VOA慢速：三人因发现量子点获诺贝尔化学奖
Three Win Nobel Prize in Chemistry for Quantum Dots Discovery
刘立军 供稿
TRANSCRIPT
Three scientists in the United States won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry on Wednesday. The three won for their discovery of quantum dots, a technology widely used today to make displays for electronic devices and medical imaging.
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the prize to Moungi Bawendi of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Louis Brus of Columbia University in New York, and Alexei Ekimov of Nanocrystals Technology.
The academy said the three were honored for their work with particles that “have unique properties and now spread their light from television screens and LED lamps.”
LED lights are electronic lights used all over the world, which use energy very effectively.
Pernilla Wittung Stafshede, a member of the Nobel committee that awarded the prize, said, “We have displays on TVs, in your cellphone, that use quantum dots inside.”
What are quantum dots?
Quantum dots are extremely small particles, called nanoparticles. They are said to be about 1/10,000 the width of a human hair. The dots glow blue, red, green or other colors when exposed to light. The color they give off depends on the size of the particles. Larger dots look red, and smaller dots look blue. The color change is caused by the behavior of electrons in these small spaces.
Physicists had predicted these color-change properties as early as the 1930s. However, it took 50 years of research and development to control the size of quantum dots correctly.
Ekimov and Brus were the early researchers of the technology. Bawendi is credited with developing the production of quantum dots being used today.
Bawendi used the words, “very surprised, sleepy, shocked, unexpected and very honored,” to describe his feelings. Bawendi added he was not thinking about the possible uses of his work when he started researching quantum dots.
“The motivation really is the basic science. A basic understanding, the curiosity of how does the world work? And that’s what drives scientists and academic scientists to do what they do,” he said.
Brus of Columbia University said he did not answer the phone call from the Swedish Academy. He finally saw the news online when he got up in the morning.
Brus said the practical uses of quantum dots, like creating the colors in TV screens, are something he was hoping for when he started the work many years ago.
“Basic research is extremely hard to predict exactly how it’s going to work out,” Brus said. “It’s more for the knowledge base than it is for the actual materials. But in this case, it’s both.”
Ekimov is the former chief scientist at Nanocrystals Technology, a company based in New York where he started working in 1999. The Swedish academy credited him with showing how the size of nanoparticles affected the colors in glass.
The three will receive 11 million Swedish crowns, about $1 million, and a gold medal when they collect their Nobel Prizes at the award ceremonies in December.
I’m Dan Friedell.
VOCABULARY
1. quantum n. 量子。quantum在物理学中指的是最小的、不可再分的能量单位，在这篇文章中，它与dots（点）一起使用形成quantum dots（量子点），是一种特殊的微小粒子。
2. width n. 宽度。width是一个尺寸概念，表示从一侧到另一侧的距离或者某个东西的广度。在这篇文章中，它用来描述量子点的大小，即“1/10,000 the width of a human hair”.
QUESTIONS
Listen to the news and choose the best answer to each question you hear.
