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SuzieSheehy_2018X-_主张由好奇心驱动的研究的论据_
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In the late 19th century, scientists were trying to solve a mystery. |
19世纪晚期, 科学家在试图破解一个迷。 |
They found that if they had a vacuum tube like this one and applied a high voltage across it, something strange happened. |
他们发现, 如果有一个像这样的真空管, 在上面施加高压, 会产生奇怪的现象。 |
vacuum:n.真空; adj.真空的; v.用真空吸尘器清扫; applied:adj.应用的;实用的;v.应用;使用;申请,请求;(apply的过去分词和过去式) voltage:n.电压;伏特数;
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They called them cathode rays. |
他们称之为阴极射线。 |
cathode:n.阴极(电解);n.正极(原电池);
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But the question was: What were they made of? |
但问题是: 它是由什么构成的? |
In England, the 19th century physicist , J.J. Thompson, conducted experiments using magnets and electricity , like this. |
在19世纪的英国, 物理学家J.J.汤普森 用磁铁和电源做了个实验,就像这样。 |
physicist:n.物理学家;物理学研究者; conducted:v.组织;安排;实施;执行;指挥;带领;引导;(conduct的过去分词和过去式) magnets:n.磁铁;磁石;吸铁石;有吸引力的人(或地方、事物);(magnet的复数) electricity:n.电力;电流;强烈的紧张情绪;
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And he came to an incredible revelation . |
他从中得到了 一个不可思议的真相。 |
incredible:adj.难以置信的,惊人的; revelation:n.披露; adj.暴露的;
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These rays were made of negatively charged particles around 2,000 times lighter than the hydrogen atom , the smallest thing they knew. |
这些射线是由某种 带负电荷的粒子构成的, 大约比当时他们所知的 最小的粒子,氢原子,还轻2000倍。 |
negatively:adv.消极地;否定地; particles:n.微粒,粒子;粒子系统;碎木料(particle的复数形式); hydrogen:n.氢;氢气; atom:n.原子;
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So Thompson had discovered the first subatomic particle, which we now call electrons . |
于是汤普森发现了第一个亚原子粒子, 也就是我们现在所称的电子。 |
subatomic:adj.[化学]亚原子的;原子内的; electrons:n.[物]电子(electron的复数形式);
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Now, at the time, this seemed to be a completely impractical discovery. |
在当时,这似乎就是个 百无一用的发现。 |
impractical:adj.不切实际的,不现实的;不能实行的;
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I mean, Thompson didn't think there were any applications of electrons. |
我意思是,汤普森并不认为 电子能做什么用途。 |
Around his lab in Cambridge , he used to like to propose a toast : "To the electron. |
在他位于剑桥的实验室里, 他过去常常邀杯道: “为电子而干杯, |
Cambridge:n.剑桥(英国城市);坎布里奇(美国马萨诸塞州城市); propose:v.建议;提议;求婚;打算; toast:n.干杯; v.为…干杯;
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May it never be of use to anybody." |
希望它永远不会对任何人有用。” |
(Laughter) |
(笑声) |
He was strongly in favor of doing research out of sheer curiosity , to arrive at a deeper understanding of the world. |
他纯粹是因为好奇, 为了更深入地了解世界 而投身于研究工作。 |
sheer:adj.纯; v.十足地; n.透明薄纱; v.[航海](使)偏航; (使)转向; curiosity:n.好奇,好奇心;珍品,古董,古玩;
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And what he found did cause a revolution in science. |
他的发现确实引发了一场科学革命。 |
revolution:n.革命;旋转;运行;循环;
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But it also caused a second, unexpected revolution in technology . |
但它也引发了另外一场 意料之外的技术革命。 |
unexpected:adj.意外的,想不到的; technology:n.技术;工艺;术语;
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Today, I'd like to make a case for curiosity-driven research, because without it, none of the technologies I'll talk about today would have been possible. |
