VOA慢速英语2020--用两个科学术语来检验你的世界

And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.

Today we go back to school. We will talk about two terms from science class. Both are tests. But don't worry. You will not be tested at the end of the program.

The first term is "litmus test." The second is "acid test."

In science, we use both to determine the chemical make-up of something. In conversation, we use them to determine other things. One identifies where something belongs or whether it is acceptable¹. The other determines if something is real or good.

But before we tell you which is which, let's talk about their meanings.

First, litmus test.

Now, you may remember doing experiments with litmus paper in a high school science class. Litmus paper is used to identify whether a solution is an acid or a base.

The Merriam-Webster website says scientists have long known that litmus paper turns red in acidic solutions and blue in alkaline, or base, solutions. In fact, scientists have been performing tests with litmus paper since the 14th century.

Litmus itself comes from lichen², a small plant that grows on rocks and trees.

Today many English speakers use the term "litmus test" in conversations. To them, it means something you use to judge whether someone or something is acceptable.

So, a litmus test is a kind of sign or indicator³. It helps you identify in which category something belongs or in which direction something will go. It helps you group things together.

Here's an example.

A friend of mine has a single litmus test for dating -- her dog. Her dog must like the man and he must like the dog. After several failed relationships, she found this litmus test to be the one sure indicator of a good fit.

Acid test

Our second scientific expression is "acid test." Such a test proves the value, quality, or truth of something.

An acid test can take many forms. It can be an important job or a difficult situation. It shows if someone or something is good enough to succeed.

For example, beating the national champions was the acid test for the basketball team. It showed the team's players they were better than the champs, even for only one game.

An acid test can also find out whether something is as good as people say it is, whether it works, or whether it is true. For example, a restaurant may look nice. But will people eat the food? Good question! That is the acid test.

An acid test also can test the value of something. For example, I wanted to take an online writing program, but I wasn't sure if it was the worth the money. Then I found out that 80 percent of the people who took the class got a book deal. That was enough of an acid test for me!

The term acid test also comes from an experiment – one involving gold. Some people say it dates back to the use of nitric acid to determine the gold content of jewelry⁴.

So, those are the two tests – litmus and acid. But don't mix them up. They are different.

A litmus test determines how to categorize something; in other words, where does it fit? An acid test determines if something is real, valid⁵, or high quality.

Let's go back to our dog example. When choosing a partner, the woman's litmus test is her dog. That puts the man in one of two groups: the ‘she-will-date-him' category or the ‘she-will-not-date-him' category.

But this does not really prove if he is a good choice. So, it is not an acid test. The man never said he would be the perfect partner for her. So, his validity⁶ is not being tested. And he might be a perfectly⁷ good partner for someone else -- someone who doesn't like dogs.

And that's Words and Their Stories. Until next time, I'm Anna Matteo.

Words in This Story

determine – v. to come to a decision

conversation – n. an informal talk involving two people or a small group of people : the act of talking in an informal way

solution – n. something that is used or done to deal with and end a problem : something that solves a problem

acid – n. chemistry : any of various typically water-soluble and sour compounds that in solution are capable of reacting with a base to form a salt, that redden litmus, that have a pH less than 7, and that are hydrogen-containing molecules⁸ or ions able to give up a proton to a base or are substances able to accept an unshared pair of electrons from a base

base – n. chemistry : any of various typically water-soluble and bitter tasting compounds that in solution have a pH greater than 7, are capable of reacting with an acid to form a salt, and are molecules or ions able to take up a proton from an acid or are substances able to give up an unshared pair of electrons to an acid

category – n. a group of people or things that are similar in some way

date – v. to go together regularly on romantic social engagements⁹

fit – v. to be suitable for or to :

content – n. a certain amount

valid – adj. based on truth or fact

1 acceptable   

adj.可接受的，合意的，受欢迎的

参考例句：

• The terms of the contract are acceptable to us.我们认为这个合同的条件可以接受。
• Air pollution in the city had reached four times the acceptable levels.这座城市的空气污染程度曾高达可接受标准的四倍。

2 lichen   

n.地衣, 青苔

参考例句：

• The stone stairway was covered with lichen.那石级长满了地衣。
• There is carpet-like lichen all over the moist corner of the wall.潮湿的墙角上布满了地毯般的绿色苔藓。

3 indicator   

n.指标；指示物，指示者；指示器

参考例句：

• Gold prices are often seen as an indicator of inflation.黃金价格常常被看作是通货膨胀的指标。
• His left-hand indicator is flashing.他左手边的转向灯正在闪亮。

4 jewelry   

n.（jewllery）（总称）珠宝

参考例句：

• The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
• Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。

5 valid   

adj.有确实根据的；有效的；正当的，合法的

参考例句：

• His claim to own the house is valid.他主张对此屋的所有权有效。
• Do you have valid reasons for your absence?你的缺席有正当理由吗？

6 validity   

n.有效性，正确性，正当

参考例句：

• I would question the validity of that assumption.我会质疑那个假设的正当性。
• The tests have been shown to be of dubious validity.这些试验的有效性已显得令人怀疑。

7 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

8 molecules   

分子( molecule的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The structure of molecules can be seen under an electron microscope. 分子的结构可在电子显微镜下观察到。
• Inside the reactor the large molecules are cracked into smaller molecules. 在反应堆里，大分子裂变为小分子。

9 engagements   

订婚( engagement的名词复数 )； 婚约； 约会； 约定

参考例句：

• I have numerous engagements next week. 下星期我有许多约会。
• Broadway was full of loafing thespians in search of next season's engagements. 百老汇大街上挤满了闲荡的演员，在寻找下个季度的演出机会。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