第57课 硫

　　Did you ever have to take a mixture of brimstone and treacle? 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 brittle. 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。