对于习惯了节约的人来说，什么东西都要用尽最后一点一滴才罢休，像牙膏这种生活必需品，挤牙膏到最后会越来越难，但是直接扔掉牙膏皮又不甘心。

今天我们学习一篇外刊，关于如何把最后一滴牙膏挤出来？

怎么把剩下的牙膏挤出来（如何挤出最后一滴牙膏）(1)

怎么把剩下的牙膏挤出来（如何挤出最后一滴牙膏）(2)

原文如下：

How to get all the toothpaste out of Every last drop

A gnarled TOOTHPASTE tube, squeezed and twisted out of shape in a vain attempt to extract its remaining contents, haunts many a bathroom. But not, perhaps, for much longer. Colgate-Palmolive, an American consumer-goods giant, has taken up an invention by a pair of experts in super-slippery surfaces to produce toothpaste tubes that promise to deliver every last scrap of their contents.

In 2012 Kripa Varanasi, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Dave Smith, his PhD student, set up a company called LiquiGlide to commercialise their work on making liquids flow more easily through pipes and out of containers. What caught many people’s imaginations at the time was a demonstration of how this could be used to empty a ketchup bottle without shaking it vigorously.

So far, ketchup-makers have not embraced the idea. But the health and beauty industry, where products tend to be pricier than ketchup, is interested. Mibelle Group, a Swiss producer of health-care and beauty products, employs the technology to lessen the amount of material left stuck to the insides of pipes and vessels in its factories when it is time for a clean-up. LiquiGlide’s deal with Colgate is, though, the firm’s first big break into a consumer business.

The new toothpaste, called Elixir, comes in three varieties: a formula for whitening teeth one for gum and enamel care and a “detox” version which, it is claimed, removes impurities from the mouth. All are packaged in plastic tubes that can be emptied with ease. Elixir has gone on sale in Europe, though no decision has yet been made about whether it will be sold elsewhere.

To produce their slippery pipes and containers, Dr Varanasi and Dr Smith first impose a microscopically textured pattern on them and then apply a suitably formulated liquid. This fills the gaps in the texture, creating a surface across which gooey substances slide easily. Any risk of contamination can be eliminated by making the liquid in question from materials also employed in the product.

Besides pleasing customers who like to get their money’s worth, the new, slippery toothpaste tubes should help with recycling. Existing tubes are rarely recycled, not only because they have residue left inside them but also because they are usually made from a laminate of plastic and aluminium foil. Mixed materials of this sort are hard to recycle, and therefore end up being dumped in landfill, or incinerated.

Despite their success with toothpaste, Dr Varanasi and Dr Smith have not given up on food producers. Besides ketchup, their slippery surfaces also aid the dispensing of products such as mayonnaise, and may help, too, with things like hummus and soured cream that have a thicker consistency and which usually come in tubs. They have, for instance, carried out a trial putting cream cheese into a squeezy bottle with a slot-shaped dispenser. “You get this perfect strip of cream cheese right on your bagel,” enthuses Dr Smith.

译文如下：

How to get all the toothpaste out of Every last drop

如何挤出最后一滴牙膏

A GNARLED TOOTHPASTE tube, squeezed and twisted out of shape in a vain attempt to extract its remaining contents, haunts many a bathroom. But not, perhaps, for much longer. Colgate-Palmolive, an American consumer-goods giant, has taken up an invention by a pair of experts in super-slippery surfaces to produce toothpaste tubes that promise to deliver every last scrap of their contents.

