Mirror, mirror on the wall, who has witnessed it all? Come along with me, the timeless mirror, as we reflect upon the evolution of the looking glass.
In an era before my kind was recognized, humans glimpsed their vague reflections in calm water or lake surfaces. My earliest known man-made ancestors, discovered in Turkey, have been traced back at least 8,000 years. These mirrors were made from polished obsidian, a naturally occurring volcanic glass. As civilizations advanced, so did the craft of mirror-making. Some of my earliest relatives were made from copper, bronze, or silver, carefully polished to maximize their reflective capabilities. The Romans invented the first glass mirror in the first century, but only the very wealthy could afford such a luxury.
However, due to superstitions about devils watching through us, glass mirrors disappeared in the Middle Ages. Polished metal mirrors or specialized water bowls were used until we glass mirrors regained popularity in the 13th century. In the 16th century, the people of Venice, Italy, greatly changed mirror-making by backing glass with a layer of tin and mercury, offering the clarity you now observe in me. Astonishingly, the cost of a Venetian mirror was equivalent to that of a large ship. The narrative took a turn in 1835 with the idea of a German scientist, Justus von Liebig, to coat glass with metallic silver. This enabled the mass production of mirrors, making us affordable for common people and marking the dawn of the modern mirror.
Photo from Freepik / 照片： Freepik
Thus I serve a purpose far beyond reflection. A testament to the human journey, I stand as a symbol of mankind’s ceaseless quest for beauty.
魔鏡啊，魔鏡，是誰見證了這一切？跟著我，這面永恆的鏡子，一起回顧鏡子的演變。
在我這種物品被認識之前的時代，人們在平靜的水面或湖面上瞥見他們模糊的倒影。我族最早已知的人造祖先，被發現於土耳其，可以追溯回至少8000年前。這些鏡子是由拋光過的黑曜石製成的，它是一種天然形成的火山玻璃。隨著文明的進步，製造鏡子的工藝也在進步。我最早的一些親戚是由銅、青銅或銀製成的，經過精心拋光來將他們的反射能力最大化。羅馬人於西元一世紀時發明了第一面玻璃鏡，但只有極富有的人才能負擔得起這種奢侈品。
然而，由於有關惡魔透過我們觀察人類的迷信，玻璃鏡子在中世紀便消失了。拋光的金屬鏡子或專用的水碗被使用至我們玻璃鏡子於西元13世紀重新流行起來為止。在西元16世紀，義大利威尼斯人通過在玻璃背面塗上一層錫和汞，大大改變了鏡子製造的方式，呈現出你現在在我身上看見的清晰度。令人驚訝的是，當時一面威尼斯鏡子的價格相當於一艘大船的價格。故事在西元1835年有了轉折，德國科學家尤斯圖斯‧馮‧李比希提出在玻璃表面塗上一層金屬銀的想法。這使得鏡子能夠大規模生產，使我們成為普通人能夠負擔得起的，標誌著現代鏡子的開端。
因此，我的功用遠遠超過了反射。我作為人類歷程的見證，成為了人類對美永無止境追求的象徵。
MORE INFORMATION
obsidian n. 黑曜石
volcanic adj. 火山的
maximize vt. 使……最大化
Venice n. 威尼斯
tin n. 錫
mercury n. 汞；水銀
Venetian adj. 威尼斯的
metallic adj. 金屬的
testament n. 證明；驗證
quest n. 追求；探索
KEY VOCABULARY
1. vague adj. 模糊的；不明確的
The old photograph was so faded that the faces in it appeared vague.
那張舊照片已經褪色到照片上的臉孔都顯得模糊不清。
2. reflection n. 倒影；顯示；反射；反思
Andrew looked at his reflection in the mirror to make sure he looked good.
安德魯查看鏡中的倒影以確保他看起來不錯。
3. ancestor n. 祖先；原型
From what I know of my family history, some of my ancestors originally lived in China.
從我所知的家族歷史中，我的祖先中有一些最初生活在中國。
4. copper n. 銅；銅製品；銅板
Copper is commonly used in electrical wiring due to its excellent conductivity.
銅因其出色的導電性而常被用於電線中。
5. polish v. 拋光；擦亮
polished adj. 拋光的；精良的
Steven polished his car until its new coat of paint was gleaming in the sun.
史蒂芬擦亮他的車，直至新漆在陽光下閃閃發亮
6. superstition n. 迷信； 盲目崇拜
There is an old superstition that it’s bad luck to open an umbrella indoors.
有個古老的迷信認為在室內開傘是不吉利的。
7. specialized adj. 專門的；專業（化）的
Martin needs specialized care while he recovers from his combat injuries and learns to walk again.
馬丁在從戰鬥受傷中康復並重新學會走路的過程時需要專業的照護。
8. clarity n. 清晰；清楚明瞭
The high-definition television provides exceptional clarity for a more immersive viewing experience.
這台高清電視提供優質的清晰度，實現更沉浸式的觀看體驗。
9. equivalent adj. 相等的；等價的
The new smartphone model offers features that are equivalent to those of its competitors at a lower price.
這款新的智慧型手機以較低的價格提供了與競爭對手等同的功能。
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