火柴的科学

　　Matches

　　火柴

　　Have you ever had a problem getting a match to light If so, you might be using the wrong type of match. There are actually two different types of matches: safety matches and strike-anywhere matches.

　　以前你点燃火柴时有没有点不着的时候呢如果答案是肯定的，说明你可能没有用对火柴。目前有两种不同的火柴：安全火柴，和那一种在哪里划一下都可以点燃的火柴。

　　Safety

　　安全问题

　　Safety matches are the kind that light only when struck on the striking surface on the side of a matchbox. A striking surface consists of sand, powdered glass, and a chemical called red phosphorus. The tip of a safety match is made of glass powder, sulfur, and an oxidizing agenta chemical necessary to keep a flame burning.

　　所谓安全火柴，指的就是那种只有在火柴盒表面特定的，某一个可以划燃火柴的区域上才能点燃的火柴。这样的易燃表面是由沙子、玻璃粉、和一种叫做红磷的化学物质构成。而火柴头是由玻璃粉，硫磺和一种氧化剂组成 - 这种氧化剂则是保持火苗能持续燃烧的必需化学物质。

　　When a safety match scrapes against a striking surface, the glass powder on the striking surface and match head rub together, creating enough heat to turn a bit of the red phosphorus on the striking surface into white phosphorus. The white phosphorus ignites in air, passing ignition across to the match head.

　　当你用一根安全火柴去摩擦这个易燃的表面时，表面的玻璃粉和火柴头相互摩擦，然后产生出了足够的热量，该热量可以使得易燃表面的红磷转化成为白磷。白磷在空气中会进行燃烧，然后就点燃了火柴头。

　　Chemical Reaction

　　化学反应

　　This starts a chemical reaction that uses the oxidizing agent on the match to produce oxygen gas. Combined with the heat, the oxygen gas causes the sulfur to catch fire, which then spreads to the wood of the match. A strike anywhere match works almost the same way, except the red phosphorus is included in the match head. So, a strike anywhere match can be lit by striking the match against any hard surface.

　　这个过程中引发了一场化学反应，在这个反应中火柴上的氧化剂产生了氧气。与足够的热量相混合后，氧气引发硫磺着火，之后火苗就会逐渐延伸到火柴另一端的木制部分。那种在任何地方都能点燃的火柴，和这种安全火柴的工作原理都是基本相同的，但是这种火柴的火柴头上就含有红磷。因此，只要将这种火柴的火柴头与硬物表面进行摩擦就可以燃烧。

　　读小说开阔视野

　　Literary Thinking

　　文学思维

　　Reading literature doesnt just flex your powers of imagination, it also expands your capacity for creative reasoning. A 2013 study at the University of Toronto has shown that reading literature is excellent mental conditioning for becoming more openminded.

　　阅读文学作品并不只是能够锻炼你的想象力而已，它还能拓展的你的创造力。2013年多伦多大学的一项研究表明：阅读文学作品是一种极好的精神调节方式，它能够使思维更加开阔。

　　It turns out that reading fictional stories prompts a mental response thats distinct from what happens when we read nonfiction texts like newspapers and essays. Literature releases you from the pressures of realworld decisionmaking, and lets you enter the mindset of characters who are often very different from yourself.

　　实际上，阅读小说故事所引发的心理反应与阅读报纸、散文这类非虚构类文体的心理反应是截然不同的。文学将你从现实世界的决策压力中释放出来，把你带进一个与你自身完全不同的人物思维中。

　　The Great Escape

　　大逃离

　　You may not be as imaginative or impulsive as Anne of Green Gables, but reading helps you see the world through her eyes. And while reading about and thinking like Anne, youre reducing what psychologists call your need for cognitive closure.

　　也许你并不像《清秀佳人》中的安妮那样充满想象力，或是如她那般性格冲动。但阅读能帮助你透过她的眼睛看见这个世界。并且当你像安妮那样阅读和思考时，你也是在降低你的需求，心理学家称之为认知闭合。

　　People who need a lot of cognitive closure get frustrated or anxious when they face confusing or complex situations. They often jump to conclusions before fully thinking through things.

　　一些人会在面临令人困惑复杂的情况时变得受挫或焦虑，这时他们便需要一系列的认知闭合。他们经常还没有思考完全就妄下定论。

　　This closed mental state can be damaging to rationality and creativity. Luckily, though, the simple act of cracking open a book and diving into its literary world opens the brain up to new ways of thinking.

　　这种闭合的精神状态会对理性及创造力进行破坏。不过幸运的是，打开一本书并投入其中的文学世界中这样一个简单的举动就能够开放你的大脑，获得一种全新的思维方式。