4月6日午间英语新闻：清华学生发现诺贝尔奖报告笔误

>Student corrects error in Nobel Prize report
清华学生发现诺贝尔奖报告笔误

In December, a sophomore electronics major going by the alias Mu Qing was doing physics homework when he discovered an error in the last equation on page 11 of the scientific background report on the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics, according to Tsinghua University, who shared the story on Friday.
清华大学周五（3月24日）介绍，去年12月，在完成“大学物理”课程延伸学习时，电子系大二学生木清（化名）发现2022年诺贝尔物理学奖科学背景报告第11页最后一个公式出现错误。

The equation was about quantum entanglement. The correct equation should have positive signs for all four factors on the right side of the equation, instead of two positives and two negatives, as was shown in the report.
这是个关于量子纠缠的公式。正确公式右边4项应该都取正号，然而报告中的却是2正2负。

Mu was perplexed at first. After all, he thought he was just a newcomer to physics who had the gall to question the highest authority in the field. Moreover, the erroneous labeling was inconsequential, since it didn't affect the conclusion of the calculation.
面前是权威的诺贝尔物理学奖，自己是才入门的学科“小白”，加之公式符号虽然有错但并不影响前后文逻辑。

But the error kept gnawing at his mind, so Mu asked his professor Wang Xiangbin for help. Instead of being dismissive of the inquiry, Wang patiently tackled the problem with Mu late into the night. After several rounds of calculations, they confirmed that the Nobel committee had made a mistake.
木清犹豫再三，还是将自己发现的问题告知了老师王向斌。王向斌并没有无视木清的疑惑，而是耐心地和他探讨这个问题，一直到凌晨。一次次确认背景概念定义，一遍遍在稿纸上演算推导，结果表明，报告中确实笔误了！

Wang later presented the correction to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. Sara Gustavsson, communications officer at the academy, recently replied to Wang, thanking him and Mu for notifying the academy about the error.
于是，王向斌帮助木清把发现的问题反馈给了瑞典皇家科学院，对方诚挚接受并按照建议更新了报告版本。

After the story went viral, Mu asked reporters to keep him anonymous because he hadn't created any notable scientific breakthroughs. "When I make something really impressive, then please publish my real name," he said.
记者得知此事，试图与学生取得联系。校方工作人员反馈称——木清此前就再三要求报道中不要出现他的本名，“什么时候要是能做出真东西，再用真名。”

Wang said the quality he treasures most from his students is the spirit of inquisitiveness. "Even if it was just a clerical error, it should be promptly corrected," he said. From this experience, Wang said his students should learn that in science, everyone is equal, and there is no absolute authority. "Everybody can pose a legitimate question. Such is the beauty of physics and academia," he said.
王向斌说，学生身上这种敢于质疑的精神是他最珍视的，“即使是笔误，也要修改不能含糊。科学面前人人平等，没有绝对的权威，谁都可以提出合理疑问。这正是学术的魅力，物理学的魅力”。


>Train hauling flammable ethanol derails, catches fire in Minnesota
美国一列载有乙醇的火车于明尼苏达州脱轨并起火

A train carrying ethanol derailed Thursday in Raymond, Minnesota, setting several cars on fire and forcing residents to evacuate. 
当地时间周四（3月30日），一列载有易燃品乙醇的火车在美国明尼苏达州雷蒙德脱轨，事故造成多节车厢着火，部分当地居民被紧急疏散。

The fire was still burning more than eight hours after the train derailed, said the US Environmental Protection Agency.
美国环境保护署周四（3月30日）在一份声明中称，在列车脱轨8个多小时后，大火仍在燃烧。

Twenty-two cars loaded with ethanol and corn syrup derailed about 1 am Thursday, and four of them caught fire due to the ethanol.
据了解，火车的22节装有乙醇和玉米糖浆的车厢在30日凌晨1点左右脱轨，其中4节车厢在乙醇的作用下起火。

Ethanol is a highly flammable chemical that can cause coughing, dizziness or loss of consciousness. So far, no injuries have been reported, and the cause of the derailment is under investigation.
乙醇是高度易燃的化学品，人们接触后可能会导致咳嗽、头晕或失去意识等。目前暂无人员伤亡的报告，火车脱轨的原因正在调查中。

Recent train derailments across the US have raised public concern. According to the Federal Railroad Administration, there were at least 1,164 train derailments in 2022 in the US, an average of about three a day.
近段时间，美国各地列车脱轨事故频发，引发民众担忧。据美国联邦铁路管理局的数据，2022年全美至少发生了1164起火车脱轨事故，平均每天约有3起火车脱轨事故。