考研英语阅读中英全文对照版 (17)

TEXTONEWilliamIlliamMorris(thewallpaperdesigner,ratherthanthecarmaker)suggestedthatnothingshouldhaveaplacethatisnotknowntobeusefulorbelievedtobebeautiful.Opals,though,mightbeboth.AgroupofresearchersfromtheUniversityofSouthampton,inEngland,andtheGermanPlasticsInstituteinDarmstadt,ledbyJeremyBaumberg,havediscoveredhowtocreateaplasticwiththegemstone'siridescentproperties.Theirinventioncouldbeusedtomakeasparklingsubstituteforpaint,banknotesthatarehardtocounterfeitandchemicalsensorsthatcanactasvisiblesell-bydates.Opalsgettheirmilkysheenandrainbowsparklefromthewaylightisscatteredbythetinycrystalsthatformthem.Thesecrystalsarestackedinwhatisknownasaface-centredcubicstructure.Thismeansthattheconstituentatomsarearrangedinalatticeofcubes,withoneextraatomsittingatthecentreofeachcube'ssixfaces.Lightenteringthislatticegetsbouncedaroundinwaysthatgeneratecolourbyreinforcingthepeaksofsomewavelengthsandcancellingoutthoseofothers.Formanyyearsresearchershavebeentryingtodevelopasyntheticmaterialwiththesamelight-scatteringpropertiesasanopal,byetchingpatternsintovariousmaterials.Thatapproachhasfailed.Instead,DrBaumberghasbuilthisopalescentmaterialfromscratch.Heandhisteamgrewtinypolystyrenespheresuntiltheyweresome200nanometresacross,beforehardeningthemwithablastofheat.Theythencoatedthesphereswithastickypolymerbeforeheatingthemagain.Asthemixturewasbaked,thespheresmovednaturallyintoaface-centredcubicstructure.Theresultisaflexiblefilmofcrystalswithopalescentpropertiesthatcanbeusedtocoatmalleablesurfaces,producingattractiveiridescenthues.Thesizeofthespherescanbetailoredtoscatterparticularwavelengthsoflight—ausefulpropertyforsecurityapplicationsinwhichitisimportantthatmaterialscanbeidentifiedprecisely.Moreover,whenthefilmiswarped,thespacesbetweenthecrystalschange—andthecoloursproducedchangewiththem.Thesetwopropertiesmakeopalescentfilmanobviousmaterialforcurrency.Banknotescontainingitwouldproducedistinctivecolourswhenstretched,unlikecounterfeitsmadefromothermaterials.Tousethefilmtodetectfoodspoilage,DrBaumbergproposesaddingasprinkleofcarbonparticlesevensmallerthanthepolystyrenespheres.Thesewouldnestleinthespacesbetweenthespheresandcausethematerialtoscatterlightfromevenmoreangles,makingityetmoreiridescent.Thisarrangementcouldbe“tuned”toreacttospecifictoxicchemicals.Foodpackagingmadefromsuchamaterialwouldthuschangecolourastherotsetin.Suchpackagingneednotbeexpensive.Thepolymerspheresandcarbonparticlesarrangethemselvesspontaneouslyintothecorrectcrystalstructurewhenencouragedbyalittleheat,somanufacturingopalescentfilmshouldbeeasy.IndeedMerck,aGermanchemicalcompanythatwasapartnerintheresearch,hasalreadyproducedrollsofthestuffametrewideand100metreslong.Perfectforwallpaper.