3D打印机 - 6分钟英语：英语精读讲义

Six Minute English from the BBC.

BBC的《六分钟英语》。

Hello, this is Six Minute English from BBC Learning English.

大家好，这里是BBC英语教学的《六分钟英语》。

I'm Sam.

我是Sam。

And I'm Neil.

我是Neil。

In 1436 in Germany, Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press, 文化背景

1436年，在德国，Johannes Gutenberg发明了印刷机，

a machine capable of making many copies of the same page of text. 語法

这是一种能够大量复制同一页文本的机器。

Ever since printing has been used around the world to produce books, newspapers, and magazines. 講解

从那时起，印刷术就在世界各地被用来生产书籍、报纸和杂志。

Printing technology has come a long way since Gutenberg's time, 習語

印刷技术自Gutenberg时代以来已经取得了长足的进步，

but even today's most advanced laser printers have only printed flat two-dimensional objects 表達脈絡

但即使是当今最先进的激光打印机，也只能打印平面的二维物体

until now.

直到现在。

In this program, we're discussing 3D printers, 表達脈絡

在本期节目中，我们要讨论的是3D打印机，

printers which can build solid three-dimensional objects out of a variety of materials, 短語搭配

这种打印机可以用各种材料制造出实体的三维物体，

including plastic, concrete, and metal.

包括塑料、混凝土和金属。

Now, Neil, when you say a printer that can make solid objects,

那么，Neil，当你说能制造实体物体的打印机时，

I guess you're not talking about a normal printer. 語氣意圖

我猜你说的不是普通的打印机。

That's right, Sam.

没错，Sam。

These large and complex 3D printers work in a completely different way. 短語搭配

这些庞大而复杂的3D打印机的工作原理完全不同。

Unlike a sculptor who chips away at a block of stone to reveal a shape underneath, 講解

不像雕塑家那样通过凿去石块来展现底下的形状，

3D printers work in the opposite way, 表達脈絡

3D打印机的工作方式恰恰相反，

building up physical objects by adding material layer on layer. 講解

通过逐层添加材料来构建出物理实体。

And the ability to print objects in this way is providing solutions to many problems, 講解

而以这种方式打印物体的能力，正在为许多问题提供解决方案，

as we'll be finding out. 表達脈絡

正如我们将要发现的那样。

But first, I have a question for you, Neil. 表達脈絡

但首先，我有一个问题要问你，Neil。

Before Johannes Gutenberg invented his printing press,

在Johannes Gutenberg发明他的印刷机之前，

copies of texts were made by block printing using hand-carved wooden blocks pressed into ink. 講解

文本副本是通过使用手工雕刻的木版蘸墨水进行雕版印刷制作的。

So, what was the oldest known text to be printed this way? 語法

那么，已知最早以这种方式印刷的文本是什么？

Was it A, a religious teaching,

是A，一部宗教教义，

B, a cooking recipe,

B，一份烹饪食谱，

or C, a love letter?

还是C，一封情书？

I think it might have been a recipe. 語法

我想可能是食谱吧。

Okay, Neil.

好的，Neil。

I'll reveal the answer later in the program. 表達脈絡

我将在节目稍后揭晓答案。

The idea of printing solid objects is not new, 語法

打印实体物体的想法并不新鲜，

but it was only after the millennium that tech companies began to realize how it could be done. 語法

但直到千禧年之后，科技公司才开始意识到该如何实现它。

Here's Professor Mark Miodownik,

下面是Mark Miodownik教授，

a material scientist at University College London, 用詞

伦敦大学学院的材料科学家，

explaining more to BBC World Service program People Fixing the World.

在BBC世界服务频道的《People Fixing the World》节目中做进一步解释。

As the millennium turned, patents expired, 講解

“随着千禧年的到来，专利到期了，

and that meant people started making really cheap 3D printers, 表達脈絡

这意味着人们开始制造非常便宜的3D打印机，

and people started mucking about with them and going, 短語動詞

人们开始摆弄它们，并感叹：

"Hold on a minute, it's not just an industrial tool. 講解

‘等一下，这不仅仅是一个工业工具。

You can put them in

你可以把它们放进

schools. You can put them in universities.

学校里。你可以把它们放进大学里。

Oh, it's actually really great for prototyping. 短語搭配

噢，它用来制作原型真的太棒了。’

And then people got excited about it and it became the answer to everything. 講解

然后人们对此感到兴奋，它成了解决一切问题的方法。

Everything was going to be 3D printed." 語法

一切东西都将是3D打印的。”

After the year 2000, 3D printers suddenly got much cheaper 短語搭配

在2000年之后，3D打印机突然变得便宜多了，

and tech companies started mucking about with them,

科技公司也开始摆弄起它们来，

spending time playing with them in a fun way. 語法

花时间以有趣的方式把玩它们。

They realized that 3D printers had many uses.

他们意识到3D打印机有许多用途。

For example, they discovered that 3D printers were great at making prototypes, 短語搭配

例如，他们发现3D打印机非常适合制作原型，

models of a product that can be tested, improved, 用詞

也就是一种可以被测试、改进的机器产品模型，

and used to develop better products.

并用于开发更好的产品。

Professor Miodownik thinks these tech companies were surprised at how useful 3D printing was. 短語搭配

Miodownik教授认为这些科技公司对3D打印的实用性感到惊讶。

He uses the phrase "hold on a minute" to express this surprise or disbelief.

