VOA慢速英语2017 新型“水球”有望解决塑料污染

 

Scientists and designers in London have found a possible solution to the problem of plastic bottle waste.

英国伦敦的科学家和设计师发现一个可以解决塑料瓶垃圾问题的方法。

The group at Skipping Rocks Lab has made a water bottle you can eat.

Skipping Rocks Lab这一团队研究出一种可以吃的水球。

The product is called Ooho. Unlike plastic bottles, Oohos are not tall and hard. They look more like bubbles², or small, round, clear balls. They can hold liquid inside.

这个产品叫Ooho。它不像塑料瓶那么高、那么硬。它更像泡泡或者是透明的小圆球。里面可以盛装液体。

People who drink Oohos can be surprised: the outside bursts in the mouth.

让人们感到惊奇的是：这个水球入口即破。

Rodrigo Garcia Gonzalez is with Skipping Rocks Lab. He explains that the outside, or the membrane³, of Ooho is made of seaweed, a plant that grows in the ocean.

冈萨雷斯是团队的一名成员。他解释说，Ooho水球的外面或者说外膜是由生长在海洋中的海藻制成。

It’s a membrane made of seaweed that can contain water or any kind of liquid. It’s made from an extract⁴ of the brown seaweed.”

“这个外膜是由海藻制成，它可以盛装水或任何液体。它是从褐藻中提取出来的。”

The Ooho membrane is tasteless, and you can eat it. But the company says even if you throw away the membrane, it will degrade⁵ in about four weeks.

Ooho外膜尝起来没有味道，可以食用。但是这家公司称，即使扔掉外膜，它仍可在四周左右降解。

Gonzales says the membrane is strong, and good for the environment.

冈萨雷斯称，这个外膜很结实，而且对环境无害。

Every year, billions of plastic water bottles are thrown away, polluting land and waterways around the world.

世界上每年都有数以亿计的塑料瓶被丢弃，对土地和河道造成污染。

The typical water bottle made of plastic can take hundreds of years to degrade. Lise Honsinger is also with Skipping Rocks Lab.

普通的塑料瓶需要花费几百年的时间来降解。Lise Honsinger也是Skipping Rocks Lab团队的成员。

Most people just grab⁶ a bottle of water, hold it for five minutes, drink it, throw it away. How can that then exist for 700 years? So, yeah, this is absolutely a solution to that. We are very purist; we don’t want to see this packaged in plastic. No, this will be served as-is, as a packaging."

“大多数人买瓶水，五分钟喝完，然后扔掉。这种东西怎么可以让它存在700年？所以这绝对是一个解决方法。我们是纯粹主义的人；我们不想看到水储存在塑料瓶里。我们要让这种新水球储存水。”

There are limits to the Ooho. It cannot be refilled. Each bottle is small. And Oohos do not store for more than a few days.

Ooho也有局限。它不可以反复利用。每个瓶子都很小。Ooho也只能储存几天。

The Skipping Rocks Lab is working on those issues.

Skipping Rocks Lab在解决这些问题。

We’re still working on things like extending⁷ the shelf life, looking at different options in terms of thickness, if we want to make one that stands up more, or more flexible for marathons where people just want to eat it whole.

“如果我们想让它更能经得起检验，或者是在马拉松比赛中发挥灵活的作用，因为选手们只想一口喝掉水，那么我们就仍需要解决保存期限的问题，在外膜厚度方面做一些改进。”

Right now, Skipping Rocks Lab can make only a few thousand Oohos a day. But it is developing new technology that could increase that number to hundreds of thousands.

目前，Skipping Rocks Lab每天只生产几千个Ooho。但是这项新科技可以让数量增加到成千上万。

Words in This Story

bubble¹ – n. a tiny, round ball of air or gas inside a liquid

membrane – n. a thin sheet or layer

extract – n. a substance that you get from something by using a machine or chemicals

sphere⁸ – n. a round object

flexible – adj. capable of bending or being bent

1 bubble   

n.泡，水泡，气泡；泡影，妄想；v.(使)起泡

参考例句：

• The water begins to bubble.水开始起泡了。
• Their hopes of success have burst like a bubble.他们成功的希望已经成了泡影。

2 bubbles   

泡( bubble的名词复数 )； 泡影； 肥皂泡； （欲表达的）一点感情

参考例句：

• Bubbles are rising from the bottom of the boiling water. 水泡从沸水的底部升到水面。
• The incorporation of air bubbles in the glass spoiled it. 玻璃含有气泡，使它质量降低。

3 membrane   

n.薄膜，膜皮，羊皮纸

参考例句：

• A vibrating membrane in the ear helps to convey sounds to the brain.耳膜的振动帮助声音传送到大脑。
• A plastic membrane serves as selective diffusion barrier.一层塑料薄膜起着选择性渗透屏障的作用。

4 extract   

vt.取出，提取，获得，摘录；n.摘录，提出物

参考例句：

• The article was a choice extract from her writings.这篇文章是从她的著作中摘录出来的精粹。
• We can extract oil from olive.我们可以从橄榄中榨油。

5 degrade   

vt.降级，贬低，堕落，退化

参考例句：

• A dishonest action like that will degrade you.像这样不诚实的行为会使你降低身份。
• You degrade yourself when you tell a lie.说谎会贬低自己的身分。

6 grab   

vt./n.攫取，抓取；vi.攫取，抓住(at)

参考例句：

• It is rude to grab a seat.抢占座位是不礼貌的。
• The thief made a grab at my bag but I pushed him away.贼想抢我的手提包，但被我推开了。

7 extending   

v.（空间、时间等）延伸，延续( extend的现在分词 )；伸展；给予；延长

参考例句：

• We are extending the radio network. 我们正在扩大广播网。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A romance extending over several years was culminated. 一场数年之久的恋爱就此圆满告终。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 sphere   

adj.球体的；n.范围，领域；球，球体

参考例句：

• The Earth is not a perfect sphere.地球并不是一个完全的球体。
• I feel I have been accepted as a leader in the international sphere.我觉得人们已经承认我是国际事务中的一个领导人了。