今天,我想为由好奇心 驱动的研究提供充分理由, 因为如果没有它, 我们今天讨论的所有技术, 都不可能存在。 |
curiosity-driven:好奇心驱动; technologies:n.技术;科技(technology的复数);
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Now, what Thompson found here has actually changed our view of reality. |
汤普森的这个发现真正地 改变了我们对现实的看法。 |
I mean, I think I'm standing on a stage, and you think you're sitting in a seat. |
我指的是, 我认为我现在站在台上, 你们认为你们坐在座位上。 |
But that's just the electrons in your body pushing back against the electrons in the seat, opposing the force of gravity. |
实际情况是: 你身体里的电子 正把椅子上的 电子往下挤, 以此对抗重力。 |
opposing:adj.对立的; v.反对(计划、政策等); (oppose的现在分词)
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You're not even really touching the seat. |
你甚至没有 真正碰到座位。 |
You're hovering ever so slightly above it. |
你只是一直在它上面 稍高一点的地方悬浮。 |
hovering:v.翱翔;盘旋;踌躇;靠近(某事物);处于不稳定状态(hover的现在分词) slightly:adv.些微地,轻微地;纤细地;
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But in many ways, our modern society was actually built on this discovery. |
但在很多方面,我们现代社会 其实是建立在这个发现之上的。 |
I mean, these tubes were the start of electronics . |
我是说,这些管子是 电子学的开端。 |
electronics:n.电子学;电子工业;
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And then for many years, most of us actually had one of these, if you remember, in your living room , in cathode ray tube televisions. |
以及在以前, 很长一段时间, 如果你还记得,在你的起居室中, 我们大多数人都拥有它的产物, 一台阴极射线管电视。 |
living room:n.客厅;起居室; cathode ray tube:n.阴极射线管;
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But -- I mean, how impoverished would our lives be if the only invention that had come from here was the television? |
但是——我的意思是, 即使有了这个发现, 但如果电视只是这唯一的发明, 我们的生活将会多么困顿? |
impoverished:adj.穷困的;用尽了的,无创造性的;v.使贫困(impoverish的过去分词);
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(Laughter) |
(笑声) |
Thankfully , this tube was just a start, because something else happens when the electrons here hit the piece of metal inside the tube. |
幸运的是,这个真空管只是一个开始, 因为当电子 撞到管子里的金属片时, 会发生别的事情。 |
Thankfully:adv.感谢地;感激地;
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Let me show you. |
让我给你们演示。 |
Pop this one back on. |
重新打开它。 |
So as the electrons screech to a halt inside the metal, their energy gets thrown out again in a form of high-energy light, which we call X-rays. |
所以随着电子“嘎吱一声” 急停在金属内部时, 它们的能量以高能光束的方式 被释放出来,也就是X射线。 |
screech:vi.发出尖锐的声音; n.尖叫声,尖利刺耳的声音; vt.尖着声音讲或喊; halt:v.停止;立定;踌躇,犹豫;n.停止;立定;休息; high-energy:高能的;
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(Buzzing) |
(嗡嗡响) |
(Buzzing) |
(嗡嗡响) |
And within 15 years of discovering the electron, these X-rays were being used to make images inside the human body, helping soldiers' lives being saved by surgeons , who could then find pieces of bullets and shrapnel inside their bodies. |
在发现电子后的15年内, 这些X射线被用来拍摄人体内部的影像, 帮助拯救士兵生命的外科医生, 这样他们就能够在士兵 身体中找到子弹和弹片。 |
images:n.印象;声誉;形象;画像;雕像;(image的第三人称单数和复数) surgeons:n.外科医生;(surgeon的复数) bullets:n.子弹;弹丸;(bullet的复数) shrapnel:n.弹片;榴霰弹;零钱;
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But there's no way we could have come up with that technology by asking scientists to build better surgical probes . |
但是回到最初,如果命令科学家 发明出更好的手术探针, 这种技术就能凭空出现, 这是不可能的。 |
come up with:提出;想出;赶上; surgical:adj.外科的;外科手术的; probes:n.探索; v.探查;
