С переводом некоторых слов на русский язык.

2. If you think that the world's greatest
inventions came from the fevered minds of
solitary geniuses, think again. As you scan
this list of the 10 inventions that changed the
world, note how many of them perfected
workable designs.
invention – изобретение
fever – лихорадка
mind – разум
solitary – одинокий
note – замечать, обращать
внимание
perfect - совершенствовать
workable – работоспособный,
выполнимый, использующийся

3. When you imagine inventors, you probably
picture a lone genius in a laboratory
concocting brilliant devices, experimenting
and redesigning until some concept or
contraption works perfectly. At that point, the
new invention is unveiled to the world, a
stunning piece of new technology that
instantly changes everything.
inventor - изобретатель
lone - одинокий
concoct – состряпать, придумать
redesign – реконструкция, переделка
until – до, (здесь в зн. пока не)
contraption – хитроумное изобретение
at that point – на том этапе, в тот
момент
unveil - раскрывать
stun - шокировать
instantly – немедленно, тот час

4. Well, you've got part of it right. There's
certainly a lot of redesigning and
experimenting when it comes to inventions,
but it takes a lot longer than you think. It also
takes far more people than that lone genius.
part – часть
certainly – конечно,
непременно
long - долгий
also - также
far more – гораздо больше

5. As you'll see when you read about these 10
world-changing inventions, no invention is
created in a vacuum. Every single one was
built on previous inventions created by other
inventors years, decades or even centuries
before.
create – создавать, творить
single – каждый, единственный
build (built) - строить
previous - предыдущий
decade - десятилетие
even - даже
century - век

6. Every invention has problems, and it might
not be until some other inventor comes along
that they get solved. To confuse things
further, it usually isn't the original inventor
who gets all the credit, but rather the inventor
who made the one crucial improvement that
makes us all want one.
may (might) – мочь, иметь возможность
along – вместе, вдоль, попутно
get (got) - получать
solve – решать, разрешать
confuse – путать, сбивать с толку
further – дальше, затем, далее
credit - честь
rather - скорее
crucial – решающий, ключевой
improvement – улучшение

7. START THE
COUNTDOWN

8. 10.THE PLOW

9. Compared to some of the gleaming electronic
inventions that fill our lives today, the plow
doesn't seem very exciting. It's a simple
cutting tool used to carve a furrow into the
soil, churning it up to expose nutrients and
prepare it for planting. Yet the plow is
probably the one invention that made all
others possible.
compare - сравнивать
gleaming - блестящий
fill - наполнять
excite - волновать
cut - резать
tool - инструмент
carve - резать
furrow - борозда
soil - почва
churn up - разворотить
expose – подвергать
(действию)
nutrient – питательное
вещество
prepare - готовить
plant - сажать
yet - ещё
probably - вероятно
possible - возможный

10. No one knows who invented the plow, or
exactly when it came to be. It probably
developed independently in a number of
regions, and there is evidence of its use in
prehistoric eras. Prior to the plow, humans
were subsistence farmers or
hunter/gatherers.
invent - изобретать
exactly - точно
come (came, come) - приходить
develop – разрабатывать
independently – независимо, самостоятельно
evidence – доказательство, факт
era – эра, эпоха, период
prior – прежний, до
subsistence – существование, пропитание
hunter - охотник
gatherer - собиратель

11. Their lives were devoted solely to finding
enough food to survive from one season to
the next. Growing food added some
stability to life, but doing it by hand was
labor intensive and took a long time. The
plow changed all that.
devote - посвящать
solely - исключительно
find (found) - находить
enough - достаточно
survive - выживать
grow – расти, выращивать
add – прибавлять, добавлять
labor - труд

12. Plows made the work easier and faster.
Improvements in the plow's design made
farming so efficient that people could
harvest far more food than they needed to
survive. They could trade the surplus for
goods or services.
efficient – эффективный, действенный
harvest – собирать урожай, пожинать плоды
trade - обменивать
surplus – избыток, излишек
service - услуга

13. And if you could get food by trading, then you
could devote your day-to-day existence to
something other than growing food, such as
producing the goods and services that were
suddenly in demand.
existence – существование
produce – производить, продукт
suddenly – внезапно, вдруг
demand – требовать, спрашивать;
спрос

