Gunpowder

Long ago, people in ancient China were interested in making magic pills to live forever. This was called alchemy. In Strategies of the Warring States, there were stories of people giving "magic pills" to the king. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty also really wanted these pills. He even tried to make them himself. So, alchemy became popular.

In the Tang Dynasty, an alchemist named Qingxuzi had an accident. He mixed sulfur, saltpeter, and charcoal. When he heated them, there was a big boom! The furnace blew up, with fire and smoke everywhere. Qingxuzi was shocked, but he realized he’d found something new.

After many tries, he learned how to control this new thing. It could make big booms! This was gunpowder.

As time passed, gunpowder’s secret spread. Smart people started using it in wars. They made things like fireballs and cannons. In the Song Dynasty, the government worked hard on gunpowder weapons. They made new ones like muskets and rockets. These helped the Song army win battles.

Gunpowder is one of China’s great inventions. It changed the world and helped make human history better.

火药

很久以前，中国古人热衷于炼制长生不老的丹药，这种技艺被称为炼丹术。《战国策》中记载了有人向君王敬献 “仙药” 的故事。汉武帝也十分渴求这类丹药，甚至亲自尝试炼制。于是炼丹术变得盛行起来。

唐朝时期，一位名叫清虚子的炼丹师遭遇了一场意外。他把硫磺、硝石和木炭混合在一起。当他对这些材料加热时，一声巨响传来！炼丹炉发生爆炸，到处都是火光与浓烟。清虚子大吃一惊，但他意识到自己发现了一种全新的物质。

经过多次试验，他学会了如何控制这种新材料，它能够产生巨大的爆炸效果。这就是火药。

随着时间推移，火药的秘密流传开来。聪慧的人们开始把它运用到战争当中，制作出火球、火炮等物品。宋朝时，朝廷致力于研发火药武器，造出了火枪、火箭等新式装备。这些武器帮助宋军赢得战斗。

火药是中国伟大的发明之一。它改变了世界，推动人类历史向前发展。

重点短语

1. be interested in /bi ˈɪntrəstɪd ɪn/ 对…… 感兴趣
2. live forever /lɪv fərˈevə(r)/ 长生不老
3. magic pills /ˈmædʒɪk pɪlz/ 丹药，仙药
4. alchemy /ˈælkəmi/n. 炼丹术；炼金术
5. blow up /bləʊ ʌp/ 爆炸
6. as time passed /æz taɪm pɑːst/ 随着时间流逝
7. work hard on /wɜːk hɑːd ɒn/ 致力于……
8. gunpowder weapons /ˈɡʌnpaʊdə ˈwepənz/ 火药武器
9. one of … /wʌn əv/ …… 之一
10. make human history better /meɪk ˈhjuːmən ˈhɪstri ˈbetə(r)/ 
    推动人类历史进步

阅读理解问答题

Questions

1. What did ancient Chinese people want to make at first?
2. Who had an accident when mixing sulfur, saltpeter and charcoal in the Tang Dynasty?
3. What three materials did the alchemist mix together?
4. What did the Song government work hard on?
5. What is gunpowder in Chinese history?

Answers

1. They wanted to make magic pills to live forever.
2. An alchemist named Qingxuzi had the accident.
3. He mixed sulfur, saltpeter, and charcoal together.
4. The government worked hard on gunpowder weapons.
5. Gunpowder is one of China’s great inventions.

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