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Small Wonders: Nanotechnology 「微」美的世界：奈米科技

课文朗读

课文讲解 

繁體中文譯本

Science is encroaching upon a brave new frontier of miniaturization. This dazzling progress will take us from the familiar and observable marcotechnology, past current miniaturization advances in microtechnology, to the atomically tiny scale of nanotechnology. This cutting edge research combines aspects of biology, physics and engineering to manipulate matter in the realm of nanometers – one billion (10^-9) of a meter.

科学正进入到崭新的微型化领域，如此令人目眩的发展，将带领人类由日常肉眼可见的整体科技，通过目前的微型化进程后，迈入个体科技达到以原子为单位的奈米科技。向划时代的研究，结合了生物学、物理学、和工程学各方面运用奈米分子，即十亿分之一公尺大小的物质（10^-9）。

The potential applications of nanotechnology in medicine, computing technology and countless industrial processes are unprecedented. Imagine a legion of nanomachines inside your body unobtrusively scouring arterial fat buildup, cancerous cells, even viruses; materials the strength of steel but fifty times lighter; computers smaller than a fingernail and more powerful than any in existence.

奈米科技在医药、计算机和其他许多任务业上的应用潜能是前所未有的。试想一群奈米机器大军在你的身体里，毫无障碍地勤奋刷洗着动脉血管壁上的脂肪沈淀、癌细胞、甚至病毒；而且奈米材质的硬度可以媲美钢铁，重量却轻五十倍；另外以奈米材质做成计算机的大小比手指甲还小，效能却比目前任何款式都更强。

Nanotechnology requires the grasping, positioning and reordering of molecules and atoms. At present, scientists have created simple products such as nanotubes of carbon molecules and at Cornell University, a nanoengine with tiny propellers of nickel powered by an enzyme. Future developments in nanotech research are focused on the creation of a nanoassembler, essentially a submicroscopic robot arm that will manipulate matter to create a desired product and nanoprocessors, like silicon microchips, but thousands of times smaller! This seems the stuff of pulp science fiction, but is, in fact, the frontier of the future.

奈米科技需要掌握原子和分子，加以定位，并且重新排序。目前科学家已能制造简单的奈米产品，譬如奈米碳分子棒和美国康乃尔大学的奈米引擎，后者具备以酵素做为动力的镍制微型推进器。奈米研究未来的发展重点是制造奈米装配机器，尤其是一座超威的组装机器手臂，能制造人类想要的产品；或是奈米中央处理器，像是硅芯片，但体积却小了数千倍。这些听起来像是通俗的科幻小说，但事实上，未来的前景确实如此。

Vocabulary

单词发音

encroach [ɪnˋkrotʃ] v. 侵入；侵占.[(+on/upon)]

brave [brev] adj.【旧】美好的

miniaturization [͵mɪnɪətʃəraɪˋzeʃən] n. 小型化；微型化

dazzling [`dæzəlɪŋ] adj. 给人印象深刻的; 特别吸引人的

scale [skel] n. 等级；级别

cutting edge 最前线；尖端

realm [rɛlm] n. 界，领域；范围

legion [ˋlidʒən] adj. 众多的，大量的

unobtrusively [͵ʌnəbˋtrusɪvlɪ] adv. 不引人注目地；不容易看到地

scour [skaʊr] v. 擦净；擦亮；洗涤

arterial [ɑrˋtɪrɪəl] adj. 动脉的，像动脉的

buildup [ˋbɪld͵ʌp] n. 累积；形成

grasp [græsp] v. 领会，理解

propeller [prəˋpɛlɚ] n. 螺旋桨；推进器

assembler [əˋsɛmblɚ] n. 装配工；装配器

submicroscopic [sʌb͵maɪkrəˋskɑpɪk] adj.【物】普通显微镜看不出来的

nanoprocessor 毫微秒处理机

microchip [ˋmaɪkro͵tʃɪp] n. 微晶（片）；微型集成电路片

pulp [pʌlp] adj.〔杂志﹑故事等〕纸张和内容很差的; 庸俗的﹐低级趣味的

Sentence of the Day

Though the mills of God grind slowly, yet they grind exceedingly fine.

