经济学人455:旧轮胎建成新式道路可减少噪音污染

 　　Science and technology.

　　科技。

　　Quieter traffic.

　　更安静的交通。

　　When the rubber hits the road.

　　当橡胶遇上公路。

　　Turning old tyres into new roads can help cut noise pollution.

　　把旧轮胎建成新式道路可以减少噪音污染。

　　AROUND one heart attack in 50 in rich European countries is caused by chronic¹ exposure to loud traffic, according to the World Health Organisation² (WHO). The ill-effects of noise pollution in such countries are second only to those from dirty air, says the WHO. Long-term exposure can cause hormonal³ imbalances as well as mental-health problems.

　　据世界卫生组织（WHO）报道，在欧洲发达国家中，平均每50个人就会有一个由于持续暴露在交通噪音中而患上心脏病。WHO还说，在这些国家，噪音污染产生的不良反应仅次于空气污染，长期暴露不仅会造成激素失调，还会引发精神问题。

　　Roadside barriers can help dampen the racket, but they are expensive-up to $600,000 per kilometre-and they often serve as magnets for graffiti. Besides, they work less well on windy days and are impractical⁴ along city streets. Happily, there is another option.

　　路边声屏障可以减少喧嚣，但它们太贵了——每公里高达60万美元，而且很容易变成乱涂乱画的场所，此外，它们在多风的时候效果并不好，更何况在城市街道边安装也不大现实。幸运的是，我们还有其他选择。

　　By adding rubber "crumbs⁵", reclaimed⁶ from shredded⁷ tyres, to the bitumen⁸ and crushed stone used to make asphalt, engineers are designing quieter streets. First used experimentally in the 1960s, this rubberised, softer asphalt cuts traffic noise by around 25%. Even better, it also lasts longer than the normal sort.

　　在沥青和碎石里添加从轮胎碎片中回收的废胶末，再铺成柏油路，这样工程师可以设计出更加安静的街道。第一条试验性道路出现在20世纪60年代，这种加入橡胶而变得更柔软的柏油路可以减少约25%的噪音，更棒的是它的寿命比普通路面更加持久。

　　Not surprisingly, rubberised asphalt is catching⁹ on. Enough tyres are recycled in America each year to produce 20,000 lane-miles (32,000 lane-kilometres) of the stuff, enough to re-pave about 0.5% of America's roads, according to Liberty Tyre Recycling, a Pittsburgh firm that handles around a third of America's recycled tyres. Rubber roads are also popular in China, Brazil, Spain and Germany. Their popularity could spread further, since it is now possible to make rubberised asphalt less expensively than the traditional sort.

　　参入橡胶的柏油路渐渐变得流行起来，这并不奇怪，根据自由轮胎回收公司（位于匹兹堡，掌控着美国约1/3的轮胎回收业务）的说法，美国每年回收的轮胎足够修建2万英里（3.2万公里）的橡胶柏油路，足够重新铺设美国0.5%的公路。在中国、巴西、西班牙和德国，这种橡胶路同样非常流行，由于现在可以把橡胶柏油路的成本控制得比传统路面还低，所以这种趋势会越来越流行。

　　That is because rubber can partially¹⁰ replace bitumen, the binding¹¹ agent used to hold the crushed stones together in ordinary asphalt. Bitumen is derived¹² from oil, which means its price has risen over the past decade alongside that of crude oil. Discarded tyres, by contrast, are cheap and are likely to get cheaper. In rich countries, around one tyre is thrown away per person per year. They are piling up especially quickly in Europe, where dumping them into landfills was banned in 2006.

　　由于橡胶会部分替代沥青，在传统柏油里面，沥青这种粘合剂的作用是把碎石裹在一起，而沥青源于石油，这意味着过去十年其价格随着原油价格的上涨而增加，相比之下，那些废弃的轮胎不仅便宜，而且会变得越来越便宜。在发达国家，平均每人每年都要扔掉一个轮胎，轮胎的累积在欧洲特别迅速，因为2006年欧洲禁止把它们倒入垃圾堆。

　　Rubberised asphalt keeps the noise down in a couple of ways. Pores between the stones in standard asphalt must be small, because if the gaps are too big the bitumen binding cannot do its job properly. Adding rubber thickens the bitumen. That allows bigger pores, which help to trap and disperse¹³ sound waves. The rubberised bitumen itself is flexible and slightly springy, which enables it to absorb more unwanted sonic energy.

