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经济学人293:航海 水晶球观海术

时间:2014-01-24 01:53来源:互联网 提供网友:mapleleaf   字体: [ ]
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   Science and technology

  科学技术
  Navigation
  航海
  Crystal gazing
  水晶球观海术
  A mineral found in a shipwreck1 was an ancient form of compass
  在沉船里发现的矿石是古代的一种指南针
  THIS may look like a nondescript lump of rock, but it is, in fact, a sunstone.
  很难形容这块石头的外观,其实它是一块日长石,至少法国法国雷恩大学的Guy Ropars和他的同事是这么看的。
  That, at least, is the opinion of Guy Ropars of Rennes University, in France, and his colleagues.
  磁罗盘出现之前,维京水手使用这种被视为神物的石头。
  Sunstones are legendary3 items supposed to have been used by Viking sailors in the days before magnetic compasses.
  据说即使阴天或者那个炽热的星球还没有高出地平线的时候,
  Looking at the sky through one, it is said, would reveal the sun's direction even on a cloudy day or when that fiery4 orb5 was below the horizon.
  透过日长石观看天空,就能显示太阳的方向。
  Dr Ropars thinks sunstones were real, and were actually crystals of Iceland spar, a form of calcite that polarises light.
  博士Ropars认为日长石真的有这种作用,它实际上是冰洲石的晶体,是可以将光极化的一种方解石。
  Light from the sky is polarised and, as he discovered in 2011, looking through a piece of Iceland spar reveals the direction of polarisation, and thus the direction of the sun, to within 5.
  来自天空的光线被极化,他在2011年发现,透过冰洲石能观察到偏振方向,太阳方向和这个方向的夹角小于5度。
  Dr Ropars also believes the use of sunstones persisted until at least the 16th century.
  Ropars博士还相信直到16世纪,人们还在使用日长石。
  Their existence is mentioned in church records, and they would have been useful because although magnetic compasses were known by then, they were unreliable for reasons not then understood, such as proximity6 to the large amounts of iron in ships' cannons7.
  教会档案中有使用日长石的记录,尽管磁罗盘已经出现,但有些原因当时的人们还不了解,比如接近船上铁铸加农炮,罗盘会失灵,所以大家认为它靠不住,就继续使用日长石。
  He thinks this block of mineral is such a stone.
  他认为这块矿石就有这些用途。
  It was found in a wreck2 believed to be that of an unnamed English warship8 which an admiral's report from November 29th 1592 says was lost off the coast of Alderney, in the English Channel.
  1592年11月29日,一位海军上将报告说有一艘未命名的英国战舰在英吉利海峡里靠近奥尔德尼岛海岸的地方沉没,这块石头就是在失事船只里面发现的。
  Four centuries underwater have rendered it opaque9, but it is the right shape and density10 to be Iceland spar, and it was discovered within a metre of a pair of navigational dividers of the sort used to measure distances on charts.
  四百年的水下岁月磨灭了它的透光性,但是它的形状和密度和冰洲石不差分毫。在冰洲石一米之内还发现了一副两脚规,用它可以在海图上测量距离。
  Dr Ropars's latest research, just published in the Proceedings11 of the Royal Society, used spectroscopy to confirm the stone's composition as calcite.
  Ropars博士的最新研究成果刚刚发表于《英国皇家学会学报》,他使用光谱学分析了这块石头的成分,确认这是一块方解石。
  He also did further experiments with a recently mined Iceland-spar crystal of the same size.
  他还用最近开采的冰洲石晶体做进一步的试验,试验用的石头和原来那块大小一样。
  He and his colleagues found they could locate the direction of the sun even more accurately12 than before: to within 1°.
  他和同事们发现用这块石头更能准确定位太阳的方向,偏差不到1°。
  The Alderney crystal, as it is known, is thus almost certainly a sunstone.
  几乎可以确定这块所谓的奥尔德尼水晶是日长石。
  It didn't save the ship, though.
  尽管它没能挽救这艘船的命运。
  1.in fact 实际上,其实;实则
  Many japanese solar firms are in fact expanding.
  实际上许多日本太阳能公司正在逐步壮大。
  In fact there are other models to consider.
  实际上我们还可以考虑其他一些模式。
  2.suppose to 认为是
  I suppose to go there on my honeymoon13.
  我本来想去那里度蜜月。
  Would you suppose to meet the people on the boat.
  你认为是那些在船上的人吗?
  3.such as 例如;譬如;诸如
  What about future steps such as euro bonds?
  诸如欧元联盟之类的未来计划怎样?
  Imaginary problems such as these are usually hiding real ones.
  像这样的臆想的问题通常隐藏真实性的。
  4.believe to 相信
  Huan as long as you believe to have happy.
  只要你们相信就会有幸福的。
  Believe to be an earthbound spirit.
  认为是太阳系中的精神。

