万物简史 第542期:令人惊叹的细胞(6)

 The draper's name was Antoni van Leeuwenhoek. 这个亚麻布料商名叫安东尼·范·列文虎克。

Though he had little formal education and no background in science, he was a perceptive¹ and dedicated² observer and a technical genius. 尽管他几乎没有受过正规教育，也无任何科学背景，但却是一个敏锐的专心致志的观察者和技术天才。

To this day it is not known how he got such magnificent magnifications from simple handheld devices, 直到今天，我们也不知道他是怎样通过简陋的手工装置制造出如此高倍率的显微镜。

which were little more than modest wooden dowels with a tiny bubble of glass embedded³ in them, 它无非就是将一小块玻璃嵌入木榫而成，他的显微镜更像是放大镜，

far more like magnifying glasses than what most of us think of as microscopes, but really not much like either. 而不像我们大多数人认为的显微镜，但其实二者都不太像。

Leeuwenhoek made a new instrument for every experiment he performed and was extremely secretive about his techniques, 列文虎克每做一个实验都要制作一件新的仪器。可是，对于自己的技术，他却总是守口如瓶，

though he did sometimes offer tips to the British on how they might improve their resolutions. 不过他倒是就怎样提高分辨率而向英国人透露过情况。

Leeuwenhoek was close friends with another Delft notable, the artist Jan Vermeer. 列文虎克是另一个代尔夫特著名画家简·弗美尔的密友。

In the mid-1660s, Vermeer, who previously⁴ had been a competent but not outstanding artist, 弗美尔一直是个有些才干，但不怎么出色的画家。17世纪初，

suddenly developed the mastery of light and perspective for which he has been celebrated⁵ ever since. 突然之间，他发明了一种色块模糊化的技法，从此声名远扬。

Though it has never been proved, it has long been suspected that he used a camera obscura, 尽管未经证实，但是很长一段时间以来，人们怀疑他使用了一个暗箱，

a device for projecting images onto a flat surface through a lens. 即一种通过透镜将图像投射到平面的装置。

No such device was listed among Vermeer's personal effects after his death, 弗美尔死后，这种装置并没有列入弗美尔的个人财产中，

but it happens that the executor of Vermeer's estate was none other than Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, the most secretive lens-maker of his day. 但是巧合的是弗美尔的财产的制指定遗产执行人不是别人，正是安东尼·范·列文虎克，即那个时代最守口如瓶的透镜制作者。

Over a period of fifty years—beginning, remarkably⁶ enough, when he was already past forty, 在长达50年的时间里——不可思议的是，从他40多岁后才开始，

Leeuwenhoek made almost two hundred reports to the Royal Society, all written in Low Dutch, the only tongue of which he was master. 他向皇家学会提交了近200份报告，全都用低地荷兰语写成，他只会这种语言。

 

1 perceptive   

adj.知觉的，有洞察力的，感知的

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• He is very perceptive and nothing can be hidden from him.他耳聪目明，什么事都很难瞒住他。

2 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

3 embedded   

a.扎牢的

参考例句：

• an operation to remove glass that was embedded in his leg 取出扎入他腿部玻璃的手术
• He has embedded his name in the minds of millions of people. 他的名字铭刻在数百万人民心中。

4 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

5 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

6 remarkably   

ad.不同寻常地，相当地

参考例句：

• I thought she was remarkably restrained in the circumstances. 我认为她在那种情况下非常克制。
• He made a remarkably swift recovery. 他康复得相当快。