VOA慢速英语2018 美国、法国、加拿大科学家获诺贝尔物理学奖

American, French, Canadian Scientists Win Nobel Physics Prize

Two men and a woman have won the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics for their “inventions in the field of laser physics.”

两位男士和一位女士因为他们“在激光物理领域的发明”获得了2018年诺贝尔物理学奖。

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences says half of the $1 million prize will go to Arthur Ashkin of the United States. The other half will be shared by Gerard Mourou of France and Donna Strickland of Canada.

瑞典皇家科学院表示，100万美元奖金的其中一半将会授予美国的阿瑟·阿什金（Arthur Ashkin），另一半将由法国的杰哈·莫罗（Gerard Mourou）和加拿大的唐娜·斯特里克兰（Donna Strickland）共同分享。

The Swedish academy said their discoveries made possible “tools made of light” that improve scientific research, industry and medicine.

瑞典学院表示，他们的发现使得“光学工具”成为可能，进而改善了科学研究、工业和医学。

These devices “are opening unexplored areas of research and a multitude of industrial and medical applications,” it said.

该学院称，这些设备“正在开启科学研究的全新领域，并在工业和医学上得到众多应用。”

New tools for science and industry

Mourou and Strickland are being recognized for their work on high-intensity¹ lasers. The Swedish academy praised them for developing a way to increase the power and usefulness of lasers.

莫罗和斯特里克兰因其在高强度激光器方面的工作而获得认可。瑞典学院赞扬他们开发了一种增加激光功率和实用性的方法。

A laser is a device that produces an intense beam of light. In a report published in 1985, Strickland proposed stretching and then compressing laser light. She and Mourou found a way to produce a powerful laser pulse that lasts an almost unimaginably short period of time. Their technique puts more light “in the same tiny space,” greatly increasing its intensity.

激光器是一种产生强光束的装置。斯特里克兰在1985年发表的一份报告中提出了拉伸然后压缩激光。她和莫罗找到了一种产生高强度激光脉冲的方法，这种脉冲的持续时间短暂得几乎难以想象。他们的技术将更多光线放入同一个微小空间，从而大大提升了它们的强度。

Their discoveries led to very precise, powerful lasers that can cut holes in different materials, including living tissue. Such lasers are now used in corrective eye operations. Millions of these operations have been performed on people around the world.

他们的发现导致了高精度、高强度激光器的产生，这种激光器可以在包括活体组织在内的不同材料上打孔。这种激光器现在用于眼睛矫正手术。全球已经有数百万人做过这样的手术。

Strickland is only the third woman to ever win the Nobel physics prize. The first was Marie Curie of France in 1903.

斯特里克兰是仅有的第三位获得诺贝尔物理学奖的女性。第一位是1903年获奖的，来自法国的居里夫人。

Strickland spoke² briefly³ about the lack of women physics winners in a telephone call with the academy.

斯特里克兰在跟瑞典学院的电话中简短地谈到了女性物理学家获奖的缺失。

“Obviously we need to celebrate women physicists⁴ because we’re out there. And hopefully, in time, it’ll start to move forward at a faster rate, maybe,” she said.

她说：“显然我们需要赞美女性物理学家，因为我们在那里。希望它能及时地开始以更快的速度前进，也许会这样。”

Mourou said, “I am very, very happy to share this distinction with my former student Donna Strickland and also to share it with Art Ashkin, for whom I have a lot of respect.”

莫罗表示：“我非常高兴能跟我的学生斯特里克兰以及我非常敬重的阿什金共享这一荣誉。

The American scientist will receive half of the prize money for what the academy called “optical tweezers⁵.”

这位美国科学家凭借瑞典学院所谓的“光学镊子”获得诺贝尔奖的一半奖金。

Ashkin discovered that the “radiation pressure” from a beam of light could be used to move extremely small objects and hold them in position. In 1987, he used a laser to seize and hold bacteria without harming them. His discovery made possible new ways to study microscopic⁶ biology and other objects.

阿什金发现光束的辐射压力可以用于移动极其微小的问题并把它们固定到位。1987年，他用激光抓住并固定了细菌并且不伤害到它们。他的这一发现为研究微观生物学和其它物体提供了新的方法。

At the age of 96, Ashkin is the oldest person to ever receive a Nobel Prize.

阿什金以96岁成为有史以来获得诺贝尔奖年纪最大的人。

The Nobel Prize in Physics will be officially presented at ceremonies in Stockholm, Sweden on December 10.

诺贝尔物理学奖将于12月10日在瑞典斯德哥尔摩举行的仪式上正式颁发。

The first physics prize was given in 1901 by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

首届物理学奖由瑞典皇家科学院在1901年颁发。

I’m Mario Ritter.

Words in This Story

beam – n. a line of light coming from a source

multitude – n. a great number of things

application – n. the use of an idea, method or law in a situation or for a purpose

compress – v. to press or squeeze something so that is fills less space

pulse – n. a short increase in an amount of electricity, light or sound

obviously – adv. easy to see, understand or recognize

distinction – n. a special honor, recognition or award

precise – adj. exact

1 intensity   

n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度

参考例句：

• I didn't realize the intensity of people's feelings on this issue.我没有意识到这一问题能引起群情激奋。
• The strike is growing in intensity.罢工日益加剧。

2 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

3 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

4 physicists   

物理学家( physicist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• For many particle physicists, however, it was a year of frustration. 对于许多粒子物理学家来说，这是受挫折的一年。 来自英汉非文学 - 科技
• Physicists seek rules or patterns to provide a framework. 物理学家寻求用法则或图式来构成一个框架。

5 tweezers   

n.镊子

参考例句：

• We simply removed from the cracked endocarp with sterile tweezers.我们简单地用消过毒的镊子从裂开的内果皮中取出种子。
• Bee stings should be removed with tweezers.蜜蜂的螫刺应该用小镊子拔出来。

6 microscopic   

adj.微小的，细微的，极小的，显微的

参考例句：

• It's impossible to read his microscopic handwriting.不可能看清他那极小的书写字迹。
• A plant's lungs are the microscopic pores in its leaves.植物的肺就是其叶片上微细的气孔。