14. The ability to trade and store materials drove
the invention of written language, number
systems, fortifications and militaries. As
populations gathered to engage in these
activities, cities grew. It's not a stretch to say
that the plow is responsible for the creation of
human civilization.
ability – способность
store – запас, склад
drive (drove, driven) – везти,
вести
write (wrote, written) - писать
fortification - укрепление
military – войска, военная сила
population - население
gather – собирать, собираться
engage – участвовать, вступать
stretch - растягивать
responsible – ответственный,
надёжный

15. 9. WHEEL

16. The wheel is another invention so ancient
that we have no way of knowing who first
developed it. The oldest wheel and axle
mechanism we've found was near Ljubljana,
Slovenia, and dates to roughly 3100 B.C.
ancient - древний
axle – ось
find (found) - находить
near - рядом
date - датироваться
roughly - грубо

17. The wheel made the transportation of goods
much faster and more efficient, especially
when affixed to horse-drawn chariots and
carts. However, if it had been used only for
transportation, the wheel wouldn't have been
as much of a world-changer as it was. In fact,
a lack of quality roads limited its usefulness in
this regard for thousands of years.
affix - прикреплять
horse-drawn – запряжённый лошадьми
chariot - колесница
cart - телега
however - однако
lack - недостаток
quality - качество
road - дорога
usefulness - польза
regard - рассматривать
thousand – тысяча

18. A wheel can be used for a lot of things other
than sticking them on a cart to carry grain,
though. Tens of thousands of other inventions
require wheels to function, from water wheels
that power mills to gears and cogs that
allowed even ancient cultures to create
complex machines.
stick – втыкать, прицеплять
grain - зерно
though - хотя
require – требовать, нуждаться
mill - мельница
gear - механизм
cog – зубец (колеса)
allow – позволять, разрешать
ancient - древний

19. Cranks and pulleys need wheels to work. A
huge amount of modern technology still
depends on the wheel, like centrifuges used
in chemistry and medical research, electric
motors and combustion engines, jet engines,
power plants and countless others.
crank - рукоятка
pulley – ролик, шкив
huge - огромный
amount - количество
depend - зависеть
research - исследование
combustion - сгорание
engine - двигатель
jet – реактивный самолёт
countless - бесчисленный

20. 8. PRINTING PRESS

21. Like many of the inventions on this list, the
man we believe invented the printing press
(Johann Gutenberg in the 1430s) actually
improved on pre-existing technologies and
made them useful and efficient enough to
become popular.
actually – на самом деле
improve - улучшать
pre-existing – уже существовавшие
useful - полезный
efficient - эффективный
enough - достаточно

22. The world already had paper and block
printing - the Chinese had them as early as
the 11th century - but the complexity of their
language limited popularity. Marco Polo
brought the idea to Europe in 1295.
complexity - сложность
bring (brought) - приносить

23. Gutenberg combined the idea of block
printing with a screw press (used for olive oil
and wine production). He also developed
metal printing blocks that were far more
durable and easier to make than the hand-
carved wooden letters in use previously.
Finally, his advances in ink and paper
production helped revolutionize the whole
process of mass printing.
screw - винт
develop - разрабатывать
durable – прочный, надёжный
hand-carved – ручная резка
wooden - деревянный
previously - ранее
advance - продвижение
revolutionize – полностью изменять

24. The printing press allowed enormous
quantities of information to be recorded and
spread throughout the world. Books had
previously been items only the extremely rich
could afford, but mass production brought the
price down tremendously.
enormous – обширный, огромный
quantity - количество
record - записывать
spread - распространять
throughout - повсюду
item - предмет
extremely – чрезвычайно, крайне
rich – состоятельный, богатый
afford – позволять себе
tremendously – чрезвычайно, крайне

25. The printing press is probably responsible for
many other inventions, but in a more subtle
way than the wheel. The diffusion of
knowledge it created gave billions of humans
the education they needed to create their own
inventions in the centuries since.
responsible - ответственный
subtle – хитроумный, искусный
diffusion - распространение
give (gave, given) - давать
education - образование

26. 7. REFRIGERATION

27. Refrigerators cool things down by taking
advantage of the way substances absorb and
unload heat as their pressure points and
phases of matter change (usually from gas to
liquid and back).
advantage - преимущество, выгода
substance - вещество
absorb – впитывать
unload - разгружать
heat – тепло, жара
pressure - давление
matter – вещество, материал
liquid - жидкость

28. It's difficult to pinpoint a single inventor of the
refrigerator, because the concept was widely
known and gradually improved over the course
of about 200 years.
pinpoint – точно определять, указывать
widely - широко
gradually - постепенно

