17种改变世界的物质

 　　SYDNEY: All molecules¹ are not created equal. Some have saved billions of lives, wreaked² environmental havoc³ or made the world a more colorful place. Here's our selection of those that have changed the course of human history。

　　发自悉尼：分子并非同时被创造。它们当中有的已经存在亿万年，或者造成环境的大破坏，或者让世界变得更加丰富多彩。在这里，我们将选出十七种改变人类历史进程的物质分子。

　　PENICILLIN⁴ — R-C9H11N2O4S

　　When British microbiologist Alexander Fleming stumbled upon penicillin in 1928, he couldn't have imagined the impact it would have on modern medicine. Fleming noticed that Petri dishes with mould on them grew no bacteria, and in doing so discovered the first antibiotic⁵. Before penicillin came into widespread use in the 1940s, wounds and diseases like syphilis were killers⁶; antibiotics⁷ have since saved an estimated 200 million lives。

　　青霉素R-C9H11N2O4S

　　1928年，当英国微生物学家亚历山大·弗莱明首次发现青霉素时，他并没有料到这种物质对现代医学造成怎样的影响。弗莱明注意到，在发霉的培养皿中没有生长任何细菌，由此，他发现了第一种抗生素。到1940年代青霉素被广泛使用之前，像梅毒这样的创伤病害便足以杀死人类；自从抗生素被发现之后，据估计它们至少拯救了两亿生命。

　　SODIUM⁸ CHLORIDE — NaCl

　　Salt paved the way for modern civilization; it was used to preserve vegetables and meat as long as 4,000 years ago. This gave our ancestors the freedom to store food for hard times, travel long distances and live in harsh climates. Salt is also an important ingredient in the production of chemicals, soap and paper. Sodium chloride is in such high demand that in 2006 alone, 240 million tones were produced。

　　氯化钠NaCl

　　盐铺就了现代文明的道路；早在四千年前，它就被用来为蔬菜和肉类保鲜。这让我们的祖先在困难时期、长途旅行或恶劣气候条件下可以自由保存食品。盐也是制造化学品、肥皂和纸张的重要成分。人们对于氯化钠的需求是如此之高，仅在2006年，它们的产量就达到两亿四千万吨。

　　POTASSIUM NITRATE — KNO3

　　As the key ingredient in gunpowder⁹, potassium nitrate allowed humans to propel bullets from guns and, in doing so, changed the face of warfare¹⁰. Today, there are more than 500 million handguns in circulation, causing at least 1,000 deaths every day. The formula for gunpowder was likely discovered in the 8th century, although it wasn't until the 13th century that it was first used in canons。

　　硝酸钾KNO3

　　作为制造黑火药的关键成分，正是硝酸钾推动子弹飞出枪膛，而且这样一来还改变了战争的面貌。如今，市面上有超过五亿支手枪在流通，每天造成至少一千人死亡。黑火药的配方似乎早在公元八世纪就已被发现，但直到十三世纪才被用于火炮。

　　ASPIRIN¹¹ — C9H8O4

　　Aspirin is the most widely used drug in the world, with more than 100 billion tablets consumed annually¹². The active component¹³, salicylic acid, originally from willow¹⁴ bark, was used as a folk remedy as long ago as the 5th century BC. But it wasn't until 1897 that German chemist Felix Hoffman managed to synthesize aspirin in a pure and stable form, making it one of the earliest synthetic¹⁵ drugs. Aspirin is now taken for a huge variety of afflictions, from fever and arthritis¹⁶ to the prevention of heart attacks, stroke and dementia。

　　阿司匹林C9H8O4

　　阿司匹林是世界上使用最广泛的药物，每年消耗量高达一千亿片。它来自早在公元前五世纪就被用于民间配方的柳树皮，是这种树皮的一种有效成分。不过直到1897年，德国药剂师费力克斯·霍夫曼才设法把它合成为一种纯净和稳定的形态，因此它并不是最早的合成药物。

　　SODIUM STEARATE — NaC18H35O2

　　It's hard to imagine how life might have smelled for the human race prior to the invention of soap. More fastidious hygiene¹⁷ has also been important for stemming the spread of disease. Sodium stearate, the active ingredient in soap, works its magic by helping¹⁸ oil to dissolve in water. According to the United Nations Children's Fund, hand washing with soap prevents up to 1.4 million deaths per year through acute respiratory infections。