一个扭曲的牙膏管被挤压和扭曲变形，徒劳地试图提取剩余的内容物，困扰着许多浴室。 但也许不会持续更长时间。 美国消费品巨头 高露洁棕榄公司已经接受了两位专家在超滑表面方面的发明，以生产牙膏管，承诺将其内容物的每一部分都送出。

toothpaste[ˈtuːθpeɪst]，n. 牙膏。

：Shaving supplies, toothpaste, and soap were found inside.在里面找到了剃须用品、牙膏和肥皂。

gnarled[nɑːld], 作形容词，

  1. [木] 多节的。：The olive trees are old and gnarled. 那里的橄榄树老而多节。
  2. 扭曲的; 奇形怪状的。：...a large and beautiful garden full of ancient gnarled trees....一座长满各种形状的古树的大型美丽花园。
  3. 苍老的(有皱纹的或驼背的)。：...gnarled old men....驼背老人。

squeeze[skwiːz],动词/名词，挤压。：He squeezed her arm reassuringly.他安慰地捏了捏她的手臂。

twist[twɪst],作动词，

  1. 扭曲。：Sophia's face twisted in perplexity.索菲娅的脸因困惑而扭曲着。
  2. 扭伤 (脚踝或手腕等) 。：He fell and twisted his ankle.他摔了一跤，扭伤了脚踝。
  3. (道路或河流) 迂回曲折。：The roads twist around hairpin bends.那些道路有很多险弯。

vain[veɪn],作形容词，

  1. 徒劳的。：The drafting committee worked through the night in a vain attempt to finish on schedule.起草委员会徒劳地通宵工作想按期完成工作。
  2. 自负的 [表不满]。：He wasn't so vain as to think he was smarter than his boss.他还没有自负到以为他比自己的上司还精明。

短语 in vain 徒然；无效。：He wants the world to know his son did not die in vain.

他想让世人知道他儿子的死不是毫无意义的。

extract[ˈekstrækt],

  1. 作动词，提炼; 提取。：Citric acid can be extracted from the juice of oranges, lemons, limes or grapefruit.柠檬酸可以从橙汁、柠檬汁、酸橙汁或柚子汁中提取。
  2. 拔牙。：A dentist may decide to extract the tooth to prevent recurrent trouble.牙医可能会决定拔掉这颗牙，以防复发。
  3. 摘取 (信息)。：I've simply extracted a few figures.我只是摘取了一些数据。

haunt[hɔːnt],作动词，

  1. (令人不愉快的事) 萦绕在心头。：He would always be haunted by that scene in Well Park.他将不断回想起威尔公园的那一幕。
  2. 长期不断地纠缠。：The stigma of being a bankrupt is likely to haunt him for the rest of his life.作为一名破产者的耻辱很可能在他的余生不断来纠缠他。

take up

  1. 开始从事。：He did not particularly want to take up a competitive sport.他并没有特别想要开始从事竞技性运动项目。
  2. 着手处理。：If you have a problem with the law, take it up with your legislators.如果你有法律问题，去找你们的立法员讨论如何处理。
  3. 占用 (时间、空间或精力)。：A good deal of my time is taken up with driving the children to soccer games.我的许多时间都用在开车送孩子们去参加足球比赛。

slippery[ˈslɪpəri],作形容词，

  1. 湿滑的。：The tiled floor was wet and slippery.那磁砖地板又湿又滑。
  2. 狡猾的。：He is a slippery customer, and should be carefully watched.他可是个狡猾的主顾，得小心看着他。

scrap[skræp],

  1. 作名词，小块。：A crumpled scrap of paper was found in her handbag.在她的手提包里找到了一张弄皱的小纸片。
  2. 作名词，残羹剩饭。：...the scraps from the Sunday dinner table.…周日餐桌上的残羹剩饭。
  3. 作动词，取消; 放弃。：President Hussein called on all countries in the Middle East to scrap nuclear or chemical weapons.侯赛因总统呼吁中东各国放弃核武器或化学武器。
  4. 作形容词，废弃的; 剩余的。：There's always tons of scrap paper in Dad's office.爸爸的办公室里总有大量的废纸。

In 2012 Kripa Varanasi, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Dave Smith, his PhD student, set up a company called LiquiGlide to commercialise their work on making liquids flow more easily through pipes and out of containers. What caught many people’s imaginations at the time was a demonstration of how this could be used to empty a ketchup bottle without shaking it vigorously.