29. Some credit Oliver Evans' 1805 unproduced
design of a vapor-compression unit, while
others point to Carl von Linde's 1876 design
as the actual precursor of the modern
refrigerator in your kitchen. Dozens of
inventors, including Albert Einstein, would
refine or improve refrigerator designs over the
decades.
vapor-compression – пара-сжатие (компрессор)
precursor - предшественник
including - включая
refine – усовершенствовать, улучшать
decade - десятилетие

30. In the early 20th century, harvested natural
ice was still common, but large industries
such as breweries were beginning to use ice-
making machines. Harvested ice for industrial
use was rare by World War I. However, it
wasn't until the development of safer
refrigerant chemicals in the 1920s that home
refrigerators became the norm.
harvest – собирать урожай
brewery - пивоварня
rare - редкий
safe - безопасный

31. The ability to keep food cold for prolonged
periods (and even during shipping, once
refrigerated trucks were developed)
drastically changed the food production
industry and the eating habits of people
around the world.
ability - способность
prolong - продлевать
during – во время
ship – перевозить
drastically – радикально,
решительно, резко
habit - привычка

32. Now, we have easy access to fresh meats
and dairy products even in the hottest
summer months, and we're no longer tied to
the expense of harvesting and shipping
natural ice - which never could have kept
pace with the world's growing population in
any case.
access - доступ
tie - связывать
expense – расход, трата
pace – темп, скорость

33. 6. COMMUNICATIONS

34. Maybe it's cheating to lump the telegraph,
telephone, radio and television into one
'invention,' but the development of
communication technology has been a
continuum of increased utility and flexibility
since Samuel Morse invented the electric
telegraph in 1836 (building on the prior work
of others, of course).
cheat - обманывать
lump - смешивать
continuum - диапазон
increase - повышение
utility - польза
flexibility - гибкость
prior – прежний, веский

35. The telephone simply refined the idea by
allowing actual voice communications to be
sent over copper wires, instead of just beeps
that spelled out the plain text in Morse code.
These communication methods were point-to-
point, and required an extensive
infrastructure of wires to function.
refine – усовершенствовать, улучшать
allow - позволять
copper - медный
wire – провод, проволока
instead of - вместо
beep – сигнал, гудок
require – требовать, нуждаться

36. Transmitting signals wirelessly using
electromagnetic waves was a concept
worked on by many inventors around the
world, but Guglielmo Marconi and Nikola
Tesla popularized it in the early 20th century.
Eventually, sound could be transmitted
wirelessly, while engineers gradually
perfected the transmission of images.
wave - волна
eventually – в конце концов, в итоге

37. Radio and television were new landmarks in
communications because they allowed a
single broadcaster to send messages to
thousands or even millions of recipients as
long as they were equipped with receivers.
landmark - ориентир, веха
broadcaster - диктор
recipient – получатель, адресат
equip – оборудовать, снаряжать
receiver – телефонная трубка,
радиоприёмник

38. These developments in communications
technology effectively shrank the world. In the
span of about 120 years, we went from a
world where it might take weeks to hear news
from across the country to one where we can
watch events occurring on the other side of
the globe as they happen.
shrank - сжимать
span – промежуток времени
occur - происходить

39. The advent of mass communications put
more information within our grasp and altered
how we interact with each other.
advent – появление, прибытие
within – в пределах
grasp – понимание, охватить
alter - изменять
interact - взаимодействовать

40. 5. STEAM ENGINE

41. Prior to the invention of the steam engine,
most products were made by hand. Water
wheels and draft animals provided the only
'industrial' power available, which clearly had
its limits. The Industrial Revolution, which is
perhaps the greatest change over the shortest
period of time in the history of civilization, was
carried forward by the steam engine.
draft – набросок, черновик
provide - предоставлять
available – доступный
perhaps – возможно, может быть
short (shorter, shortest) - короткий
carry forward – (продвигать дело)

42. The concept of using steam to power
machines had been around for thousands of
years, but Thomas Newcomen's creation in
1712 was the first to harness that power for
useful work (pumping water out of mines, for
the most part).
harness - использовать
mine - шахта

43. In 1769, James Watt modified a Newcomen
engine by adding a separate condenser,
which vastly increased the steam engine's
power and made it a far more practical way to
do work.
add – добавлять, прибавлять
separate – разделять, самостоятельный
condenser - конденсатор
vastly - значительно

