英国学生科学读本 第57期:硫(1)

 　　Lesson 57 Sulphur

　　第57课 硫

　　Did you ever have to take a mixture of brimstone and treacle¹? This mixture has not a pleasant taste, but it is a useful medicine; and if it will do us good, we should not care much whether it has a nice taste or not.

　　小朋友，你们有没有过这样的经历，必须喝下一种“硫磺和糖蜜”的混合物？这种混合物的味道并不太好，但它是一种有用的药物，对身体有好处，所以我们也就不用在意好不好喝了。

　　Sulphur is the proper name of the yellow powder called brimstone. Sulphur is an element; that is, it is made of one kind of matter only. Out of a piece of sulphur no one can get anything but sulphur.

　　有一种黄色粉末，传统上叫做“硫磺”，它的正式名称叫“硫”。硫是一种“元素”，也就是说，它只是一种物质构成的。从一块硫里，人们只能得到硫，得不到别的东西。

　　You can buy sulphur at the chemist's in three forms. First, there is milk of sulphur, which is a very fine powder; next, there is flowers of sulphur, which is a rather coarse powder; and lastly, there is roll sulphur, which is sold in solid sticks.

　　你可以在化学品商店里买到三种样子的硫：第一种是极细的粉末，名叫“硫磺乳”；第二种是相当粗的粉末，名叫“硫华”；第三种是“硫棒”，是以固态棒状的形式出售的。

　　Sulphur is of a bright yellow colour. A piece of roll sulphur snaps easily when we try to bend it, so that we say it is brittle². It has neither taste nor smell when cold, but when warm it has a slight smell.

　　硫的颜色是浅黄色。要是想把一根硫棒折弯，它很容易就会折断，所以硫棒很“脆”。硫在低温下没有气味也没有味道，但在温暖的地方会有微弱的气味。

　　Some people put a stick of sulphur in the dish from which their dogs drink; but this is of no use as a medicine, for it will not dissolve in water.

　　有些人会在狗狗喝水的盘子里放一根硫棒；但不是做药用，因为它不会在水中不会溶解。

　　Sulphur is a rather light solid, but it does not float in water. It burns very easily, and with a pale blue flame. As it burns it produces a gas with a nasty smell.

　　硫是一种很轻的固体，但并不能浮在水面上。硫很容易就能燃烧，燃烧的时候，会发出浅蓝色的火焰，还会散发出一种难闻的气体。

1 treacle   

n.糖蜜

参考例句：

• Blend a little milk with two tablespoons of treacle.将少许牛奶和两大汤匙糖浆混合。
• The fly that sips treacle is lost in the sweet.啜饮蜜糖的苍蝇在甜蜜中丧生。

2 brittle   

adj.易碎的；脆弱的；冷淡的；(声音)尖利的

参考例句：

• The pond was covered in a brittle layer of ice.池塘覆盖了一层易碎的冰。
• She gave a brittle laugh.她冷淡地笑了笑。