无CAMBRIDGEIELTS9NOTE原文真题ReadingPassage1WilliamHenryPerkinThemanwhoinventedsyntheticdyesWilliamHenryPerkinwasbornonMarch12,1838,inLondon,England.Asaboy,Perkin’scuriositypromptedearlyinterestsinthearts,sciences,photography,andengineering.Butitwasachancestumblinguponarun-down,yetfunctional,laboratoryinhislategrandfather’shomethatsolidifiedtheyoungman’senthusiasmforchemistry.AsastudentattheCityofLondonSchool,Perkinbecameimmersedinthestudyofchemistry.Histalentanddevotiontothesubjectwereperceivedbyhisteacher,ThomasHall,whoencouragedhimtoattendaseriesoflecturesgivenbytheeminentscientistMichaelFaradayattheRoyalInstitution.Thosespeechesfiredtheyoungchemist’senthusiasmfurther,andhelaterwentontoattendtheRoyalCollegeofChemistry,whichhesucceededinenteringin1853,attheageof15.AtthetimeofPerkin’senrolment,theRoyalCollegeofChemistrywasheadedbythenotedGermanchemistAugustWilhelmHofmann.Perkin’sscientificgiftssooncaughtHofmann’sattentionand,withintwoyears,hebecameHofmann’syoungestassistant.Notlongafterthat,Perkinmadethescientificbreakthroughthatwouldbringhimbothfameandfortune.Atthetime,quininewastheonlyviablemedicaltreatmentformalaria.Thedrugisderivedfromthebarkofthecinchonatree,nativetoSouthAmerica,andby1856demandforthedrugwassurpassingtheavailablesupply.Thus,whenHofmannmadesomepassingcommentsaboutthedesirabilityofasyntheticsubstituteforquinine,itwasunsurprisingthathisstarpupilwasmovedtotakeupthechallenge.Duringhisvacationin1856,Perkinspenthistimeinthelaboratoryonthetopfloorofhisfamily’shouse.Hewasattemptingtomanufacturequininefromaniline,aninexpensiveandreadilyavailablecoaltarwasteproduct.Despitehisbestefforts,however,hedidnotendupwithquinine.Instead,heproducedamysteriousdarksludge.Luckily,Perkin’s无scientifictrainingandnaturepromptedhimtoinvestigatethesubstancefurther.Incorporatingpotassiumdichromateandalcoholintotheanilineatvariousstagesoftheexperimentalprocess,hefinallyproducedadeeppurplesolution.And,providingthetruthofthefamousscientistLouisPasteur’swords‘chancefavoursonlythepreparedmind’,Perkinsawthepotentialofhisunexpectedfind.Historically,textiledyesweremadefromsuchnaturalsourcesasplantsandanimalexcretions.Someofthese,suchastheglandularmucusofsnails,weredifficulttoobtainandoutrageouslyexpensive.Indeed,thepurplecoulourextractedfromasnailwasoncesocostlythatinsocietyatthetimeonlytherichcouldaffordit.Further,naturaldyestendedtomemuddyinhueandfadequickly.ItwasagainstthisbackdropthatPerkin’sdiscoverywasmade.Perkinquicklygraspedthathispurplesolutioncouldbeusedtocolourfabric,thusmakingittheworld’sfirstsyntheticdye.Realizingtheimportanceofthisbreakthrough,helostnotimeinpatentingit.ButperhapsthemostfascinatingofallPerkin’sreactionstohisfindwashisnearlyinstantrecognitionthatthenewdyehadcommercialpossibilities.PerkinoriginallynamedhisdyeTyrianPurple,butitlaterbecamecommonlyknownasmauve(fromtheFrenchfortheplantusedtomakethecolourviolet).HeaskedadviceofScottishdyeworksownerRobertPullar,whoassuredhimthatmanufacturingthedyewouldbewellworthitifthecoulourremainedfast(i.e.wouldnotfade)andthecostwasrelativelylow.So,overthefierceobjectionsofhismentorHofmann,heleftcollegetogivebirthtothemodernchemicalindustry.Withthehelpofhisfatherandbrother,PerkinsetupafactorynotfarfromLondon.UtilisingthecheapandplentifulcoaltarthatwasanalmostunlimitedbyproductofLondon’sgasstreetlighting,thedyewo...
