42.The Versatile Lead Pencil.
42、万能的铅笔
1. The lead pencil is one of the most used pieces of merchandise in the world. It is the simplest, most convenient and least expensive of all writing instruments.
1、铅笔是这个世界上使用的最多的商品之一。在所有的书写工具中，它最简单，最方便，最便宜。
2. Perhaps the most surprising thing about the lead pencil is that it is not lead at all. And it is not a pencil. The "lead" is actually graphite from the Greek word "to write." The word "pencil" is from Latin. The first pencils were fine or stiff brushes of hair.
2、可能关于铅笔最让人吃惊的事情是它根本就不是铅做的，而英语PENCIL也不是笔的意思。所谓的铅实际上是石墨，英语的“LEAD”源自希腊语的“写”。英语中的“PENCIL”源自拉丁语，是指用毛制作的细致的硬刷子。
3. American pencil makers turn out their product by the millions. Probably there is no more useful article in the world. As one wise person remarked: “Everything begins with a pencil. Whether it's a pin or a battleship, it is first rendered with a pencil."
3、美国的铅笔制造商生产了数以百万计的铅笔。在这个世界上可能没有比铅笔更有用的东西了。因为一个智者曾经这样评述“一切都开始于一支铅笔，无论它是一个别针还是一艘战舰，它的第一个表述都来自一支铅笔。”
4. There is a pencil for every purpose. In fact, the industry now supplies 370 different types and styles in more than 70 different colors and in 18 degrees of hardness.
4、一支铅笔可以用于不同的书写目的。事实上，工业界现在提供着370种不同种类不同风格、超过70种不同颜色、18种不同硬度的铅笔。
5. Some write clearly on slippery surfaces, such as glass and plastic. Surgeons use a special pencil for outlining the operation area on the patient's skin, and packing-plants use another type to write identification on sides of beef. There is even a special electric pencil used for tests checked by electronic machines.
5、某些铅笔可以在光滑的表面诸如玻璃、塑料上清晰书写。外科医生使用一种特殊的铅笔在病人的皮肤上勾勒出手术区域。包装厂使用另外一种类型的铅笔在牛肉的侧面写上识别号码。甚至有一种用来协助电子仪器进行测试的特殊的电子笔。
6. There are many novelty pencils. Some have the Ten Commandments, calendars or the multiplication table on them. Some are in the shape of umbrellas, canes, baseball bats and traffic signals. One may be 12 feet long, while others are only 1/2 inch.
6、还有许多新颖的铅笔。有的上面有（基督教的教条的）十诫、日历或者乘法表。有的铅笔被做成雨伞、手杖、棒球、甚至交通信号灯的样子。有的可能长达12英尺，而另有一些只有半英寸长。
7. One recent novelty is a pencil with paper in it. A small roll of paper fits in the center of the pencil and is drawn out through a slit in the side. It’s just the thing for those who are always looking for a scrap of paper.
7、最近的一种新奇铅笔，里面有一卷纸。小小的一卷纸恰好放在铅笔的中央部分，纸可以通过在铅笔边的缝抽出来。它适用于那些总是需要小纸片的人。
8. A popular idea is that a check, will, or other legal paper written in pencil is not legal. This is not true. Any legal document which does not specify otherwise can be legally signed in pencil.
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