England Before the Industrial Revolution 工业革命前的英国

①The country was a place where men worked from 从前的英国在农村，人们夜以继日地

dawn to dark，and the laborer lived not in the sun, 劳动，劳动者不是（生活）沐浴在阳
but in poverty and darkness. ②What aids there were 光下，而是生活在贫困和黑暗中。当
to lighten labor were immemorial, like the mill, 时便利劳动的工具/减轻劳动的机械非
which was already ancient in Chaucer's time.③The 常古老/都不知从哪个年代起就有
Industrial Revolution began with such machines; 了。，例如早在乔叟时代就有的水
The millwrights were the engineers of the coming 车。比如磨坊，在乔叟的时代就已经
age. ④James Brindley of Staffordshire started his 是古老的了。然而，工业革命正始于
self—made career in l733 by working at mill 这些工具。；（水车驱使着新时代的
wheels ， at the age of seventeen ， having been 到来）修造磨坊的匠人就是开创新时
born poor in a village. 代的工程师。【1733 年，斯塔福德郡
的詹姆斯·布莱德利布林德雷在水车边
劳动时，亲自开启了这项事业。当时
他 17 岁，来自乡村，出身贫寒。】
斯塔福德郡的詹姆斯·布林德雷，出身
于一个贫苦的农村家庭；1733 年，他
17 岁，就着手改良磨坊的水车，从而
开始了他那自我奋斗的生涯。
Brindley's improvements were practical: to 布莱德利布林德雷（做了实用的改
sharpen and step up the performance of the water 进）所作的改良是很实际的 ：改善并
wheel as a machine. It was the first multi-purpose 加强了水车（作为机器的效用）的机
machine for the new industries. Brindley 械功能。这是新兴工业应用的第一台
worked，for example，to improve the grinding of 多功能机器/为新工业提供的…。他也
flints ， which were used in the rising pottery 改善了其他工作方式，例如 （兴起的
industry. 陶瓷工业应用的打火石研磨技术）。
他努力改进燧石的碾磨过程，燧石是
新兴的陶瓷工业有用的材料。
Yet there was a bigger movement in the air by 然而，临近/到了 1750 年，一场更大的
1750. Water had become the 变革正已经在酝酿之中。水成为了工
engineers’element ， and men like Brindley were 程师重视的资源/大显身手的对象，
possessed by it. Water was gushing and fanning （包括布莱德利布林德雷在内，人们
out all over the countryside. It was not simply a 都非常关注）像…这样的人对它都着
source of power, it was a new wave of movement. 了迷。(在乡村，到处都是源源不断的
James Brindley was a pioneer in the art of building 水资源。)水在农村到处涌流漫溢。这
canals or, as it was then called，'navigation'. 不仅仅是力量动力之源/一种能源，更
是变革之源/带来了一场新的运动。布
莱德利布林德雷是建造开凿 运河的先
驱，运河在当时又被称作“导航”/当
时人们把开凿运河叫作 navigation。
Brindley had begun on his own account, out of 布林德雷在为他的进行水车磨坊和采
interest, to survey the waterways that he travelled 矿矿井建筑工程项目时到处奔走的时
as he went about his engineering projects for mills 候，布莱德利布林德雷出于兴趣，
and mines. The Duke of Bridgewater then get him （开始调研途中的水道 ）自主对沿途
to build a canal to carry coal from the Duke's pits 经过的河道进行了勘察。当时/于是，
at Worsley to the rising town of Manchester ... 布里奇沃特的公爵（就）让他建造开
Brindley went on to connect Manchester with 一条运河，便于将煤矿从其公爵（位
Liverpool in an even bolder manner ， and in all 于沃斯利的矿坑）在沃斯利拥有的矿
laid out almost four hundred miles of canals in a 井运到往曼彻斯特的新兴城镇…… 布
network all over England. 莱德利布林德雷继续还更加大胆地打
通曼彻斯特与利物浦之间的运河/用运
河把…连接起来，最后 修凿了在遍布
全英国的打通了全长约 400 英里的运河
网络。
①Two things are outstanding in the creation of the 在修建英国的运河体系的过程中，有
English system of canals, and they characterise all 两大突出特点，而这两点也正是整个
the Industrial Revolution. ②One is that the men 工业革命的特点。其中一个特点是首
who made the revolution were practical men. 先，引领革命/发动这场革命的人（躬
③Like Brindley, they often had little education, and 身实践）都是些实干家。和布莱德利
in fact school education as it then was could only 布林德雷一样，他们通常（缺乏教育
dull an inventive mind. ④The grammar schools 经历）没受过什么教育。，而实际
legally could only teach the classical subjects for 上，当时的学校教育也只会扼杀创造
which they had been founded.⑤ The universities 性思维。按规定语法文法学校也只教
also （ there were only two, at Oxford and 学传统科目/古典学科，(这也是它们成
Cambridge ） took little interest in modern or 立的目的)这些学校的办学宗旨本来就
scientific studies; and they were closed to those 是如此。大学（当时仅有两所，牛津
who did not conform to the Church of England. 大学和哈佛大学剑桥大学）不重视 对
现代和科学研究也不怎么感兴趣；同
时，(它们不向未皈依于英国教堂的人
开放)这两所大学还把不信奉英国国教
的人关在门外。
①The other outstanding feature is that the new 另一个第二个突出的特点是，新发明
inventions were for everyday use.② The canals （是为了日常使用）都是为日常生活
were arteries of communication: They were not 服务的。运河是交流的途径交通的动
made to carry pleasure boats, but barges. ③And the 脉：开运河不仅仅是用于运输观光船
barges were not made to carry luxuries, but pots 为了走游艇，还有而是为了通行驳
and pans and bales of cloth, boxes of ribbon, and 船。这些而泊船驳船运输的不仅有也
all the common things that people buy by the 不是为了运输奢侈品，而是为了运送
pennyworth. ④These things had been manufactured 也有廉价的日常用品，如锅碗瓢盆、
in villages which were growing into towns now, 衣服丝绸瓦罐铁锅、成包的棉布、成
away from London; it was a country-wide trade. 箱的缎带，以及那些只花个把便士便
能买到的各式日用品。这些用品（产
于乡村，现在正在发展为城镇，离伦
敦有距离）都是在远离伦敦、渐渐发
展为城镇的农村制造的。 ；这是遍及
全国的贸易/一场全国范围的贸易。