雅思练习总结（九）

本文章是雅思练习总结（九），总结了文章《BAKELITE》，内容包括原文精翻，文章脉络总结，单词扩展学习3个部分

1 文章原文及翻译

BAKELITE

翻译：贝克莱特酚醛塑料

The birth of modern plastics

翻译：现代塑料材料的诞生

In 1907, Leo Hendrick Baekeland, a Belgian scientist working in New York, discovered and patented a revolutionary new synthetic material. His invention, which he named ‘Bakelite’, was of enormous technological importance, and effectively launched the modern plastics industry.

翻译：1907 年，在纽约工作的比利时科学家 Leo Hendrick Baekeland 发现并申请了一种革命性的新合成材料专利。被他命名为“Bakelite”的材料具有重大的技术意义，并有效推动了现代塑料工业的发展。

The term ‘plastic’ comes from the Greek plassein, meaning ‘to mould’. Some plastics are derived from natural sources, some are semi-synthetic (the result of chemical action on a natural substance), and some are entirely synthetic, that is, chemically engineered from the constituents of coal or oil. Some are ‘thermoplastic’, which means that, like candlewax, they melt when heated and can then be reshaped. Others are ‘thermosetting’: like eggs, they cannot revert to their original viscous state, and their shape is thus fixed for ever. Bakelite had the distinction of being the first totally synthetic thermosetting plastic.

翻译：“塑料”一词源于希腊语 plassein，意为“塑造”。有些塑料是自然形成的，而有些是半合成的（天然物质经化学作用而产生），另一些是完全合成的。完全合成的塑料是由煤或石油成分化学加工而成。有些是“热塑性的”，这意味着它们像蜡烛一样，加热后会融化，然后可以重新塑形。有些塑料是“热固性的”，就像鸡蛋一样，加热对他们产生的塑性作用是不可逆的，会永远保持在塑形之后的形状。而贝克莱特酚醛塑料就是第一种完全人工合成的热固性塑料。

The history of today’s plastics begins with the discovery of a series of semi-synthetic thermoplastic materials in the mid-nineteenth century. The impetus behind the development of these early plastics was generated by a number of factors - immense technological progress in the domain of chemistry, coupled with wider cultural changes, and the pragmatic need to find acceptable substitutes for dwindling supplies of ‘luxury’ materials such as tortoiseshell and ivory.

翻译：当今的塑料制造技术源于 19 世纪中叶一系列半合成热塑性材料的发现。鼓励这些早期塑料的探索是由当时化工领域取得的巨大技术进步、广泛的文化变革以及寻找供应量日益减少的玳瑁和象牙等“奢侈品”材料的平替材料等需求促进的。

Baekeland’s interest in plastics began in 1885 when, as a young chemistry student in Belgium, he embarked on research into phenolic resins, the group of sticky substances produced when phenol (carbolic acid) combines with an aldehyde (a volatile fluid similar to alcohol). He soon abandoned the subject, however, only returning to it some years later. By 1905 he was a wealthy New Yorker, having recently made his fortune with the invention of a new photographic paper. While Baekeland had been busily amassing dollars, some advances had been made in the development of plastics. The years 1899 and 1900 had seen the patenting of the first semi-synthetic thermosetting material that could be manufactured on an industrial scale. In purely scientific terms, Baekeland’s major contribution to the field is not so much the actual discovery of the material to which he gave his name, but rather the method by which a reaction between phenol and formaldehyde could be controlled, thus making possible its preparation on a commercial basis. On 13 July 1907, Baekeland took out his famous patent describing this preparation, the essential features of which are still in use today.

翻译：贝克莱特对塑料材料的兴趣始于 1885 年，当时他还是比利时一名年轻的化学学生，他的研究课题是，即苯酚（石炭酸）与醛（一种类似于酒精的挥发性液体）结合时产生的一类粘性物质。然而，他很快就放弃了这个课题，直到几年后才重新开始。到 1905 年，他因为发明了一种新的相纸（相纸是拍立得使用的那种照相纸）大赚了一笔，成为了一位富有的纽约人。当贝克莱特忙于积累资金的同时，塑料材料的开发也取得了一些新的进展。在 1899 年和 1900 年，第一种可以工业规模生产的半合成热固性材料问世，并获得了专利。从纯科研的角度出发，贝克莱特对塑料材料领域的主要贡献，并不是发现了以他的名字命名的材料，而是发现了控制苯酚和甲醛反应的方法。这一发现使得该反应结果的商业化制备成为可能。 1907 年 7 月 13 日，贝克莱特以对这种制备方法的描述，取得了他那份大名鼎鼎的专利，其本征原理至今仍在使用。

The original patent outlined a three-stage process, in which phenol and formaldehyde (from wood or coal) were initially combined under vacuum inside a large egg-shaped kettle. The result was a resin known as Novalak, which became soluble and malleable when heated. The resin was allowed to cool in shallow trays until it hardened, and then broken up and ground into powder. Other substances were then introduced: including fillers, such as woodflour, asbestos or cotton, which increase strength and moisture resistance, catalysts (substances to speed up the reaction between two chemicals without joining to either) and hexa, a compound of ammonia and formaldehyde which supplied the additional formaldehyde necessary to form a thermosetting resin. This resin was then left to cool and harden, and ground up a second time. The resulting granular powder was raw Bakelite, ready to be made into a vast range of manufactured objects. In the last stage, the heated Bakelite was poured into a hollow mould of the required shape and subjected to extreme heat and pressure, thereby ‘setting’ its form for life.

