美国名人飞机发明人莱特兄弟（威尔伯·莱特奥维尔·莱特）.docx

美国名人飞机发明人莱特兄弟威尔伯莱特奥维尔莱特TheWrightBrothers,Wilbur1867-1912andOrville1871-1948:TheyShowedtheWorldHowtoFIyplaystopmutemaxvolume00:00-15:40repeatByMarilynRiceChristiano2007-9-15ANNOUNCER:WelcometoPeopleinAmericafromVOASpecialEnglish.Today,SarahLongandRichKleinfeldttellthestoryofWilburandOrvilleWright.TheWrightBrothersmadeasmallengine-poweredflyingmachineandprovedthatitwaspossibleforhumanstoreallyfly.(MUSIC)VOICEONE:WilburWrightwasbornineighteensixty-sevennearMelvillezIndiana.HisbrotherOrvillewasbornfouryearslaterinDaytonzOhio.Throughouttheirlives,theywerebestfriends.AsWilburoncesaid:"Fromthetimewewerelittlechildren,OrvilleandIlivedtogether,playedtogether,workedtogetherandthoughttogether."WilburandOrville'sfatherwasabishop,anofficialoftheUnitedBrethrenChurch.Hetraveledalotonchurchbusiness.Theirmotherwasunusualforawomanofthenineteenthcentury.Shehadcompletedcollege.Shewasespeciallygoodatmathematicsandscience.Andshewasgoodatusingtoolstofixthingsormakethings.VOICETWO:OnewinterdaywhentheWrightbrotherswereyoung,alltheirfriendswereoutsideslidingdownahillonwoodensleds.TheWrightbrothersweresad,becausetheydidnothaveasled.SozMissusWrightsaidshewouldmakeoneforthem.Shedrewapictureofasled.Itdidnotlooklikeothersleds.Itwaslowertothegroundandnotaswide.Shetoldtheboysitwouldbefaster;becausetherewouldbelessresistancefromthewindwhentheyrodeonit.MissusWrightwascorrect.Whenthesledwasfinished,itwasthefastestonearound.WilburandOrvillefeltliketheywereflying.ThesledprojecttaughttheWrightbrotherstwoimportantrules.Theylearnedtheycouldincreasespeedbyreducingwindresistance.Andtheylearnedtheimportanceofdrawingadesign.MissusWrightsaid:"Ifyoudrawitcorrectlyonpaper,itwillberightwhenyoubuildit."VOICEONE:WhenWilburwaselevenyearsoldandOrvilleseven,BishopWrightbroughthomeagiftforthem.Itwasasmallflyingmachinethatflewlikehelicoptersoftoday.Itwasmadeofpaper,bambooandcork.Themotorwasarubberbandthathadtobeturnedmanytimesuntilitwastight.Whenthepersonholdingthetoyhelicopterletgo,itrosestraightup.Itstayedintheairforafewseconds.Thenitfloateddowntothefloor.WilburandOrvilleplayedandplayedwiththeirnewtoy.Finally,thepapertoreandtherubberbandbroke.Theymadeanotherone.Butitwastooheavytofly.Theirfirstflyingmachinefailed.VOICETWO:Theirattemptstomakethetoygavethemanewidea.Theywouldmakekitestoflyandselltotheirfriends.Theymademanydesignsandtestedthem.Finally,theyhadtherightdesign.Thekitesflewasthoughtheyhadwings.TheWrightbrotherscontinuedtoexperimentwithmechanicalthings.Orvillestartedaprintingbusinesswhenhewasinhighschool.Heusedasmallprintingmachinetopublishanewspaper.Hesoldcopiesofthenewspapertotheotherchildreninschool,buthedidnotearnmuchmoneyfromtheproject.VOICEONE:Wilburofferedsomeadvicetohisyoungerbrother.Maketheprintingpressbiggerandpublishabiggernewspaper;hesaid.So,together,theydesignedandbuiltone.Themachinelookedstrange.Yetitworkedperfectly.Soon,OrvilleandWilburwerepublishingaweeklynewspaper.Theyalsoprintedmaterialsforlocalbusinessmen.Theywerefinallyearningmoney.Wilburwastwenty-fiveyearsoldandOrvilletwenty-onewhentheybegantosellandrepairbicycles.Thentheybegantomakethem.ButtheWrightbrothersneverstoppedthinkingaboutflyingmachines.VOICETWO:Ineighteenninety-nine,Wilburdecidedtolearnaboutallthedifferentkindsofflyingmachinesthathadbeendesignedandtestedthroughtheyears.WilburwrotetotheSmithsonianInstitutioninWashington.Heaskedforalltheinformationithadonflying.TheWrightbrothersreadeverythingtheycouldaboutpeoplewhosailedthroughtheairunderhugeballoons.Theyalsoreadaboutpeoplewhotriedtoflyongliders-planeswithwings,butnomotors.VOICEONE:ThentheWrightbrothersbegantodesigntheirownflyingmachine.Theyusedtheideastheyhaddevelopedfromtheirearlierexperimentswiththetoyhelicopter,kites,printingmachineandbicycles.Soon,theyneededaplacetotesttheirideasaboutflight.TheywrotetotheWeatherBureauinWashingtontofindtheplacewiththebestwindconditions.ThebestplaceseemedtobeathinpieceofsandylandinNorthCarolinaalongthecoastoftheAtlanticOcean.ItwascalledKillDevilHill,nearthetownofKittyHawk.Ithadtherightwindandopenspace.Bestofall,itwasprivate.VOICETWO:Innineteenhundred,theWrightbrotherstestedagliderthatcouldcarryaperson.Butneitherthefirstorsecondglidertheybuilthadtheliftingpowerneededforrealflight.WilburandOrvilledecidedthatwhattheyhadreadaboutairpressureoncurvedsurfaceswaswrong.SotheybuiltawindtunneltwometerslongintheirbicyclestoreinDayton,Ohio.Theytestedmorethantwohundreddesignsofwings.Thesetestsgavethemthecorrectinformationaboutairpressureoncurvedsurfaces.Nowitwaspossibleforthemtodesignamachinethatcouldfly.VOICEONE:TheWrightbrothersbuiltathirdglider.TheytookittoKittyHawkinthesummerofnineteen-oh-two.Theymadealmostonethousandflightswiththeglider.Somecoveredmorethanonehundredeightymeters.Thisgliderprovedthattheyhadsolvedmostoftheproblemsofbalanceinflight.Bytheautumnofnineteen-oh-three,WilburandOrvillehaddesignedandbuiltanairplanepoweredbyagasolineengine.Theplanehadwingstwelvemetersacross.Itweighedaboutthreehundredfortykilograms,includingthepilot.VOICETWO:TheWrightbrothersreturnedtoKittyHawk.OnDecemberseventeen,nineteen-oh-threeztheymadetheworld'sfirstflightinamachinethatwasheavierthanairandpoweredbyanengine.Orvilleflewtheplanethirty-sevenmeters.Hewasintheairfortwelveseconds.Thetwobrothersmadethreemoreflightsthatday.ThelongestwasmadebyWilbur.Heflewtwohundredsixtymetersinfifty-nineseconds.FourothermenwatchedtheWrightbrothers'firstflights.Oneofthementookpictures.Fewnewspapers,however,notedtheevent.VOICEONE:WilburandOrvillereturnedhometoOhio.Theybuiltmorepowerfulenginesandflewbetterairplanes.Buttheirsuccesswasalmostunknown.Mostpeoplestilldidnotbelieveflyingwaspossible.ItwasalmostfiveyearsbeforetheWrightbrothersbecamefamous.Innineteen-oh-eight,WilburwenttoFrance.Hegavedemonstrationflightsatheightsofninetymeters.AFrenchcompanyagreedtobeginmakingtheWrightbrothers'flyingmachine.VOICETWO:OrvillemadesuccessfulflightsintheUnitedStatesatthetimeWilburwasinFrance.Onelastedanhour.Orvillealsomadefifty-sevencompletecirclesoverafieldatFortMyecVirginia.TheUnitedStatesWarDepartmentagreedtobuyaWrightbrothers'plane.WilburandOrvillesuddenlybecameworldheroes.Newspaperswrotelongstoriesaboutthem.Crowdsfollowedthem.Buttheywerenotseekingfame.TheyreturnedtoDaytonwheretheycontinuedtoimprovetheirairplanes.Theytaughtmanyothershowtofly.VOICEONE:WilburWrightdiedoftyphoidfeverinnineteentwelve.OrvilleWrightcontinueddesigningandinventinguntilhediedmanyyearslater,innineteenforty-eight.Today,theWrightbrothers'firstairplaneisintheAirandSpaceMuseuminWashington,D.C.VisitorstothemuseumlookattheWrightbrothers'smallplanewithitsclothwings,woodencontrolsandtinyengine.Thentheyseespacevehiclesandarockcollectedfromthemoon.ThisisstrikingevidenceofthechangesintheworldsinceWilburandOrvilleWrightbeganthemodernageofflight,onehundredyearsago.(MUSIC)ANNOUNCER:ThisprogramwaswrittenbyMarilynRiceChristianoandproducedbyPaulThompson.YourannouncerswereSarahLongandRichKleinfeldt.mFaithLapidus.JoinusagainnextweekforPeopleinAmericafromVOASpecialEnglish.