Plastics are the wonder of our age. Strange to say, scientists make plastic from perhaps the most gruesome1 muck2 you could imagine—plants that died two hundred million years ago and have been rotting underground ever since. This foul3, stinking4 brew5 is called oil.
The chemical magic that turns oil into a Barbie doll6 is complex7 and clever. Luckily, you can do something similar on the stove8 in your kitchen without having to drill for oil in the back-garden.
These are what you need for making your plastics:
◎ Milk
◎ Vinegar9
◎ Saucepan10
◎ Stove plus a grown-up11
◎ Old handkerchief12
Now let's get started. Get the grown-up to warm a cupful of milk, then add a quarter of a cupful of vinegar. The mixture13 will separate into a thick white material—plastic and a more watery14 solution15.
Pour it through the handkerchief, then wash under cold water and strain16 and squeeze17 it to get the white mixture material into a ball. Within two hours it will dry rock solid. That's the plastic you make.
Without heating the milk, the reaction wouldn't happen.
If you want to know the ins and outs of the business18, you can ask your chemical teacher and he/she will tell you what actually happened.
塑料是我们这个时代的奇迹。说来奇怪，科学家们制作塑料的原料，也许是你所能想象得到的最恶心的脏东西——两亿年前死去的植物残骸，一直腐烂在地下。这种污浊腐烂的混合物，我们称之为石油。
把石油变成巴比娃娃的化学反应是相当复杂而精巧的。幸运的是，你利用厨房里的炉子就可以做出类似的东西，而不必在后花园里钻探石油。
以下是你制造塑料所需要的材料：
◎ 牛奶
◎ 醋
◎ 平底锅
◎ 炉子，外加一位成年人
◎ 旧手帕
现在开始动手吧。让大人热一杯牛奶，然后加入四分之一杯的醋。这种混合液体将分离出一层粘稠的白色物质——塑料和一种较稀的溶液。
把混合液用手帕过滤，然后浸入冷水中冲洗。拉伸并挤压，让白色混合物变成球状。不出两个小时，它就会变干，像石头一样坚硬。这就是你做成的塑料。
不过，如果牛奶不加热，上述反应就不会发生了。
如果你想彻底了解这个反应是怎么发生的，你可以请教你的化学老师，他/她将会告诉你一切。
(本文摘自《牛津英汉对照科学魔幻丛书》，东北师范大学出版社出版)
1． gruesome adj． 可怕的，令人厌恶的
2． muck n． 粪便；垃圾
3． foul [faul] adj． 污秽的，肮脏的
4． stinking adj． 臭的，讨厌的
5． brew n． 酿造物
6． Barbie doll 巴比娃娃
7． complex adj． 复杂的
8． stove n． 炉
9． vinegar n． 醋
10． saucepan n． 长柄而有盖子的深平底锅
11． grown－up n． 成年人
12． handkerchief n． 手帕
13． mixture n． 混合物
14． watery adj． 水状的；潮湿的
15． solution n． 溶液
16． strain [strein] v． 拉
17． squeeze v． 挤压
18． ins and outs of the business (美俚) 此处意为：事情的来龙去脉