"IwishthatinoneinstantIcouldtellyouofmysafearrival,...

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"I wish that in one instant I could tell you of my safe arrival, but we are 3,000 miles apart and must wait four long weeks to hear from each other." Samuel Morse was 20 when he wrote this sentence in a letter to his mother in 1811. He was in London studying art. She was at the home in Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA, where he had been born. perhaps it was at the moment of writing the letter that young Morse first had the wish to bridge space with flying words. This wish was later to give the world the electric telegraph (電報).

He returned in 1815 to work on history painting much admired in Europe. Morse completed an oil painting The House of Representatives, expecting that this would bring him fame(名聲). But there was hardly any demand in the United States for history painting, and he unwillingly started to support himself by painting portraits(肖像畫). He was often close to poverty during his career as an artist.

During a voyage from Europe to America in 1832, Morse met Thomas Jackson, a scientist who had recently attended lectures on electricity in Paris. Conversations with Jackson made the artist believe that an electrical current could be used for communication. During the rest of the voyage he worked excitedly on drawings for his plan. After his arrival home, he abandoned his artistic career to give his full attention to the project.

Morse had an inventive mind but little knowledge of electricity. He did years of work and study to perfect his invention. In 1837 he applied for a patent on the American Electromagnetic Telegraph. He went to England, France, and Russia asking for aid for his invention but met with failure there as at home. People admired his courage in the face of poverty and disappointment. Finally in 1843 the United States Congress provided Morse with $30,000 to build a line from Washington to Baltimore.

In May 1844 the first message was flashed over this wire. Newspapers, railroads, and businesses quickly found use for the telegraph, which for the first time created a global community.

21. According to Paragraph 1, Morse probably thought .

A. communication by letter was not convenient

B. it was amazing to communicate by telegraph

C. life in London was not as happy as he expected

D. he should return to America to care for his mother

22. After returning from Europe in 1815, Morse .

A. became famous thanks to his The House of Representatives

B. found Americans had little interest in history painting

C. got very curious about painting portraits for others

D. led an easy and peaceful life on the whole

23. The third paragraph is about how Morse .

A. painted the first telegraph