Peer review
Evaluation of scientific, academic, or professional work by others working in the same field
同行（业）审查
[mass noun] usually uncountable; countable as a type
To send out the results for peer review
Falsify
To prove a statement or theory to be false
=confound, discredit, disprove
The hypothesis is falsified by the evidence.
Deflection
The act of changing or causing something to change direction
[mass noun]
The deflection of the missile away from its target
Deflect
To change direction
[figurative] He attempted to deflect attention away from his private life.
Foil
箔纸
Aluminium foil 铝箔
Artillery shell
大炮炮弹
Sea shells
海贝壳
Compelling
Capable of causing someone to believe or agree
=convincing
A compelling evidence
A compelling argument
All the more/better
Even more better etc than before
I enjoy playing the violin, and if they’re willing to pay me for it- well, all the better!
An experiment is all the more compelling if the scientist, while proposing a new mechanism or theory, can make a prediction about the outcome.
Geocentric
Having or relating to the earth as the center
The old geocentric theory that the Sun goes round the Earth
Ether (aether)
A kind of medium（介质）
以太（声音传播的介质）
Apparatus
The equipment needed for a particular activity or purpose
Breathing apparatus 呼吸装置
Electrical apparatus 电器设备
Experimental apparatus 实验仪器
Electron
电子
Vacuum pump
A pump used for creating a vacuum
真空抽机
Vacuum
A place or position which then needs to be filled by another person or thing
Her death has caused/created/left a vacuum in our lives.
A new leader is needed to fill the vacuum left by his retirement.
Optics
光学
Outlook
Your general attitude to things
I adopted a positive outlook on life.
A scientific outlook
An eclipse of the sun= the solar eclipse 日食
The total lunar eclipse 月全食
Fourfold
Having four parts or aspects
Empedocles asserted that earth, air, fire, and water are the “fourfold roots of everything”.
Dissection
The act of considering and talking about each detail of a theory, a situation, or a piece of writing
Her calm, condescending dissection of my proposals
Talking or behaving in a way which shows that they think they are superior to other people
Quash
Put an end to
A hospital executive quashed rumours that nursing staff will lose jobs.
Microscopic
So small that you need to use a microscope to see it
A microscopic world
Combustion
The act of burning
Combustion products
Thermodynamics
热力学
Chromosome
染色体
In prospect
Possible or likely to exist or happen in the future
A great medical breakthrough is in prospect. (=expected in the future)
Build on
To use as a foundation
Today’s scientists build on past achievements.
I got three main ideas from this reading material. One, science is an ongoing search for truth. Two, Science can never prove that a theory is correct. Experiments may be carried out to see whether a theory works, but they cannot label it with “truth”. As the author said, “every experiment that gives predicted answers is supporting evidence, but one experiment that fails may bring an entire theory crashing down.” Three, almost every scientific advance depends on previous work and theories. The history of science involves a chain of events.
The structure of this article is quite clear, like what is shown in the mind map above, so I won’t talk about it here anymore. Yet some words and expressions are noteworthy. There are several words in the material that have the same meaning, such as falsify, discredit, disprove, quash, overturn, etc. Besides, the phrase “bounce back off” depicts a quite living picture for readers. What’s more, “go back to” is well used to describe the continuous process of scientific development. I think the author is quite good at choosing words to make himself expressive, which I am eager to learn. Hope I can write better at the end of the intensive reading course.