翻译：这项开山鼻祖级的专利中，将制备过程分为3个阶段进行描述：首先将苯酚和甲醛（来自木材或煤）在一个大的蛋形锅内进行真空混合。其反应结果是一种称为 Novalak 的树脂，加热后具备可溶解性和可塑性。将树脂放在浅盘中冷却直至变硬，然后将其打碎并研磨成粉末。然后加入包括木粉、石棉或棉花，作为填料。加入填料的目的是增加成品的强度和防潮性。催化剂（加速两种化学物质之间反应的物质，无需结合）和六亚甲基四胺也需要加入，六亚甲基四胺是氨和甲醛的化合物，可提供形成热固性树脂所需的额外甲醛。然后让这种树脂冷却变硬，并再次研磨。得到的颗粒状粉末就是原始的贝克莱特酚醛塑料，可以制成各种各样的制品。最后的阶段是定型，将加热的贝克莱特酚醛塑料倒入所需形状的空心模具中，并承受极高的热量和压力，从而“固定”其形状。

The design of Bakelite objects, everything from earrings to television sets, was governed to a large extent by the technical requirements of the moulding process. The object could not be designed so that it was locked into the mould and therefore difficult to extract. A common general rule was that objects should taper towards the deepest part of the mould, and if necessary the product was moulded in separate pieces. Moulds had to be carefully designed so that the molten Bakelite would flow evenly and completely into the mould. Sharp corners proved impractical and were thus avoided, giving rise to the smooth, ‘streamlined’ style popular in the 1930s. The thickness of the walls of the mould was also crucial: thick walls took longer to cool and harden, a factor which had to be considered by the designer in order to make the most efficient use of machines.

翻译：从耳环到电视机等各种贝克莱特酚醛塑料制品的设计在很大程度上取决于模制工艺的技术需求。制品不能设计成被锁定在模具中的形状，因为那样会导致承平难以从模具中取出。一个通用性的规则是：制品应朝模具最深处逐渐变细，如有必要，产品才应分块模制。模具必须精心设计，以便熔融的胶木能够均匀、完全地流入模具中。尖角已在实际生产中被证明是不切实际的，因此应避免使用。这一规则促成了 20 世纪 30 年代流行的光滑“流线型”风格。模具壁的厚度也至关重要：厚壁需要更长的时间来冷却和硬化。因此模具设计师必须考虑这一因素以便发挥出机器的最佳性能。

Baekeland’s invention, although treated with disdain in its early years, went on to enjoy an unparalleled popularity which lasted throughout the first half of the twentieth century. It became the wonder product of the new world of industrial expansion - ‘the material of a thousand uses’. Being both non-porous and heat-resistant, Bakelite kitchen goods were promoted as being germ-free and sterilisable. Electrical manufacturers seized on its insulating properties, and consumers everywhere relished its dazzling array of shades, delighted that they were now, at last, no longer restricted to the wood tones and drab browns of the pre-plastic era. It then fell from favour again during the 1950s, and was despised and destroyed in vast quantities. Recently, however, it has been experiencing something of a renaissance, with renewed demand for original Bakelite objects in the collectors’ marketplace, and museums, societies and dedicated individuals once again appreciating the style and originality of this innovative material.

翻译：尽管贝克莱特的发明在早期遭到了歧视，但后来却在整个二十世纪上半叶都门厅若市。这种可以“千变万化”的魔力材料，打开了当时工业扩张时代的新世界大门。贝克莱特酚醛塑料无孔且耐热的特性，被卫生领域宣传为无菌、可消毒的新产品。电器制造商抓住了它的绝缘性能，世界各地的消费者都因为它令人眼花缭乱的色调而欢喜不已，并很庆幸这种新材料让电器不再延续前塑料时代那单调的木质色调和棕色。在之后的 20 世纪 50 年代，贝克莱特酚醛塑料再次失宠，被广泛嫌弃和大量销毁。然而，最近它在一些行业经历了复兴，比如收藏家市场对原创胶木物品的需求重新升温，博物馆、协会和热心人士再次欣赏这种创新材料的风格和独创性。