　　橡胶柏油能减小噪音的两个原因如下：在标准柏油里，碎石之间的气孔必须很小，如果缝隙太大，沥青就不能正常约束碎石，橡胶的加入可以使沥青变厚，允许更大的气孔存在，这样就有助于捕获和分散声波；而参入了橡胶的沥青本身也具有柔韧性和轻微的弹性，这可以使它吸收更多讨厌的音波能量。

　　Shredded tyres are not the last word in exotic road toppings. A substance called PERS, or poro-elastic road surfacing, is being developed with a mix of private and public money in the European Union. It is made from a blend of crushed rock, rubber and polyurethane, a synthetic¹⁴ plastic that replaces bitumen as the binding agent and allows even bigger pores in the road surface. PERS is not cheap, costing around five times as much as rubberised asphalt. But you get what you pay for: tests suggest it can cut road noise in half. In some particularly noisy areas, reckons Luc Goubert, who is co-ordinating the PERS project at the Belgian Road Research Centre in Brussels, the resulting boost to property values-and, therefore, land taxes-could help cover the cost.

　　轮胎碎片并不是最新式的道路添加物，欧盟依靠公共资金和私人资金开发了一种叫PERS东西（或者称之为多孔塑胶路面），它由碎石、橡胶和聚氨酯制成，人造塑胶聚氨酯可以代替沥青，因为这种粘合剂可以允许更大的气孔存在于路面。PERS并不便宜，其成本几乎是橡胶柏油的5倍，但这完全物有所值，据Luc Goubert（布鲁塞尔比利时路研究中心员工，负责协调PERS工程）测算，在一些特别吵闹的地方可以减少一半的噪音。这个结果也推动了周边的房产价格——所以地税或许可以帮助抵消掉成本。

1 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。

2 organisation   

n.组织，安排，团体，有机休

参考例句：

• The method of his organisation work is worth commending.他的组织工作的方法值得称道。
• His application for membership of the organisation was rejected.他想要加入该组织的申请遭到了拒绝。

3 hormonal   

adj.激素的

参考例句：

• Some viral diseases are more severe during pregnancy, probably tecause of hormonal changes. 有些病毒病在妊娠期间比较严重，可能是由于激素变化引起的。
• She underwent surgical intervention and a subsequent short period of hormonal therapy. 他接受外科手术及随后短暂荷尔蒙治疗。

4 impractical   

adj.不现实的，不实用的，不切实际的

参考例句：

• He was hopelessly impractical when it came to planning new projects.一到规划新项目，他就完全没有了实际操作的能力。
• An entirely rigid system is impractical.一套完全死板的体制是不实际的。

5 crumbs   

int. (表示惊讶)哎呀 n. 碎屑 名词crumb的复数形式

参考例句：

• She stood up and brushed the crumbs from her sweater. 她站起身掸掉了毛衣上的面包屑。
• Oh crumbs! Is that the time? 啊，天哪！都这会儿啦？

6 reclaimed   

adj.再生的；翻造的；收复的；回收的v.开拓( reclaim的过去式和过去分词 )；要求收回；从废料中回收（有用的材料）；挽救

参考例句：

• Many sufferers have been reclaimed from a dependence on alcohol. 许多嗜酒成癖的受害者已经被挽救过来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They reclaimed him from his evil ways. 他们把他从邪恶中挽救出来。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

7 shredded   

shred的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• Serve the fish on a bed of shredded lettuce. 先铺一层碎生菜叶，再把鱼放上，就可以上桌了。
• I think Mapo beancurd and shredded meat in chilli sauce are quite special. 我觉得麻婆豆腐和鱼香肉丝味道不错。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 bitumen   

n.沥青

参考例句：

• Bitumen paper can be burnt to gain energy.沥青纸可以焚烧以获得能量。
• In fact,a speciality crude is suitable only for bitumen production.事实上，这种特性的原油只适宜于生产沥青。

9 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

10 partially   

adv.部分地，从某些方面讲

参考例句：

• The door was partially concealed by the drapes.门有一部分被门帘遮住了。
• The police managed to restore calm and the curfew was partially lifted.警方设法恢复了平静，宵禁部分解除。

11 binding   

有约束力的，有效的，应遵守的

参考例句：

• The contract was not signed and has no binding force. 合同没有签署因而没有约束力。
• Both sides have agreed that the arbitration will be binding. 双方都赞同仲裁具有约束力。

12 derived   

vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取

参考例句：

• Many English words are derived from Latin and Greek. 英语很多词源出于拉丁文和希腊文。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He derived his enthusiasm for literature from his father. 他对文学的爱好是受他父亲的影响。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 disperse   

vi.使分散；使消失；vt.分散；驱散

参考例句：

• The cattle were swinging their tails to disperse the flies.那些牛甩动着尾巴驱赶苍蝇。
• The children disperse for the holidays.孩子们放假了。

14 synthetic   

adj.合成的，人工的；综合的；n.人工制品

参考例句：

• We felt the salesman's synthetic friendliness.我们感觉到那位销售员的虚情假意。
• It's a synthetic diamond.这是人造钻石。