2012 年，麻省理工学院教授瓦拉纳西和他的博士生达夫·史密斯成立了一家名为超级润滑剂的公司，将他们在使液体更容易通过管道和容器流出的工作商业化。当时引起很多人想象的是如何用它来清空番茄酱瓶而不用大力摇晃它。

Commercialise/Commercialize[kəˈmɜːʃəlaɪz],v,使商业化.

：Dr He and his colleagues hope to commercialise the process quickly. 贺博及其同事希望这个流程很快得到商业化。

container[kənˈteɪnə(r)],

  1. 作名词，集装箱。：The train, carrying loaded containers on flatcars, was 1.2 miles long.那列在平车上载着装得满满的集装箱的火车长1.2英里。
  2. 作名词，容器。：...the plastic containers in which fish are stored and sold.…储藏和出售鱼的塑料容器。

ketchup[ˈketʃəp],n. 番茄酱.

：Please bring me some ketchup. 请给我带些蕃茄酱。

vigorously[ˈvɪɡərəsli]，adv. 精神旺盛地，活泼地。

：The movement is developing vigorously. 运动正在蓬勃开展。

其形容词形式为vigorous精力充沛的。

So far, ketchup-makers have not embraced the idea. But the health and beauty industry, where products tend to be pricier than ketchup, is interested. Mibelle Group, a Swiss producer of health-care and beauty products, employs the technology to lessen the amount of material left stuck to the insides of pipes and vessels in its factories when it is time for a clean-up. LiquiGlide’s deal with Colgate is, though, the firm’s first big break into a consumer business.

到目前为止，番茄酱制造商还没有接受这个想法。但是健康和美容行业的产品往往比番茄酱更贵，对此很感兴趣。米迪拜尔集团是一家瑞士保健和美容产品生产商，它采用该技术在清理时减少粘在工厂内的管道和容器内部的材料量。不过，超级润滑剂与高露洁的交易是该公司首次涉足消费业务。

embrace[ɪmˈbreɪs],作动词，

  1. 拥抱。：Penelope came forward and embraced her sister.佩内洛普走上前来拥抱了她的妹妹。
  2. 欣然接受。：He embraces the new information age.他欢迎新的信息时代。
  3. 囊括 [正式]。：...a theory that would embrace the whole field of human endeavour.…一个囊括人类整个奋斗领域的理论。

employ[ɪmˈplɔɪ],作动词，

  1. 雇用。：The company employs 18 workers.该公司雇用18位职工。
  2. 使用，利用。：Your time could be usefully employed in attending night classes.你的时间可以被有效地利用来上夜课。

The new toothpaste, called Elixir, comes in three varieties: a formula for whitening teeth one for gum and enamel care and a “detox” version which, it is claimed, removes impurities from the mouth. All are packaged in plastic tubes that can be emptied with ease. Elixir has gone on sale in Europe, though no decision has yet been made about whether it will be sold elsewhere.

这种名为怡丽丝尔的新牙膏分为三种：一种用于美白牙齿的配方，一种用于牙龈和牙釉质护理，另一种是“排毒”版本，据称可以去除口腔中的杂质。所有产品都包装在塑料管中，可以轻松清空。怡丽丝尔已在欧洲上市销售，但尚未决定是否会在其他地方销售。

formula[ˈfɔːmjələ],作名词，

  1. 方案。：...a peace formula.…一项和平方案。
  2. 公式。：This formula is used to calculate the area of a circle. 这个公式用于计算圆的面积。
  3. 配方。：Doctor Robert Small invented the unique formula of the ice cream. 罗伯特·斯莫尔医生发明了这种冰淇淋的独特配方。

gum[ɡʌm]，作名词，

  1. 口香糖。：I do not chew gum in public.我不在公共场合嚼口香糖。
  2. 齿龈。：The result is tooth decay and gum disease. 结果就是蛀牙和牙龈疾病。

enamel[ɪˈnæml],作名词，

  1. 搪瓷。：...a white enamel saucepan.…一个白色搪瓷煮锅。
  2. 牙釉质。：Teeth have a hard surface layer called enamel. 牙齿有一层叫做釉质的坚硬表层。

