John McAdam / 约翰·麦克亚当
The U.K has produced many famous scientists, inventors and engineers.
英国培养了许多著名的科学家、发明家和工程师。
One famous British engineer is John McAdam.
一位著名的英国工程师是约翰·麦克亚当。
throughout the world.
他发明了一种道路建造的方法，现在在全世界范围内使用。
Before John McAdam’s method was used, most roads were poorly constructed.
在使用 John McAdam 的方法之前，大多数道路的建设都很糟糕。
The roads were uneven, full of holes and often fell apart.
道路崎岖不平，到处都是坑，而且经常分崩离析。
In rainy weather they were slippery or could be washed away.
在下雨天，它们很滑或可能会被流失。
This made roads uncomfortable and dangerous to use.
这使得道路使用起来不舒适和危险。
The best type of road at that time used a foundation made of large rectangular stones covered with 2 layers of increasingly smaller stones.
当时最好的道路类型使用由大型矩形石头制成的地基，上面覆盖着 2 层越来越小的石头。
These shaped stones meant that these roads were expensive and complicated to build.
这些形状的石头意味着这些道路既昂贵又复杂。
To keep the road surface level, these road were built in a trench which caused the road to flood in rainy weather.
为了保持路面平坦，这些道路建造在沟渠中，导致道路在雨天被洪水淹没。
John McAdam’s method was revolutionary.
约翰·麦克亚当 （John McAdam） 的方法具有革命性。
He realised that you did not need large stone blocks to support the road surface.
他意识到你不需要大石块来支撑路面。
The earth underneath the road would perform that function.
道路下方的泥土将执行该功能。
He also realised that the road would not be flooded or washed away if the stones were not shaped and the water could drain away between the gaps in the stones.
他还意识到，如果石头没有成型，道路就不会被洪水淹没或冲走，水可以从石头的缝隙之间流走。
Like the previous method, the road was built up from layers of increasing smaller stones.
与以前的方法一样，道路是由越来越多的小石头层建造而成的。
However, each layer was compacted to produce a very stable and hard-wearing road.
然而，每一层都经过压实，以产生非常稳定和耐磨的道路。
McAdam’s method soon gained widespread recognition and now is the basis of most road construction all over the world.
麦克亚当的方法很快得到了广泛认可，现在是世界上大多数道路建设的基础。
With the invention of the motor car and an increase in road traffic, a dust problem started to develop on McAdam’s roads.
随着汽车的发明和道路交通的增加，麦克亚当的道路上开始出现灰尘问题。
However, a solution to this problem was quickly found by sealing the surface with tar, or a mixture of tar and powdered slag.
然而，很快就找到了解决这个问题的方法，即用焦油或焦油和矿渣粉的混合物密封表面。
This roads built using this sealing method are often referred to as ‘tarmac’ roads.
使用这种密封方法建造的道路通常被称为“柏油路面”道路。
In addition, airport runways are often referred to as the ‘tarmac’ in English because of their method of construction.
此外，由于其建造方法，机场跑道在英语中通常被称为“tarmac”。