VOA慢速英语2015 联合国会谈关注有害化学物质

AS IT IS 2015-10-12 UN Talks Focus on Too Many Toxic¹ Chemicals 联合国会谈关注有害化学物质

Only a small number of the 100,000 chemicals sold worldwide have been safety tested.

在销往世界各地的10万多类化学品中，只有其中的一小部分进行过安全检测。

An international conference on chemicals has a plan that could prevent more than 1 million people from dying every year from chemical-related issues.

一次关于化学品的国际会议中总结出了一套可靠的方案，此方案可以使每年至少一百多万人免于化学品的死亡危害。

The UN says the infant death rate from chemical causes is 12 times higher in developing countries than in developed countries. Lead causes about 600,000 new cases of mental disabilities in children every year.

联合国代表发言称，在发展中国家，由于化学品造成的婴儿死亡率比发达国家高12倍。每年，会有60万例因为铅导致儿童智力障碍的新发病例。

Conference delegates said it is important to gather more information about chemicals and how they can harm us.

与会代表称，收集有关化学品的信息及其可能带来的危害，这一点至关重要。

More than 800 delegates of the United Nations Environment Program met for a week. They included government officials, members of the chemical industry and leaders of civil society.

联合国环境规划署的800多名代表参加了为期一周的会议。他们当中包括政府官员、化工行业代表以及社会领袖。

They agreed on a plan to reduce the risk of death and injury from chemicals. Because the plan is not fully² funded, there is some worry that it will not be carried out.

他们商议决定了一套方案，目标就是减少化学品所带来的伤害。但由于该方案的资金不足，因此此方案是否会被执行还是个未知数。

Olga Speranskaya helps lead an international group of more than 700 organizations. Her group works to fight dangerous chemicals. It also helps people who have been contaminated by farm pesticides⁴, mercury and other toxic products.

斯佩兰斯卡亚（Olga Speranskaya）协助管理着一个由700多个组织构成的国际组。这个国际组织致力于对抗危险化学品。该组织还为那些受到农业杀虫剂、汞和其他有毒化学品危害的人们提供帮助。

She says her group is pleased with the plan that was approved by the conference delegates. She says if the risk reduction activities that the delegates called for are put into place, there will be a “reduction of toxic exposure on human health and the environment.”

她表示，她的团队很认可与会代表们所研究的方案。她还称如果与会代表们所呼吁的这项降低感染风险的举措可以实施，那么影响人类健康和环境的有毒物质也会减少。

But she is not sure the plan will be put into place by 2020, as the delegates hope. She says the chemicals management program has received funds of only $27 million. She says it needs $100 million to pay for all of the actions the delegates called for.

斯佩兰斯卡亚不敢保证，该方案是否会跟与会代表们所希望的那样于2020年落实到位。因为化学品管理计划目前只筹得了2700万的资金。她表示，与会代表们所呼吁的所有行动需要1亿的资金支持。

Words in This Story

contaminated – adj. dangerous, dirty or impure⁵; having something harmful or undesirable⁶

pesticide³ – n. a chemical that is used to kill animals or insects that damage plants or crops

mercury – n. a silver metal that is liquid at normal temperatures

toxic – adj. containing poisonous substances

exposure – n. the fact or condition of being affected by something or experiencing something; the condition of being exposed to something

1 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

2 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

3 pesticide   

n.杀虫剂，农药

参考例句：

• The pesticide was spread over the vegetable plot.菜田里撒上了农药。
• This pesticide is diluted with water and applied directly to the fields.这种杀虫剂用水稀释后直接施用在田里。

4 pesticides   

n.杀虫剂( pesticide的名词复数 )；除害药物

参考例句：

• vegetables grown without the use of pesticides 未用杀虫剂种植的蔬菜
• There is a lot of concern over the amount of herbicides and pesticides used in farming. 人们对农业上灭草剂和杀虫剂的用量非常担忧。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 impure   

adj.不纯净的，不洁的；不道德的，下流的

参考例句：

• The air of a big city is often impure.大城市的空气往往是污浊的。
• Impure drinking water is a cause of disease.不洁的饮用水是引发疾病的一个原因。

6 undesirable   

adj.不受欢迎的，不良的，不合意的，讨厌的；n.不受欢迎的人，不良分子

参考例句：

• They are the undesirable elements among the employees.他们是雇员中的不良分子。
• Certain chemicals can induce undesirable changes in the nervous system.有些化学物质能在神经系统中引起不良变化。