专业英语4_NANOTECH

1、Nanotechnology the tiny revolution,History of Nanotechnology,Nanotechnology gets its name from a measure of distance. A nanometer, or nano nn, nein, is one-thousand-millionth of a meter (十亿分之一米). This is the level of size of atoms and molecules. Nanotechnologists work with this small materials. Some

2、 experts credit the idea to physicist Richard Feynman. In 1959, this Nobel Prize winner gave a speech. He called it “Theres Plenty of Room at the Bottom.” Mister Feynman discussed the theory that scientists could make devices smaller and smaller - all the way down to the atomic level. He did not use

3、 the word nanotechnology, but for years this idea remained only a theory,Richard Feynman,Richard Feynman gave the classic talk (Theres Plenty of Room at the Bottom-An Invitation to Enter a New Field of Physics) on December 29th 1959 at the annual meeting of the American Physical Society at the Calif

4、ornia Institute of Technology (Caltech,Born: 11 May 1918 in Far Rockaway, New York, USA Died: 15 Feb 1988 in Los Angeles, California, USA 费曼对物理学的贡献非常之大，以致很多物理学家把他称为“新的”物理学之父，而爱因斯坦则是“早先的”物理学之父。 1965年，费曼和朱利安薛温格、朝永振一郎共同获得了诺贝尔物理奖，他的主要贡献在于对量子电动力学的理解，这个学科研究的是光和带电粒子之间的相互作用，特别是光和电子之间的相互作用。他在弱核反应和超导研究当中也作出了巨

5、大的贡献,Scanning Tunneling Microscope,At the time, no way existed to record structures the size of molecules. Not even electron microscopes (电子显微镜)could do the job. But as the 1980s began, two researchers found a way. Gerd Binnig and Heinrich Rohrer worked at a laboratory in Zurich Switzerland. They wo

6、rked for IBM, the American company International Business Machines(美国国际商用机器公司). They invented what they called a scanning tunneling microscope (STM)(扫瞄隧道显微镜). This permitted scientists to observe molecules and even atoms in greater detail than ever before. Once they could see microscopic structures,

7、 the next step for scientists was to find a way to create their own,IBM两名科学家利用STM直接操作原子,成功地在Ni基板上,按自己的意志安排原子组合成“IBM”字样,G. Binnig,H. Rohrer,nano-structure,By the middle of the 1980s, scientists had increased their research on carbon. They were interested in the ability to use this common element to m

8、ake nano-sized structures. Carbon had already been engineered in chemical reactions to make long polycarbonite chains (多碳链). Today, the result of carbon chemical engineering is everywhere - in the form of plastic. Scientists in the eighties wanted to create nano structures from carbon atoms. In 1985

9、, Robert Curl, Harold Kroto and Richard Smalley (斯莫利) succeeded. They aimed a laser at carbon. This powerful light caused some of the carbon to become a gas. The scientists cooled the gas to an extremely low temperature. Then they looked at the carbon material that remained. They found, among severa

10、l kinds of carbon, a molecule of sixty atoms C60,C60 is a group of tightly connected carbon atoms that form a ball. It is a very strong structure. This is because all the atoms share any loose electrons that might take part in chemical reactions with other atoms. This kind of molecular carbon can al

11、so appear with different numbers of carbon atoms. There is also C70, for example. Research has shown that carbon nano-structures even happen in nature. Scientists have found C60 and C70 structures in rock. These kinds of molecular structures had been unknown to science. For their work, Robert Curl,

12、Harold Kroto and Richard Smalley received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1996,The next nano-structure developed came in 1993. Japanese scientist Sumio Iijima (饭岛) of the NEC (日本电气公司 Nippon Electric Company) company developed carbon nanotubes(碳纳米管). These nano-sized objects are really six-sided atom

13、ic structures connected to form a tube. They are extremely strong. Scientists believe that someday nanotubes could replace the carbon graphite(石墨) now used to make airplane parts,Soon after this discovery, researchers started to think about using nanotubes to build extremely small devices,Nano Appli

14、cations,On May first of last year IBM announced that it had made the worlds smallest light. Researchers used a carbon nanotube attached to a silicon base. They sent electrical charges down the tube. The reaction between the particles produces an extremely small amount of light. IBM says the waveleng

15、th produced could be used in communications. Nanotubes are not the only form of nanotechnology. Scientists are studying many different materials. In the British magazine the Economist reported that a company has developed a special kind of cloth using nanotechnology. This cloth made by Gorix is trea

16、ted with gasses under heat. This process gives the cloth the ability to carry electricity like metal,The military is interested in such technology. Some researchers hope to develop what they call “smart cloth. Such cloth could transmit signals, record information or even change color. Clothing maker

17、s have already found civilian uses for cloth made with nanotechnology. This kind of material has the ability to resist dirt and always look freshly pressed. Common products can be improved with nanotechnology. The sports equipment company Wilson has developed a new tennis ball using nano-science,The

