课程咨询

雅思备考规划

扫码添加助教免费咨询雅思备考规划

扫码关注回复雅思获取最新雅思口语题库和备考资料

雅思阅读每日习题系列:William Henry Perkin

2017-10-06 16:04:00来源:网络 柯林斯词典

  雅思阅读考试关键在于多做多练,题目做的多了自然熟能生巧,今天新东方在线小编给大家分享一下雅思阅读每日习题系列:William Henry Perkin,每天一套题,提升你的雅思阅读能力,大家一起来学习吧。更多雅思阅读备考内容欢迎大家随时关注新东方在线雅思网

  William Henry Perkin

  The man who invented synthetic dyes

  William Henry Perkin was born on March 12, 1838, in London, England. As a boy, Perkin’s curiosity prompted early interests in the arts, sciences, photography, and engineering. But it was a chance stumbling upon a run-down, yet functional, laboratory in his late grandfather’s home that solidified the young man’s enthusiasm for chemistry.

  As a student at the City of London School, Perkin became immersed in the study of chemistry. His talent and devotion to the subject were perceived by his teacher, Thomas Hall, who encouraged him to attend a series of lectures given by the eminent scientist Michael Faraday at the Royal Institution. Those speeches fired the young chemist’s enthusiasm further, and he later went on to attend the Royal College of Chemistry, which he succeeded in entering in 1853, at the age of 15.

  At the time of Perkin’s enrolment, the Royal College of Chemistry was headed by the noted German chemist August Wilhelm Hofmann. Perkin’s scientific gifts soon caught Hofmann’s attention and, within two years, he became Hofmann’s youngest assistant. Not long after that, Perkin made the scientific breakthrough that would bring him both fame and fortune.

  At the time, quinine was the only viable medical treatment for malaria. The drug is derived from the bark of the cinchona tree, native to South America, and by 1856 demand for the drug was surpassing the available supply. Thus, when Hofmann made some passing comments about the desirability of a synthetic substitute for quinine, it was unsurprising that his star pupil was moved to take up the challenge.

  During his vacation in 1856, Perkin spent his time in the laboratory on the top floor of his family’s house. He was attempting to manufacture quinine from aniline, an inexpensive and readily available coal tar waste product. Despite his best efforts, however, he did not end up with quinine. Instead, he produced a mysterious dark sludge. Luckily, Perkin’s scientific training and nature prompted him to investigate the substance further. Incorporating potassium dichromate and alcohol into the aniline at various stages of the experimental process, he finally produced a deep purple solution. And, proving the truth of the famous scientist Louis Pasteur’s words ‘chance favours only the prepared mind’, Perkin saw the potential of his unexpected find.

  Historically, textile dyes were made from such natural sources as plants and animal excretions. Some of these, such as the glandular mucus of snails, were difficult to obtain and outrageously expensive. Indeed, the purple colour extracted from a snail was once so costly in society at the time only the rich could afford it. Further, natural dyes tended to be muddy in hue and fade quickly. It was against this backdrop that Perkin’s discovery was made.

  Perkin quickly grasped that his purple solution could be used to colour fabric, thus making it the world’s first synthetic dye. Realising the importance of this breakthrough, he lost no time in patenting it. But perhaps the most fascinating of all Perkin’s reactions to his find was his nearly instant recognition that the new dye had commercial possibilities.

  Perkin originally named his dye Tyrian Purple, but it later became commonly known as mauve (from the French for the plant used to make the colour violet). He asked advice of Scottish dye works owner Robert Pullar, who assured him that manufacturing the dye would be well worth it if the colour remained fast (i.e. would not fade) and the cost was relatively low. So, over the fierce objections of his mentor Hofmann, he left college to give birth to the modern chemical industry.

  With the help of his father and brother, Perkin set up a factory not far from London. Utilising the cheap and plentiful coal tar that was an almost unlimited byproduct of London’s gas street lighting, the dye works began producing the world’s first synthetically dyed material in 1857. The company received a commercial boost from the Empress Eugenie of France, when she decided the new colour flattered her. Very soon, mauve was the necessary shade for all the fashionable ladies in that country. Not to be outdone, England’s Queen Victoria also appeared in public wearing a mauve gown, thus making it all the rage in England as well. The dye was bold and fast, and the public clamoured for more. Perkin went back to the drawing board.

