第1段

From our earliest origins, man has been making use of glass. Historians have discovered that a type of natural glass — obsidian — formed in places such as the mouth of a volcano as a result of the intense heat of an eruption melting sand — was first used as tips for spears. Archaeologists have even found evidence of man-made glass which dates back to 4000 BC; this took the form of glazes used for coating stone beads. It was not until 1500 BC, however, that the first hollow glass container was made by covering a sand core with a layer of molten glass.

从我们最早的起源开始，人类就一直在使用玻璃。历史学家发现一种天然玻璃——黑曜石——是由火山口的强烈爆发中的高温融化沙子所形成的，最早被用作矛尖。考古学家甚至发现了可以追溯到公元前4000年的人造玻璃，这种玻璃被用于给石头珠子涂层。然而，直到公元前1500年，人们才通过在沙子核心上覆盖一层熔融玻璃制造出第一个中空玻璃容器。

第2段

Glass blowing became the most common way to make glass containers from the first century BC. The glass made during this time was highly coloured due to the impurities of the raw material. In the first century AD, methods of creating colourless glass were developed, which was then tinted by the addition of colouring materials. The secret of glass making was taken across Europe by the Romans during this century. However, they guarded the skills and technology required to make glass very closely, and it was not until their empire collapsed in 476 AD that glass-making knowledge became widespread throughout Europe and the Middle East. From the 10th century onwards, the Venetians gained a reputation for technical skill and artistic ability in the making of glass bottles, and many of the city’s craftsmen left Italy to set up glassworks throughout Europe.

从公元前1世纪开始，吹制玻璃成为制作玻璃容器的最常见方法。这个时期制造的玻璃由于原材料的杂质而呈高度着色。公元1世纪，人们开发了制造无色玻璃的方法，然后通过添加着色材料来给玻璃着色。玻璃制造的秘密在这个世纪被罗马人带到了欧洲。然而，他们严密保护着制造玻璃所需的技术和技术，直到公元476年罗马帝国崩溃后，制造玻璃的知识才在欧洲和中东广泛传播。从10世纪开始，威尼斯人以制作玻璃瓶的技术和艺术能力而享有盛誉，该城市的许多工匠离开意大利在整个欧洲建立玻璃厂。

第3段

A major milestone in the history of glass occurred with the invention of lead crystal glass by the English glass manufacturer George Ravenscroft (1632—1688). He attempted to counter the effect of clouding that sometimes occurred in blown glass by introducing lead to the raw materials used in the process. The new glass he created was softer and easier to decorate, and had a higher refractive index, adding to its brilliance and beauty, and it proved invaluable to the optical industry. It is thanks to Ravenscroft’s invention that optical lenses, astronomical telescopes, microscopes and the like became possible.

玻璃历史上的一个重要里程碑是由英国玻璃制造商乔治·拉文斯克罗夫特（1632-1688）发明的铅晶玻璃。他尝试通过在制作过程中引入铅来抵消吹制玻璃时可能发生的浑浊效果。他创造的新型玻璃更柔软、更容易装饰，折射率更高，增加了其光彩和美观，对光学行业非常有价值。多亏了拉文斯克罗夫特的发明，光学透镜、天文望远镜、显微镜等才成为可能。

第4段

In Britain, the modern glass industry only really started to develop after the repeal of the Excise Act in 1845. Before that time, heavy taxes had been placed on the amount of glass melted in a glasshouse, and were levied continuously from 1745 to 1845. Joseph Paxton’s Crystal Palace at London’s Great Exhibition of 1851 marked the beginning of glass as a material used in the building industry. This revolutionary new building encouraged the use of glass in public, domestic and horticultural architecture. Glass manufacturing techniques also improved with the advancement of science and the development of better technology.

在英国，现代玻璃工业直到1845年《消费税法》废除后才真正开始发展。在此之前，对玻璃厂熔化的玻璃数量征收了重税，1745年至1845年期间一直持续征收。1851年伦敦举办的大博览会上，约瑟夫·帕克斯顿设计的水晶宫标志着玻璃作为建筑材料的开始。这座革命性的新建筑鼓励了玻璃在公共、家庭和园艺建筑中的使用。随着科学的进步和技术的发展，玻璃制造技术也得到了改善。

第5段

From 1887 onwards, glass making developed from traditional mouth-blowing to a semi-automatic process, after factory-owner HM Ashley introduced a machine capable of producing 200 bottles per hour in Castleford, Yorkshire, England — more than three times quicker than any previous production method. Then in 1907, the first fully automated machine was developed in the USA by Michael Owens — founder of the Owens Bottle Machine Company (later the major manufacturers Owens- Illinois) — and installed in its factory. Owens’ invention could produce an impressive 2,500 bottles per hour. Other developments followed rapidly, but it was not until the First World War, when Britain became cut off from essential glass suppliers, that glass became part of the scientific sector. Previous to this, glass had been seen as a craft rather than a precise science.

从1887年起，玻璃制造从传统的口吹制转变为半自动化过程，因为英国城堡福德的工厂老板HM阿什利引入了一台能够每小时生产200个瓶子的机器，比以往任何生产方法都快三倍以上。然后在1907年，美国的迈克尔·欧文斯（Owens）发明了第一台全自动机器，并安装在其工厂。欧文斯的发明每小时可以生产2500个瓶子。其他发展也随之迅速，但直到第一次世界大战，当英国与必要的玻璃供应商断绝联系时，玻璃才成为科学部门的一部分。在此之前，玻璃被视为一门工艺而不是一门精确的科学。

第6段

Today, glass making is big business. It has become a modern, hi-tech industry operating in a fiercely competitive global market where quality, design and service levels are critical to maintaining market share. Modern glass plants are capable of making millions of glass containers a day in many different colours, with green, brown and clear remaining the most popular. Few of us can imagine modern life without glass. It features in almost every aspect of our lives — in our homes, our cars and whenever we sit down to eat or drink. Glass packaging is used for many products, many beverages are sold in glass, as are numerous foodstuffs, as well as medicines and cosmetics.

第7段

Glass is an ideal material for recycling, and with growing consumer concern for green issues, glass bottles and jars are becoming ever more popular. Glass recycling is good news for the environment. It saves used glass containers being sent to landfill. As less energy is needed to melt recycled glass than to melt down raw materials, this also saves fuel and production costs. Recycling also reduces the need for raw materials to be quarried, thus saving precious resources.