VOA慢速英语2015 加州预警系统使游泳者远离污水

Warning System Keeps Swimmers Out of Polluted Water 加州预警系统使游泳者远离污水

The dry conditions in California are good for people who like to swim in the Pacific Ocean. Because of the drought, there is less water runoff from cities into the ocean. As a result, the ocean water is cleaner. But pollution remains¹ a problem in other areas, including popular beaches.

Angelo Bellomo works for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

“When we have runoff from the urban environment, it could be carrying with it contamination due to animal waste (and) sewage overflows²; and if those enter the beaches through the normal pipes that terminate in the ocean, you want to avoid contact with water during those periods.”

He adds that people could become infected with a number of diseases from swimming in polluted ocean water.

Public health officials are looking for a fast way to identify water quality levels along the California coast. Currently, they use laboratory tests. If the tests show the quality is poor, warning signs are placed along the coastline. But because lab workers need more than a day to test the water, the information on the sign can be outdated³.

Leslie Griffin works for an environmental group called “Heal the Bay.” She says the current warning system is not very helpful. 

“Right now it takes 18 to 24 hours to get those water quality results, but we think that that is a little ridiculous because we want people to know the day of when they are going in the water whether or not they can be getting sick.”

Until lab tests can be completed faster, researchers in California are using what they call a “predictive modeling system.” The system makes an educated guess about water quality. Heal the Bay says the system can make a prediction about water quality in as little as 15 minutes.

Researchers use computers to gather information about the environment. The data includes wind speed and direction, information about ocean waves and recent bacterial⁴ contamination. Because each beach is different, computer models are created for each one. The researchers then use the data to predict the possible quality of the water that day. The process is called “Nowcasting.”

Angelo Bellomo says the predictive modeling system looks promising⁵.

“We think that the modeling that we have seen so far is generally more accurate than the testing that we are doing, and the reason for that is that even though it is a model and its predicting water quality, it is more timely.”

Hong Kong and the American state of Ohio have similar methods of predicting water quality.

Words in This Story

runoff – n. water from rain or snow that flows over the surface of the ground into streams; water from cities that flows into the ocean

contamination – n. the state of being dangerous, dirty or impure⁶ because something harmful or undesirable⁷ has been added

sewage – n. waste material that is carried away from homes and other buildings in pipes

terminate – v. to end in a given way or at a particular place

outdated – adj. no longer useful or acceptable

ridiculous – adj. extremely silly or unreasonable

1 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

2 overflows   

v.溢出，淹没( overflow的第三人称单数 )；充满；挤满了人；扩展出界，过度延伸

参考例句：

• He always fills his glass till it overflows. 他总是把杯子斟得很满。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A distributary overflows its banks. 分流水溢出河岸。 来自辞典例句

3 outdated   

adj.旧式的，落伍的，过时的；v.使过时

参考例句：

• That list of addresses is outdated,many have changed.那个通讯录已经没用了，许多地址已经改了。
• Many of us conform to the outdated customs laid down by our forebears.我们许多人都遵循祖先立下的过时习俗。

4 bacterial   

a.细菌的

参考例句：

• Bacterial reproduction is accelerated in weightless space. 在失重的空间，细菌繁殖加快了。
• Brain lesions can be caused by bacterial infections. 大脑损伤可能由细菌感染引起。

5 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

6 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。

7 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。