1. Who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry?
A. Alexei Ekimov.
B. Moungi Bawendi.
C. Louis Brus.
D. All of the above.
2. What is the discovery the three scientists are recognized for?
A. Quantum dots.
B. LED lights.
C. Nanoparticles.
D. The mechanism of color change in particles.
3. Which device uses quantum dots according to Pernilla Wittung Stafshede?
A. Cellphones.
B. Televisions.
C. Both A and B.
D. Neither A nor B
4. How big are quantum dots?
A. About 1/10,000 the width of a human hair.
B. About the size of a LED light.
C. The size of a nanoparticle.
D. About 1/1,000 the width of a human hair.
5. What was Moungi Bawendi’s reaction to winning the Nobel Prize?
A. Surprised and honored.
B. Expected it all along.
C. Disappointed.
D. Felt pressured.
6. What was Louis Brus hoping for when he started working on quantum dots?
A. He hoped for practical uses of quantum dots.
B. He anticipated the difficulties in basic research.
C. He aimed for a higher knowledge base.
D. He had no specific expectations.
7. Who demonstrated how the size of nanoparticles affect the colors in glass?
A. Moungi Bawendi.
B. Louis Brus.
C. Alexei Ekimov.
D. Pernilla Wittung Stafshede.
8. Where did Alexei Ekimov begin his work in 1999?
A. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
B. Columbia University
C. Nanocrystals Technology
D. Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
9. What will the three scientists receive for their Nobel Prizes?
A. Nobel Prize medal.
B. An award from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
C. About $1 million.
D. Both A and C.
10. How challenging was the research on quantum dots based on Louis Brus’s statement?
A. It was straightforward and predictable.
B. It was very hard to predict.
C. It was completed in less than 10 years.
D. It was led by a single scientist.
KEY
1. Who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry?
A. Alexei Ekimov.
B. Moungi Bawendi.
C. Louis Brus.
D. All of the above.
【答案】D
【解析】细节题。文章一开头就明确提到三位科学家Alexei Ekimov、Moungi Bawendi和Louis Brus赢得了诺贝尔化学奖。
2. What is the discovery the three scientists are recognized for?
A. Quantum dots.
B. LED lights.
C. Nanoparticles.
D. The mechanism of color change in particles.
【答案】A
【解析】细节题。文章首段提到，这三位科学家因发现量子点而获得诺贝尔化学奖。
3. Which device uses quantum dots according to Pernilla Wittung Stafshede?
A. Cellphones.
B. Televisions.
C. Both A and B.
D. Neither A nor B
【答案】C
【解析】细节题。Pernilla Wittung Stafshede表示我们的电视和手机显示器内都使用了量子点。
4. How big are quantum dots?
A. About 1/10,000 the width of a human hair.
B. About the size of a LED light.
C. The size of a nanoparticle.
D. About 1/1,000 the width of a human hair.
【答案】A
【解析】细节题。文章介绍量子点是非常小的粒子，大约是人类头发宽度的1/10,000。
5. What was Moungi Bawendi’s reaction to winning the Nobel Prize?
A. Surprised and honored.
B. Expected it all along.
C. Disappointed.
D. Felt pressured.
【答案】A
【解析】细节题。文章中Moungi Bawendi表示他对获得诺贝尔奖感到非常惊讶和荣幸。
6. What was Louis Brus hoping for when he started working on quantum dots?
A. He hoped for practical uses of quantum dots.
B. He anticipated the difficulties in basic research.
C. He aimed for a higher knowledge base.
D. He had no specific expectations.
【答案】A
【解析】推理题。根据Louis Brus的话，他在开始研究量子点时就期望着找到其实际应用。
7. Who demonstrated how the size of nanoparticles affect the colors in glass?
A. Moungi Bawendi.
B. Louis Brus.
C. Alexei Ekimov.
D. Pernilla Wittung Stafshede.
【答案】C
【解析】细节题。文章明确提到瑞典学院表彰了Alexei Ekimov展示了纳米颗粒的大小如何影响玻璃的色彩。
8. Where did Alexei Ekimov begin his work in 1999?
A. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
B. Columbia University
C. Nanocrystals Technology
D. Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
【答案】C
【解析】细节题。文章提到Alexei Ekimov于1999年开始在Nanocrystals Technology公司工作。
9. What will the three scientists receive for their Nobel Prizes?
A. Nobel Prize medal.
B. An award from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
C. About $1 million.
D. Both A and C.
【答案】D
【解析】细节题。文章最后指出这三位科学家将获得金质诺贝尔奖章和大约100万美元的奖金。
10. How challenging was the research on quantum dots based on Louis Brus’s statement?
A. It was straightforward and predictable.
B. It was very hard to predict.
C. It was completed in less than 10 years.
D. It was led by a single scientist.
【答案】B
【解析】推理题。根据Louis Brus的话，基础研究极难预测其结果，因此选B。
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