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英國政府打算出資100萬英鎊（約合人民幣963萬元）尋找能夠解決世界最大難題的人，而至于什么才是世界當前面臨的最大難題，則由民眾來決定，或許是尋找石油替代品，也可能是生產低成本食品。這一做法其實是在效仿英國議會在1714年推出的“經度獎”。當時，人們已經能夠測定南北航行的位置，但一直沒有找到測定東西向位置的方法。議會懸賞2萬英鎊尋找能夠測定船只在東西向航行時所處位置的人，后來，一位普通的鐘表匠設計了一臺時鐘，解決了這個問題。
300年后的今天，首相卡梅倫決定設立一個新的經度委員會，由皇家天文學家李斯勛爵擔任主席，該委員會負責收集整理出一個世界難題清單，然后發起世界最大難題解決辦法的征集活動。英國首相府的消息人士稱：“我們希望人們能夠放寬眼界去思考，世界需要什么？我們如何才能滿足這個需要？我們正在尋找下一個盤尼西林、飛機或互聯網，某些能夠讓我們的生活方式產生顛覆性影響的事物，它能讓我們在全球競爭中一馬當先。
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The Longitude Prize launched in 1714 solved the tricky problem of pinpointing ships' location at sea by measuring how far they were from Greenwich |
David Cameron is offering ￡1 million of taxpayer's cash to anyone who can solve the world's biggest problem - whatever that might be.
In an unusual competition, the Government will ask people to determine the greatest challenge facing humanity today, such as finding a replacement for oil, producing low-cost food or eradicating malaria.
Once the trickiest issue has been decided, the Prime Minister will give away ￡1 million in cash to the person who successfully works out the answer.
The competition is modelled on the Longitude Prize launched by Parliament in 1714, which offered ￡20,000 to anyone who could discover how far east or west ships had sailed. Sailors could work out their location north and south, and were able to determine their local time from the sun. However, they needed to know the time at a reference point in order to find out how far they had travelled east or west.
Many people thought the issue was impossible to solve, but the prize was eventually won by John Harrison, a working-class joiner. He did this by designing a clock that kept accurate time at sea and enabled sailors to work out their location.
Almost exactly 300 years on, Mr Cameron will set up a new Longitude Committee, chaired by the Lord Rees, the Astronomer Royal, to gather suggestions and draw up a shortlist of problems facing the world. It will then launch a race to solve the most difficult predicament.
Sources said the prize may not actually be awarded for many years, as scientists in universities and companies have been wrestling with many of the world's most difficult problems for a long time.
A Downing Street source said: “We want people to think big: what does the world need and how can we achieve that? We are looking for the next penicillin, aeroplane or World Wide Web. Can we grow limbs or create universal low carbon travel? Something that is going to really revolutionize what we do and how we live our lives - sending us sprinting ahead in the global race.”
Speaking at a conference on science ahead of the G8 summit, Mr Cameron will say it is essential to "nurture new ideas" and "bend over backwards to attract the best and the brightest" to Britain.
He will host the G8 summit of world leaders in Northern Ireland next week, pledging to promote an "ambitious practical and pro-business agenda that benefits everyone".
Last night a Labour source said the party could think of "plenty of problems" to solve if Mr Cameron wants ideas.
(Source: Telegraph.co.uk)
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（中國日報網英語點津 Helen ）
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