2021年经济学人 一种用于飞机和导弹的新型燃料即将问世(1)

Hypersonic flight

高超声速飞行

The rockets' green glare

火箭的绿色光芒

A new fuel for jets and missiles is on the cards

一种用于飞机和导弹的新型燃料即将问世

The latest buzzword in the world's aerospace¹ skunk² works is "hypersonic". Speed and surprise have always been essential to warfare³, and what better way to wrong-foot an enemy than by arriving unexpectedly on his doorstep in the form of an aircraft or missile travelling at Mach 5

世界航空臭鼬工厂的最新流行词是“高超音速”。速度和出其不意一直是战争的关键，还有什么比以5马赫的速度出人意料地以飞机或导弹的形式出现在敌人家门口更能让敌人措手不及的呢？

In that context, a notice posted at the beginning of the year by America's navy, soliciting⁴ proposals for a new research project, is intriguing⁵. The project's objective is to "determine a form of boron or a boron-based chemical pathway that leads to implementation⁶ of boron in energetic compounds, especially fuels (solid and liquid)". The navy's engineers, it seems, are trying to revive an idea that might make hypersonic flight easier to achieve, but which was tested and then abandoned more than half a century ago. They hope to spice up aviation and rocket fuel with a long-neglected element.

在这样的背景下，今年年初美国海军发布的征求新研究项目建议的公告耐人寻味。该项目的目标是“确定一种硼的形式或一种基于硼的化学途径，使硼在高能化合物，特别是燃料(固体和液体)中得以实现”。看来，美国海军的工程师们正试图复兴一种可能让高超音速飞行更容易实现的想法，但这种想法在半个多世纪前经过了测试，然后被放弃了。他们希望在航空和火箭燃料中加入一个长期被忽视的元素。

Boron, atomic number five on the periodic table, is chemically a "metalloid"— meaning that it inhabits the debatable marcher lands between the empires of the metals proper, on the table's left-hand side, and the non-metals, on its right. Compounds of boron feature in washing powders and cleaning products ("borax"), antiseptics and water softeners, and also as additives⁷ in fibreglass, but such roles are humdrum⁸. Boron does, though, burn like billy-o, generating a bright, green flame and releasing about 40% more energy per kilogram than conventional aviation fuel.

元素周期表上原子序数为5的硼，在化学上属于“类金属”——也就是说，它处在金属帝国(在元素周期表的左边)和非金属帝国(在元素周期表的右边)之间的争议地带。硼化合物用在洗衣粉和清洁产品(“硼砂”)、防腐剂和水软化剂中，也可作为添加剂的玻璃纤维，但这些作用是单调的。不过硼确实可以快速燃烧，产生明亮的绿色火焰，每千克要比传统航空燃料多释放约40%的能量。

In light of this, and of reports by spies of green flames emerging from the exhaust of an experimental Soviet⁹ rocket, America's air force experimented in the 1950s with stuff nicknamed zip fuel, which was laced with compounds of boron called boranes. The project was abandoned in 1959, for two good reasons. First, boranes proved extremely dangerous. They are toxic¹⁰, meaning those working with them need special gas masks. They also ignite spontaneously in air, and may even explode. At least eight people involved in the zip-fuel project died in borane-related accidents.

鉴于此，还有间谍们的报告，他们发现苏联实验性火箭的排气口冒出了绿色的火焰，美国空军在20世纪50年代试验了一种叫做拉链燃料(高型能的飞机燃料)的东西，这种燃料含有硼烷的化合物。该项目于1959年被放弃，原因有二。首先，硼烷被证明是极其危险的，它们是有毒的，这意味着工作人员需要特殊的防毒面具。它们也会在空气中自燃，甚至会爆炸。至少有八名参与拉链燃料项目的人死于硼烷相关事故。

1 aerospace   

adj.航空的，宇宙航行的

参考例句：

• The world's entire aerospace industry is feeling the chill winds of recession.全世界的航空航天工业都感受到了经济衰退的寒意。
• Edward Murphy was an aerospace engineer for the US Army.爱德华·墨菲是一名美军的航宇工程师。

2 skunk   

n.臭鼬，黄鼠狼；v.使惨败，使得零分；烂醉如泥

参考例句：

• That was a rotten thing to do, you skunk!那种事做得太缺德了，你这卑鄙的家伙！
• The skunk gives off an unpleasant smell when attacked.受到攻击时臭鼬会发出一种难闻的气味。

3 warfare   

n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突

参考例句：

• He addressed the audience on the subject of atomic warfare.他向听众演讲有关原子战争的问题。
• Their struggle consists mainly in peasant guerrilla warfare.他们的斗争主要是农民游击战。

4 soliciting   

v.恳求( solicit的现在分词 )；（指娼妇）拉客；索求；征求

参考例句：

• A prostitute was soliciting on the street. 一名妓女正在街上拉客。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• China Daily is soliciting subscriptions. 《中国日报》正在征求订户。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

5 intriguing   

adj.有趣的；迷人的v.搞阴谋诡计(intrigue的现在分词)；激起…的好奇心

参考例句：

• These discoveries raise intriguing questions. 这些发现带来了非常有趣的问题。
• It all sounds very intriguing. 这些听起来都很有趣。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 implementation   

n.实施，贯彻

参考例句：

• Implementation of the program is now well underway.这一项目的实施现在行情看好。

7 additives   

n.添加剂( additive的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• chemical additives in petrol 汽油中的化学添加剂
• It'says on the packet that these crisps contain no additives. 包装上说这些炸薯片不含添加剂。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 humdrum   

adj.单调的，乏味的

参考例句：

• Their lives consist of the humdrum activities of everyday existence.他们的生活由日常生存的平凡活动所构成。
• The accountant said it was the most humdrum day that she had ever passed.会计师说这是她所度过的最无聊的一天。

9 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

10 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。