1. He meant Al's brain was scrambled. When Al told his mother, she was furious.
scrambled adj. thrown together in a disorderly fashion杂乱的，搅乱的
a scrambled plan of action
furious /ˈfjʊərɪəs/ adj. extremely angry 狂怒的
2. People were particularly anxious for news.
be anxious for 渴求
eg: The whole country was anxious for peace.
3. He got a telegraph operator in Detroit to wire the war news of that day ahead to the stations on the way to Port Huron.
wire [waɪə] vt. 拍电报
4. Tom was thrilled.
thrilled /θrɪld/ adj. extremely happy and excited about something
狂喜的，非常兴奋的；极为激动的
5. A patent protects the owner of an idea for an invention.
patent /ˈpætənt/ n. an official right to be the only person or company allowed to make or sell a new product for a certain period of time专利
6. All progress, all success, springs from thinking.
springs from 起源于
7. It wasn't long before Tom was boasting to reporters that he would have his electric light ready in weeks.
boast [bəʊst] vt./vi.夸口说，自吹自擂说
8. But Tom did not give up, and one day he hit upon the answer.
hit upon 想出，偶然想起，无意中发现
9. I am experimenting upon an instrument which does for the Eye what the phonograph does for the Ear... This apparatus I call a Kinetoscope-'Moving View.'
A之于B犹如C之于D：
1. A is to B what C is to D
2. A does for B what C does for D
eg: Air is to us what water is to fish.
Leaves do for plants what lungs do for animals.
phonograph ['fəunəgrɑ:f, -græf] n . 留声机；[电子] 电唱机
apparatus [æpə'reitəs] n . 装置，设备；仪器；器官
10. Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.
perspiration [pɜːspɪ'reɪʃ(ə)n] n. 汗水；流汗；努力
天才是百分之一的灵感加百分之九十九的汗水。（爱迪生最有名的名言）
