美国科学60秒 SSS 2013-01-21
时间：2018-12-24 作者：英语课 分类：Scientific American(一)月
英语课
Medicinal tablets are nothing new. Doctors have been dispensing 1 pills for thousands of years. And now archaeologists have turned up some of those ancient medicines, which were preserved in a shipwreck 2 for close to two millennia 4.
The 2nd-century Pozzino wreck 3 was discovered in 1974 off the coast of Italy in 1974. It’s cargo 5 included medical equipment like a cupping vessel 6, iron probe, and tin boxes of supplies. And in one of those boxes, researchers recovered five gray tablets. Now, they’ve analyzed 7 the antique medication. The work is in the Proceedings 8 of the National Academy of Sciences. [Gianna Giachi et al., Ingredients of a 2,000-y-old medicine revealed by chemical, mineralogical, and botanical investigations]
The pills primarily contained zinc 9 compounds, probably the active medicinal ingredients. But researchers also detected starch 10, pollen 11, charcoal 12, fats and linen 13 fibers 14. Those fibers helped the tablets hold their round, loaf-like shape, which may be the key to the medication's use: the Greek word meaning “small round loaves” also inspired the word collyrium, or eye-wash. The pills were probably either dissolved in liquid or ground into a powder and used to treat eye conditions. Who knows, maybe Hippocrates used them on his pupils.
—Sophie Bushwick
1 dispensing
v.分配( dispense的现在分词 )；施与；配（药）
- A dispensing optician supplies glasses, but doesn't test your eyes. 配镜师为你提供眼镜，但不检查眼睛。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The firm has been dispensing ointments. 本公司配制药膏。 来自《简明英汉词典》
2 shipwreck
n.船舶失事，海难
- He walked away from the shipwreck.他船难中平安地脱险了。
- The shipwreck was a harrowing experience.那次船难是一个惨痛的经历。
3 wreck
n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难
- Weather may have been a factor in the wreck.天气可能是造成这次失事的原因之一。
- No one can wreck the friendship between us.没有人能够破坏我们之间的友谊。
4 millennia
n.一千年，千禧年
- For two millennia, exogamy was a major transgression for Jews. 两千年来，异族通婚一直是犹太人的一大禁忌。
- In the course of millennia, the dinosaurs died out. 在几千年的时间里，恐龙逐渐死绝了。
5 cargo
n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物
- The ship has a cargo of about 200 ton.这条船大约有200吨的货物。
- A lot of people discharged the cargo from a ship.许多人从船上卸下货物。
6 vessel
n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管
- The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
- You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。
7 analyzed
v.分析( analyze的过去式和过去分词 )；分解；解释；对…进行心理分析
- The doctors analyzed the blood sample for anemia. 医生们分析了贫血的血样。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The young man did not analyze the process of his captivation and enrapturement, for love to him was a mystery and could not be analyzed. 这年轻人没有分析自己蛊惑著迷的过程，因为对他来说，爱是个不可分析的迷。 来自《简明英汉词典》
8 proceedings
n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报
- He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
- to initiate legal proceedings against sb 对某人提起诉讼
9 zinc
n.锌；vt.在...上镀锌
- Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc.黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。
- Zinc is used to protect other metals from corrosion.锌被用来保护其他金属不受腐蚀。
10 starch
n.淀粉；vt.给...上浆
- Corn starch is used as a thickener in stews.玉米淀粉在炖煮菜肴中被用作增稠剂。
- I think there's too much starch in their diet.我看是他们的饮食里淀粉太多了。
11 pollen
n.[植]花粉
- Hummingbirds have discovered that nectar and pollen are very nutritious.蜂鸟发现花蜜和花粉是很有营养的。
- He developed an allergy to pollen.他对花粉过敏。
12 charcoal
n.炭，木炭，生物炭
- We need to get some more charcoal for the barbecue.我们烧烤需要更多的碳。
- Charcoal is used to filter water.木炭是用来过滤水的。
13 linen
n.亚麻布，亚麻线，亚麻制品；adj.亚麻布制的，亚麻的
- The worker is starching the linen.这名工人正在给亚麻布上浆。
- Fine linen and cotton fabrics were known as well as wool.精细的亚麻织品和棉织品像羊毛一样闻名遐迩。
14 fibers
光纤( fiber的名词复数 )； （织物的）质地； 纤维，纤维物质
- Thesolution of collagen-PVA was wet spined with the sodium sulfate as coagulant and collagen-PVA composite fibers were prepared. 在此基础上，以硫酸钠为凝固剂，对胶原-PVA共混溶液进行湿法纺丝，制备了胶原-PVA复合纤维。
- Sympathetic fibers are distributed to all regions of the heart. 交感神经纤维分布于心脏的所有部分。