44. He also developed a way for the engine to
produce rotary motion, which may be just as
important as the efficiency gains. Thus, Watt
is often considered the inventor of the steam
engine.
rotary - вращательный
efficiency – эффективность,
действенность
gain – механизм
thus – таким образом
consider - считаться,
рассматриваться

45. Newcomen's and Watt's engines actually
used the vacuum of condensing steam to
drive the pistons, not the pressure of steam
expansion. This made the engines bulky. It
was the high-pressure steam engine
developed by Richard Trevithick and others
that allowed for steam engines small enough
to power a train.
condensed - сжатый
piston - поршень
expansion – пространство,
расширение
bulky – огромный, большой

46. Not only did steam engines power factories
that made the rapid production of goods
possible, they powered the trains and
steamships that carried those goods across
the globe.
factory - завод
rapid – быстрый, скорый
steamship - пароход
those - те
across - через
globe – земной шар

47. While the steam engine has been eclipsed by
electric and internal combustion engines in
the areas of transport and factory power,
they're still incredibly important. Most power
plants in the world actually generate electricity
using steam turbines, whether the steam is
heated by burning coal, natural gas or a
nuclear reactor.
eclipse – затмевать, потускнение
internal - внутренний
combustion - сгорание
area - область
incredibly – очень, невероятно
generate - производить
whether – ли, либо
heat – тепло, нагревание
nuclear - ядерный

48. 4. AUTOMOBILE

49. If the steam engine mobilized industry, the
automobile mobilized people. While ideas for
personal vehicles had been around for years,
Karl Benz's 1885 Motorwagen, powered by
an internal combustion engine of his own
design, is widely considered the first
automobile.
while – пока, несмотря на, в
то время как, когда
vehicle - транспорт

50. Henry Ford's improvements in the production
process - and effective marketing - brought
the price and the desire for owning an auto
into the reach of most Americans. Europe
soon followed.
desire - желание
own – свой, иметь
soon - скоро

51. The automobile's effect on commerce, society
and culture is hard to overestimate. Most of
us can jump in our car and go wherever we
want whenever we want, effectively
expanding the size of any community to the
distance we're willing to drive to shop or visit
friends.
commerce - торговля
overestimate - переоценивать
wherever – куда, везде
expand – расширять, увеличивать

52. Our cities are largely designed and built
around automobile access, with paved roads
and parking lots taking up huge amounts of
space and a big chunk of our governments'
budgets. The auto industry has fueled
enormous economic growth worldwide, but
it's also generated a lot of pollution.
pave – мостить, выкладывать
chunk – часть, кусок
fuel – горючее (здесь: питать)
enormous – громадный, гигантский
growth – рост, развитие
worldwide – всемирный, мировой,
во всем мире
pollution - загрязнение

53. 3. LIGHTBULB

54. If there's a common theme to this list, it's that
no major invention came from a single stroke
of genius from a single inventor. Every
invention is built by incrementally improving
earlier designs, and the person usually
associated with an invention is the first
person to make it commercially viable.
major – главный, крупный
incrementally - постепенно, шаг
за шагом
viable – пригодный,
жизнеспособный

55. Such is the case with the light bulb. We
immediately think of Thomas Edison as the
electric light bulb's inventor, but dozens of
people were working on similar ideas in the
1870s, when Edison developed his
incandescent bulb. Joseph Swan did similar
work in Britain at the time, and eventually the
two merged their ideas into a single company,
Ediswan.
case - случай
immediately - немедленно
dozen - дюжина
similar – подобный, похожий
incandescent - блестящий
eventually – в итоге, в конце
концов
merge - соединять

56. The bulb itself works by transmitting electricity
through a wire with high resistance known as
a filament. The waste energy created by the
resistance is expelled as heat and light. The
glass bulb encases the filament in a vacuum
or in inert gas, preventing combustion.
itself – самостоятельно
transmit – передавать, посылать
through – сквозь, через
wire - проволока
resistance - сопротивление
filament – нить накаливания,
волокно
waste – потеря, трата
expel – исключать,
выгонять, выделять
heat – жар, тепло
encase - заключать
prevent - предотвращать
combustion - сгорание

57. You might think the light bulb changed the
world by allowing people to work at night or in
dark places (it did, to some extent), but we
already had relatively cheap and efficient gas
lamps and other light sources at the time.
extent – степень, мера
relatively – относительно,
сравнительно
cheap - дешёвый
efficient - эффективный
source - источник

