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Today, class, I am going to speak to you about the Industrial Revolution. The term "industrial revolution" refers to the technological, social, economic, and cultural changes that occurred in England in the late eighteenth century. This change eventually spread around the world, creating many big cities. (16) Before the Industrial Revolution, the production and harvesting of products was completed through manual labor. The Industrial Revolution replaced this manpower with machine power.
One of the first, and perhaps most important, developments of the Industrial Revolution was the steam engine. This advance in transportation allowed for the faster delivery of manufactured goods. However, the steam engine wasn't only used for transportation but instead for the construction of machine engines that made faster production possible. For example, before the Industrial Revolution, most tasks were done by either wind or water power or by the strength of man or horse. But, in 1698, a man by the name of Thomas Savery constructed the first steam-powered engine in London. (17) Thomas Savery, an engineer and inventor, patented a machine that could effectively draw water from flooded mines using steam pressure.
The development of the steam engine caused a host of other changes technologically, socially, and economically within British culture. Steam engine technology led to the development of factories, where products were turned out in the hundreds or even thousands. The factory industry eventually gave rise to what we now know as the modem city. (18) Manchester, for example, due to its cotton mills, became known as Cottonopolis because there were so many factories producing textiles. However, these early cities were not as clean or well kept as the ones we are familiar with today. Along with the growth of industry came the increase of sometimes hard or dirty living conditions. Children were forced to work long hours in factories until the Factory Act of 1833 came into effect, which stated that children under nine were not allowed to work and children over nine were not to work at night or for more than twelve-hour shifts. (19) Trade unions were also born out of the Industrial Revolution, giving workers rights and freedoms that they had not had in the past.
Before the Industrial Revolution, working conditions for British workers was not favorable. Men, women, and children worked long hours for little money. The poor conditions of the working class caused many educated British historians and authors to write manifestos expressing great sorrow for the working class. And even those that were not British, such as Friedrich Engels, a German political philosopher, used England as a model for change when he wrote The Condition of the Working Class in England in 1844. Within this text, Engels spoke of the Industrial Revolution and how it was to change the whole fabric of society.
16. What changes did the Industrial Revolution bring about in agriculture?
17. What was the first steam-powered engine used for?
18. Why was Manchester also called Cottonopolis?
19. What was the function of trade unions in Britain at that time?
同学们，今天我要讲的是工业革命。“工业革命”这个词指的是18世纪末出现在英国的科技、社会、经济和文化等领域的变革。这一变革最终蔓延到了世界各地，催生了很多大城市。工业革命前，生产和收获完全是通过人力劳动完成的，而工业革命用机械动力取代了人力。
工业革命中第一批，或许也是最重要的发明之一是蒸汽机。在交通运输上的这一进步使得生产出来的产品更快被送往各地。然而，蒸汽机并没有只应用到了运输业，它也被用到了在机器引擎制造中，从而加速了生产。比如，工业革命以前，大部分工作由风能、水能、人力或马匹完成。但是，1698年，托马斯·萨弗里制造出了伦敦第一个蒸汽发动机。托马斯·萨弗里是一位工程师和发明家。他把这个可以利用蒸汽压力高效率地从水井中抽水的机器注册了专利。
蒸汽引擎的发明给英国文化的各个方面，包括科技、社会和经济，带来了很多其他的变化。蒸汽引擎技术导致了工厂的产生，工厂是批量生产商品的地方。而工业最终导致了我们现在所说的现代城市的产生。曼彻斯特棉花厂林立，是众多纺织厂的所在地，故被称为“棉都”。然而，这些城市早期并不像现在我们所熟悉的它们一样清洁而有秩序。随着工业的发展，出现了生存环境的恶化。直到1833年《工厂法》生效以前，儿童被迫在工厂中长时间工作。《工厂法》规定9岁以下儿童不允许在工厂中工作；9岁以上儿童不允许上夜班或轮班超过12个小时。工会也在工业革命期间诞生，给予了工人以往不曾有过的权利和自由。
工业革命以前，英国工人工作环境恶劣。男性、女性以及儿童长时间工作，报酬却很少。工人阶级所处的恶劣环境让英国受过高等教育的历史学家和作家们不禁写文章抒发他们对工人阶层的无比怜悯之情。甚至一些非英国人士，例如德国政治哲学家，弗里德里希·恩格斯在1844年创作《英国工人阶级状况》一书时将英国作为变革的模板。在书中，恩格斯阐述了工业革命以及它将如何改变整个社会。
16.工业革命给农业带来了什么变化？
17.第一台蒸汽发动机的用途是什么？
18.曼彻斯特为什么被称为“棉都”？
19.工业革命时期英国工会的职能是什么？
译文属可可原创，仅供学习和交流使用，未经允许不得转载