他用“等一下（hold on a minute）”这个短语来表达这种惊讶或难以置信。

In fact, it turned out that 3D printers were excellent at making bespoke things, 講解

事实上，事实证明3D打印机非常适合制作定制（bespoke）物品，

objects which are made specially for a particular person. 短語搭配

即专门为特定的人制作的物体。

One area which 3D printing dramatically improved was medical prosthetics, 講解

3D打印显著改善的一个领域是医疗假肢，

artificial body parts made specially for someone who has lost an arm, 用詞

这是专门为失去手臂、

a leg, or a foot, for example.

腿或脚的人制作的人造身体部位。

In 2021, Stephen Verze, who lost an eye in a childhood accident,

2021年，在童年事故中失去一只眼睛的Stephen Verze，

became the first person to be fitted with a 3D printed prosthetic eye. 講解

成为第一个戴上3D打印假眼的人。

It's prosthetic, so the new eye doesn't restore Stephen's sight, 短語搭配

因为是假眼，所以新眼睛并没有恢复Stephen的视力，

but it has boosted his confidence. 短語搭配

但它增强了他的自信。

Surgeon Mandeep Sagoo led the team at Moorfields Hospital 短語搭配

外科医生Mandeep Sagoo在Moorfields医院领导了

that operated on Stephen's eye. 短語動詞

为Stephen进行眼睛手术的团队。

Here he is explaining more to BBC World Service People Fixing the World.

这里他在向BBC世界服务频道的《People Fixing the World》栏目做进一步解释。

In many countries, particularly the developed world, 用詞

“在许多国家，特别是在发达国家，

there are facilities for custom making a prosthetic eye 短語搭配

有专门定制假眼的设施，

to match the other eye. 短語搭配

以匹配另一只眼睛。

And that's an artisan process, 用詞

这是一项手艺活，

which is very time-consuming and requires real artistry 講解

非常耗时，而且需要真正的艺术造诣，

on the part of the ocularist.

对眼科修复师来说。

The ocularist is the person who fits the prosthetic eye. 用詞

眼科修复师就是负责安装假眼的人。

And so, what we have been developing is a technique to automate the whole process. 講解

因此，我们一直在开发的是一种使整个过程自动化的技术。”

Even before 3D printers, prosthetic eyes were custom-made, 用詞

甚至在3D打印机出现之前，假眼就已经是在被定制（custom-made）了，

a word similar to bespoke, which means specially made 短語搭配

这个词与bespoke相似，意思都是根据特定的人的要求

according to a particular person's requirements. 短語搭配

专门制作。

But the traditional way of making artificial eyes by hand is very time-consuming. 短語搭配

但是传统手工制作假眼的方法非常耗时（time-consuming）。

It takes a lot of time to do.

需要花费很多时间去做。

Nowadays, 3D printing can complete the whole process in just 30 minutes. 短語搭配

如今，3D打印可以在短短30分钟内完成整个过程。

It's great to see technology helping people,

很高兴看到技术能帮助人们，

and amazing how far new inventions like 3D printers 習語

而且自从Johannes Gutenberg的时代以来，像3D打印机这样的新发明

have come since the days of Johannes Gutenberg.

已经取得了如此惊人的进展。

Speaking of which, Neil, it's time to reveal the answer to my question. 講解

说到这个，Neil，是时候揭晓我问题的答案了。

Right.

对。

You asked me about the earliest known text 語法

你问我已知最早的

to have been printed using wooden blocks,

使用木版印刷的文本是什么，

and I guessed it was a cooking recipe.

我猜是烹饪食谱。

So, was I right?

那么，我猜对了吗？

You were wrong, I'm afraid, Neil. 語氣意圖

恐怕你猜错了，Neil。

The oldest known wooden block print was actually a religious text, 用詞

已知最古老的木版印刷品其实是一部宗教文本，

the Buddha's Diamond Sutra. 文化背景

佛陀的《金刚经》。

Okay, let's recap the vocabulary from this program, 表達脈絡

好了，让我们来回顾一下本期节目的词汇，

starting with mucking about, an informal way to say 表達脈絡

从mucking about开始，这是一种非正式的说法，意为

playing with something carelessly, not for a serious reason.

随意把玩某物，不是出于严肃的原因。

A prototype is a model of a product that can be tested,

prototype（原型）是可以被测试、

improved, and used to develop a better product.

改进并用于开发更好产品的模型。

The phrase "hold on a minute" can be used to express surprise or disbelief.

短语“hold on a minute（等一下）”可以用来表达惊讶或怀疑。

Prosthetics refer to artificial body parts such as arms, legs, feet, or eyes, 短語搭配

Prosthetics指的是人造身体部位，如手臂、腿、脚或眼睛，

which are used to replace a missing natural part.

它们被用来替代缺失的自然部位。

The words bespoke and custom-made describe something specially

bespoke和custom-made这两个词描述的是专门

made for a particular person.

为特定人制作的东西（定制的）。

And finally, if something is time-consuming, it takes a lot of time to do.

最后，如果某事是time-consuming（耗时的），那就意味着它需要花费很多时间去做。

Goodbye for now.

暂时再见了。

Goodbye.

再见。

Six Minute English from the BBC.

BBC的《六分钟英语》。