万物简史 第131期:基本物质(3)

 Scheele's one notable shortcoming was a curious insistence¹ on tasting a little of everything he worked with, including such notoriously disagreeable substances as mercury, prussic acid (another of his discoveries), and hydrocyanic acid—a compound so famously poisonous that 150 years later Erwin Schrodinger chose it as his toxin² of choice in a famous thought experiment. Scheele's rashness eventually caught up with him. In 1786, aged³ just forty-three, he was found dead at his workbench surrounded by an array of toxic⁴ chemicals, any one of which could have accounted for the stunned⁵ and terminal look on his face.

金勒有个明显的缺点，他对做试验用的什么东西都感到好奇，坚持要尝一点儿，包括一些又难闻又有毒的物质，比如汞、氢氰酸（这也是他的一项发现）和甲腈。甲腈是一种有名的有毒化合物，150年以后，欧文·薛定谔在一次著名的思维实验中选它作为最佳毒素。金勒鲁莽的工作方法最后断送了他的性命。1786年，才43岁的他被发现死在工作台旁，身边堆满了有毒的化学品，其中任何一种都可以造成他脸上那目瞪口呆的最后一个表情。

Were the world just and Swedish-speaking, Scheele would have enjoyed universal acclaim⁶. Instead credit has tended to lodge⁷ with more celebrated⁸ chemists, mostly from the English-speaking world. Scheele discovered oxygen in 1772, but for various heartbreakingly complicated reasons could not get his paper published in a timely manner. Instead credit went to Joseph Priestley, who discovered the same element independently, but latterly, in the summer of 1774. Even more remarkable⁹ was Scheele's failure to receive credit for the discovery of chlorine. Nearly all textbooks still attribute chlorine's discovery to Humphry Davy, who did indeed find it, but thirty-six years after Scheele had.

要是这世界是公正的话，要是大家都会说瑞典语的话，金勒本来会在全世界享有盛誉。实际上，赞扬声往往都给了更有名的化学家，其中大多数是英语国家的化学家。金勒在1772年发现了氧，但由于种种辛酸而复杂的原因，无法及时发表他的论文。功劳最终归给了约瑟夫·普里斯特利，他独立发现了同一个元素，但时间要晚，是在1774年的夏天。更令人瞩目的是，金勒没有得到发现氯的功劳。几乎所有的教科书现在仍把氯的发现归功于汉弗莱·戴维。他确实发现了，但要比金勒晚36年。

1 insistence   

n.坚持；强调；坚决主张

参考例句：

• They were united in their insistence that she should go to college.他们一致坚持她应上大学。
• His insistence upon strict obedience is correct.他坚持绝对服从是对的。

2 toxin   

n.毒素，毒质

参考例句：

• Experts have linked this condition to a build-up of toxins in the body.专家已把这一病症与体内毒素的积累联系起来。
• Tests showed increased levels of toxin in shellfish.检验表明水生有壳动物的毒素水平提高了。

3 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

4 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。

5 stunned   

adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The fall stunned me for a moment. 那一下摔得我昏迷了片刻。
• The leaders of the Kopper Company were then stunned speechless. 科伯公司的领导们当时被惊得目瞪口呆。

6 acclaim   

v.向…欢呼，公认；n.欢呼，喝彩，称赞

参考例句：

• He was welcomed with great acclaim.他受到十分热烈的欢迎。
• His achievements earned him the acclaim of the scientific community.他的成就赢得了科学界的赞誉。

7 lodge   

v.临时住宿，寄宿，寄存，容纳；n.传达室，小旅馆

参考例句：

• Is there anywhere that I can lodge in the village tonight?村里有我今晚过夜的地方吗？
• I shall lodge at the inn for two nights.我要在这家小店住两个晚上。

8 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

9 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。