3D印表機 - 6分鐘英語：英語精讀講義

Six Minute English from the BBC.

BBC的《六分鐘英語》。

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

大家好，這裡是BBC英語教學的《六分鐘英語》。

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，在德國，Johannes Gutenberg發明了印刷機，

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

這是一種能夠大量複製同一頁文字的機器。

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

從那時起，印刷術就在世界各地被用來生產書籍、報紙和雜誌。

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

印刷技術自Gutenberg時代以來已經取得了長足的進步，

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

但即使是當今最先進的雷射印表機，也只能列印平面的二維物體

until now.

直到現在。

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

在本期節目中，我們要討論的是3D印表機，

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

這種印表機可以用各種材料製造出實體的三維物體，

including plastic, concrete, and metal.

包括塑膠、混凝土和金屬。

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

那麼，Neil，當你說能製造實體物體的印表機時，

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

我猜你說的不是普通的印表機。

That's right, Sam.

沒錯，Sam。

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

這些龐大而複雜的3D印表機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

不像雕塑家那樣透過鑿去石塊來展現底下的形狀，

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

3D印表機的工作方式恰恰相反，

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

透過逐層添加材料來建構出物理實體。

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

而以這種方式列印物體的能力，正在為許多問題提供解決方案，

as we'll be finding out. 表達脈絡

正如我們將要發現的那樣。

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

但首先，我有一個問題要問你，Neil。

Before Johannes Gutenberg invented his printing press,

在Johannes Gutenberg發明他的印刷機之前，

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

文本副本是透過使用手工雕刻的木版沾墨水進行雕版印刷製作的。

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

那麼，已知最早以這種方式印刷的文本是什麼？

Was it A, a religious teaching,

是A，一部宗教教義，

B, a cooking recipe,

B，一份烹飪食譜，

or C, a love letter?

還是C，一封情書？

I think it might have been a recipe. 文法

我想可能是食譜吧。

Okay, Neil.

好的，Neil。

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

我將在節目稍後揭曉答案。

The idea of printing solid objects is not new, 文法

列印實體物體的想法並不新鮮，

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

但直到千禧年之後，科技公司才開始意識到該如何實現它。

Here's Professor Mark Miodownik,

下面是Mark Miodownik教授，

a material scientist at University College London, 用詞

倫敦大學學院的材料科學家，

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

在BBC世界服務頻道的《People Fixing the World》節目中做進一步解釋。

As the millennium turned, patents expired, 講解

「隨著千禧年的到來，專利到期了，

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

這意味著人們開始製造非常便宜的3D印表機，

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

人們開始擺弄它們，並感嘆：

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

『等一下，這不僅僅是一個工業工具。

You can put them in

你可以把它們放進

schools. You can put them in universities.

學校裡。你可以把它們放進大學裡。

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

噢，它用來製作原型真的太棒了。』

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

然後人們對此感到興奮，它成了解決一切問題的方法。

Everything was going to be 3D printed." 文法

一切東西都將是3D列印的。」

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

在2000年之後，3D印表機突然變得便宜多了，

and tech companies started mucking about with them,

科技公司也開始擺弄起它們來，

spending time playing with them in a fun way. 文法

花時間以有趣的方式把玩它們。

They realized that 3D printers had many uses.

他們意識到3D印表機有許多用途。

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

例如，他們發現3D印表機非常適合製作原型，

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

也就是一種可以被測試、改進的機器產品模型，

and used to develop better products.

並用於開發更好的產品。

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

Miodownik教授認為這些科技公司對3D列印的實用性感到驚訝。

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

他用「等一下（hold on a minute）」這個短語來表達這種驚訝或難以置信。

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

事實上，事實證明3D印表機非常適合製作客製化（bespoke）物品，

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

即專門為特定的人製作的物體。

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

3D列印顯著改善的一個領域是醫療義肢，

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

這是專門為失去手臂、

a leg, or a foot, for example.

腿或腳的人製作的人造身體部位。

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

2021年，在童年事故中失去一隻眼睛的Stephen Verze，

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

成為第一個戴上3D列印義眼的人。

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

因為是義眼，所以新眼睛並沒有恢復Stephen的視力，

but it has boosted his confidence. 片語搭配

但它增強了他的自信。

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

外科醫生Mandeep Sagoo在Moorfields醫院領導了

that operated on Stephen's eye. 片語動詞

為Stephen進行眼睛手術的團隊。

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

這裡他在向BBC世界服務頻道的《People Fixing the World》欄目做進一步解釋。

In many countries, particularly the developed world, 用詞

「在許多國家，特別是在已開發國家，

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

有專門客製化義眼的設施，

to match the other eye. 片語搭配

以匹配另一隻眼睛。

And that's an artisan process, 用詞

這是一項手藝活，

which is very time-consuming and requires real artistry 講解

非常耗時，而且需要真正的藝術造詣，

on the part of the ocularist.

對眼科研製師來說。

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

眼科研製師就是負責安裝義眼的人。

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

因此，我們一直在開發的是一種使整個過程自動化的技術。」

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

甚至在3D印表機出現之前，義眼就已經是在被客製化（custom-made）了，

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

這個詞與bespoke相似，意思都是根據特定的人的要求

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

專門製作。

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

但是傳統手工製作義眼的方法非常耗時（time-consuming）。

It takes a lot of time to do.

需要花費很多時間去做。

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

如今，3D列印可以在短短30分鐘內完成整個過程。

It's great to see technology helping people,

很高興看到技術能幫助人們，

and amazing how far new inventions like 3D printers 慣用語

而且自從Johannes Gutenberg的時代以來，像3D印表機這樣的新發明

have come since the days of Johannes Gutenberg.

已經取得了如此驚人的進展。

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

說到這個，Neil，是時候揭曉我問題的答案了。

Right.

對。

You asked me about the earliest known text 文法

你問我已知最早的

to have been printed using wooden blocks,

使用木版印刷的文本是什麼，

and I guessed it was a cooking recipe.

我猜是烹飪食譜。

So, was I right?

那麼，我猜對了嗎？

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

恐怕你猜錯了，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實是一部宗教文本，

the Buddha's Diamond Sutra. 文化背景

佛陀的《金剛經》。

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

好了，讓我們來回顧一下本期節目的詞彙，

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

從mucking about開始，這是一種非正式的說法，意為

playing with something carelessly, not for a serious reason.

隨意把玩某物，不是出於嚴肅的原因。

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

prototype（原型）是可以被測試、

improved, and used to develop a better product.

改進並用於開發更好產品的模型。

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

短語「hold on a minute（等一下）」可以用來表達驚訝或懷疑。

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

Prosthetics指的是人造身體部位，如手臂、腿、腳或眼睛，

which are used to replace a missing natural part.

它們被用來替代缺失的自然部位。

The words bespoke and custom-made describe something specially

bespoke和custom-made這兩個詞描述的是專門

made for a particular person.

為特定人製作的東西（客製化的）。

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

最後，如果某事是time-consuming（耗時的），那就意味著它需要花費很多時間去做。

Goodbye for now.

暫時再見了。

Goodbye.

再見。

Six Minute English from the BBC.

BBC的《六分鐘英語》。