Diamonds are among the most valuable jewels on our planet. They are formed under extreme conditions deep below the Earth’s surface through a great deal of heat and pressure. Historically, the diamond industry has caused many problems for the environment. The mines where diamonds come from can be very unpleasant for workers, and the process of mining diamonds can do a lot of damage to the surroundings. This is why many people are now looking to lab-grown diamonds as an alternative.
The first lab-grown diamond was produced in 1954, and the technology has been greatly improved since then. In the lab, scientists create the same conditions that form a diamond naturally by using “diamond seeds,” which are small diamond fragments or carbon sources. These seeds are then processed with heat and pressure to grow the stone.
These lab-grown gems are real diamonds rather than imitations. They look exactly the same as mined diamonds and can be used to produce jewelry of the same quality. Just like mined diamonds, they can have very slight color differences. Only with very specialized tools can one detect the difference between a mined diamond and a lab-grown diamond.
單字片語整理
Words in Use
●
jewel
[ˋdʒuəl]
n. 寶石，珠寶；可貴的東西（可數）
=
gem
The billionaire keeps most of his jewels in the bank lest they should be stolen.
因深怕被竊，那個億萬富翁把大部分的珠寶放在銀行裡。
高中 Level 3
●
jewelry
[ˋdʒuəlrɪ]
n. 珠寶，首飾（集合名詞，不可數）
Zack gave his wife a piece of jewelry to celebrate their wedding anniversary.
查克給了他太太一件珠寶以慶祝結婚週年。
高中 Level 3
●
extreme
[ɪkˋstrim]
a. 極度的
n. 極端
=
excessive
You should handle the problem with extreme caution.
你應極為謹慎地來處理這個問題。
Work and play are both important. But in either case, do not go toextremes.
工作和玩樂都很重要，但兩樣都不能過頭。
高中 Level 3
●
surface
[ˋsɝfɪs]
n. 表面
vi. 浮出水面
The surface of the table was covered with dirt.
桌子的表面布滿灰塵。
I could see my feet beneath the surface of the clear water.
我能看見我的腳在清澈的水面下。
Tammy swam the length of the pool and thens urfaced.
塔米游完泳池長度後，就浮出了水面。
多益藍色
英檢初級
高中 Level 2
●
mine
[maɪn]
pron. 我的（東西）
n. 礦；地雷
vt. & vi. 開採（礦物）
These men work underground for six hours at a time, mining coal.
這些人在地底下開採煤礦，一次工作 6 小時。
The coal mine on the mountain is depleted.
那座山上的煤礦已經開採殆盡了。
The soldier was killed when he accidentally stepped on a mine.
那名士兵不小心踩到地雷被炸死了。
The small apartment on the 6th floor is mine.
那間位在 6 樓的小公寓是我的。
高中 Level 1
●
process
[ˋprɑsɛs]
vt. 處理
n. 過程
I’m afraid getting things changed will be a slow process.
事情要改變恐怕會是一個緩慢的過程。
We’re still in the process of conducting a market survey.
我們尚在做市場調查中。
It will take about 3 weeks to process your application. 處理您的申請約要 3 星期的時間。
多益藍色
英檢中級
高中 Level 3
●
scientist
[ˋsaɪəntɪst]
n. 科學家
The boy wants to be a scientist when he grows up.
這名小男孩長大後要當科學家。
高中 Level 3
●
naturally
[ˋnætʃərəlɪ]
adv. 天生地
For the most part, Asians have naturally dark hair.
大體而言，亞洲人天生都是黑髮。
英檢中級
●
detect
[dɪˋtɛkt]
vt. 發現，查出
This dog detected drugs in the man’s baggage.
這隻狗在該男子的行李中發現毒品。
多益金色
英檢中級
高中 Level 3
Extra Words
●
gem
[dʒɛm]
n. 寶石
●
unpleasant
[ʌnˋplɛznt]
a. 令人不快的，討厭的
英檢中高
●
surroundings
[səˋraʊndɪŋz]
n. （住處）環境（恆用複數）
=
environment
=
circumstances
It took me a couple of days to get used to my new surroundings.
我花了好幾天才習慣新的環境。
多益藍色
英檢中級
高中 Level 4
●
alternative
[ɔlˋtɝnətɪv]
n. 選擇，替代方案
a. 替代的
A huge typhoon is coming, so we have no alternative but to cancel the trip.
強烈的颱風即將來臨，因此我們只有取消行程別無選擇了。
An alternative way would be to travel by plane. 另一種可供選擇的方式就是搭飛機。
多益藍色
英檢中級
高中 Level 4
●
fragment
[ˋfrægˌmənt]
vt. & vi. (使) 破碎
In her anger, Miley fragmented the plate into many pieces by throwing it on the kitchen floor.
麥莉一怒之下把盤子丟到廚房地板上摔碎了。
Due to a variety of disagreements over the years, Bob and Ted’s once strong friendship fragmented.
由於過去幾年來的種種爭執，鮑伯跟泰德曾經深厚的友誼已破碎了。
英檢中高
高中 Level 5
●
carbon
[ˋkɑrbən]
n. 碳
Plants absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen.
植物吸收二氧化碳並且製造氧氣。
高中 Level 5
●
imitation
[͵ɪməˋteʃən]
n. 模仿（不可數）；仿製品（可數）
=
fake
The boy’s imitation of the teacher made the teacher very angry.
男孩子模仿老師，使老師非常生氣。
This watch is not a real Rolex; it’s an imitation.
這只錶不是真的勞力士錶；它是山寨品。
高中 Level 4
●
slight
[slaɪt]
a. 輕微的
vt. & n. 輕視；冷落
=
small
=
little
=
contempt
David had a slight headache after bumping his head into the wall.
大衛頭撞到牆壁後感到有點疼痛
Frank said he didn’t mean to ignore me, but I took it as a slight.
法蘭克說他無意忽略我，但我認為受到輕視。
I felt slighted when Angela bought everyone a drink except me.（slighted 為過去分詞作形容詞用）
安琪拉請大家喝飲料但沒請我，我覺得自己受到冷落。
高中 Level 4
●
specialized
[ˋspɛʃəl͵aɪzd]
a. 專門的
People with the rare disease need specialized equipment to keep them alive.
罹患該罕見疾病的人們需要專門的設備才能維持生命。
