時差N小時:撕紙的秘密

The way paper tears is related directly to how it ismade. Most paper is made from wood fibers. Logsare chopped into wood chips, mixed with water andchemicals, and run through a process that separatesthe wood fibers. The soupy mush that results iscalled pulp. The pulp is pressed onto a meshconveyor belt that squeezes the water out. As thepulp moves along the belt, the wood fibers line up inthe direction of the belt’s travel. This alignment ofthe fibers on the belt gives the paper a grain. Thisgrain is what causes the paper to tear straighter oneway than the other. When paper is ripped with the grain, the tear goes with the direction of thefibers, and is fairly straight. When you tear the paper across the grain,the tear tends towander as it works against the direction of the fibers.

【生詞注釋】

tear n. 撕

chop v.砍，劈

mush n.軟糊狀的東西

pulp n. 紙漿

alignment n.排列

grain n. 成粒狀

【參考譯文】

撕紙的方式直接同紙張的制作緊密聯系。大多數紙都是由木纖維制成的。木頭被砍成木片，同水和化學物質一起攪拌，經過一種流程將木纖維分開。產生的漿糊狀的物質叫做“紙漿”。 紙漿再在網狀的傳送帶上擠壓，將水擠出來。隨著紙張在傳送帶上移動，木纖維會向著傳送帶的方向排列。纖維在傳送帶上的排列會使紙張成粒狀。這種粒狀會使紙張在撕裂時在一個方向比另一個方向撕得直。當紙張順著粒狀撕時，撕的方向和木纖維的方向相同，撕得就會很直。當你從粒狀中間撕紙時，因為撕的方向和木纖維方向相反，撕得就會彎曲些。