【英语时差8,16】沙漠的希望之光-灰白银胶菊

Guayule- A Promising¹ Crop From The Desert D:Holy guayule,Yale. Y:Holy what? D:Guayule.It's a desert-dwelling shrub² from the Southwest. Y:What about guayule?I never even heard of it. D:Several things.One of the most important features of the guayule plant is that it is a source of natural latex, ideal for making gloves and other natural rubber products used in the medical industry. But unlike the more common latex extracted from rubber trees, latex from guayule plants does not contain the proteins that cause severe allergic³ reactions in some people. Y:Nice. D:But that's not all.Crop researchers have discovered that the guayule plant is a potentially valuable source of energy. After the latex is extracted from the plant, you’re left with the ground up stems and branches–called “bagasse.”Bagasse from guayule contains about as much potential energy per pound as charcoal⁴.USDA chemists are working to develop efficient methods to convert bagasse into ethanol and other consumer?ready products.Guayule has a few advantages as a source for biofuel. One is that it grows and thrives in the desert. That means it can grow in areas where other crops can’t.Guayule shrubs⁵ can also be harvested year?round, and require very little fertilizer or chemicals to grow. On top of that, the latex extraction process uses only water, no harsh solvents⁶, so the process of producing latex and bagasse is relatively⁷ clean. Y:That does sound promising.I'LL look forward to hearing more about guayule in the future. D:I suspect we will.

1 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。

2 shrub   

n.灌木，灌木丛

参考例句：

• There is a small evergreen shrub on the hillside.山腰上有一小块常绿灌木丛。
• Moving a shrub is best done in early spring.移植灌木最好是在初春的时候。

3 allergic   

adj.过敏的，变态的

参考例句：

• Alice is allergic to the fur of cats.艾丽斯对猫的皮毛过敏。
• Many people are allergic to airborne pollutants such as pollen.许多人对空气传播的污染物过敏，比如花粉。

4 charcoal   

n.炭，木炭，生物炭

参考例句：

• We need to get some more charcoal for the barbecue.我们烧烤需要更多的碳。
• Charcoal is used to filter water.木炭是用来过滤水的。

5 shrubs   

灌木( shrub的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gardener spent a complete morning in trimming those two shrubs. 园丁花了整个上午的时间修剪那两处灌木林。
• These shrubs will need more light to produce flowering shoots. 这些灌木需要更多的光照才能抽出开花的新枝。

6 solvents   

溶解的，溶剂

参考例句：

• It is resistant to borohydride reduction in alcoholic solvents. 在醇溶剂中，它不能被硼氢化物还原。
• Strains require special treatments for removal such as spotting with organic solvents. 要清除这些着色物质，需要特殊处理，例如：滴加有机溶剂。

7 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。