迟到的名望_新浪教育

Fame, at last

http://www.sina.com.cn 2005/12/15 12:12 英语沙龙

　　导读：2005年诺贝尔物理学奖、化学奖、医学奖10月初陆续揭晓，这些获奖成果和获奖者引起了全球的特别关注，其焦点主要集中在这些科学研究的广泛应用性以及科学家对人类作出的巨大贡献上：物理学获奖者的研究成果开发了精密激光技术，化学获奖者的成果广泛用于研发药物和先进塑材上，而医学奖获得者的成果使胃病成为可以彻底治愈的疾病。但是，《经济学家》杂志的这篇文章则从另一个角度对本话题进行解读，视角独特，不但给人以新鲜感，而且也颇耐人寻味。

　　无论从语言还是内容上看，文章最后一句都是神来之笔：“Not all that is famous is important and not all that is important is famous.” (不是所有著名的都是重要的，也不是所有重要的都是著名的)。该句的后半句是点题的，可以说是中心思想。从语言上讲，该句看起来对称和谐，读起来节奏感强，堪称“简洁英语”的典范。

　　另外，文章在选词上灵活多变，有口语、拉丁语和俚语，如：geeky (过时的)，fiat lux(让光出现吧)，sleight of hand(巧妙的手法)，既恰到好处地表达了意思，又不乏风趣幽默，增加了文章的可读性。

　　Fame, at last

　　迟到的名望

　　Prizes for the elimination of stomach ulcers, an explanation of light, a better clock and a better way of making chemicals

　　为消除胃溃疡、解释光本质、制造精密钟表和改进化学物质制造技术颁奖

　　IT IS one of the paradoxes of the Nobel prizes—at least of those awarded for science—that while everyone agrees they are terribly important, usually no one has heard of either the winners or what they have done. For this year's medicine prize, though, that is only half true. It is, to be sure, unlikely that many readers will be familiar with the names of Barry Marshall and Robin Warren. But quite a few will be aware of their discovery. For Dr Marshall and Dr Warren are responsible for abolishing what was once one of the most frequent and unpleasant pieces of abdominal surgery: the cutting out of stomach and duodenal ulcers.

　　As the Karolinska Institute, the Swedish medical-research university that decides who gets the prize for medicine, realised, “their discovery of the bacterium Helicobacter pylori and its role in gastritis and peptic ulcer disease” was one of the most important medical findings of the 20th century. Until the two winners identified the bug responsible and showed what it was doing (in Dr Marshall's case by deliberately infecting himself), ulcers were seen as the result of a biochemical error (the production of too much stomach acid), often brought on by stress. In some circles, indeed, an ulcer was the badge of a hard-working executive: perhaps not as definitive proof of dedication to the job as a heart attack, but a lot less lethal. Now they are treated with antibiotics and a drug that reduces stomach-acid production.

　　The work of Dr Marshall and Dr Warren has certainly had an effect on everyday life. But if the Karolinska could be seen as playing to the gallery in giving them a prize, such an accusation could not be levelled at Sweden's Royal Academy of Science, which awards the physics and chemistry prizes. This year's winners could hardly be geekier. The academy gave half the physics prize to Roy Glauber “for his contribution to the quantum theory of optical coherence”. The other half, divided evenly, went to John Hall and Theodore Hänsch “for their contributions to the development of laser-based precision spectroscopy, including the optical frequency comb technique”. Meanwhile the chemistry prize, also split three ways, was awarded for “the development of the metathesis method in organic synthesis”. In this case Yves Chauvin, Robert Grubbs and Richard Schrock were the recipients.

　　Fiat lux

　　Dr Glauber's contribution to science, translated into English, was to drag the field of optics into the modern, quantum world. Quantum theory started at the beginning of the 20th century, in part with work on light. But it was, ironically, not until the invention of the laser in 1960 that understanding the quantum nature of optics became crucial. Before then, although physicists knew that light was a quantum phenomenon, they had been able to get away with using the old wave-based descriptions. Afterwards, they needed a proper quantum theory, and Dr Glauber provided it. If the length of time this took is ironic, however, the 40-plus years that elapsed before the achievement was acknowledged are even more so.

　　Dr Hall and Dr Hänsch, meanwhile, are responsible for taking the art of measurement to new extremes. An optical frequency comb is a way of measuring the frequency of light with great precision. That, in turn, can be used to measure time in segments a few billionths of a billionth of a second long, and distance with similar accuracy—which might seem pointless, but is vital when studying such things as the speed of the chemical reactions for which the chemistry prize was awarded.

　　Metathesis, the technique for which Dr Chauvin, Dr Grubbs and Dr Schrock will receive their prizes, is a form of chemical sleight of hand that allows groups of atoms to be moved efficiently from one molecule to another. Dr Chauvin worked out the theory in the early 1970s, while in the 1990s Dr Grubbs and Dr Schrock used that theory to design catalysts that make the process far more effective. Since the molecules involved (so-called organic molecules, which are organised around a core of interconnected carbon atoms) are the basis of industries as diverse as petrochemicals and drugs, this technique has had as great a practical impact in its area as the discovery of H. pylori has had on medicine. Not all that is famous is important, and not all that is important is famous. -

迟到的名望

　　这是诺贝尔奖的矛盾之一，至少对那些诺贝尔科学奖得主是如此：尽管大家都认为他们非常重要，但通常人们既没听说过他们，也不知道他们做了些什么。但对于今年的医学奖来说，这只说对了一半。的确，许多读者可能不熟悉巴里－马歇尔和罗宾－沃伦两人的名字。但是不少人可能熟悉他们的发现。因为马歇尔博士和沃伦博士废除了曾是最常见、但最令人不快的胃肠手术之一：切除胃溃疡和十二指肠溃疡。

　　决定医学奖得主的瑞典医学研究大学卡罗林斯卡医学院认为，“他们对幽门螺杆菌及其导致胃炎和消化性溃疡作用的发现”是20世纪最重要的医学发现之一。在这两位获奖者找出致病细菌并显示该细菌如何致病(马歇尔博士有意使自己感染了此细菌)之前，人们都认为溃疡是因精神压力导致生化反应出现错误造成的(致使产生大量的胃酸)。的确，在某些领域，溃疡病是勤勉工作的行政人员的标记，也许并不像心脏病那样被认为是敬业的确证，只是致命率要低得多。现在，胃溃疡和十二指肠溃疡可以通过服用抗生素和减少胃酸产生的药物来治疗。

　　马歇尔博士和沃伦博士的研究肯定对人们的日常生活有所影响。但是如果卡罗林斯卡医学院给他们颁奖有可能被看作是哗众取宠的话，那么，颁发物理学奖和化学奖的瑞典皇家科学院不会受到同样的指责。今年的获奖者不可能更老派了。科学院把物理学奖的一半授予了罗伊－格劳伯，奖励他“对光相干量子理论作出的贡献”。另一半平分成两半，分别授予约翰－霍尔和西奥多－汉施，奖励他们“对基于激光的精密光谱学的发展作出了贡献，其中包括光梳技术”。同时，化学奖也被分成三部分，授予了“创造有机合成中的复分解法”的人，他们分别是伊夫－肖万、罗伯特－格拉布和理查德－施罗克。

　　让光出现吧

　　如果翻译成英文的话，格劳伯对科学的贡献是将光学领域拖进了现代量子世界中。量子理论始于20世纪初，是光学研究的一部分。但是，具有讽刺意义的是，直到1960年激光发明后，认识光学的量子本质才变得至关重要。在此之前，虽然物理学家知道光是一种量子现象，但还是能用老的基于光波的描述搪塞过去。后来，他们需要一种合适的量子理论，而格劳伯博士提供了这样的理论。如果说研究所花的时间跨度具有讽刺意义的话，那么，40多年后才承认这项成就就更是如此了。

　　同时，霍尔和亨施博士使测量技术达到了新的极致。光梳技术是精密测量光谱频率的一种方法。它还可以用来测量时间，可以把一秒种分割成几个十亿分之一的十亿分之一来测量，同样也可以精密地测量距离。这也许显得毫无意义，但是在研究诸如化学反应速度等问题时就至关重要。化学奖就是授予这一研究的。

　　复分解是一种化学技术，能使原子团有效地从一个分子转移到另一个分子。伊夫－肖万、罗伯特－格拉布和理查德－施罗克博士将因此项技术而获奖。肖万博士在20世纪70年代初创立了该理论，20世纪90年代，罗伯特－格拉布和理查德－施罗克博士运用该理论研制出催化剂，使化学反应效率大为提高。由于涉及的分子(所谓的有机分子，通常由分布在互相链接的碳原子核心周围的原子构成)是许多工业的基础，比如石油化学和制药业，因此，这一技术在其领域产生的实际影响不亚于幽门螺杆菌的发现对医学产生的影响。不是所有著名的都是重要的，也不是所有重要的都是著名的。

　　(章晓英译注自The Economist Oct. 6, 2005)

　　——摘自《英语文摘》2005年12期

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