1 / 64 句0 词已学
【短文】The Forgotten Fibre Optic
【短文】被遗忘的光纤
Lena came forth from the lab at dawn.
黎明时分，莉娜从实验室走了出来。
Her town in Ohio had once epitomised the atomic age.
她所在的俄亥俄小镇曾一度是原子时代的缩影。
Now a rusted factory stuck out of the snow.
如今，一座锈迹斑斑的工厂从雪地中突兀而出。
The plant closed in 2009, and hard times did ensue.
工厂于二零零九年关闭，艰难岁月随之而来。
She whispered a line from an old report, quote, we melt glass for the nation, unquote.
她低声念了一句旧报告里的话：我们为国家熔炼玻璃。
On the contrary, the town still had one open institute.
相反，镇上仍有一家机构开着。
It was small but not entirely idle.
它规模不大，却并非完全闲置。
Lena ran its materials lab, a kind of embryo project, and she had to resit her grant defense each spring.
莉娜负责其材料实验室，算是一个雏形项目，每年春天她都得重新参加经费答辩。
The utilization of old equipment was inevitable.
利用旧设备是不可避免的。
Ultimately, she inherited the mantle of her mentor, a particularly imaginative man.
最终，她继承了导师的衣钵，那是个格外富有想象力的人。
His work underpinned her own.
他的工作支撑了她的研究。
Subliminal cues from his notes kept her going.
他笔记中的潜意识暗示让她坚持下去。
She had to acquaint herself with every machine.
她必须熟悉每一台机器。
One press was extendable; another could permeate thin sheets with gas.
一台压机可延展，另一台能用气体渗透薄片。
She had to concentrate, because the state would not fund mistakes.
她必须全神贯注，因为州里不会为错误买单。
Unfortunately, her mentor had tried to enslave the process to a single formula.
不幸的是，她的导师曾试图将工艺束缚于单一配方。
That view proved predominantly wrong.
事实证明，那种观点大错特错。
Success would hinge on an alternative path.
成功将取决于另一条路径。
Her subsequent years passed in obscurity.
此后数年，她默默无闻。
Despite a small institute, she felt assured.
尽管机构很小，她却感到安心。
She would not censor doubt.
她不会审查疑虑。
Water was indispensable for the cooling step, so she began to delve into the embryo of a new design: a lens that could bend light around a core.
冷却步骤离不开水，于是她开始钻研一种新设计的雏形：一种能让光绕核心弯曲的透镜。
It was not ideal, but it was advantageous.
它并不理想，却有优势。
An analogous setup in nature, the eye of a shrimp, gave her a clue.
自然界中一个类似的构造——虾的眼睛——给了她线索。
She would resit the old tests with a new material.
她要用新材料重做旧测试。
Whereas the old glass was brittle, her blend would assimilate heat and express it outward.
旧玻璃易碎，而她的混合物能吸收热量并向外散发。
She used her own discretion.
她自行决断。
The nuclear option, quitting, was not for her.
退出这个核选项，不适合她。
In antiquity, craftsmen knew how to facilitate such work.
古时，工匠懂得如何推进这类工作。
A single manifestation of ignorance could ruin a batch.
一丝无知的表现就可能毁掉一批产品。
The furnace gave no indication it would furnish a clean sheet.
熔炉并未显示它会提供一张白纸。
She had to prepare for failure.
她必须为失败做好准备。
With the advent of cheap sensors, things changed.
随着廉价传感器的出现，情况变了。
An acrobatic young student joined her.
一个身手敏捷的年轻学生加入了她的团队。
His exploratory medication for his fitness was a distraction, but his family's immigration had made him a compatriot in spirit.
他为健身而探索性用药是个干扰，但他家人的移民让他成了精神上的同胞。
His conclusion was simple: they should strive.
他的结论很简单：他们应当努力。
The relentless testing impaired his sleep, but he chose to participate.
无休止的测试损害了他的睡眠，但他选择参与。
Their skills were complementary.
他们的技能互补。
A mining law once outlawed atomic waste, so they could not attain a permit without great expense.
一项采矿法曾禁止原子废料，因此他们若无巨额花费便无法获得许可。
That law entitled the state to keep the land inviolable.
那项法律赋予州政府保持土地不可侵犯的权力。
Emails would inundate her.
电子邮件会淹没她。
She did not fancy a fight.
她不想争斗。
To enfranchise the lab, she needed votes.
要让实验室获得权利，她需要选票。
Rumors abounded of venomous politics.
关于恶毒政治的谣言四起。
She would dispense with charm and compel the board with data.
她将摒弃魅力，用数据迫使董事会就范。
Her finitude pressed on her.
她的有限性压迫着她。
She looked outward, not at laterality.
她向外看，而非侧向。
The project would encompass far more than glass.
这个项目将涵盖远不止玻璃。
A remarkable idea would accompany her.
一个非凡的想法将伴随她。
The advantage was the opposite of a stillborn foetus: it would live.
其优势与死胎相反：它会活下来。
Safety was paramount.
安全至关重要。
In the midst of an autocratic review, she held firm.
在一场专断的审查中，她坚守立场。
Efficiency and a versatile team would illustrate her point.
效率和多才多艺的团队将说明她的观点。
Currently, she could surf the new wave.
目前，她能驾驭新浪潮。
An unobtrusive stimulus, a modest grant, was advisable.
一个不显眼的刺激，一笔适度的经费，是可取的。
Induction into the global network had a case.
融入全球网络有其道理。
Native focus and daily contact with the landscape kept her impartial.
本土的关注和与景观的日常接触让她保持公正。
She would cultivate the work, not ape the past.
她要培育这项工作，而非模仿过去。
A tug of doubt would strike her morality, but independence mattered more than an assistantship.
一丝疑虑会冲击她的道德，但独立比助教职位更重要。
Small gifts would foster miscellaneous support.
小礼物会促进各种支持。
She would distribute samples and accept the irrevocable advance.
她会分发样品，接受不可撤销的进展。
If error occurred, one more elicitation would follow.
若出现错误，便会有再一次的引导。
Reference note
参考外刊短篇特稿体例，以人物叙事串联学术词汇；内容原创。