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Only research done out of sheer curiosity, with no application in mind, could have given us the discovery of the electron and X-rays. |
只有纯粹出于好奇做的研究, 而不考虑任何实际用途, 才能让我们 发现电子和X射线。 |
application:n.应用;申请;应用程序;敷用;
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Now, this tube also threw open the gates for our understanding of the universe and the field of particle physics, because it's also the first, very simple particle accelerator . |
现在,这个真空管也为我们 理解宇宙和粒子物理领域 打开了一扇门, 因为它也是第一个粒子 加速器,结构堪称简陋。 |
accelerator:n.油门;催化剂;[机]加速装置;
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Now, I'm an accelerator physicist, so I design particle accelerators , and I try and understand how beams behave . |
嗯,我是加速器物理学家, 因此我设计粒子加速器, 我试着理解粒子束的行为。 |
accelerators:n.[核]加速器(accelerator的复数形式); beams:[建]梁; behave:v.表现;(机器等)运转;举止端正;(事物)起某种作用;
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And my field's a bit unusual, because it crosses between curiosity-driven research and technology with real-world applications. |
我的领域有点不一般, 因为它的研究 不仅是由好奇心驱动的, 而且也与现实世界的 应用技术相关。 |
real-world:adj.现实生活的;工作的;
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But it's the combination of those two things that gets me really excited about what I do. |
但这两者的结合让我对 我的工作感到非常兴奋。 |
combination:n.结合;组合;联合;[化学]化合;
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Now, over the last 100 years, there have been far too many examples for me to list them all. |
嗯,在过去100年中, 有太多的案例,数不胜数。 |
But I want to share with you just a few. |
但我想给你们分享其中几个。 |
In 1928, a physicist named Paul Dirac found something strange in his equations . |
1928年,一位名叫保罗 · 狄拉克的物理学家 在他的方程中发现了一些奇怪的东西。 |
equations:n.方程式;等式;均等;均势(equation的复数形式);
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And he predicted , based purely on mathematical insight , that there ought to be a second kind of matter, the opposite to normal matter, that literally annihilates when it comes in contact : antimatter . |
仅仅基于数学的洞察,他预测, 应该有第二种物质, 与正常物质相反的物质, 当它们相互接触时就会湮灭: 反物质。 |
predicted:v.预言;预告;预报;(predict的过去分词和过去式) purely:adv.完全;仅仅; mathematical:adj.数学的,数学上的;精确的; insight:n.洞察力;洞悉; literally:adv.按字面:字面上:确实地: annihilates:vt.歼灭;战胜;废止;vi.湮灭;湮没; contact:n.接触,联系;v.使接触,联系; antimatter:n.[物]反物质;
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I mean, the idea sounded ridiculous . |
我是说,这个想法听起来很荒谬。 |
ridiculous:adj.可笑的;荒谬的;
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But within four years, they'd found it. |
但在4年之内,他们证实了它。 |
And nowadays, we use it every day in hospitals, in positron emission tomography , or PET scans, used for detecting disease . |
如今,我们每天都在医院使用它, 正电子发射断层扫描, 或叫PET扫描,用于检测疾病。 |
positron:n.[物]正电子,阳电子; emission:n.(光、热等的)发射,散发;喷射;发行; tomography:n.X线断层摄影术(等于laminography); detecting:n.检测;检定;v.发现;探知(detect的现在分词);adj.探测的; disease:n.病,[医]疾病;弊病;vt.传染;使…有病;
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Or, take these X-rays. |
或者,拿这些X光来说。 |
If you can get these electrons up to a higher energy, so about 1,000 times higher that this tube, the X-rays that those produce can actually deliver enough ionizing radiation to kill human cells. |
如果你可以把这些电子 加速到更高能量, 例如,比这个管子里的高1000倍, 由此产生的X射线实际上 可以释放足够强的电离 辐射,杀死人体细胞。 |
