Nature?inspired paint大自然的調色盤

孫啟祿

主題語境：人與自然 篇幅：379 詞 關鍵詞：structural color

1 Scientists at the University of Central Florida（UCF） have created a new kind of paint thats superlight and super tough. The colors in the new paintarent at all like those in most paints. Instead， theyremore like the colors on a butterfly‘s wings.

2 The colors in most paints come from pigments—small amounts of colored stuff mixedinto the paint. For hundreds of years， humans have been mixing different minerals， metals，or chemicals together to produce different colors of paints.

3 But nature has another way to create color， called“ structural color”. Structural colorcomes from tiny shapes on the surfaces of things like wings， feathers， or shells. Normally，we never see the shapes that create these colors because they‘re so tiny. Now scientistshave used nanotechnology to make paints with structural color.

4 Researchers at UCF werent really planning on making paints. They were trying tocreate a special mirrored surface. But they found supertinypieces of aluminum （鋁） atomson the surface. The researchers were upset because these tiny pieces or “nanoislands”messed up the mirror. Then they realized that the nanoislandsmade colors when light hitthem. They decided to turn their discovery into paints.

5 All the color in the new paint comes from aluminum. There are tiny aluminum flakesand then even tinier nanoparticles （納米粒） that create the colors. The nanoparticles don‘treally produce the color. They simply reflect back a single color. The size of the nanoparticlesdetermines which color gets reflected.

6 Because the new paint doesnt have pigments， the paint is extremely light. A little bit goes a long way. The paint is so light that it could reduce the amount of fuel used by planesand cars. The new paint should last a long time. In regular paints， pigments break downand fade over time. That‘s not true for structural color. Whats more， using the paint onbuildings in cities could help cool cities and reduce the electricity spent on air conditioning.

7 It will probably be a while before you start to paint pictures with structural color. Thescientists know how to make small amounts of the paint in the lab and now they aretrying to figure out how to make large amounts of the paint cheaply.

Reading Check

1. How are the colors in the new paint different from those in most paints？

A. They come from tiny shapes.

B. Their nanoparticles produce colors.

C. They come from chemicals mixed into the paint.

D. They are made from chemicals using nanotechnology.

2. How does the size of the nanoparticles affect the color reflected by the paint？

A. It determines the color that is reflected.

B. It determines the color of the aluminum flakes.

C. It determines the color of the pigments in the paint.

D. It determines the color produced by the nanoparticles.

3. What is paragraph 6 mainly about？

A. The sustainable use of the new paint.

B. The advantages of the new paint.

C. The producing process of the new paint.

D. The future application of the new paint.

4. What is the current challenge the scientists are facing in regard to the new paint？

A. Discovering new applications for the paint.

B. Finding a way to massproduce the paint cheaply.

C. Improving the colors produced by the nanoparticles.

D. Figuring out how to make small amounts of the paint in the lab.

語篇解碼

本文是一篇新聞報道。中佛羅里達大學的科學家們開發了一種輕便耐用的顏料，它采用了由鋁制成的結構色。這種顏料具有潛在的節能優勢，但在擴大生產規模方面面臨挑戰。

語言學習

Ⅰ. 語料薈萃

Ⅱ. 語句分析

1. Normally， we never see the shapes that create these colors because they‘re so tiny.通常情況下，我們看不到產生這些顏色的形狀，因為它們太小了。

【點石成金】本句是一個主從復合句。we never see the shapes是主句，that引導限制性定語從句，because引導原因狀語從句。

2. The scientists know how to make small amounts of the paint in the lab and now theyare trying to figure out how to make large amounts of the paint cheaply. 科學家們知道如何在實驗室中制造少量的顏料，現在他們正試圖找出以低成本制造大量的顏料的方法。

【點石成金】本句是一個由and 連接的并列句。第一個分句中的how to make...in the lab和第二個分句中的how to make...cheaply都是“疑問詞+動詞不定式”結構作賓語。

語言運用

Ⅰ. 例句仿寫

1. 我欽佩那些將傳統技術與現代技術融合以創造出令人驚嘆的視覺效果的藝術作品。

I admire the artwork?___________________________ to create stunning?visual effects.

2. 我不知道如何用水彩作畫，但我很想學習。

I don't know ___________________________， but Im eager to learn.

Ⅱ. 寫作實踐

假定你是李華，請你根據上面內容，以“Structural color paint： A breakthrough innovation”為題寫一篇短文。要點如下：

1. 簡要介紹這種顏料；

2. 這種顏料的優點；

3. 挑戰與展望。

注意：

1. 詞數80左右；

2. 可以適當增加細節，以使行文連貫。

Structural color paint： A breakthrough innovation

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