Beyond Your Wildest Dreams 超越你最瘋狂的夢想
1.
Nanotechnology is the science of moving 1)individual 2)atoms around and putting them 3)precisely where we want. Since everything is 4)composed of atoms, by doing this we can, in 5)theory, 6)construct anything we want. For example, by moving around the atoms in a piece of coal, we could create a diamond.
奈米科技這種科學，可以移動一顆顆原子，把它們精確地放在我們想放的位置。因為所有的物質都是由原子組成，所以理論上，移動原子可以製作出任何我們想要的東西。例如，移動一塊煤炭裡面的原子可以製造出鑽石。
‧ 本段單字
1) individual (a.) 個別的，一個個的
2) atom (n.) 原子
3) precisely (adv.) 精確地
4) be composed of (phr.) 由……組成、構成
5) theory (n.) 理論
6) construct (v.) 建造
2.
1)Currently, nanotechnology is still quite 2)crude. Scientists can 3)alter the 4)properties of things like 5)plastics or cloth to make them harder or softer or more 6)durable, but they can't build something new from a collection of atoms. Why? Well, because things are made up of 7)billions of atoms and it takes too long to move them around.
目前的奈米科技仍然相當粗糙。科學家可以改變一些東西如塑膠或布料的特性，讓它們更硬、更軟，或者更耐久，但是還不能用一群原子做出新的東西。為什麼呢？因為物質是由億兆顆原子組成的，要移動這麼多原子耗費的時間太長。
‧ 本段單字
1) currently (adv.) 目前，現在
2) crude (a.) 粗糙的，未成熟的
3) alter (v.) 改變
4) property (n.) 特性，屬性
5) plastic (n.) 塑膠
6) durable (a.) 耐久的
7) billion (n.) 十億
3.
So, the next big step in nanotechnology will be building machines that can do this 1)automatically. Once we have these we should be able to make almost anything with no waste and no pollution, at very little cost. Scientists think that the first "2)Universal 3)Assembler" might be built in around 15 years.
因此，奈米科技的下一步重大進展是要製造可自動移動原子的機器。一旦我們擁有這種機器，應該就能製造幾乎任何東西，無廢料、零污染，而且成本極低。科學家認為第一座「通用組合機」將在大約十五年內完成。
‧ 本段單字
1) automatically (adv.) 自動地
2) universal (a.) 普遍性的
3) assembler (n.) 裝配器
4.
Certain to come sooner than that are other equally amazing things. Imagine 1)microscopic robots swimming through your 2)bloodstream destroying any 3)invaders that weren't part of your DNA. That would mean the end of the common cold and other 4)viruses. Think about having bones that had been strengthened so that you could jump off a twenty-story building and then walk away unhurt.
確定會比那更早出現的還有一些同樣驚人的東西。想像一下，有微小的機器人在你的血液中游泳，毀滅任何不屬你DNA的侵入者。這樣就可以終結感冒以及其他病毒。或者你可以想像你的骨骼已經強化過，可以從二十層高樓跳下，然後毫髮無損地離去。
‧ 本段單字
1) microscopic (a.) 微小的
2) bloodstream (n.) 血流
3) invader (n.) 入侵者，侵略者
4) virus (n.) 病毒
5.
In the near future, as a direct result of nanotechnology, the question "Who wants to live forever?" might stop being a rhetorical one.
在不久的將來，奈米科技所帶來的直接影響，會使「誰想永遠活著？」這樣一句話不再只是隨便問問罷了。
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