18、 inside of the ball is covered with a thin layer of an extremely fine substance. A special clay with nano-sized particles makes the ball last longer and perform better. Today, the ball is used for the Davis Cup (戴维斯杯) tennis competition,Davis Cup tennis competition,戴维斯杯网球赛是每年一度的世界男子网球团体赛，也是世界网坛层次最高，

19、影响最大的国际性 团体赛，由国际网球联合会主办，是除奥林匹克网球比赛外历史最长的网球比赛。因系美国人戴维斯倡议举办，并捐赠银质奖杯授于冠军队，故名戴维斯杯网球锦标赛,Indeed, the possibilities of nanotechnology appear endless. Some researchers hope to create nano-sized devices that will enter the body to fight disease or replace lost body parts. Engineers hope nanotechnology will h

20、elp industry make materials atom by atom. They also hope to use nano-stuctures to create materials that are lighter and stronger than ever before,In electronics, we have already seen the work of nanotechnology. In 2000, the American company Intel announced that it had created a transistortrnzist(晶体管

21、) only thirty nanometers in size. Transistors are small devices that control the flow of electrical current,As if this was not small enough, IBM announced that its scientists had created an even smaller transistor - only four to eight nanometers thick. Experts say this kind of technology will permit

22、 computers in the future to store much larger amounts of information. Nanotechnologists have also been at work to develop brighter flat screens for such things as computers and wireless telephones. However, scientific claims can sometimes move faster than the science behind them. In November of 2001

23、, a scientist claimed to have created the smallest transistor yet. Jan Hendrik Schon said it was the width of one molecule. He and his team worked for Lucent Technologies (朗讯科技公司) at its Bell Laboratories in New Jersey,Lucent Technologies,朗讯科技公司（此前为AT&T网络系统与技术部门）于一九九六年四月正式成立，总部设在美国新泽西州玛瑞山，是全球最大的通讯设备

24、制造公司，主要从事通讯设备的设计、制造和销售业务，产品包括公用和专用网络、有线与无线通讯系统和软件、数据网络系统、网络产品、商用电话系统和微电子器件。 贝尔实验室作为朗讯的研发机构，是众多重大发明的诞生地，如晶体管、激光、数字计算机、通讯卫星、蜂窝移动电话等。同时，贝尔实验室是全球拥有最多诺贝尔奖的机构。目前已有11位获得诺贝尔奖的科学家，如著名华裔科学家朱棣文博士。贝尔实验室迄今已获得近三万项专利，平均每个工作日产生3.5个 专利技术。 目前，朗讯科技（中国）有限公司在北京、上海、天津、广州、武汉、成都、青岛、沈阳及香港等设立7个地区办事处、8个合资企业和3个独资公司，生产几乎所有它在中国销

25、售的电信网络设备,朱棣文用激光捕获原子,1997年获诺贝尔物理学奖的华裔物理学家朱棣文，可谓“第三代华裔诺贝尔奇才”他的父母与李政道、杨 振宁同期赴美留学。朱棣文从小喜欢动手组装机械、 获博士学位后进入著名的贝尔实验室，在实验室中捕捉原子，最终以首创利用激光冷却和俘获原子，获得诺贝尔物理学奖。 在原子物理学中，捕捉气体中的原子十分艰难。常温中，原子以每秒数百公里的速度向四面八方移动，一般的冷却方式会让气体凝结成液体而结冰。朱棣文采用最 前沿的激光束技术，在零下273捕获住原子这就犹如以喷水的方式让行进中的原子静止，悬浮于空中，再对它研究、加工、利用。用此方法可以解读DNA 密码、制造精密的电子

26、元件、测量万有引力、深入观察油田的内层、进行精确的地面卫星定位,The company later ordered on investigation. The investigation found that some of the research came from earlier studies. It also found there was little evidence that the scientist developed what he had claimed. Not everyone agrees that nanotechnology is a good idea. B

27、ill Joy is chief scientist at Sun Microsystems in California. He says he fears that nanotechnology will be used for the war against terrorism terriz()m (恐怖主义). He says he believes it will be possible to develop microscopic robots that can build copies of themselves - just like living creatures. He s

28、ays such robots might change the balance of life on Earth,Such a danger as Bill Joy imagines has already caught the interest of writers and moviemakers. Theres a new movie called Prey, based on a book by Michael Crichton, that could help influence what some people think of nanotechnology. But suppor

29、ters believe the current research will lead to great discoveries. Nobel Prize winner Richard Smalley is one of them. He says he believes that people like Bill Joy are simply wrong. At the same time, there are also efforts to establish new centers to study the possible side effects (副作用) of nanotechnology. There is concern, for example, about sicknesses in factory workers who may breathe extremely small particles,Michael Crichton and his Movie,迈克尔克莱顿（Michael Crichton）的科幻小说，许多