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23. Paper's Long March
紙張的演進(jìn)
Remember when the 1980s brought us the first wave of the modern computer and electronics revolution?
還記得80年代帶給我們的第一波現(xiàn)代計(jì)算機(jī)和電子革命嗎？
At that time, heady young technocrats foresaw "the paperless office."
當(dāng)時(shí)，一群不可一世的年輕科技主義者預(yù)知了“無紙張的辦公室”，
It was claimed that paper would become a thing of the past as everyone would access all information needed from video screens.
他們宣稱由于每個(gè)人都將從電視屏幕上獲取一切所需的信息，紙張將因此成為歷史名詞.
The reality today is quite different. More paper than ever is being used in offices, schools, and residential homes.
如今實(shí)際情況卻大不相同。在辦公室、學(xué)校和住家中，紙張的使用比以往都來得多。
One's first possession in life is a birth certificate, made of paper.
人一生中擁有的第一項(xiàng)財(cái)產(chǎn)便是一張紙做的出生證明。
Childhood immunizations are recorded on paper and kept in the doctor's office and at home.
兒童的預(yù)防注射被記錄在紙上，存放在醫(yī)生辦公室和家里。
What would school be like without paper?
學(xué)校中沒有紙的話又會(huì)變成什么樣子？
Paper follows most people throughout their education and into their working life.
紙張跟著大部分的人走過他們的教育階段，并進(jìn)入他們的工作生涯。
Wedding invitations and marriage certificates are printed on paper, as are virtually all major life passages and social occasions.
結(jié)婚喜帖和結(jié)婚證書是紙印的，而且所有重要的人生過程或社交場合也幾乎都是印在紙張上。
Finally, a death certificate on paper will continue to be around long after the person named on it.
最后，死亡證明文件在注明死者之后仍將繼續(xù)存在很久。
Perhaps the one item which defines modern civilization more than any other is paper.
或許紙張比任何其它事物更能詮釋現(xiàn)代文明吧
The word paper derives from papyrus, the name of a riverside plant similar to grass, from which an ancient form of paper was used in Egypt and Mesopotamia.
paper這個(gè)字源自于 papyrus（紙草），這是一種在古埃及和美索不達(dá)米亞被用來制作紙張而形狀像草的河邊植物。
It could be argued that these empires were made possible by the use of official records on papyrus.
我們可以推論說這兩個(gè)地區(qū)的王國可能是因?yàn)橛眉埐輥碜鞴俜郊o(jì)錄才得以建立。
However, paper as we know it today has its origins in the Han dynasty of China.
然而，就我們今天所知，紙張?jiān)从谥袊臐h朝。
In about A.D. 105, an official in the imperial court produced the forebear of what has become today the world's most indispensable product.
在公元一百零五年左右，朝廷的一位官員制造出今日世上最不可或缺產(chǎn)品的前身。
The art of paper making reached westwards to Baghdad, Iraq in the 8th century at the height of the Islamic culture.
伊斯蘭教文化在八世紀(jì)時(shí)達(dá)到全盛時(shí)期，造紙技術(shù)在此時(shí)向西傳到伊拉克的巴格達(dá)。
From there it entered Europe, where it was polished into its contemporary form during the 19th century.
它從那兒進(jìn)入歐洲，十九世紀(jì)期間紙張?jiān)跉W洲被改進(jìn)成現(xiàn)在這個(gè)樣子.
Paper can be made from any plant, but trees are the best source of cellulose for paper production.
任何植物都可以用來造紙，但樹木才是造紙用纖維的最佳來源。
In fact, earlier forms of paper were made from processed cotton waste and rags, but trees contain a better proportion and type of cellulose than any other plant.
事實(shí)上，早期的紙是用加工處理過的棉花屑和破布制成的，但樹木所含的纖維比例和型態(tài)比其它任何植物都要來得好。
In countries with a deficiency of forest land, other natural fibers such as sugar cane pulp, bamboo, cereal straws, flax, and hemp are used.
在森林地缺乏的國家，則用其它如甘蔗渣、竹子、谷類的莖桿、亞麻和大麻等天然纖維來造紙。
Today's paper and paper product mills rely on a steady inflow of wood logs or chips.
今日的紙張和造紙廠仰賴固定的圓木或木片供應(yīng)。
In the United States alone, the paper and paper products industry is worth more than US$80 billion, with world production well over 100,000,000 tons annually.
光是美國一地，紙張和造紙工業(yè)年產(chǎn)值就超過八百億美元，而全世界每年產(chǎn)量則遠(yuǎn)超過一億噸。
Everyone knows what paper is, since most people use at least one sheet of it a day, but few people stop to consider the different kinds of paper available to us today.
每個(gè)人都知道紙張是什么東西，因?yàn)榇蠖鄶?shù)的人一天都至少會(huì)用上一張，但很少有人會(huì)去思考我們現(xiàn)在所用的紙張有哪些不同的種類。
Office workers are well aware of the many kinds of paper they use, such as regular typing or computer printing or copier paper.
辦公室人員很清楚他們所用的許多種類的紙張，例如一般的打字或計(jì)算機(jī)打印或影印紙張。
They also come into contact with bond, a high-grade paper used for important documents.
他們也會(huì)接觸到銅版紙，一種高級(jí)的重要文件用紙。
It is thicker and more durable than other forms of paper.
它比其它種類的紙來的厚且較耐久。
Book paper comes in at least four different finishes.
書本用的紙張至少有四種不同的質(zhì)地。
These may be seen in books, magazines, brochures, and calendars.
你也許可以在書籍、雜志、小冊子和月歷中看到。
Newsprint is used for newspapers and some magazines or books, while kraft paper is used for shopping bags.
新聞紙被用來制作報(bào)紙和一些雜志或書籍，而牛皮紙則被用來制作購物袋。
Paperboard is seen daily as box lunch containers, cardboard boxes, and even building materials.
紙板可見于日常的午餐盒、硬紙箱、甚至建筑材料。
Finally, sanitary paper has been developed for use in tissue paper, paper toweling, and paper napkins.
最后，清潔紙張被發(fā)展成衛(wèi)生紙、紙毛巾和餐巾紙。
Carbon paper, postcards, and envelopes are also daily use items made of paper.
復(fù)寫紙、明信片和信封也是日常使用的紙制品，
Even a tea bag is made of paper!
甚至連茶包都是紙做的！
Paper and its products seem endless, but conservation of even the abundant resource of trees is in everyone's interest.
紙張和紙制品似乎無窮無盡，但即使森林資源豐富，每個(gè)人對它的保存仍表關(guān)切。
Recycling of paper and better designed pulp and paper factories have helped decrease waste.
紙張的回收再用以及設(shè)計(jì)較佳的紙漿和造紙廠都有助于減少浪費(fèi)。
Many offices encourage the use of both sides of a piece of paper, for example, and students or private organizations sometimes collect old newsprint to send to reprocessing centers.
例如，許多公司鼓勵(lì)紙張的兩面都使用，而學(xué)生或私人機(jī)構(gòu)有時(shí)也會(huì)收集舊報(bào)紙送到資源回收中心。
By conserving paper, the average paper user in his lifetime can save at least one tree from being felled.
通過節(jié)省紙張，平均每位紙張使用者在一生中至少可以拯救一棵樹免于被砍伐。
As valuable as trees are, and as valuable as paper is, everyone should co-operate to use this essential commodity wisely.
樹木很珍貴，紙張也很珍貴，大家應(yīng)該通力合作好好使用這項(xiàng)基本的消費(fèi)品。