　　硬脂酸钠 NaC18H35O2

　　很难想象发明肥皂之前的人类生活中充斥着怎样的气味。而更好的卫生习惯也极大阻碍了疾病的传播。作为肥皂的重要组成部分，硬脂酸钠其魔法般的工作原理在于可以把油脂溶解在水中。据联合国儿童基金会统计，用肥皂洗手的行为每年可以让一百四十万人免于因严重呼吸道疾病而死亡。

　　SILICON¹⁹ — Si

　　In 1954 the first silicon transistor²⁰ initiated²¹ what has become a A$160 billion global market in semiconductors²². Silicon is a key component of computer chips and circuits and it's estimated that there are currently more than one billion computers in use worldwide. Silicon is also used in solar cells, waterproofing²³ treatments and seals, explosives and breast implants²⁴。

　　硅Si

　　从1954年第一个硅晶体管诞生开始，现在已经发展为价值一千六百亿美元的半导体产业。硅是计算机芯片和电路的关键部件，据估计，目前全世界有超过十亿台计算机。另外，硅还被用于太阳能电池，防水密封，炸药以及胸部填充。

　　RUBBER — C5H8

　　Natural rubber has been gathered from the sap of plants for centuries. But rubber only began to be used widely after 1839, when Charles Goodyear found a way to make it strong, durable²⁵ and elastic²⁶. In 1931 U.S. chemist Elmer Bolton developed a synthetic version, and in 2005 we produced 21 million tonnes, with tyres and tubes accounting²⁷ for 56 per cent of consumption. Other applications include gloves, rubber bands and balloons. Even some rockets and missiles are powered by synthetic, rubber-based fuels。

1 molecules   

分子( molecule的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The structure of molecules can be seen under an electron microscope. 分子的结构可在电子显微镜下观察到。
• Inside the reactor the large molecules are cracked into smaller molecules. 在反应堆里，大分子裂变为小分子。

2 wreaked   

诉诸（武力），施行（暴力），发（脾气）( wreak的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The earthquake wreaked havoc on the city. 地震对这个城市造成了大破坏。
• They have wreaked dreadful havoc among the wildlife by shooting and trapping. 他们射杀和诱捕野生动物，造成了严重的破坏。

3 havoc   

n.大破坏，浩劫，大混乱，大杂乱

参考例句：

• The earthquake wreaked havoc on the city.地震对这个城市造成了大破坏。
• This concentration of airborne firepower wrought havoc with the enemy forces.这次机载火力的集中攻击给敌军造成很大破坏。

4 penicillin   

n.青霉素，盘尼西林

参考例句：

• I should have asked him for a shot of penicillin.我应当让他给我打一针青霉素的。
• Penicillin was an extremely significant medical discovery.青霉素是极其重要的医学发现。

5 antibiotic   

adj.抗菌的；n.抗生素

参考例句：

• The doctor said that I should take some antibiotic.医生说我应该服些用抗生素。
• Antibiotic can be used against infection.抗菌素可以用来防止感染。

6 killers   

凶手( killer的名词复数 )； 消灭…者； 致命物； 极难的事

参考例句：

• He remained steadfast in his determination to bring the killers to justice. 他要将杀人凶手绳之以法的决心一直没有动摇。
• They were professional killers who did in John. 杀死约翰的这些人是职业杀手。

7 antibiotics   

n.（用作复数）抗生素；（用作单数）抗生物质的研究；抗生素，抗菌素( antibiotic的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• the discovery of antibiotics in the 20th century 20世纪抗生素的发现
• The doctor gave me a prescription for antibiotics. 医生给我开了抗生素。

8 sodium   

n.（化）钠

参考例句：

• Out over the town the sodium lights were lit.在外面，全城的钠光灯都亮了。
• Common salt is a compound of sodium and chlorine.食盐是钠和氯的复合物。

9 gunpowder   

n.火药

参考例句：

• Gunpowder was introduced into Europe during the first half of the 14th century.在14世纪上半叶，火药传入欧洲。
• This statement has a strong smell of gunpowder.这是一篇充满火药味的声明。