ionizing:adj.[化学][物]电离的;离子化的;v.电离;使离子化(ionize的现在分词); radiation:n.辐射;放射线;放射疗法;
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And if you can shape and direct those X-rays where you want them to go, that allows us to do an incredible thing: to treat cancer without drugs or surgery , which we call radiotherapy . |
如果你能够按照实际需求 调整X射线的形状和方向, 就可以实现不可思议的事情: 无须药物或手术 就可以治疗癌症, 这就是我们说的放射疗法。 |
treat:v.治疗;处理;招待;款待;n.款待;乐事;乐趣; cancer:n.癌症;恶性肿瘤; surgery:n.外科;外科手术;手术室;诊疗室; radiotherapy:n.[特医]放射疗法;
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In countries like Australia and the UK, around half of all cancer patients are treated using radiotherapy. |
在澳大利亚和英国这样的国家, 大约一半的癌症病人 使用放射疗法。 |
patients:n.接受治疗者,病人;(patient的复数) treated:v.以…态度对待;把…看作;(treat的过去分词和过去式)
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And so, electron accelerators are actually standard equipment in most hospitals. |
电子加速器 实际上是很多医院的 标准配备。 |
standard:n.标准;水准;旗;度量衡标准;adj.标准的;合规格的;公认为优秀的;
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Or, a little closer to home: if you have a smartphone or a computer -- and this is TEDx, so you've got both with you right now, right? |
或者,在日常生活中: 如果你有智能手机或电脑—— 在TEDx,大家都带着它们,对吧? |
smartphone:n.智能手机;
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Well, inside those devices are chips that are made by implanting single ions into silicon , in a process called ion implantation . |
嗯,这些设备中的芯片, 是在“离子注入工序”中通过 将单个离子注入硅来制造的。 |
devices:n.[机][计]设备;[机]装置;[电子]器件(device的复数); chips:炸土豆条(chip的复数) implanting:n.移植;v.移植;灌输(implant的ing形式); silicon:n.[化学]硅;硅元素; process:v.处理;加工;列队行进;n.过程,进行;方法,adj.经过特殊加工(或处理)的; implantation:n.移植;灌输;鼓吹;
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And that uses a particle accelerator. |
这就需要粒子加速器。 |
Without curiosity-driven research, though, none of these things would exist at all. |
没有由好奇心驱动的研究, 这些东西没有一个会存在。 |
So, over the years, we really learned to explore inside the atom. |
那么,多年来, 我们真正学会了探索原子内部。 |
explore:v.探索:探测:探险:
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And to do that, we had to learn to develop particle accelerators. |
要做到这一点, 我们必须研究发展粒子加速器。 |
The first ones we developed let us split the atom. |
我们开发的第一个加速器 让我们分裂原子。 |
split:v.分离;使分离;劈开;离开;分解;n.劈开;裂缝;adj.劈开的;
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And then we got to higher and higher energies; we created circular accelerators that let us delve into the nucleus and then create new elements , even. |
然后我们得到 越来越高的能量; 我们创造了圆形加速器, 让我们深入原子核 然后甚至产生了新的元素。 |
circular:adj.圆形的; n.(同时送达很多人的)印刷信函(或通知、广告); delve:vi.钻研;探究;挖;vt.钻研;探究;挖;n.穴;洞; nucleus:n.核,核心;原子核; elements:n.要素;基本部分;少量;一群;(element的复数)
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And at that point, we were no longer just exploring inside the atom. |
在那一刻,我们不再只是探索原子内部。 |
exploring:v.探索:考察:探查;(explore的现在分词)
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We'd actually learned how to control these particles. |
我们学会了控制这些粒子。 |
We'd learned how to interact with our world on a scale that's too small for humans to see or touch or even sense that it's there. |
我们学会了在一个人类无法看到、 触摸甚至感知到的微观层面上 与世界互动。 |
interact:v.互相影响;互相作用;n.幕间剧;幕间休息; scale:n.规模;比例;鳞;刻度;天平;数值范围;v.衡量;攀登;剥落;生水垢;