2 文章结构分析

这篇文章的脉络总结如下

1. 第一段引出了本文的主角，塑料材料学的里程碑，现代塑料工业的鼻祖，贝克莱特酚醛塑料及其发明者，贝克莱特。

2. 第二段是垃圾的分类，从形成方式上可以分成3类，纯自然形成的天然塑料、天然物质经过化学反应得到的半合成塑料和完全人工制备的合成塑料；在加热后塑形的保持能力上分为2类，塑形后不可还原的热固型和塑形后可还原的热塑型。贝克莱特酚醛塑料就是热固型合成材料。

3. 第三段是现代塑料的源头：19 世纪中叶，化工技术发展、文化变革、奢侈品市场需求促成的半合成热塑性材料的发现。

4. 第四段是贝克莱特发明贝克莱特酚醛塑料的起源：他在还是学生时就对塑料材料产生了兴趣，在发明相纸大赚一笔后，他最终发明了贝克莱特酚醛塑料。但其实他最大的科学贡献是：发现了控制苯酚和甲醛反应的方法，并以此申请了举世闻名的专利。

5. 第五段是贝克莱特酚醛塑料制备的过程：将苯酚和甲醛加入容器进行真空混合 -> 得到Novalak树脂 -> 将冷却的树脂打碎并研磨成粉末 -> 加入填料、催化剂和六亚甲基四胺 -> 得到热固性树脂后再冷却、研磨得到贝克莱特酚醛塑料粉末 -> 最终进行再次加热和定型，就可以得到工艺制品了

6. 第六段是贝克莱特酚醛塑料的发展，发展出了成型的制备要领，如制品应朝模具最深处逐渐变细、除非有需求，不应分部分制备、避免模具有尖角、模具壁不应过厚等，并被电器制造到耳环等诸多行业广泛采用

7. 第七段是贝克莱特酚醛塑料的后续，在经历了二十世纪上半叶被称为“千变万化”的魔法材料的高光时刻后，在20 世纪 50 年代被大量抵制，而当下的贝克莱特酚醛塑料已不复昔日荣耀，而是在博物馆、发烧友协会、收藏馆等场合出现。

文章整体结构如下

3 重难点词汇总结

1. patent 根据剑桥词典，patent 这个单词（出现在第一段）的意思是 专利权 / 申请专利 / 显然的 / 专利权

2. revolutionary 根据剑桥词典，revolutionary 这个单词（出现在第一段）的意思是 革命的 / 革命性的 / 革命者

3. mould 根据剑桥词典，mould 这个单词（出现在第二段）的意思是 霉 / 模子 / 性格 / 用模子制造 / 力图改变 / 紧贴身体 ，这里取的是 塑造 的意思，因为 to mould 这个短语与 塑料 这个意思相同

4. derive 根据剑桥词典，derive 这个单词（出现在第二段）的意思是 派生 / 衍生 ，一般以 derive sth from sth / be derived from sth 从…中派生 / 来自… 的形式存在

5. candlewax 这个词是一个合成词， candle 和 wax 这两个词都是指 蜡烛 / 蜡 ，但是也有不同，candle 是专指 蜡烛 ，而 wax 指的是广义的 蜡 材料。 这里作者应该想强调的是，可以作为蜡烛的那一种 热塑型 的 蜡材料 。类似的合成词有很多，比如 蜡芯 candlewick ，此外， candlewick 还可以指 包芯纱 ， 做针织毛衣的那种材料
   P.S. 著名恐怖电影， 恐怖蜡像馆的英文名称就是 house of wax

6. constituent 根据剑桥词典，constituent 这个单词（出现在第二段）的意思是 材质 / 选民 ，文中取的是 材质 的意思

7. viscous 根据剑桥词典，viscous 这个单词（出现在第二段）的意思是 黏糊的 / 粘稠的 ，有一个与这个单词非常相近的 vicious 意为 邪恶的 / 恶意的

8. distinction 根据剑桥词典，distinction 这个单词（出现在第二段）的意思是 区别 / 优秀 / 特质 ，文中取的是 特质 这个意思，还有与这个词很相似的另一个词 extinction 意为 灭绝

9. impetus 根据剑桥词典，impetus 这个单词（出现在第三段）的意思是 推动

10. immense 根据剑桥词典，immense 这个单词（出现在第三段）的意思是 巨大的 / 极好的

11. pragmatic 根据剑桥词典，pragmatic 这个单词（出现在第三段）的意思是 讲究实际的

12. embark 根据剑桥词典，embark 这个单词（出现在第四段）的本意是 上船 ，但是如果以 embark on/upon 出现，就是指 着手做某事

13. sterilize 根据剑桥词典，sterilize 这个单词（出现在第七段）的意思是 为…绝育 / 为…消毒 ，这里文中出现了 sterilisable 是它的衍生词，指 可消毒的 ，在某个动词后加上 able ， 结尾有 e 去掉，就会变成其形容词形式，意为 可… 如 sterilise(ze) + able 可消毒的

14. insulate 根据剑桥词典，insulate 这个单词（出现在第七段）的意思是 绝缘的 / 隔热的，其动词形式为 insulate 意为 使隔热 / 使绝缘