炼冰

What's the value of gold?
::金子的价值是多少?

One area of technology that was common to all the societies we have mentioned was metallurgy.  Useful tools could be made that would last a long time.  Weapons could stay sharp longer with improved .  Precious metals such as gold and silver could be refined and used for jewelry or for money.  Because it was fairly rare, gold was considered to be very valuable and became a common means of paying for goods and services. 
::我们所提到的所有社会所共有的一个技术领域是冶金,可以采取长期有效的工具,武器可以随着改良而保持长效,金银等贵金属可以提炼,用于珠宝或金钱,由于黄金相当罕见,黄金被认为是非常宝贵的,并且成为支付货物和服务的常用手段。

But mining for gold can be a slow, dirty, and dangerous process.  Not everyone owns a gold mine or lives in a place where it can be found above ground – in both the ancient Egyptian society and during the Roman Empire, the gold mines were the property of the state, not an individual or group.  So there were few ways for most people to legally get any gold for themselves.
::但金矿开采可能是一个缓慢、肮脏和危险的过程。 并不是每个人都拥有金矿,或者生活在一个可以在地面上找到金矿的地方 — — 在古埃及社会和罗马帝国,金矿是国家的财产,而不是个人或团体。 因此,大多数人在法律上很难为自己找到任何黄金。

Alchemy
::炼冰

Chemistry is a subject that has its roots in the ancient tradition known as alchemy, from which it derives its name. Alchemy was a combination of philosophy and science that had both practical and mystical aspects. The goals of alchemy were varied and difficult to summarize. In many ways, the alchemists sought to achieve perfection, through such actions as the pursuit of the philosopher’s stone and the elixir of life ( Figure  ). The philosopher’s stone, it was believed, was a substance that was capable of being used to turn metals (such as lead) into gold. It was also believed that it could be used to achieve rejuvenation and perhaps immortality. While alchemists did not ultimately succeed in these quests, their work provided the foundation for the modern study of chemistry.
::化学是古老的古老传统,即古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代的古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代的古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古代古古古古古古古古代古代古古代古代古代古古古古代古古古古古代古代古代古代古代古古古古代古古古古古古古古古古古古古古古古古古古古古古古古古古古古古古古古古古古古古古古古古古古古古古古古古古古

Alchemist's Contributions to Chemistry
::化学家对化学的贡献

Alchemists laid the groundwork for many chemical processes, such as the refining of ores, the production of gunpowder, the manufacture of glass and ceramics, leather tanning, and the production of inks, dyes, and paints. Alchemists also made the first attempts at organizing and classifying substances so that they could better understand their reactions and be able to predict the products of their experiments. This eventually led to the modern periodic table , which you will learn about in a later chapter. Alchemy began to fully evolve into chemistry in the 17 ^th   century, with a greater emphasis on rational thought and experimentation and less emphasis on spirituality and mysticism.
::化学家为许多化学过程打下了基础,例如精炼矿石、生产火药、制造玻璃和陶瓷、制革、制革和生产墨水、染料和油漆。 化学家还首次尝试对物质进行组织和分类,以便他们更好地了解自己的反应并能够预测其实验的产品。这最终导致了现代周期表,你们将在以后的一章中了解到这一点。 Alchemy在17世纪开始全面演变为化学,更加强调理性思想和实验,不那么强调精神和神秘主义。

The alchemists were never successful in changing lead into gold,   but  modern   nuclear physics can accomplish this task. Lead is subjected to nuclear bombardment in a particle accelerator.  A small amount of gold can be obtained by this process. However, the cost of the procedure is far more than the amount of gold obtained.  So the dream of the alchemists   has   never (and will never) come true.
::炼金师从未成功地将铅转化为黄金,但现代核物理可以完成这一任务。 铅在粒子加速器中受到核轰炸。 可以通过这一过程获得少量黄金。 然而,这一过程的成本远远高于所获得的黄金数量。 因此,炼金师的梦想从未实现(也永远不会实现 ) 。

Summary  
::摘要

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• Gold has been considered valuable by many civilizations.
  ::许多文明都认为黄金很有价值。
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• The alchemists tried to find the philosopher’s stone that would allow them to make gold from lead.
  ::这些炼金师试图找到哲学家的石块,以便他们从铅中提取黄金。
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• The alchemists did  not successfully  transform lead into gold.
  ::炼金师没有成功地将铅转化为黄金。
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• The alchemists laid the groundwork for many advances to the new science of chemistry.
  ::炼金术家为化学新科学取得许多进展奠定了基础。

Review
::回顾

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1. Why is gold considered to be valuable?
   ::为什么黄金被认为是有价值的?
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2. Who owned the gold mines during the ancient Egyptian and Roman civilizations?
   ::在古埃及和罗马文明时期,谁拥有金矿?
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3. What is the elixir of life?
   ::什么是生命的灵丹妙药?
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4. What contributions to modern chemistry were made by the alchemists?
   ::炼金术家对现代化学作出了什么贡献?