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And then we built larger and larger accelerators, because we were curious about the nature of the universe. |
然后我们建造越来越大的加速器, 因为我们对宇宙的本质充满好奇。 |
curious:adj.好奇的,有求知欲的;古怪的;爱挑剔的;
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As we went deeper and deeper, new particles started popping up. |
随着我们越钻越深,新的粒子接连被发现。 |
Eventually , we got to huge ring-like machines that take two beams of particles in opposite directions, squeeze them down to less than the width of a hair and smash them together. |
最终,我们建造了一个巨大的环状机器, 它把两束粒子从相反的方向 压缩到不到一根 头发那么细的宽度, 然后使它们对撞。 |
Eventually:adv.最后,终于; squeeze:v.挤;紧握;勒索;压榨;n.压榨;紧握;拥挤;佣金; width:n.宽度;广度;某一宽度的材料;(游泳池两长边之间的)池宽; smash:v.粉碎; n.破碎; adj.了不起的;
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And then, using Einstein's E=mc2, you can take all of that energy and convert it into new matter, new particles which we rip from the very fabric of the universe. |
然后,根据爱因斯坦 质能方程E=mc^2, 你得到了所有的能量, 并把它转化为新的物质, 我们从宇宙的特定基本 结构中提取的新的粒子。 |
convert:v.转换; n.改变宗教(或信仰、观点)的人; rip:v.撕破;突然拉开;割开;n.撕开的大口子;巨澜;清管器;废马; fabric:n.织物;布料;(社会,机构等的)结构;
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Nowadays, there are about 35,000 accelerators in the world, not including televisions. |
如今,全世界有35000台加速器, 不包括电视。 |
And inside each one of these incredible machines, there are hundreds and billions of tiny particles, dancing and swirling in systems that are more complex than the formation of galaxies . |
在这些神奇的机器里面, 有数千亿的微小粒子, 在比星系的组成 还复杂的系统中, 跳舞和旋转。 |
swirling:v.(使)打旋,旋动,起旋涡;(swirl的现在分词) complex:adj.复杂的;合成的;n.复合体;综合设施; formation:n.形成;编队;组成;队形; galaxies:n.银河; (galaxy的复数)
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You guys, I can't even begin to explain how incredible it is that we can do this. |
各位,我甚至都无法解释, |
(Laughter) |
(笑声) |
(Applause) |
(鼓掌) |
So I want to encourage you to invest your time and energy in people that do curiosity-driven research. |
所以我想鼓励 你们投入时间和精力, 支持人们去做 由好奇心驱动的研究。 |
invest:v.投资;(把资金)投入;投入(时间、精力等);授予;
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It was Jonathan Swift who once said, " Vision is the art of seeing the invisible ." |
乔纳森 · 斯威夫特曾经说过, “远见是见人所未见的艺术。” |
Swift:n.[鸟]雨燕; adj.飞快的; Vision:n.视力;美景;幻象;想象力;v.想象;显现;梦见; invisible:adj.看不见的;n.看不见的人或物;
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And over a century ago, J.J. Thompson did just that, when he pulled back the veil on the subatomic world. |
一个多世纪前, 汤普森就是这么做的, 当他揭开亚原子世界面纱时。 |
veil:n.面纱;面罩;遮蔽物;托词;v.遮蔽;掩饰;以面纱遮掩;用帷幕分隔;
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And now we need to invest in curiosity-driven research, because we have so many challenges that we face. |
现在,对于由好奇心驱动的 研究,我们需要进行投入, 因为我们面对着如此多的挑战。 |
And we need patience; we need to give scientists the time, the space and the means to continue their quest , because history tells us that if we can remain curious and open-minded about the outcomes of research, the more world-changing our discoveries will be. |
我们需要耐心; 我们需要提供给科学家时间、场所以及 继续他们的探求的工具, 因为历史告诉我们: 如果我们能够对研究的结果 保持好奇和开放的心态, 我们的发现就越能改变世界。 |
quest:n.追求;寻找;vi.追求;寻找;vt.探索; open-minded:adj.虚心的;思想开明的;无偏见的; outcomes:n.结果;成果;后果;出路;(outcome的复数)
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Thank you. |
谢谢。 |
(Applause) |
(鼓掌) |