2015年諾貝爾各項獎項得主10月將一一揭曉，最近熱門話題就是猜測日本作家村上春樹是否獲獎！但是你可知道到底是誰創辦了這個從1901年至今仍享譽全球的獎項？諾貝爾他是做哪一行的？是什麼樣的念頭讓他想每年頒發獎金給成就傑出的學者？
Born in Stockholm, Sweden in 1833, Alfred Nobel moved with his family to St. Petersburg, Russia at the age of nine. His father Immanuel, an engineer and inventor, became wealthy manufacturing mines for the Russian Navy during the Crimean War. Educated by private tutors, Alfred studied chemistry and physics, and became fluent in five languages. 
阿弗雷德諾貝爾一八三三年生於瑞典斯德哥爾摩，九歲時隨家人搬到俄羅斯的聖彼得堡。他的父親殷曼紐是個工程師暨發明家，在克里米亞戰爭期間替俄羅斯海軍製造地雷而致富。在私人家教指導下，阿弗雷德研習化學和物理，並能流利地說五種語言。
■ fluent (a.) (語言)流利的
After the war, Alfred returned to Stockholm with his father and younger brother Emil to start a business developing and manufacturing explosives.
戰後，阿弗雷德和父親及弟弟艾米爾回到斯德哥爾摩，開了一家研發及製造爆裂物的公司。
■ explosive(n./a.) 爆裂物;爆炸的
And yet Alfred’s true eureka moment was still to come. As he entered middle age, dynamite and other inventions had made Alfred one of the richest men in the world. But his tireless dedication to his career had left him in poor health, and the use of his inventions in the arms industry had exposed him to severe criticism. Worried about his legacy, Alfred drafted a will in which he left most of his wealth to establishing annual prizes for outstanding achievements in physics, chemistry, medicine, literature and the promotion of peace. Since the Nobel Prizes were established in 1901—six years after Alfred’s death—they have become the most prestigious awards in the world.
但阿弗雷德真正「靈機一動」的時刻還沒到。在他步入中年後，炸藥和其他發明已使阿弗雷德成為世界首富之一，但他對事業孜孜不倦的投入，卻讓他的身體每下愈況，而且他的發明為軍火業使用，也使他遭受嚴厲的批判。很擔心自己能遺留什麼給後世，阿弗雷德擬了一份遺囑，將大半財富用於設置一年一度的獎金，表揚物理 學、化學、醫學、文學與促進和平的傑出成就。諾貝爾獎於一九○一年設立以來 ― 阿弗雷德逝世六年後― 至今已成為全世界最具聲望的獎項。
■ dedication (n.) 投入,專注
■ arm (n.) (常用複數)武器,槍砲
■ expose (to) (v.) 使接觸到,使暴露於
■ criticism (n.) 批評,評論,挑剔
■ draft (v.) 起草,草擬
■ promotion (n.) 促進,發揚, 提倡
■ legacy (n.) 遺產,遺留物
■ volatile(a.) 易揮發的,爆炸性的
■ prestigious (a.) 著名的,有名望的
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