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Plasmas I always like to think of as being like naughty children.
我一直覺得電漿就像調皮的小孩
They're full of energy and they are,
充滿了能量，隨時隨地都想搗蛋
want to misbehave and it's ourjob to try
我們的工作就是
and control that misbehaviour.
試著控制它們的行為
For the particles to fuse on Earth
要讓粒子在地球上融合
the temperatures need to be raised to 10 times
溫度必須提高至
those found at the heart of the sun.
太陽核心的十倍
Bombarding the gas with a stream of fast neutrons
用高速中子束撞擊氣體
raises the temperature to over 100 million degrees.
能讓溫度飆高至一億度以上
Only then can the energy of nuclear fusion be released.
只有這時才能釋放出核融合的能量
After years of learning to control the plasma,
在苦心研究控制電漿多年之后
scientists now believe they are
科學家相信
within sight of harnessing the sun's power.
利用太陽能的時刻指日可待
The aim of it is to be able to produce cheap,
我們的目標是
clean and effectively an inexhaustible supply
為后代子孫制造廉價
of electricity for future generations.
清凈和用之不竭的電力
This is only small experimental reactor.
這只是個小型的實驗反應爐
It can only run for a few seconds
它只能運作數秒鐘
and sucks up more energy than it creates.
而且消耗的能量高過于制造的能量
But the next generation of bigger reactors
但是新一代的更大的反應爐
is already being built.
已經問世
When operational they will produce 10 times
一旦開始運作之后，它們可以制造十倍于
more power energy than they use.
它們消耗的能源
They will be stars on Earth.
它們將成為地球上的恒星
Power stations that won't deplete natural resources
是不會消耗自然資源
or produce dangerous waste products.
或產生危險廢棄物的發電廠
It sounds great.
聽來十分美好
But recreating the sun isn't easy
但重現太陽并不容易
and it may be another 50 years
而且核融合發電廠的落實
before the fusion power station becomes reality.
可能還得再等50年
Until then we'll just have to make do
在那之前，我們只好將就
with the real thing.
利用真正的太陽
But that's not so bad.
其實這也不賴
Just seeing sunlight is enough to cheer us up.
光是看到陽光，就能讓人精神一振
Well many people think it's the warmth of the sun
很多人認為陽光的熱度
that is associated with us feeling good
讓我們身心舒暢
and of course that's true.
這話說得當然沒錯
But in fact research has shown that it's not really
但研究結果顯示
the warmth it's actually the light that's important.
最重要的不是熱度，而是光線
Sunlight controls our daily cycle
陽光控制著我們的日常生活
making sure we wake up in the morning and go to sleep at night.
讓我們黎明即起，日落而眠
When there's not enough light those patterns get disturbed
如果光線不夠，我們的生活模式便會受到干擾
with miserable effect.
產生不幸的后果
It's a clinical fact that depression is more common in winter
臨床研究結果顯示，憂憂癥在冬天較為常見
because of the lack of sunlight
其原因就是日照不足
they call it SAD seasonal affective disorder.
這是簡稱為SAD的季節性情緒失調
Seasonal affective disorder is a depressive illness
季節性情緒失調是一種憂憂癥
that starts during the autumn and early winter.
它在秋天和初冬發生
And usually goes away completely during the spring and early summer.
通常到了春天和初夏就不藥而愈
