感谢上次参加节目的同学,这一期更新的有点晚了，请原谅～～～

文章分为4段,耐心阅读哦.有不懂的词语问小D

Superconducting Materials
  The stone age, The Iron Age. Entire epochs
 have been named for materials. So what to
call the decades ahead? The choice will be
tough. Welcome to the age of superstuff.
Material science -- once the least sexy
technology – is bursting with new, practical
 discoveries led by superconducting ceramics
that may revolutionize electronics. But
superconductors are just part of the picture:
 from house and cars to cook pots and artificial
teeth, the world will someday be made of different
 stuff. Exotic plastics, glass and ceramics will
shape the future just as surely as have genetic
engineering and computer science.



 The key to the new materials is researchers’
increasing ability to manipulate substances
at the molecular level. Ceramics, for example,
 have long been limited by their brittleness.
But by minimizing the microscopic imperfections
 that cause it, scientists are making far stronger
ceramics that still retain such qualities as
hardness and heat resistance. Ford Motor Co. now
uses ceramic tools to cut steel. A firm called
Kyocera has created a line of ceramic scissors
and knives that stay sharp for years and never
rust or corrode.




A similar transformation has overtaken plastics.
 High-strength polymers now form bridges, ice-skating
 rinks and helicopter rotors. And one new plastic
 that generates electricity when vibrated or pushed
 is used in electric guitars, touch sensors for robot
hands and karate jackets that automatically record
each punch and chop. Even plastic litter, which once
 threatened to permanently blot the landscape, has
proved amenable to molecular tinkering. Several
manufacturers now make biodegradable forms; some plastic
 six-pack rings for example, gradually decompose when
 exposed to sunlight. Researchers are developing ways
 to make plastics as recyclable as metal or glass.
Besides, composites – plastic reinforced with fibers
of graphite or other compounds – made the round-the-world
 flight of the voyager possible and have even been proved
in combat: a helmet saved an infantryman’s life by
deflecting two bullets in the Grenada invasion.



Some advanced materials are old standard with a
new twist. The newest fiberoptic cable that carry
telephone calls cross-country are made of glass so
transparent that a piece of 100 miles thick is clearer
 than a standard window pane.
But new materials have no impact until they are made
into products. And that transition could prove difficult,
 for switching requires lengthy research and investment.
 It can be said a firmer handle on how to move to
commercialization will determine the success or failure
 of a country in the near future.



祝贺你,顺利阅读,继续认真答题吧,有沪元在等待着你哦~~~

文章难译点:建议答完题后再看.

Vocabulary
1.superstuff                  超级材料
2.superconducting ceramic            超导陶瓷
3.exotic                        神奇的
4.shape                        塑造，成型
5.brittleness                  脆性
6.polymer                        聚合体
7.karate jacket                  空手道外衣
8.touch sensor                  触及传感器
9.each punch and chop                  每一个击、打
10.blot                        玷污，损害风景的东西
11.tinker                        修补，调整
12.amendable                  服从于，遵循的
13.biodegradable                  能生物递减分解的
14.six-pack rings                  放六个罐子的环状物
15.decompose                  分解
16.recyclable                  可循环（使用的）
17.infantryman                  步兵
18.deflect                        使偏斜，使转向
19.a new twist                  一个新的观点，方法

难句译注
1.Material science – once the least sexy technology
 – is bursting with new, practical discoveries led
 by superconducting ceramics that may revolutionize
 electronics.
【参考译文】材料科学，一度曾是最无吸引力（最不起眼）的技术，
正以崭新的 ，以超导陶瓷为首的种种实用性发明绽开新颜。这种超
导陶瓷可能会使电子技术彻底改变。
2.Some advanced materials are old standard with a new
 twist. The newest fiberoptic cables that carry telephone
 calls cross-country are made of glass so transparent
 that a piece of 100 miles thick is clearer than a standard
 window pane.
【参考译文】有些高级材料是带有新方法的老标准。最新全国电话的光纤电缆由玻璃制成。这种玻璃透明度极高，一片100英里厚的玻璃比一块标准的窗框玻璃还要清晰透明。