赖世雄高级美国英语 lesson 23

　　Paper's Long March

　　纸张的演进

　　Remember when the 1980s brought us the first wave of the modern computer and electronics revolution？ At that time， heady young technocrats¹ forsaw “the paperless office.” It was claimed that paper would become a thing of the past as everyone would access all information needed from video screens.

　　The reality today is quite different. More paper than ever is being used in offices， schools， and residential² homes. One's first possession in life is a birth certificate， made of paper. Childhood immunizations are recorded on paper and kept in the doctor's office and at home. What would school be like without paper？ Paper follows most people throughout their education and into their working life. Wedding invitations and marriage certificates are printed on paper， as are virtually all major life passages and social occasions. Finally， a death certificate on paper will continue to be around long after the person named on it. Perhaps the one item which defines mofern civilization more than any other is paper.

　　The word paper derives³ from papyrus⁴， the name of a riverside plant similar to grass， from which an ancient form of paper was used in Egypt and Mesopotamia. It could be argued that these empires were made possible by the use of official records on papyrus. However， paper as we know it today has its origins in the Han Dynasty of China. In about A.D. 105， an official in the imperial court produced the forebear of what has become today the world's most indispensable product. The art of paper making reached westwards to Baghdad， Iraq in the 8th century at the height of the Islamic culture. From there it entered Europe， where it was polished into its contemporary from during the 19th century.

　　Paper can be made from any plant， but trees are the best source of cellulose for paper production. In fact， earlier forms of paper were made from processed cotton waste and rags， but trees contain a better proportion and type of cellulose than any other plant. In countries with a deficiency of forest land， other natural fibers⁵ such as sugar cane⁶ pulp⁷， bamboo， cereal straws， flax， and hemp⁸ are used. Today's paper and paper product mills rely on a steady inflow of wood logs or chips. In the US alone， the paper and paper products industry in worth more than US $ 80 billion， with world production well over 100，000，000 tons annually⁹.

　　Everyone knows what paper is， since most people use at least one sheet of it a day， but few people stop to consider the different kinds of paper available to us today. Office workers are well aware of the many kinds of paper they use， such as regular typing or computer printing or copier paper. They also come into contact with bond， a high-grade paper used for important documents. It is thicker and more durable¹⁰ than other forms of paper. Book paper comes in at least four different finishes. These may be seen in books， magazines， brochures， and calendars. Newsprint is used for newspapers and some magazines or books， while craft paper is used for shopping bags. Paperboard is seen daily as box lunch containers， cardboard boxes， and even building materials. Finally， sanitary¹¹ paper has been developed for use in tissue paper， paper toweling， and paper napkins. Carbon paper， postcards， and envelopes are also daily use items made of paper. Even a tea bag is made of paper！

　　Paper and its products seem endless， but conservation of even the abundant resource of trees is in everyone's interest. Recycling of paper and better designed pulp and paper factories have helped decrease waste. Many offices encourage the use of both sides of a piece of paper， for example， and students or private organizations sometimes collect old newsprint to send to reprocessing centers. By conserving¹² paper， the average paper user in his lifetime can save at least one tree from being felled. As valuable as trees are， and as valuable as paper is， everyone should cooperate to use this essential commodity wisely.

1 technocrats   

n.技术专家，专家政治论者( technocrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Few business barons remained. They were replaced by "technocrats," who became the heads of corporations. 企业巨头所剩无几，大多已被“技术专家”所代替，这些人成了公司的领导。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• However, bankers called the technocrats' bluff and proceeded to lend with gusto. 但是，银行家们称技术专家官员不过在虚张声势，并且还会乐观的继续借贷业务。 来自互联网

2 residential   

adj.提供住宿的；居住的；住宅的

参考例句：

• The mayor inspected the residential section of the city.市长视察了该市的住宅区。
• The residential blocks were integrated with the rest of the college.住宿区与学院其他部分结合在了一起。

3 derives   

v.得到( derive的第三人称单数 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取

参考例句：

• English derives in the main from the common Germanic stock. 英语主要源于日耳曼语系。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He derives his income from freelance work. 他以自由职业获取收入。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 papyrus   

n.古以纸草制成之纸

参考例句：

• The Egyptians wrote on papyrus.埃及人书写用薄草纸。
• Since papyrus dries up and crumble,very few documents of ancient Egypt have survived.因草片会干裂成粉末所以古埃及的文件很少保存下来。

5 fibers   

光纤( fiber的名词复数 )； （织物的）质地； 纤维，纤维物质

参考例句：

• Thesolution of collagen-PVA was wet spined with the sodium sulfate as coagulant and collagen-PVA composite fibers were prepared. 在此基础上，以硫酸钠为凝固剂，对胶原-PVA共混溶液进行湿法纺丝，制备了胶原-PVA复合纤维。
• Sympathetic fibers are distributed to all regions of the heart. 交感神经纤维分布于心脏的所有部分。

6 cane   

n.手杖，细长的茎，藤条；v.以杖击，以藤编制的

参考例句：

• This sugar cane is quite a sweet and juicy.这甘蔗既甜又多汁。
• English schoolmasters used to cane the boys as a punishment.英国小学老师过去常用教鞭打男学生作为惩罚。

7 pulp   

n.果肉，纸浆；v.化成纸浆，除去...果肉，制成纸浆

参考例句：

• The pulp of this watermelon is too spongy.这西瓜瓤儿太肉了。
• The company manufactures pulp and paper products.这个公司制造纸浆和纸产品。

8 hemp   

n.大麻；纤维

参考例句：

• The early Chinese built suspension bridges of hemp rope.古代的中国人建造过麻绳悬索桥。
• The blanket was woven from hemp and embroidered with wool.毯子是由亚麻编织，羊毛镶边的。

9 annually   

adv.一年一次，每年

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。

10 durable   

adj.持久的，耐久的

参考例句：

• This raincoat is made of very durable material.这件雨衣是用非常耐用的料子做的。
• They frequently require more major durable purchases.他们经常需要购买耐用消费品。

11 sanitary   

adj.卫生方面的，卫生的，清洁的，卫生的

参考例句：

• It's not sanitary to let flies come near food.让苍蝇接近食物是不卫生的。
• The sanitary conditions in this restaurant are abominable.这家饭馆的卫生状况糟透了。

12 conserving   

v.保护，保藏，保存( conserve的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Contour planning with or without terracing is effective in conserving both soil and moisture. 顺等高线栽植，无论做或不做梯田对于保持水土都能有效。 来自辞典例句
• Economic savings, consistent with a conserving society and the public philosophy. 经济节约，符合创建节约型社会的公共理念。 来自互联网