VOA慢速英语--研究人员研发完全可降解轮胎

Research Breakthrough for Biodegradable Tires? 研究人员研发完全可降解轮胎

Researchers say they have created a new synthetic¹ rubber that could be used to make biodegradable tires.

A team at Texas A&M University’s campus in the Gulf² nation of Qatar is testing the synthetic rubber.

One of the researchers, Robert Tuba, said the goal is to find a way to make fully³ recyclable tires.

Rubber tires thrown into landfills decompose⁴ very slowly. They are a fire risk and can release chemicals into the soil. If they collect water, they can also become a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

The research team discovered a by-product⁵ of the oil refining process called cyclopentene. This was combined with a polymer to make a substance very similar to natural rubber.

The new synthetic rubber is being tested to see if it can be mixed with metal and other materials now used in making tires. The goal is to produce a new kind of synthetic that is just as strong as the rubber now used, but is biodegradable.

The team said they found other benefits of the synthetic rubber. For one thing, they were able to recover 100 percent of the original materials when the rubber decomposed⁶.

The researchers say they already have a partner in the rubber industry. If future tests go well, Robert Tuba said his team would be ready to “bring the material to market.”

This would eventually make biodegradable rubber tires widely available.

Words in This Story

synthetic – adj. something not made from natural substances

biodegradable – adj. able to break down without harming the environment

recyclable – adj. able to be reused after processing

decompose – v. to gradually decay until destroyed

breeding – n. the process animals use to produce babies

by-product – n. something that happens as a result of something else

polymer – n. a chemical mix that is made of small molecules that are arranged in a simple repeating structure to form a larger molecule

1 synthetic   

adj.合成的，人工的；综合的；n.人工制品

参考例句：

• We felt the salesman's synthetic friendliness.我们感觉到那位销售员的虚情假意。
• It's a synthetic diamond.这是人造钻石。

2 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

3 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

4 decompose   

vi.分解；vt.（使）腐败，（使）腐烂

参考例句：

• The eggs began to decompose after a day in the sun.鸡蛋在太阳下放了一天后开始变坏。
• Most animals decompose very quickly after death.大多数动物死后很快腐烂。

5 by-product   

n.副产品，附带产生的结果

参考例句：

• Freedom is the by-product of economic surplus.自由是经济盈余的副产品。
• The raw material for the tyre is a by-product of petrol refining.制造轮胎的原材料是提炼汽油时产生的一种副产品。

6 decomposed   

已分解的，已腐烂的

参考例句：

• A liquid is decomposed when an electric current passes through it. 当电流通过时，液体就分解。
• Water can be resolved [decomposed] into hydrogen and oxygen. 水可分解为氢和氧。