新奇事件簿 欧盟为统一充电器投票（在线收听）

Have you ever wondered why every smartphone manufacturer makes a charger for its phone that is different from the rest? Lawmakers at the European Union have also been pondering the same mystery. Consumers should welcome a new, common-sense initiative voted for by European politicians. The EU has decided that all smartphone companies will soon have to make the plug adaptor that connects to the electricity supply the same.They did not vote on making the other end of the cable, the part that connects to the phone itself, the same. This will leave many consumers feeling somewhat perplexed. They may well view the upcoming law as a half measure. There were calls to also standardize the connector that fits into the phone.

你有没有想过，为什么每个智能手机的制造商都拥有属于自己品牌的充电器？欧盟法律制定者也在对这同样的问题困惑不已。欧洲政治家投票称，他们希望顾客能够接受一种新的思想。欧盟已经决定所有智能手机都要生产出适合所有充电设备的插头转换器。他们并没有对接通智能手机另一头的接头有任何的投票。这让许多顾客感到困惑。他们认为即将出台的法律政策没有用。人们呼吁把接通手机的连接头标准化。

The dizzying variety in designs of current adaptors is detrimental to the environment. Every time someone buys a new phone, they usually end up throwing away their old charger and paying for another one that fitstheir new device. EU politician Barbara Weiler said the new law would help the environment by cutting downon electronic waste. She told reporters: "It will put an end to charger clutter and 51,000 tons of electronic waste annually." She added: "The current incompatibility of chargers for mobile phones, smart phones, tablets, digital cameras and music players is a nightmare and a real inconvenience for consumers."Manufacturers have until 2017 to comply with the new directive.

各种不同型号的手机转换器对环境产生了不良影响。通常只要人们购买了一部新手机，他们就会扔掉老手机的充电器，并购买一个适合新手机的充电器。欧盟政治家芭芭拉·威雷尔称新法将减少人们对电子产品的浪费，并改善环境。她告诉记者说：“这样做将结束充电器的混乱状态，并节省每年5万1千吨的电子浪费。”她还说：“目前，手机、智能手机、平板电脑、数码相机以及音乐播放器充电器的不兼容状态简直是一场噩梦，给顾客带来了极大的不便。”生产商将在2017年遵循新规定。