The Science Olympics

Is it better to be a nation of adaptors than of great scientists? Since 1945 Britain and the U.S. have won 70 per cent of the Nobel prizes for science;their scientists are respected world-wide;and the two countries have consistently spent over 2 percent of GNP on R&D (Research and Development),until recently more than any other nation except Russia. They have even produced three quarters of the world's radical breakthroughs in technology. But they have increased their real GNPs in this period much less than have West Germany and Japan,which have grown richer while they have been producing fewer great scientists.

科學(xué)競賽

一個擁有一批應(yīng)用科學(xué)工作者的國家，是否比一個擁有一批大科學(xué)家的國家好呢?自從1945年以來，英國和美國的科學(xué)家贏得了70%的諾貝爾科學(xué)獎，因而兩國的科學(xué)家在世界都受到尊敬；此外，這兩國研究與發(fā)展的費(fèi)用始終占其國民生產(chǎn)總值的2%以上，這個數(shù)目直到最近還高于其他任何國家（俄國除外）。在世界技術(shù)的根本性突破方面，他們甚至占了四分之三。但在同一時期，他們的國民生產(chǎn)總值的實際增長率，卻比西德和日本的低得多。雖然西德和日本造就的大科學(xué)家比英美的少，但他們卻變得更富裕了。

Before 1939, Germany was top of the Nobel league,but since 1945 has won only 7 percent of the prizes;Japan has won only three in the whole history of the awards. Nor do Japan and West Germany distinguish themselves in making radical breakthroughs in technology (e.g. brain scanners,oral contraceptives,double knit fabrics or nuclear reactors). But both countries have done better at adapting and improving existing technologies.

在1939年之前，德國曾經(jīng)在獲得諾貝爾獎的人數(shù)方面居于首位；但是自從1945年以來只獲得了該獎的7%，日本在諾貝爾獎的整個歷史上只有三人獲獎。日本和西德在重大技術(shù)突破方面(例如腦掃描裝置、口服避孕藥、雙面針織品或核反應(yīng)堆等)做得都不突出。但是，這兩個國家在創(chuàng)造性地應(yīng)用和改進(jìn)現(xiàn)有技術(shù)方面，卻干得比較好。

The U.S. has made more than half of the great technological innovations since 1953. But the rest of the industrial world seems to be doing better than the U.S. at exploiting American technology. Some Americans blame indirect trade barriers (like Japan's) for this. Now American politicians and industrialists are as worried as the country's scientists and technologists about the declining international standing of American know-how in applying science to industry.

自從1953年以來，有半數(shù)以上的重大技術(shù)革新項目是美國完成的。但是，工業(yè)世界的其他國家在利用美國技術(shù)方面現(xiàn)在似乎做得比美國還好。有些美國人把這種情況歸咎于間接貿(mào)易壁壘(如日本的壁壘)?，F(xiàn)在，美國政界人土和工業(yè)界人士同它的科學(xué)家和技術(shù)專家一樣，對于美國在把科學(xué)應(yīng)用于工業(yè)的專門技能方面的國際地位越來越下降都感到擔(dān)憂。