美國語文第五冊 第206期：考試（02）
As good a thinker as you evidently are, you have not thought on this subject, I suspect.
依我看，你這位顯而易見的思想敏銳者，并未考慮這一論題。
It took me a week, in all, I presume, of hard thinking,
我整整花費一周時間進(jìn)行仔細(xì)研究，
and making experiments at a blacksmith's shop, to discover the reason of this.
甚至在一家鐵匠鋪實地實驗，以待查明事件的原因。
It is not the polish; for take two blades of equal polish,
問題答案與拋光沒有關(guān)聯(lián)，即使將兩把刀片進(jìn)行相同的拋光處理，
and the breath will disappear from one as much quicker than it does from the other, as the blade is better.
兩把刀片上的氣息散發(fā)快慢存在明顯差異；優(yōu)質(zhì)刀片當(dāng)然要快得多，
It is because the material of the blade is more compact or less porous in one case than in the other.
原因在于，優(yōu)質(zhì)刀片材料比劣質(zhì)刀片材料更為密實，材質(zhì)間隙更為細(xì)小。
In the first place, I ascertained that the steel was, made more compact by being hammered and tempered,
首先，我可以確定，通過鍛打淬火，鋼材才能變得密實，
and that the better it was tempered the more compact it would become;
所以，淬火處理愈好，材料就會愈發(fā)緊固；
the size of the pores being made, of course, less in the same proportion.
當(dāng)然，相同面積比例的材料間隙亦愈為密實，
Well, then, I saw the reason I was in search of, at once.
這樣，我便立即弄清了研究課題的緣由。
For we know a wet sponge is longer in drying than a wet piece of green wood, because the pores of the first are bigger.
眾所周知，潮濕海綿比同等面積的濕木自然干燥時間要長，因為前者空隙更大；
A seasoned or shrunk piece of wood dries quicker than a green one, for the same reason.
同理，一塊或小塊木片要比濕木自然干燥得快。
Or you might bore a piece of wood with large gimlet holes, and another with small ones,
或許，你也可以拿大小不同縫隙的兩塊木塊進(jìn)行比較，
fill them both with water, and let them stand till the water evaporated,
將兩塊木頭浸入水，然后取出使其直立到水蒸發(fā)干凈；
and the difference of time it would take to do this would make the case still more plain.
兩塊木頭所需時間不同，這一點將會更清楚地闡述其中道理；
So with the blades: the vapor lingers longest on the worst wrought and tempered one,
刀片亦然，鍛造淬火差的那把刀片，蒸汽盤桓時間更長，
because the pores, being larger, take in more of the wet particles, and require more time in drying.
由于材料縫隙過大，潮濕微粒吸收更多，所需干燥的時間自然更長。
