桑姆斯: 世界历史伟人传记二/SOAMES: Famous People in History, II

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- 桑姆斯: 世界历史伟人传记二
  SOAMES: Famous People in History, II
- 专辑号：NA219712
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桑姆斯: 世界历史伟人传记二 / SOAMES: Famous People in History, II
[ 读物介绍 ]
Nicolas Soames FAMOUS PEOPLE IN HISTORY IIAlexander the Great • Joan of Arc • Leonardo da VinciIsaac Newton • George Washington • Ludwig van BeethovenLouis Pasteur • Marie Curie • Mahatma Gandhi There are many millions of people living in the world today— more than ever before. Since man became civilized and began keeping recordsof history, billions of people have lived and died on this planet. Some were well known in their villages, their towns, theircounties, and even in other countries as well. They did good, important work,which, in small ways, helped mankind to live more fulfilled and happier lives. But a small number left large footsteps on the memory of theworld. For eleven years — 2,300 years ago — Alexander the Great marched withhis army from Macedonia to India. Even now, in the 21st century AD, people onthe route he passed — the mountains, the villages and plains — tell the tale ofhis coming. In a way, he was perhaps the first ruler with a world perspective,because he dreamed of one big world country. He died before he could achieve it, and others — both goodand bad men — have tried to do it. None have succeeded yet. Joan of Arc became famous in a totally different way. Avillage girl in medieval France, who couldn’t read or write or even ride ahorse at the beginning of her story, became a heroine for her people. She hadvisions, she said. For a little over a year, her light shone brightly as sheled her people — before she was burned at the stake. Why should she be rememberednow? Many people have said they had visions. But there is little doubt that people who met her felt thatshe wasn’t ordinary. She is remembered not so much for what she did, but forwhat she was. It is easier to see why Leonardo da Vinci is remembered. Theman and his work can be seen in thousands of remarkable drawings in hisnotebooks — they are direct records of his fertile mind. His mind overflowedwith ideas and images, and he had the artistic skill to put them down for us tosee. Even more memorable are his important paintings, including the Mona Lisa,the most famous portrait in the world. Isaac Newton was a very different man. Though he seemedquite an ordinary boy, he turned into a man with a remarkably clearmind. He looked at the planets and the night sky and thought about why thestars are there; and why things — an apple — fall to the earth. And he realizedall about the pull of gravity. He was a great mathematician, and a scientist. He had a jobduring the day — the Master of the Mint — but in his free hours he pushedforward the knowledge of the world we live in. He was the father of modernscience.George Washington was the father of the United States ofAmerica, the most powerful country on earth. He was brave in war, and awell-organized farmer in peace. Quite an ordinary man, really. But tall andstraightforward, he was a hero that the people of a young country could alllook up to and follow. Ludwig van Beethoven wrote some of the most famoussymphonies and piano concertos. Once you have heard the opening of his SymphonyNo 5, you will always recognize it. But he was also important because he madepeople take music and composers seriously. In the courts of Europe, beforeBeethoven, composers were regarded as servants. Count Waldstein, a friend andpatron of Beethoven, told his servants that if he and Beethoven were to arriveat his house together, they were to look after Beethoven first. This was quiterevolutionary! We now know that tiny germs can harm mankind just asvolcanic explosions or big waves or winds. In the 19th century, people wereonly just beginning to realize how bacteria affected people’s health and howthey could stop the terrible illnesses that could wipe out communities. Louis Pasteur, the French scientist, was fascinated by thismicro world. He saw the bacteria wriggling around under his microscope, andgradually produced answers to many diseases. The vaccination programs we havenow began mainly with him. Marie Curie was also fascinated by physics and chemistry. Ina world when women were still expected to be only mothers and wives, lookingafter the house, she showed that women were just as capable as men. She was animportant research scientist and discovered the element radium. She was thefirst woman to win the Nobel Prize — and she won it twice. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi became an icon for one of themost densely populated countries on earth — India. He led India to independence.But he did it in a most unusual way — by peaceful means. He insisted onnon-violence…that by protesting in a peaceful way, the end could be achieved.There didn’t always have to be violent revolution, causing so much unhappiness,pain and death.