VOA常速英语2019--非洲非清洁能源影响居民健康

Patrick Mdluli developed lung problems shortly after he moved to South Africa’s coal mining heartland.

帕特里克有了肺病，但他还没搬到南非的采煤中心多久。

The mines, the dust, pollution. You go to the doctors. They ask you. They tell you the very same thing.

到处都是矿山、灰尘和污染。你去看医生的时候，医生问诊后，回复都是一样的。

Are you living next to a mine? Yes, I’m. Are you living next to a dumping site? Yes, I am.

你是不是住在矿山旁边？是的。你是不是住在垃圾场附近？是的。

South Africa’s coal industry is in Mdluli’s backyard.

南非的煤炭业就在帕特里克家后山。

This past farming area of South Africa last year earned an unfortunate distinction of having the world’s worst air quality, says Greenpeace.

南非的这片农业区去年不幸地获得了一个名号——全球空气质量最差的地方，绿色和平组织如是说道。

And it shows, says the head of one of Middleburg’s main clinics, children and adults are paying the ultimate price when we say ultimate price is the neural¹ cognitive² loss of neural cognitive development.

米德尔堡主要诊所的负责人表示，我们发现：孩子和成年人要为这一切买单。我们所说的“买单”是指丧失神经认知发展的神经认知。

Children’s infant mortality rate is higher in our area than other areas, adults heart attacks and respiratory disease much higher.

婴儿死亡率在我们地区要比其他地区更高，而且成年人患心脏病和呼吸病的比例也更高一些。

So people are paying with their lives across the board because of these pollutants⁴ in the air.

所以，总体而言，空气污染问题导致人们付出了损害生命的代价。

Doctor Tayob blames the coal mining industry and poor governance.

医生Tayob将这一切归罪于煤矿开采和治理不力。

Residents say the coal companies have done little to improve the community.

许多居民表示，煤炭公司为社群贡献寥寥。

One cannot be faulted in thinking is there some level of corruption⁵ operating this area as well with these big boys are getting away with murder literally⁶ literally getting...

完全可以这么想：这个地区存在某种程度的腐败，而且这些操控权力的大手谋害了他人的性命却可以逃之夭夭。

It’s just a reality. I mean I’d like somebody to to come up and dispute this fact and challenge me on there.

这就是现实，我倒希望有人站出来跟我争辩这不是现实，挑战我的说法。

VOA contacted three of the area’s larger coal mines for comment. None responded.

我台联系了该地区3家较为大型的煤矿，想听听他们的看法。但他们都拒绝回应。

Environmental activists⁷ Bafana Hlatshwayo is lobbying to shift to a cleaner resource ----the region’s abundant sunshine.

环境保护活动家Bafana Hlatshwayo正奔走呼号，倡导人们转向更为清洁的能源——该地区取之不尽的太阳能。

We’re not saying we want to close down the mines.

我们并不是倡导关闭所有煤矿。

We must go the renewable energy way, so when we talk about their energy renewable a way we are saying people will manufacture solar panels inside South Africa, and they are the ones who supposed to install the solar panels and the other ones who are supposed to maintain the solar panels.

而是想倡导我们必须选择清洁能源，这样一来，每当我们提到清洁能源是一种出路的时候，我们其实是在鼓动大家在南非制造太阳能电池板，告诉大家——他们中的一些人应该安装太阳能电池板；另一些人应该维护太阳能电池板。

But that is a faraway dream from Mlludi and his neighbors who complain unemployment is high and all of them including the children have health problems.

但这是一个遥远的梦想，对于帕特里克是如此。而且他的很多邻居都抱怨失业率居高不下。其中还有存在健康问题的孩子。

The area they say used to be beautiful.

在他们的口中，以前这个地方是很美丽的。

It’ s endless pollutant³, now, booming.

而现在只有无尽的污染在不断的发酵。

It’s not the part anymore.

再也不是以前的样子了。

It’s an endless pollutant.

只有无尽的污染。

Coal powers the vast majority of South Africa’s power grid⁸. It’s what keeps this country moving forward economically.

煤炭是南非电网的主要能源，保持着南非经济的增长。

But for communities like this that live in the shadow of coal mines and lack basic services like electricity and running water, sometimes that progress seems very far away.

但对于一些这样的社群来说，他们生活在煤矿的阴影之下，缺少基本服务，比如电、自来水，有时候，这种经济的进步看起来还是很遥远。

1 neural   

adj.神经的，神经系统的

参考例句：

• The neural network can preferably solve the non- linear problem.利用神经网络建模可以较好地解决非线性问题。
• The information transmission in neural system depends on neurotransmitters.信息传递的神经途径有赖于神经递质。

2 cognitive   

adj.认知的，认识的，有感知的

参考例句：

• As children grow older,their cognitive processes become sharper.孩子们越长越大，他们的认知过程变得更为敏锐。
• The cognitive psychologist is like the tinker who wants to know how a clock works.认知心理学者倒很像一个需要通晓钟表如何运转的钟表修理匠。

3 pollutant   

n.污染物质，散布污染物质者

参考例句：

• Coal itself is a heavy pollutant.煤本身就是一种严重的污染物。
• Carbon dioxide may not be a typical air pollutant.二氧化碳可能不是一种典型的污染物。

4 pollutants   

污染物质（尤指工业废物）( pollutant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Pollutants are constantly being released into the atmosphere. 污染物质正在不断地被排放到大气中去。
• The 1987 Amendments limit 301(g) discharges to a few well-studied nonconventional pollutants. 1987年的修正案把第301条（g）的普通排放限制施加在一些认真研究过的几种非常规污染物上。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

5 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

6 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

7 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 grid   

n.高压输电线路网；地图坐标方格；格栅

参考例句：

• In this application,the carrier is used to encapsulate the grid.在这种情况下，要用载体把格栅密封起来。
• Modern gauges consist of metal foil in the form of a grid.现代应变仪则由网格形式的金属片组成。