1. Perkin’s curiosity prompted early interests in…
2. A laboratory solidified the young man’s enthusiasm for chemistry.
solidify v.固化
3. Perkin became immersed in the study of chemistry.
4. His talent and devotion to the subject were perceived by his teacher,
perceive v.察觉,看见
5. At the time of Perkin’s enrolment, …
enrolment n.登记,入学
6. At the time,quinine was the only viable medical treatment for malaria.
quinine n.=quinin,奎宁,奎宁剂
viable a.可成立的;能生活(存)的;可实行的
malaria n.疟疾;瘴气
7. The drug is derived from the bark of the cinchona tree.
be derived from 源于
bark n.树皮
cinchona n.金鸡纳树;金鸡纳树皮
8. Thus, when Hofmann made some passing comments about the desirability of a synthetic substitute for quinine, it was unsurprising that his star pupil was moved to take up the challenge.
synthetic a.人工制造的
substitute n.替代品
9. He was attempting to manufacture quinine from aniline,
aniline n.苯胺
10. he produced a mysterious dark sludge.
sludge n.泥状沉淀物
11. he finally produced a deep purple solution.
solution n.溶液
12. Historically, textile dyes were made from such natural sources as plants and animal excretions.
excretion n.排泄物
13. he lost no time in patenting it.
patent v.取得专利权
14. but it later became commonly known as mauve.
mauve n.苯胺紫
15. Not to be outdone, England’s Queen Victoria also appeared in public wearing a mauve gown, thus making it all the rage in England as well.
Not to be outdone 无独有偶
all the rage 风行一时,非常流行