VOA慢速英语2015 越南青年人发起清洁运动

AS IT IS 2015-02-18 Young Vietnamese Clean Up Environment 越南青年人发起清洁运动

Vietnam’s move from poverty to a fast-growing economy has caused harm to the environment. In the future, young people will be among those worst affected¹ by the pollution. But some young people are taking action to change things.

Long Bien Bridge is one of the most famous structures in the Vietnamese capital, Hanoi. On a recent day, the footpath² along the bridge was lined with people, all wearing similar T-shirts. They call themselves “The Carp Team.” Some carried signs with the message, “don’t drop nylon bags with the fish.”                                                      

One of them was 22-year-old Le Thi Lai.

She says it is a tradition for Vietnamese to release three fish seven days before the start of Tet – the Lunar New Year. She says the fish are for the Kitchen God, a spirit that lives in the home of every family. She says they will join the Kitchen God when he returns to report back to the Jade³ Emperor.                                                

Le Thi Lai says the problem is that many people release both the fish and the plastic bag they came in. This not only pollutes the environment, but can kill the fish. The Carp Team’s solution is to lower the fish down to the waterside so they can be released there. The team also collects the plastic waste so it can be reused.

The students are not only active during Tet. Twenty-one-year-old Hoang Hong Vi is another member of The Carp Team.

She says the team supports Earth Hour, a program of the World Wide Fund for Nature. She says they also are making plans for an event in June to raise interest in the issue of water pollution.

Their work is just part of the activism that has grown in recent years because of rising concern over environmental issues. Vietnam’s economic growth has led to polluted waterways and extensive loss of wildlife. The country rated 136 out of 178 countries on the 2014 Environmental Performance Index. The index measures what countries are doing to protect the environment and human health from environmental damage. Vietnam was given a rating⁴ of 170 for air quality. But its air pollution is not as severe as that in many Chinese cities.

Nguyen Tri Thanh is with the Asia Foundation. He says environmental problems are worsening in Vietnam’s big cities, like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. He says a growing number of Vietnamese are becoming concerned about the environment because it affects their lives and their children.

“In Hanoi, you can see a few young people, you know, with banners saying, you know, ‘if you stop your [motor] bike for more than 30 seconds, you can just turn it off to save energy and save the environment.’ I think they are really concerned about, you know, the way people behave. They really try to, you know, promote the green behavior among people living in big cities right now.”

Air pollution is a major concern for families in the big cities. Engines in cars and motorcycles are one of the leading pollution causes in Vietnam. The problem may worsen as traffic increases. Local media say the country now has about 37-million registered motorcycles, up from 32-million in 2008.

Vietnamese officials have recognized the problem. The government plans to tighten⁵ pollution controls for automobiles⁶ in 2017 and again in 2022.

But Nguyen Tri Thanh says reducing air pollution is not a top goal at this time. He says the government is putting more efforts into fighting water pollution.

“I know some people in the ministry⁷ of environment and natural resources. They are working on, you know, some kind of regulation, more stricter regulation on air pollution but it’s not coming out yet.”

Le Thi Lai from the Carp Team says she thinks protecting the environment should not be the responsibility of one group of people. Pollution affects everyone, she says, so it is everyone’s responsibility to do something about it.

Words in This Story

poverty - n. the condition of being poor

environment - n. all surrounding things, conditions and influences that affect life; the natural world of land, sea, air, plants and animals

pollution - n. the release of dangerous or unpleasant substances into the air, soil or water

fish - n. a creature that lives and can breathe in water

1 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

2 footpath   

n.小路，人行道

参考例句：

• Owners who allow their dogs to foul the footpath will be fined.主人若放任狗弄脏人行道将受处罚。
• They rambled on the footpath in the woods.他俩漫步在林间蹊径上。

3 jade   

n.玉石；碧玉；翡翠

参考例句：

• The statue was carved out of jade.这座塑像是玉雕的。
• He presented us with a couple of jade lions.他送给我们一对玉狮子。

4 rating   

n.级别，等级，额定值，责骂，收视率

参考例句：

• It is a ship with a rating of 500,000 tons.这是一艘五十万吨级的船。
• The opinion polls gave the president a high rating.民意测验显示人民对总统的支持率很高。

5 tighten   

v.(使)变紧；(使)绷紧

参考例句：

• Turn the screw to the right to tighten it.向右转动螺钉把它拧紧。
• Some countries tighten monetary policy to avoid inflation.一些国家实行紧缩银根的货币政策，以避免通货膨胀。

6 automobiles   

n.汽车( automobile的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• When automobiles become popular,the use of the horse and buggy passed away. 汽车普及后，就不再使用马和马车了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Automobiles speed in an endless stream along the boulevard. 宽阔的林荫道上，汽车川流不息。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。