I’m Sam. And, hello, I’m Rob.

我是山姆。還有，你好，我是Rob。

On August the sixth 1945, the US aircraft, Enola Gay,

1945年8月6日，美國飛機 "伊諾拉-蓋伊 "號。

dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima,

在廣島市投下一顆原子彈。

instantly killing 70,000 people.

瞬間殺死7萬人。

When Japan refused to surrender, a second bomb

當日本拒絕投降時，第二枚炸彈

was dropped on Nagasaki three days later.

三天後在長崎投放。

Many believe the bombings quickened the end of the Second World War.

許多人認為轟炸加速了第二次世界大戰的結束。

But it came at a terrible human cost,

但這是以可怕的人類代價換來的。

which some have called a crime against humanity.

有些人稱之為反人類罪。

The invention of the atomic bomb, which

原子彈的發明，它

resulted from the cooperation between

導致的結果是

the US military and some of the world’s

美國軍方和一些世界上的

leading scientific minds, was known as The Manhattan Project.

領先的科學頭腦，被稱為 "曼哈頓計劃"。

In this programme we’ll take a look into

在本節目中，我們將瞭解到

the science and the politics of The Manhattan Project,

曼哈頓計劃的科學和政治。

and as usual, we’ll learn some new vocabulary as well.

和往常一樣，我們也會學到一些新的詞彙。

Even before World War Two, scientists had known

甚至在第二次世界大戰之前，科學家就已經知道

about the potential energy inside uranium, the

關於鈾內部的潛在能量的問題。

heaviest metal in the periodic table - a diagram which groups

週期表中最重的金屬------圖中的分組

the chemical elements into rows and columns according

根據《中華人民共和國環境保護法》的規定，將化學元素分為行和列

to their atomic number and symbol.

以他們的原子序號和符號。

The challenge for science was learning how to unleash

科學的挑戰是學習如何釋放出

this potential energy in a controlled way.

這種潛在的能量以一種受控的方式。

We’ll hear more soon, but first I have a question

我們很快會聽到更多消息，但首先我有一個問題

for you, Rob.

為你，羅布。

I mentioned that uranium is the

我提到，鈾是

heaviest element in the periodic table,

週期表中最重的元素。

but which is the lightest?

但哪個是最輕的？

a) hydrogen b) carbon

a) 氫氣 b) 碳

c) oxygen

c) 氧氣

Well, oxygen is a gas, so it must pretty light.

嗯，氧氣是一種氣體，所以它必須相當輕。

I’ll say c) oxygen.

我說c）氧氣。

OK, Rob, we’ll find out the answer later in

好的，羅伯，我們將在稍後的會議上找到答案。

the programme.

該方案。

First, let’s find out a bit more

首先，讓我們瞭解一下情況

about the science of uranium from Frank Close,

關於鈾的科學，來自弗蘭克-克洛斯。

an Oxford professor of theoretical physics,

牛津大學的一位理論物理學教授。

in conversation with BBC Radio 4 programme,

在與英國廣播公司第四臺節目的對話中。

In Our Time:

在我們的時代。

In 1938 the discovery was made that if you use uranium,

1938年，人們發現，如果使用鈾。

the atoms of uranium, which are the heaviest that

鈾的原子，是最重的原子。

occur naturally in the periodic table, they’re very fragile…

在週期表中自然存在，它們非常脆弱...

and the discovery was that if you just almost touched

並發現，如果你只是幾乎接觸到

them with a single neutron, that’s a nuclear particle,

他們有一箇中子，那是一個核粒子。

the uranium was like a drop of water,

鈾就像一滴水。

it would just break apart, split in two… and this action

它就會破裂，一分為二......而這個動作

of splitting the uranium has become known as fission.

鈾的分裂過程被稱為裂變。

Atoms of uranium are very fragile – easily broken or damaged.

鈾原子是非常脆弱的--很容易破碎或損壞。

In 1938, it was discovered that when nuclear particles

1938年，人們發現，當核粒子

called neutrons were fired at uranium atoms,

稱為中子的粒子被髮射到鈾原子上。

they would split, or break in two.

他們會分裂，或斷成兩截。

This process of splitting uranium, or fission, did two things.

這種分裂鈾的過程，即裂變，做了兩件事。

First, it released huge amounts of energy,

首先，它釋放了大量的能量。

a billion times more than would be released

比釋放的數量多十億倍

in a normal chemical reaction.

在一個正常的化學反應中。

Secondly, the act of splitting atoms released

第二，分裂原子的行為釋放了

two more neutrons.

還有兩個中子。

These new neutrons were freed to hit more uranium,

這些新的中子被釋放出來，擊中更多的鈾。

creating four neutrons, which in turn were freed

形成四個中子，而這些中子又被釋放出來

and created eight, then sixteen and so on,

並創造了八個，然後是十六個，以此類推。

making what’s known as a chemical chain reaction.