10 warfare   

n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突

参考例句：

• He addressed the audience on the subject of atomic warfare.他向听众演讲有关原子战争的问题。
• Their struggle consists mainly in peasant guerrilla warfare.他们的斗争主要是农民游击战。

11 aspirin   

n.阿司匹林

参考例句：

• The aspirin seems to quiet the headache.阿司匹林似乎使头痛减轻了。
• She went into a chemist's and bought some aspirin.她进了一家药店，买了些阿司匹林。

12 annually   

adv.一年一次，每年

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。

13 component   

n.组成部分，成分，元件；adj.组成的，合成的

参考例句：

• Each component is carefully checked before assembly.每个零件在装配前都经过仔细检查。
• Blade and handle are the component parts of a knife.刀身和刀柄是一把刀的组成部分。

14 willow   

n.柳树

参考例句：

• The river was sparsely lined with willow trees.河边疏疏落落有几棵柳树。
• The willow's shadow falls on the lake.垂柳的影子倒映在湖面上。

15 synthetic   

adj.合成的，人工的；综合的；n.人工制品

参考例句：

• We felt the salesman's synthetic friendliness.我们感觉到那位销售员的虚情假意。
• It's a synthetic diamond.这是人造钻石。

16 arthritis   

n.关节炎

参考例句：

• Rheumatoid arthritis has also been linked with the virus.风湿性关节炎也与这种病毒有关。
• He spent three months in the hospital with acute rheumatic arthritis.他患急性风湿性关节炎，在医院住了三个月。

17 hygiene   

n.健康法，卫生学 （a.hygienic）

参考例句：

• Their course of study includes elementary hygiene and medical theory.他们的课程包括基础卫生学和医疗知识。
• He's going to give us a lecture on public hygiene.他要给我们作关于公共卫生方面的报告。

18 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

19 silicon   

n.硅(旧名矽)

参考例句：

• This company pioneered the use of silicon chip.这家公司开创了使用硅片的方法。
• A chip is a piece of silicon about the size of a postage stamp.芯片就是一枚邮票大小的硅片。

20 transistor   

n.晶体管，晶体管收音机

参考例句：

• This make of transistor radio is small and beautifully designed.这半导体收音机小巧玲珑。
• Every transistor has at least three electrodes.每个晶体管至少有三个电极。

21 initiated   

n. 创始人 adj. 新加入的 vt. 开始，创始，启蒙，介绍加入

参考例句：

• He has not yet been thoroughly initiated into the mysteries of computers. 他对计算机的奥秘尚未入门。
• The artist initiated the girl into the art world in France. 这个艺术家介绍这个女孩加入巴黎艺术界。

22 semiconductors   

n.半导体( semiconductor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Crystals may be insulators, semiconductors, or conductors. 晶体可以是绝缘体，半导体，或导体。 来自辞典例句
• Semiconductors containing such impurities are called p-type semiconductors. 含有这类杂质的半导体叫做P型半导体。 来自辞典例句

23 waterproofing   

v.使防水，使不透水( waterproof的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The company will come up with a new technique for waterproofing walls. 该公司将推出防止墙壁渗水的新技术。 来自辞典例句
• Large scope of heat-resistant, waterproofing and the anti-chemical properties. 耐温范围大，具防水及抗化学性。 来自互联网

24 implants   

n.（植入身体中的）移植物( implant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Hormone implants are used as growth boosters. 激素植入物被用作生长辅助剂。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Perhaps the most far-reaching project is an initiative called Living Implants From Engineering (LIFE). 也许最具深远意义的项目，是刚刚启动的建造活体移植工程 (LIFE)。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 医学的第四次革命

25 durable   

adj.持久的，耐久的

参考例句：

• This raincoat is made of very durable material.这件雨衣是用非常耐用的料子做的。
• They frequently require more major durable purchases.他们经常需要购买耐用消费品。

26 elastic   

n.橡皮圈，松紧带；adj.有弹性的；灵活的

参考例句：

• Rubber is an elastic material.橡胶是一种弹性材料。
• These regulations are elastic.这些规定是有弹性的。

27 accounting   

n.会计，会计学，借贷对照表

参考例句：

• A job fell vacant in the accounting department.财会部出现了一个空缺。
• There's an accounting error in this entry.这笔账目里有差错。