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Alchemy’ s Search for the Elixir 煉金術士的仙丹夢 撰文及考題設計 British Council 英協教育中心 Brian Welter 中譯 陳怡君 （中央社編譯） 圖 Wikimedia Commons
1 It’s a scene right out of Harry Potter. In a dark
of years, playing a key role in the foundations of
room with a roaring fireplace to his back, a white-
modern chemistry. Alchemists, the people who
bearded man with a long black robe pours a
studied and experimented in this field, couldn’ t just
mysterious liquid from a fancy glass bottle. The
claim something as true. They attempted to discover
liquid collects in a large metal bowl before dis-
the truth through observing nature like modern
appearing through long pipes. It drips out at the
scientists do.
end, a different colour and smell than when it was
這位男子正在進行所謂的煉金術，是一門比科
poured in. All his life, the man has been working
學革命還早的學問。煉金術的起源可追溯至3,000
on perfecting that liquid, the drink that would cure
年前，並在世界各地持續發展了數百年，為現代化
everything. Has he finally succeeded?
學的奠基扮演了舉足輕重的角色。煉金術士，是研
這是《哈利波特》的場景：在黑暗的斗室一爐熊
究並實驗煉金術的學者，他們並不隨便地論證某
熊燃燒的壁火前，一位蓄著白鬚、罩著長黑袍的男
觀點為真；就像現代科學家一般，他們藉由觀察自
子，從一罐造型特殊的玻璃瓶中倒出神祕液體。這
然現象，嘗試釐清真相。
些液體蓄集於一大盆金屬碗中，再注於長管內。最
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後滴出時，其色澤與氣味皆與當初倒入時完全不
Alchemists’ many interests included medicine,
同。這名男子終其一生致力於研發此液體，這種藥
physics, and astrology. These individuals had two
水能治癒任何疾病。他最後有成功嗎？
main aims. First, some wanted to turn ordinary
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metals such as copper into gold and silver. Second,
The man was practicing alchemy, which was a
some wanted to find a medicine that would cure
branch of knowledge that pre-dated the Scientific
everything and even let people live indefinitely.
Revolution. Alchemy appeared as early as three
They called that unique drink an elixir.
thousand years ago and continued to develop in
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many different parts of the world for hundreds
全球中央 November
2017
煉金術士擁有廣泛的興趣包括醫學、物理、與