這就是所謂的化學連鎖反應。

In everyday English, a chain reaction is

在日常英語中，連鎖反應是

a series of events where each event

一系列的事件，其中每個事件

becomes the cause of the next.

成為下一個的原因。

The politics behind the development of the atomic bomb

開發原子彈背後的政治因素

was no less complex than the science.

複雜程度不亞於科學。

In the same year that Hitler invaded Poland,

在希特勒入侵波蘭的同一年。

two Jewish scientists exiled from Nazi Germany,

兩位從納粹德國流亡的猶太科學家。

Rudolf Peierls, and Otto Frish, first realised uranium’s

Rudolf Peierls和Otto Frish首次意識到鈾的特性。

power as a weapon of war.

權力作為一種戰爭武器。

Listen as Professor Frank Close takes up the story for BBC Radio 4 programme In Our Time.

請聽弗蘭克-克洛斯教授在英國廣播公司第四臺節目《我們的時代》中講述這個故事。

Now, what happened at that moment was, having had the idea and the shock of the discovery,

現在，在那一刻發生的事情是，有了這個想法和發現的震驚。

you immediately then think, ‘maybe scientists in Germany

你馬上就會想到，'也許德國的科學家們

have already had the same idea and come to the same

已經有了同樣的想法並得出了同樣的結論

conclusions – could Hitler already be building such a weapon?

結論--希特勒是否已經在製造這樣的武器？

And in their memorandum which they wrote and reached the British

在他們寫給英國人的備忘錄中

government they said it’s conceivable that Germany is

他們說，可以想象，德國是

in fact developing this weapon, and the only defence

實際上是在開發這種武器，而唯一的防禦措施是

against it is to have one yourself.

反對它是為了自己有一個。

After their discovery, Peierls and Frish were worried

在他們的發現之後，Peierls和Frish很擔心

that the Nazis had already found out how to weaponise uranium.

納粹已經發現瞭如何將鈾武器化。

It was conceivable, or believable, that Germany

可以想象，或者說可以相信，德國

was building an atomic bomb.

正在建造一顆原子彈。

They shared this terrifying thought in their famous memorandum

他們在其著名的備忘錄中分享了這一可怕的想法

– a short written report on a specific topic.

- 一份關於特定主題的簡短書面報告。

As soon as US President Franklin Roosevelt read it,

美國總統富蘭克林-羅斯福一讀就知道。

he started the Manhattan Project, and the race to build

他啟動了曼哈頓項目，並開始了建造曼哈頓的競賽。

an atomic bomb began.

一顆原子彈開始了。

In a strange twist of history, it turned out that Hitler

在一個奇怪的歷史轉折中，事實證明，希特勒

hadn’t been building atomic bombs at all.

根本就沒有在製造原子彈。

And Hiroshima, the Japanese city destroyed in 1945,

還有廣島，這個在1945年被摧毀的日本城市。

was rebuilt and stands as a symbol of peace today.

重建後，至今仍是和平的象徵。

Let’s end on a lighter note, Sam, with your question.

讓我們以更輕鬆的方式結束吧，山姆，你的問題。

Yes, I asked which is the lightest element

是的，我問哪個是最輕的元素

in the periodic table.

在週期表中。

It’s A, hydrogen, the lightest of all gases which come at

它是A，氫氣，所有氣體中最輕的氣體，它來自於

the very start of the periodic table, having the atomic number 1.

週期表的最開始，原子序數為1。

Ah, if only I’d remembered what our chemistry teacher

啊，如果我記得我們的化學老師說過的話就好了

taught us about the periodic table – a chart grouping all the chemical

教會了我們關於週期表的知識--這是一張將所有化學元素歸類的圖表。

elements according to their atomic number.

根據它們的原子序數來劃分元素。

Let’s recap the rest of the vocabulary, too.

我們也來回顧一下其餘的詞彙。

If something is fragile it’s easily broken.

如果東西是脆弱的，它就很容易被打破。

To split something means to break it into two parts.

分割某物意味著把它抽成兩部分。

A chain reaction happens when one event becomes

當一個事件變成另一個事件時，就會發生連鎖反應。

the cause of the next.

的原因。

A memorandum is a short, written report

備忘錄是一份簡短的書面報告

on a specific topic.

在一個特定的主題上。

And finally, the adjective conceivable means believable.

最後，形容詞conceivable的意思是可信的。

That brings us to the end of our programme!

這使我們來到了我們節目的結尾!

We hope you’ll join us again soon for more interesting issues and useful vocabulary.

我們希望你能很快再次加入我們，瞭解更多有趣的問題和有用的詞彙。

Bye for now! Goodbye!

暫時再見!再見！