  Although Perkin’s fame was achieved and fortune assured by his first discovery, the chemist continued his research. Among other dyes he developed and introduced were aniline red (1859) and aniline black (1863) and, in the late 1860s, Perkin’s green. It is important to note that Perkin’s synthetic dye discoveries had outcomes far beyond the merely decorative. The dyes also became vital to medical research in many ways. For instance, they were used to stain previously invisible microbes and bacteria, allowing researchers to identify such bacilli as tuberculosis, cholera, and anthrax. Artificial dyes continue to play a crucial role today. And, in what would have been particularly pleasing to Perkin, their current use is in the search for a vaccine against malaria.

  Questions 1-7

  Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?

  In boxes 1-7 on your answer sheet, write

  TRUE if the statement agrees with the information

  FALSE if the statement contradicts the information

  NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

  1 Michael Faraday was the first person to recognise Perkin’s ability as a student of chemistry.

  2 Michael Faraday suggested Perkin should enrol in the Royal College of Chemistry.

  3 Perkin employed August Wilhelm Hofmann as his assistant.

  4 Perkin was still young when he made the discovery that made him rich and famous.

  5 The trees from which quinine is derived grow only in South America.

  6 Perkin hoped to manufacture a drug from a coal tar waste product.

  7 Perkin was inspired by the discoveries of the famous scientist Louis Pasteur.

  Questions 8-13

  Answer the questions below.

  Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.

  Write your answers in boxes 8-13 on your answer sheet.

  8 Before Perkin’s discovery, with what group in society was the colour purple associated?

  9 What potential did Perkin immediately understand that his new dye had?

  10 What was the name finally used to refer to the first colour Perkin invented?

  11 What was the name of the person Perkin consulted before setting up his own dye works?

  12 In what country did Perkin’s newly invented colour first become fashionable?

  13 According to the passage, which disease is now being targeted by researchers using synthetic dyes?

  下页是上面阅读文章的答案解析,大家在做过练习后一起来了解一下吧。

雅思考前能力水平测试(0元领课)

考前测评 了解真实的雅思水平

本文关键字: 雅思阅读 雅思阅读习题

为你特别匹配的雅思超值课程,祝你和雅思分手!
  • 新东方4月雅思公开讲座

    新东方雅思4月公开讲座

    新东方教师直播教你全科技巧!

    每天1小时

    查看详情
  • 雅思机考实战

    雅思机考实战

    剑桥雅思正版题目机考实战!

    每天1小时

    查看详情
  • 【知心雅思】6分录播课 (A类)

    【知心雅思】6分录播课 (A类)

    适合人群:想要冲6分的考生

    课时:477

    查看详情
  • 【知心雅思】6.5分录播课 (A类)

    【知心雅思】6.5分录播课 (A类)

    适合人群:想要冲6.5分的考生

    课时:429

    查看详情
  • 【知心雅思】7分录播课 (A类)

    【知心雅思】7分录播课 (A类)

    适合人群:想要冲7分的考生

    课时:459

    查看详情
雅思备考资料包

扫码添加助教

免费获取雅思备考资料包

更多资料
更多>>
  • 雅思阅读临场经验和应试技巧

      在雅思阅读备考中,考生可以提前准备一些在考试场中可能会用到的应试技巧。接下来小编为大家分享雅思阅读临场经验和应试技巧,希望能为

    来源 : 网络 2021-01-06 14:53:27 关键字 : 雅思阅读

  • 雅思阅读准备技巧

      在雅思阅读备考中,考生想要快速的取得进步,那么就需要结合一定的方法和技巧,往正确的方向努力。接下来小编为大家带来的是雅思阅读准

    来源 : 网络 2021-01-06 14:52:33 关键字 : 雅思阅读

  • 雅思阅读填空题解题策略

      在雅思阅读备考中,填空题属于经典题型,但是这类题型也有一定难度,很多考生在这类题型上容易丢失分数。接下来小编给大家带来的是雅思

    来源 : 网络 2021-01-05 14:32:45 关键字 : 雅思阅读

  • 雅思阅读考试高分技巧

      在雅思阅读考试中,考生可以通过一些实战技巧,帮助我们在考试中有一个更好的发挥。接下来小编为大家分享雅思阅读考试高分实战技巧,希

    来源 : 网络 2021-01-05 14:31:40 关键字 : 雅思阅读

  • 雅思阅读时间不够用怎么办?

      雅思阅读考试对考生来说有一定难度,很多考生在时间上出现问题,导致答不完题,时间不够用,其实这些情况我们都是可以改善的,那么如何

    来源 : 网络 2021-01-04 15:09:13 关键字 : 雅思阅读

更多内容

移动学习

二维码

雅思新题口语题库

扫码添加助教号 回复【新题】 即可领取
更多>>
更多公开讲座>>

2024年1-4月雅思口语题库

微信添加助教 回复【新题】

助教微信
更多>>
更多资料