专题限时训练(二十七) [人物型阅读理解]
(一)
Henry Ford grew up on an unelectrified farm, and as a young man he followed Edison's career as the inventor became a national role model. Ford took a job at the Edison Illuminating Company, working his way up to chief engineer.
In 1896 Ford was thirtythree and, though still working for Edison Co., he had created his first experimental automobile—the Ford Quadricycle2 during his offtime. At an Edison company party in New York, Ford had his first chance to meet his hero Edison and was able to explain his new automobile to the great inventor. Edison_was_impressed._Edison_is_said_to_have_slammed_his_fist_down_and_shouted，“Young man, that's the thing! You have it! Your car is selfcontained and carries its own power plant.”Edison himself had been working on the idea, but had only been considering electricity as the power source, so the idea of a gas engine was a somewhat new one.
The words comforted Ford greatly, who immediately set out building a second car which was to become the ModelT.6. The two men became friends and would go on camping trips together.When Edison later became limited to a wheelchair, Ford brought an extra one to his house so they could race.At the 50th anniversary of the invention of light bulb, Ford honoured Edison.When Edison spoke he ended his speech directed at Ford, “As to Henry Ford, words fail to express my feelings.I can only say that he is my friend.” Therefore it is no surprise that Ford wanted something to remember Edison by after he passed away in 1931.
Once, Ford asked Thomas Edison's son Charles to sit by the dying inventor's bedside and hold a test tube next to his father's mouth to catch his final breath. Ford was a man with many strange behaviours (as was Edison) including some interest in reanimation and spiritualism(复活通灵术)and some say that he was attempting to catch
