他就召集员工们宣布：“我们重建实验室！” 新的实验室很快就建起来了。 而这场大火显然激发了爱迪生更旺盛的斗志。 3个月后，他就推出了人类历史上的第一部留声机。 The Disaster Naturally Has Its Value One day in 1942，when he was in the studio trial-producing nickel-iron battery for silent film, Edison triggered a fire for his carelessness. The flaming fire soon lost control, so the laboratory was burnt to a pile of rubble. Although a loss of $2,000,000 was nothing, but Edison’s all the information and samples of sound film were burnt to ashes, and almost a lifetime of painstaking efforts were on fire. Edison’s son Charles was terribly worried for his father rescuing those valuable research results in the lab. After many times’ search there were still no results, but Charles accidentally heard his father’s call. He was standing in the smother and ruins, saying in a most calm tone, “Charles, get your mother to come. Such a fire once in a lifetime, what a pity if we don’t take a look.” After seeing the messy spot, Edison's wife cried sadly. Unexpectedly, at that moment Edison still said very calmly, The disaster naturally has its value, for all my mistakes and faults have been burnt completely.” Then he raised his hands and declared, “I can start again.” The very next day, he summoned the employees and declared, “We will rebuild!" The new laboratory was soon built up. The conflagration apparently inspired Edison’s more exuberant fighting spirit. Three months later, he launched the first phonograph in the history of mankind. painstaking 辛苦的；煞费苦心的；苦干的 smother 浓烟；浓雾 messy 凌乱的；肮脏的 conflagration 大火（灾） exuberant 生气勃勃的；充沛的 phonograph 留声机 |
