1. Ida Tarbell wrote many stories for McClure's. She did this for some time before returning to the United States. Her writing was very popular. She helped make McClure's one of the most successful magazines of its day.
2. One of her first jobs for the magazine was a series of stories about the life of the French Emperor Napoleon. The series wasprinted in McClure's Magazine in eighteen ninety-four. It was an immediate success. The series was later printed as a book. It was very popular for a number of years.
3. Her next project was a series about the life of American President Abraham Lincoln. She began her research by talking with people who had known him. She used nothing they told her, however, unless she could prove it was true to the best of her ability.
4. McClure's Magazine wanted a short series about President Lincoln. But Ida Tarbell's series lasted for one year in the magazine. Like her series about Napoleon, the President Lincoln stories were immediately popular. They helped sell more magazines. She continued her research about President Lincoln.
5. Through the years, she would write eight books about President Lincoln. Miss Tarbell's reports about the Standard Oil Company are considered more important than any of her other writings. Her nineteen-part series was called The History of the Standard Oil Company. McClure's Magazine published it beginning in nineteen-oh-two.
6. She used her reporting skills against one of the most powerful companies in the world. Her reports showed that Standard Oil used illegal methods to make other companies lose business. One method was to sell oil in one area of the country for much less than the oil was worth.
7. This caused smaller companies in that area to fail. They could not sell their oil for that low a price and still make a profit. After a company failed, Standard Oil would then increase the price of its oil. This kind of unfair competition was illegal.
8. Miss Tarbell had trouble discovering information about the Standard Oil Company. She tried to talk to businessmen who worked in the oil business. At first, fewwould agree to talk.
9. They were afraid of the Standard Oil Company and its owner, John D. Rockefeller. He was one of the richest and most powerful men in the world.
10. Miss Tarbell kept seeking information. She was told by one man that Rockefeller would try to destroy McClure's Magazine. But she did not listen to the threats. She soon found evidence that Standard Oil had been using unfair and illegal methods to destroy other oil companies. Soon many people were helping her find the evidence she needed.
11. Ida Tarbell's investigations into Standard Oil were partly responsible for later legal action by the federal government against the company. The case began in nineteen-oh-six. In nineteen eleven, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled against Standard Oil because of its illegal dealings. The decision was a major one. It forced the huge company to separate into thirty-six different companies.
12. John D. Rockefeller never had to appear in court himself. Yet the public felt he was responsible for his company's illegal actions. The investigative work of Ida Tarbell helped form that public opinion. That investigative work continues to be what she is known for, even though some of her later writings defended American business. She died in nineteen forty-four.
13. A picture has survived from the long ago days when Ida Tarbell took on the giant Standard Oil Company. It shows John D. Rockefeller walking to his car. It was taken after his company had lost an important court battle. He is wearing a tall black hat and a long coat. He looks angry.
14. Several people are watching the famous man from behind the car. One is a very tall woman. Mister Rockefeller does not see her. If you look closely at the picture, you can see the face of Ida Tarbell. She is smiling. If you know the story, her smile clearly says: "I won."
Vocabulary
- against = contra
- agree = concordar
- appear = aparecer
- At first = no início
- began = começou
- behind = atrás de
- businessmen = empresários
- caused = fez com que
- closely = atentamente
- coat = casaco
- could = pudesse
- court = tribunal
- dealings = acordos
- destroy = destruir
- even though = mesmo que
- fail = falir
- felt = sentiu
- few = poucos
- for some time = por algum tempo
- found = encontrou
- French Emperor = Imperador Francês
- He looks angry = ele parece estar irritado
- however = contudo
- huge = imenso(a)
- increase = aumentar
- jobs = trabalhos
- kept seeking = continuou buscando
- kind of = tipo de
- lasted = durou
- later = posterior
- low = baixo
- magazines = revistas
- make a profit = ter lucro
- much less than = muito menos do que
- owner = dono
- partly = em parte
- powerful = poderoso(a)
- price = preço
- printed = impresso(a)
- research = pesquisa
- ruled = decidiu
- Several people = várias pessoas
- skills = habilidades
- smiling = sorrindo
- successful = bem sucedido(a)
- survived = sobreviveu
- the long ago days = os dias distantes
- threats = ameaças
- Through the years = Ao longo dos anos
- trouble = dificuldades
- unfair = injusto(a)
- unless = a menos que
- was worth = valia
- wearing = vestindo, usando
- were afraid = tinham medo
- who had known = que tinham conhecido
- wrote = escreveu
- Yet = Porém
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