参考译文：WilliamIlliamMorris（壁纸设计人而非汽车制造商）认为任何东西都不是是没有用或者是不美的。尽管蛋白石是既有用又漂亮。英国南安普敦大学的一群研究者和JeremyBaumberg领导的位于达姆施塔特的德国塑料研究所发现了如何用宝石闪光的特性来制造一种塑料。他们的发明可以用于制作油漆的闪光替代品，难以仿造的钞票、以及就像销售日期那么清晰可见的化学仿形器。蛋白石因为其光线受到水晶的发射呈现乳白色和五彩的光泽。这些水晶堆积在以平面中心的立方结构中。这就意味着组成原子呈方块的格子排列，另外一个原子位于每个方块六面的中心。进入该格子的光线反弹回来，通过加强了一些波长的波峰和减少了其他的波峰长度来产生出颜色。很多年来，研究者一直想要研发一种合成物质，通过在不同的物质中雕刻形状来使其拥有和蛋白石一样的光泽发散功能。这种方法却失败了。而Baumberg博士从无到有地创造了自己的乳白色物质。他和他的小组培养了许多小的聚苯乙烯球体，直至它们长到了200微米，然后用热风来硬化。接着他们用一种粘性的聚合体来粘在球体外面，然后再次加热。随着混合体的加热，球体自然成为了以平面为中心的立方结构。最后得到的就是有弹性的晶体薄膜，它带有蛋白石的成分，可以作为延展性的表面，发出好看的光泽。球体的尺寸可以进行裁减来发散出特别的光波——这个特点对于安检来说很重要，因为任何物质都可以被精确地辨认出来。而且，如果薄膜弯曲的话，晶体之间的空间会发生变化，产生的颜色也随之改变。这两种成分使得乳白色薄膜成为钞票的显性物质。含有该物质的钞票通过伸展可以产生出特别的颜色，这是用其它材料制作的假钞所不具备的。如果用该薄膜来检查食品腐败，Baumberg建议加入一些甚至可以比聚苯乙烯的球体更小的碳颗粒。这些颗粒可以藏在球体间的空间里，使得物质从更多的角度发散光，从而显得更加光亮。也可以用这种方法来应对特殊的有毒化学物质。用该物质生产的食品包装可以随着腐烂的开始而产生颜色的变化。这样的包装不需要太昂贵。只要加入一点聚合体球体和碳颗粒就可以自然地安排成正确的晶体结构，因此生产光亮的薄膜就很容易了。实际上一家德国化学公司Merck是该研究的合作者，现在已经生产出了一米宽、100米长的薄膜。这对于壁纸来说是非常理想的。TEXTTWONewsreportssuggestedthattheresultwasindoubtrightuptotheend,butRupertMurdoch'sadmirerswerecertainthathewouldprevail.SowhenMrMurdoch'sNewsCorporationofferedinApriltobuyDowJones,theowneroftheWallStreetJournal,hewasalreadyprettysurethatthereply,whicheventuallycameintheearlyhoursofAugust1st,wouldbeyes—anditwas.MrMurdochhasplayedadifficulthandbrilliantly.HereadtheinternalpoliticsofthesprawlingBancroftclan,whichownsacontrollingstakeinDowJones,perfectly—perhapsbetterthanhereadshisownfamily.His$5billionofferwasjusthighenoughtoswingtheintergenerationalpoliticsoftheBancroftshisway,byenticingenoughoftheyoungermembersoftheclantoputmoneybeforethecontinuationofthefamily'slongstewardshipofthecompany.AndwhensomemembersofthefamilytriedtogetMrMurdochtoraisehisoffer,hisrefusaltodosoandhisthreattowalkawaywereconvincingenoughtogetthemtoagreetohisoriginaloffer.HealsoagreedtovariousmeasurestosafeguardtheWallStreetJournal'seditorialindependencethatwerejustsufficienttosalveenoughBancroftconsciences,withoutmeaningfullyinhibitinghisabilitytodoashepleases.Thetimingoftheofferwasequallyastute,comingafterthefamilyhadrealisedthatthecompanyfacedhugestrategicproblems,butbeforethenewchiefexecutivetheyappointedlastyearhadhadtimetoshowhecouldsolvethem,andsoenableDowJonestoprosperasanindependentbusiness.Arguably,MrMurdoch'seventualtriumphwasguaranteedfromthemomentDowJones