SIMPLE MAGAZINE #9

First headlamps
Source: Barron's Essential Words for the IELTS
Compiled by: facebook.com/simpleIELTS

Before electricity, light was tricky business.

Flames cast limited light, are vulnerable to
tricky business: vấn đề khó khăn, nan
winds and weather, and can lead to disaster.
giải
Making fire portable and dependable was so
cast light: phát sáng
difficult that lights on moving vehicles were
be vulnerable to: yếu ớt
hardly ever considered. The early trains portable (adj): có thể mang đi được
travelled only during the day. The tracks were dependable (adj) = reliable: có thể tin
too dangerous during the dark of night, and tưởng
passengers wanted to see where they were consider (v): xem xét
travelling anyway. In the late 1830s, railroad railroad traffic: giao thông đường sắt
traffic became heavy enough for freight trains freight train: tàu chở hàng
to delay passenger trains. To avoid these delay (v,n): trì hoãn
delays, railroads started running freight train at passenger train: tàu chở khách
innovation (n): sự cải tiến
night. Horatio Allen’s 1831 innovation, the
in demand: có nhu cầu
“Track Illuminator,” was suddenly in demand. It
locomotive (n): động cơ tàu
was a pile of pine knots burning in an iron grate
track illuminator (n): vật chiếu sáng
that sat in a box of sand on a platform car. The đường ray
car was pushed ahead of the locomotive. The approaching (adj): đang đến gần
illuminator did not cast much light, but it available (adj): có sẵn
warned of the approaching train and was the
best technology available.
In 1841, some trains used an oil lamp backed by a
curved reflection, an improvement, but oil lamps
blew out easily in the wind, including the wind
generated by the movement of the train. At about
blow out (phrv): tắt
the same time, Schenectady and Troy Railroad
generate (v): tạo ra
trains displayed a whale oil lamp positioned
display (v): trưng bày, ra mắt
between a reflector and a lens about twelve
position (v): đặt
inches high; it threw light up to 100 feet ahead of
reflector (n): gương phản chiếu
the train. Although this was an improvement, the
throw light tạo ra ánh sáng
braking distance the trains required was more
require (v): yêu cầu
than the 100 feet of track that were illuminated.
illuminate (v): chiếu sáng
In 1849, a calcium lamp was developed that threw
intense (adj): quá mạnh
light 1000 feet and lasted four hours; however,
eventually (adv): cuối cùng
the only railroad company to use it was Camden
extinguish (v): tắt
and Amboy. Limelights, which were used to light
replace (v): thay thế
theater stages on both sides of Atlantic, were
considered too intense for trains. Eventually,
acetylene, which did not extinguish in the wind,
replaced oil in headlamps.
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In 1851, the first electric headlamp was developed. This

headlamp had two major drawbacks: It required its own
generator, which did not become portable until
the 1890s when steam generators became common, and
the delicate parts broke easily as a result of the rough
rails over which the trains travelled. Russia ran the first
train equipped with a battery-powered electric headlamp.
The French first used steam generators to power electric
headlamps on trains. In the United States in 1897, George
C. Pyle developed an efficient electric headlamp. By 1916,
federal law required trains to have electric headlamps.

major (adj): chính, quan trọng

drawback (n): khuyết điểm, bất lợi
generator (n): máy phát điện
steam generator: máy phát điện hơi nước
delicate (adj): yếu, dễ bị hư hại
rough (adj): (đường) dằn, gồ ghề
equip (v): trang bị
power (v): cung cấp năng lượng
efficient (adj): hoạt động có hiệu quả
federal law: luật liên bang

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Automobiles, the exciting new mode
of transportation at that time,
needed headlamps, too. The
requirements for car headlamps
were more stringent than those for
trains: Because roads were even
rougher than rails, cars required
more rugged parts, and the steam
generators had to be smaller than
those in trains. Despite these tougher
requirements, the Columbia Electric
Car was equipped with electric
headlamps in 1898. Electric
headlamps made travel at all hours in
almost all weather possible,
something we take for granted today.
07
automobile (n) = car: xe hơi
mode of transportation = means
of transportation: loại phương
tiện 
requirement (n): yêu cầu
rugged (adj): cứng, chắc chắn
despite + N/V_ing: mặc dù
tough (adj) = stringent (adj):
nghiêm ngặt
be equipped with ST: được trang
bị với
make ST possible: làm cho ST trở
nên có thể
take (ST) for granted: cho là lẽ dĩ
nhiên