慢工出细活。

mill [mɪl] n. 磨坊；面粉厂

grind [graɪnd] v. 磨（碎）；碾（碎）；磨成

exceedingly [ɪkˋsidɪŋlɪ] adv. 非常地；极度地

课文讲解

Xavier, a journalist, is interviewing Isabel, a research professor at an American Ivy League university:  媒体作家塞维尔，正在访问美国一所长春藤盟校的大学教授伊莎贝尔：

X: Professor, would you agree that nanotechnology is the next great waves of scientific progress, along with genomics and information technology?

请问教授是否同意奈米科技，就如同基因、信息两种科学一样，是下一波科学进展的重心？

I: Absolutely. Many of the advances in these three fields dovetail together, but remember that nanotechnology is young in comparison and will probably require another decade or two of research.

当然，这三者在许多方面是互相配合的，但需记住奈米科技相形之下还很青涩，可能还需要一、二十年时间的研究。

X: What would you consider to be the beginning of nanoscience?

您认为奈米科技的起源是什么？

I: Practically, the modern idea began in 1959 with a famous speech by the great physicist, Richard Feynman. He proposed that there were no logical barriers to creating technology at the smallest scale of matter: the atom.

事实上，它源自于著名物理学家理察费曼1959年的一次演讲。他主张以物质的最小单位原子来建构科技，理论上应是可行的。

X: Some researchers are calling for ethical guidelines to counter the risk nanotechnology presents for destructive or clandestine applications – e.g., Big Brother watching us. Most of all, they want to prevent unforeseeable consequences as occurred with early nuclear accidents. How do you respond to this?

有些学者倡导以伦理方针，来预防奈米科技带来破坏性或秘密进行的不当应用──「老大哥」【注】正在看着你。他们尤其希望能预防，像早期的核子事件那类无法预测的意外发生。在这方面您如何响应？

I: Ethical guidelines should always be developed concurrently with physical research. For example, one wishes to avoid the sort of conflict that has characterized the introduction of genetically modified crops.

伦理方针和科学研究，两者原本就应该并行发展。譬如我们都希望能避免，像以前基因改造食品问世时产生的那种冲突。

X: Beyond the known possibilities of nanotechnology, how do you view a wild speculation such as creating a habitable planet of mars, known as terraforming?

除了奈米科技应用的潜力已毋庸置疑外，你是如何看待另一项大胆臆测，像是将火星改造成人类适合居住的星球，所谓星际迁徙这种事？

I: If it does not violate physical law, nothing is necessarily impossible.

在不违返自然法则下，没有什么事是绝对不可能的。

【注】：英国作家乔治奥韦尔在《一九八四年》一书中描述的「老大哥」极权统治，一般相信指的是政府。

－by Iain Ferguson

Vocabulary

单词发音

genomics [dʒəˈnomɪks] n. 基因组学

dovetail [ˋdʌv͵tel] v. 吻合; 使〔两个计划﹑观点等〕吻合

propose [prəˋpoz] v. 提议，建议，提出

logical [ˋlɑdʒɪk!] adj. 合乎逻辑的

call for 要求﹐ 呼吁

counter [ˋkaʊntɚ] v. 反对；反击；反驳

clandestine [klænˋdɛstɪn] adj. 秘密的﹐ 暗中从事的

Big Brother “老大哥”（指操控别人的人、政府或组织）

unforeseeable [͵ʌnforˋsiəb!] adj. 不能预知的；预料不到的

concurrently [kənˋkɝəntlɪ] adv. 同时发生地，并存地

characterize [ˋkærəktə͵raɪz] v. 具有……的特征，以……为特征

habitable [ˋhæbɪtəb!] adj. 可居住的；适于居住的

terraform  行星地球化：将另一星球（的陆地景观）转变成具有地球陆地景观特性的样子 To transform (a landscape) on another planet into one having the characteristics of landscapes on Earth.

Sentence of the Day

There are many changes on the horizon.

许多变化即将发生。

on the horizon 即将发生的; 已露端倪的; 临近的