detox[ˈdiːtɒks],

  1. 作名词， (身体的)解毒。：Give yourself a healthy glow on our detox diet.用我们的解毒饮食给你自己健康的光彩。
  2. 作动词，(使身体)解毒。：Honey can help to detox the body.蜂蜜有助于身体解毒。

impurity[ɪmˈpjʊərəti],名词，杂质。：The air in the factory is filtered to remove impurities.工厂里的空气经过过滤去除杂质。

package[ˈpækɪdʒ],

  1. 作名词，包裹。I tore open the package.我撕开了那个包裹。
  2. 作名词，一揽子建议。：...a package of measures to help the film industry.…一揽子帮助电影业的措施。
  3. 作动词，包装 (产品)。：The beans are then ground and packaged for sale as ground coffee.咖啡豆接着被磨碎、包装，以研磨咖啡销售。

To produce their slippery pipes and containers, Dr Varanasi and Dr Smith first impose a microscopically textured pattern on them and then apply a suitably formulated liquid. This fills the gaps in the texture, creating a surface across which gooey substances slide easily.

为了生产光滑的管道和容器，瓦拉纳西博士和史密斯博士首先在它们上面施加了微观纹理图案，然后涂上适当配方的液体。这填补了纹理中的空隙，创造了一个表面，粘稠的物质很容易滑过。

impose[ɪmˈpəʊz],作动词，

  1. 强制实行。：Fines are imposed on retailers who sell tobacco to minors.向未成年人销售烟草制品的零售商要被强制罚款。
  2. 把 (观点、信仰等) 强加于。：Parents should beware of imposing their own tastes on their children.父母应该提防把自己的兴趣强加给孩子。

microscopically[ˌmaɪkrəˈskɑːpɪkli],作副词, 用显微镜；通过显微镜.

：All samples are examined microscopically. 所有样品都进行了精细的检查。

texture[ˈtekstʃə(r)],

  1. 作名词，质地；纹理。：It has an orange flavour and smooth texture. 它有一种桔子的味道，质地光滑。
  2. 作名词，结构。：The bread had a spongy texture. 那种面包很松软。

gooey[ˈɡuːi],adj. 胶粘的.

：...a lovely, gooey, sticky mess....松软香糯的一团。

Besides pleasing customers who like to get their money’s worth, the new, slippery toothpaste tubes should help with recycling. Existing tubes are rarely recycled, not only because they have residue left inside them but also because they are usually made from a laminate of plastic and aluminium foil. Mixed materials of this sort are hard to recycle, and therefore end up being dumped in landfill, or incinerated.

除了取悦喜欢物有所值的顾客之外，新的、光滑的牙膏管应该有助于回收利用。现有的管子很少被回收，不仅因为它们里面有残留物，还因为它们通常由塑料和铝箔的层压材料制成。这种混合材料很难回收，因此最终会被倾倒在垃圾填埋场或焚烧。

residue[ˈrezɪdjuː],n. 残渣.

：Always using the same shampoo means that a residue can build up on the hair.总是用同一种洗发水意味着残留物会在头发上越积越多。

laminate[ˈlæmɪnət],n. 薄片制品；层压制件.

：Laminate tubes are mainly used for toothpaste although recently they have also been used for cosmetics.层压管主要用于牙膏，但最近他们也当过化妆品使用。

aluminium[.ælə'mɪniəm],n,铝.

：...aluminium cans.…一些铝罐。

foil[fɔɪl],

  1. 作名词，(用于包裹食物的) 箔纸。：Wrap the meat in foil before you cook it. 把肉用锡箔裹起来后再烹调。
  2. 作动词，挫败。：Other chances to foil the attack were missed. 能挫败此次袭击的其他机会也被错失了。

landfill[ˈlændfɪl],n. 垃圾填埋地.

：The rubbish in modern landfills does not rot.现代垃圾填埋场里的垃圾不会腐烂。

incinerate[ɪnˈsɪnəreɪt],v. 把……烧成灰.

：The flame of my rage will incinerate you. 我内心气愤的火焰将把你熔为灰烬。

,