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 shipwreck eypwo     
n.船舶失事,海难
参考例句:
  • He walked away from the shipwreck.他船难中平安地脱险了。
  • The shipwreck was a harrowing experience.那次船难是一个惨痛的经历。
2 wreck QMjzE     
n.失事,遇难;沉船;vt.(船等)失事,遇难
参考例句:
  • Weather may have been a factor in the wreck.天气可能是造成这次失事的原因之一。
  • No one can wreck the friendship between us.没有人能够破坏我们之间的友谊。
3 legendary u1Vxg     
adj.传奇(中)的,闻名遐迩的;n.传奇(文学)
参考例句:
  • Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
  • Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。
4 fiery ElEye     
adj.燃烧着的,火红的;暴躁的;激烈的
参考例句:
  • She has fiery red hair.她有一头火红的头发。
  • His fiery speech agitated the crowd.他热情洋溢的讲话激动了群众。
5 orb Lmmzhy     
n.太阳;星球;v.弄圆;成球形
参考例句:
  • The blue heaven,holding its one golden orb,poured down a crystal wash of warm light.蓝蓝的天空托着金色的太阳,洒下一片水晶般明亮温暖的光辉。
  • It is an emanation from the distant orb of immortal light.它是从远处那个发出不灭之光的天体上放射出来的。
6 proximity 5RsxM     
n.接近,邻近
参考例句:
  • Marriages in proximity of blood are forbidden by the law.法律规定禁止近亲结婚。
  • Their house is in close proximity to ours.他们的房子很接近我们的。
7 cannons dd76967b79afecfefcc8e2d9452b380f     
n.加农炮,大炮,火炮( cannon的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Cannons bombarded enemy lines. 大炮轰击了敌军阵地。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • One company had been furnished with six cannons. 某连队装备了六门大炮。 来自《简明英汉词典》
8 warship OMtzl     
n.军舰,战舰
参考例句:
  • He is serving on a warship in the Pacific.他在太平洋海域的一艘军舰上服役。
  • The warship was making towards the pier.军舰正驶向码头。
9 opaque jvhy1     
adj.不透光的;不反光的,不传导的;晦涩的
参考例句:
  • The windows are of opaque glass.这些窗户装着不透明玻璃。
  • Their intentions remained opaque.他们的意图仍然令人费解。
10 density rOdzZ     
n.密集,密度,浓度
参考例句:
  • The population density of that country is 685 per square mile.那个国家的人口密度为每平方英里685人。
  • The region has a very high population density.该地区的人口密度很高。
11 proceedings Wk2zvX     
n.进程,过程,议程;诉讼(程序);公报
参考例句:
  • He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
  • to initiate legal proceedings against sb 对某人提起诉讼
12 accurately oJHyf     
adv.准确地,精确地
参考例句:
  • It is hard to hit the ball accurately.准确地击中球很难。
  • Now scientists can forecast the weather accurately.现在科学家们能准确地预报天气。
13 honeymoon ucnxc     
n.蜜月(假期);vi.度蜜月
参考例句:
  • While on honeymoon in Bali,she learned to scuba dive.她在巴厘岛度蜜月时学会了带水肺潜水。
  • The happy pair are leaving for their honeymoon.这幸福的一对就要去度蜜月了。
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TAG标签:   经济学人  航海
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