这些Science亮点词，写作不容错过
简书的盆友们，欢迎来到我的语言小世界，每天与大家分享一些专业的语言小贴士。我本是自由职业同传，写作和分享是工作之余的爱好。也因为常有朋友问我一些类似的问题，所以开了公众号，渐渐地写成了习惯。关注公众号接收更多有人情味的语言小贴士。
语言降落伞，撒播语言的种子
Science Conclusion完结篇；本期文章选自2018年10月31日Science期刊上发表的一篇综述，讲“DNA读写和分子记录仪的新兴应用”，阅读本段时，我们重点关注作者的结构安排和语言表达亮点。
REVIEW
Emerging applications for DNA writers and molecular recorders
Fahim Farzadfard／Timothy K. Lu
Conclusion and future prospects
总结和未来前景
① In the past few years, we have witnessed the transition from the read-only genomic era to the read-and-write era. DNA-writing technologies have transformed genomic DNA into a dynamic medium for processing and storing biological and artificial information in living cells. ② These advances herald a new generation of powerful approaches for investigating and engineering in situ biology in basic research, biotechnology, and medicine. ③ Although substantial progress has been made, there is plenty of room for improving existing memory architectures or developing new ones with desirable features, especially in terms of recording capacity, scalability, robustness, fitness effects, cellular resource consumption, write cycles, temporal resolution, and recording kinetics. ④ These technologies promiseto further advance our ability to manipulate life’s natural memory storage media in a dynamic, longitudinal, and multiplexed fashion.
我是主人的小刺猬hedgehog，欢迎你们喔💗～
逻辑结构
① 一句话总结总体进展；具体解释进展
② 一句话总结进展的意义
③ 一句话总结有待提升的空间
④ 一句话总结未来前景
节选源自综述，所以和上次Nature Conclusion在逻辑结构上有所不同。本遍综述结论遵循的是“总结进展+具体阐述／进展预示的研究前景／有待提升的空间／未来前景”。在表达上，本篇Conclusion的语言亮点主要是不同内容（进展、预示、进步空间）恰当的动词选择以及一些小词妙用。
亮点词汇
这部分分析亮点词，解释选自牛津词典。一个词常常有多种意思，学习是渐进的过程，一次能掌握好一个用法就很好啦。所以这里重点讲出现在这个语境的最核心意思。
1. witness [ VN ] to be the place, period, organization, etc. in which particular events take place 见证
tip：[ VN ] 表示动词后可以直接加名词
报刊杂志中也常有“witness见证”的身影
◆ While the past decade has witnessed dramatic growth in Sino-African trade, Beijing’s engagement in Africa is nothing new. （Fortune）
过去十多年间见证了中非贸易的迅速增长，但是中国与非洲的关系远不止如此。
可以了解到，witness表示见证，主语可以是人，也可以是时间本身。
2.herald [ VN ] ( formal ) to be a sign that sth is going to happen是（某事）的前兆；预示
本文中“herald a new generation of powerful approaches for”…表示“预示新一代强大的。。。方法将到来”
比如某两派打斗了很久了，最近开始谈判了，可能预示和平到来：
◆ These talks could herald a new era of peace.
3. room n [ U ] ~ for sth the possibility of sth existing or happening; the opportunity to do sth可能性；机会
tip: [ U ]表示uncountable／不可数名词
讲到这个意思，我感觉是为委婉语而生(an indirect way of saying something is not very good)。“很好，不过进步空间很大”。。。
Conclusion中，作者总结了技术进步和意义，然后转折总结进步空间：
Although substaintial progress has been made, there is plenty of room for improving...
再看一例：
It's important to give children room to think for themselves.
给孩子机会让他们自己思考很重要
4.promise [ V to inf ] to make sth seem likely to happen; to show signs of sth使很可能；预示
tip: [ V to inf ] 表示动词+to+动词原型
表达“预示”时，promise和herald相近，不过herald接名词，而promise可接名词，也可接to do。在Conclusion的最后，作者总结技术进步带来的前景：
These technologies promise to further advance…
再看一例：
The dark cloud overhead promises rain.
乌云密布，预示要下雨
5. 最后讲一个形容词表达结构：
transition from the read-only genomic era to the read-and-write era
tip: 名词／动词词组用连字符“-”变形容词，修饰名词
read-only genomic era／read-and-write era
这就类似于一位朋友曾到的为什么" ____girl" 填空的地方是ten-year-old，而不是ten years old。～read only/read and write／ten years old是动词或名词词组，不能直接放在名词前修饰。但是有时候觉得真的很需要这样修饰怎么办？答：用“-”连起来～
用词组修饰名词，除了连字符，其它方法就是把它们变成后置修饰成分。比如：
the read-onlyera／
the era whenit was only possible to read
a ten-years-old girl／
a girl who is ten years old/aged ten
所以从这个意义上讲，“-”的神奇之处是化复杂为简洁
那些可能“fool”你的小词
那些可能“fool”你的小词
1. These technologies promise to further advance our ability to manipulate life’s natural memory storage mediain a dynamic, longitudinal, and multiplexed fashion.
你是不是有那么一瞬间觉得这个词是时尚？
fashion在这里不是时尚，而是和manner意思相近，常用在in a …（形容词）fashion表示以。。。方式做什么事。
2. These advances herald a new generation of powerful approaches for investigating and engineering in situ biology in basic research, biotechnology, and medicine.
engineer第一反应看到会觉得是工程师。但是engineering？。。。
这里在基因学相关的语境，engineer摇身一变成动词。和常说的“转基因”相近：
engineer v. to change the genetic structure of sth改变…的基因（或遗传）结构
近义词：genetically modify
微博上崔永元常说转基因食品，就涉及这层意思。看看关于美国一个例句：
More than 90% of all soybean cotton and corn acreagein the U.S. is used to grow genetically engineered crops. （Time）
标红的部分就是转基因农作物～
3. in situ乍一看不知道如何理解～怀疑是不是语法有问题？
但是另外两个词，in vivo（体内）和in vitro（体外）我们往期有提到，in situ和它们有什么联系？
in situ（原位）: In situ experiments ina lab context focus on a specific protein or gene, looking at it inside an entire organism.
in situ大致介于in vivo 和in vitro 之间，指进行于原发生位置的试验