58. It was actually the infrastructure that was built
to provide electricity to every home and
business that changed the world. Today, our
world is filled with powered devices than we
can plug in pretty much anywhere. We have
the light bulb to thank for it.
provide - предоставлять
fill - наполнять
device – устройство, средство
plug - подключить
anywhere – куда-либо, куда угодно

59. 2. COMPUTER

60. A computer is a machine that takes
information in, is able to manipulate it in some
way, and outputs new information. There is
no single inventor of the modern computer,
although the ideas of British mathematician
Alan Turing are considered eminently
influential in the field of computing.
be able – быть способным
output – результат, выводить
although - хотя
consider - рассматривать
eminently - больше всего,
исключительно
influential – влиятельный, важный
field – поле, область
compute - вычисление

61. Mechanical computing devices were in
existence in the 1800s (there were even rare
devices that could be considered computers
in ancient eras), but electronic computers
were invented in the 20th century.
existence - существование
even - даже
rare - редкий
ancient - древний

62. Computers are able to make complicated
mathematical calculations at an incredible
rate of speed. When they operate under the
instructions of skilled programmers,
computers can accomplish amazing feats.
complicate - усложнять
incredible – невероятный, потрясающий
rate - уровень
skill – техника, умение
accomplish – достигать
amazing - поразительный
feat – мастерство, подвиг

63. Some high-performance military aircraft
wouldn't be able to fly without constant
computerized adjustments to flight control
surfaces.
military - военный
aircraft - самолёт
constant - постоянный
adjustment - регулировка
flight - полёт
surface - поверхность

64. Computers performed the sequencing of the
human genome, let us put spacecraft into
orbit, control medical testing equipment, and
create the complex visual imagery used in
films and video games.
sequence - последовательность
human – человек, человеческий
spacecraft – космический корабль
equipment - оборудование
imagery – образность, изображение

65. If we only examine these grandiose uses of
computers, we overlook how much we rely on
them from day to day. Computers let us store
vast amounts of information and retrieve a
given piece of it almost instantly. Many of the
things we take for granted in the world
wouldn't function without computers, from
cars to power plants to phones.
examine – рассматривать, исследовать
overlook – заметить, обозревать
rely – полагаться, надеяться
store – склад, хранилище
vast – обширный, громадный
amount – количество, величина
retrieve
almost - почти
grant - предоставлять

66. 1. INTERNET

67. The Internet, a network of computers
covering the entire planet, allows people to
access almost any information located
anywhere in the world at any time. Its effects
on business, communication, economy,
entertainment and even politics are profound.
The Internet may not have changed the world
as much as the plow, but it's probably on par
with the steam engine or automobile.
entire – весь, целый, полный
locate – размещать, находиться
entertainment - развлечение

68. DARPA (Defense Advanced Research
Projects Agency), the research and
development arm of the U.S. military, created
ARPANET in the late 1960s. This network of
computer-to-computer connections was
intended for military and academic research.
defense – защита, оборона
advanced – продвинутый
intend - намереваться
research - исследование

69. Other computer networks began to cross the
globe in the next few years, and by the late
1970s computer scientists had created a
single protocol, TCP/IP, that would allow
computers on any network to communicate
with computers on other networks. This was,
essentially, the birth of the Internet, but it took
10 or so years for various other networks in
the world to adopt the new protocol, making
the Internet truly global.
by the late – к концу
communicate – сообщать, взаимодействовать
essentially – фактически, по существу
birth - рождение
various – различный, разный
adopt - принимать
truly – точно, верное, поистине

70. The Internet is such a powerful invention that
we've probably only begun to see the effects
it will have on the world. The ability to diffuse
and recombine information with such
efficiency could accelerate the rate at which
further world-changing inventions are
created.
probably - возможно
diffuse - распространять
recombine - воссоединяться
accelerate – ускорять
further – дальше

71. At the same time, some fear that our ability to
communicate, work, play and do business via
the Internet breaks down our ties to local
communities and causes us to become
socially isolated. Like any invention, the good
or ill it accomplishes will come from how we
choose to use it.
fear - страх
ability - способность
via - через
tie – связь
cause - причина, дело
isolate – изолировать, отделять
accomplish – совершать, выполнять
choose - выбирать

72. Thank you for attention!
The presentation performed
by Tatiana Evmenchikova
All information is there
http://www.geniusstuff.com/blog/list/10-
inventions-changed-world/