在地球上最干燥的地方节水 ⏲️ 6分钟英语：英语精读讲义

Six Minute English from bbclearningenglish.com.

来自 bbclearningenglish.com 的六分钟英语。

Hello, this is Six Minute English from BBC Learning English.

大家好，这里是 BBC Learning English 的六分钟英语。

I'm Neil.

我是 Neil。

And I'm Beth.

我是 Beth。

We all know how horrible it feels to be thirsty. 語法

我们都知道口渴的感觉有多难受。

Human bodies need around 3 litres of water a day,

人体每天大约需要 3 升水，

and thankfully, most of us can just turn on the kitchen tap to get clean drinking water. 短語動詞

值得庆幸的是，我们大多数人只需打开厨房的水龙头就能获得干净的饮用水。

But globally, over 2 billion people, 表達脈絡

但在全球范围内，有超过 20 亿人，

around a quarter of the world's population,

约占世界人口的四分之一，

live in water-stressed countries 用詞

生活在水资源紧张的国家，

where access to water for drinking, 語法

那里的饮用、

cooking, and washing is not guaranteed.

烹饪和洗涤用水得不到保障。

What's more, 表達脈絡

而且，

water is also needed to grow food,

种植粮食也需要水，

and that's getting harder due to droughts, 語法

但由于干旱，这变得越来越困难，

which are increasing with climate change.

而随着气候变化，干旱正不断加剧。

In this program,

在本期节目中，

we'll visit farmers in one of the driest places on Earth, 語法

我们将拜访地球上最干旱地区之一的农民，

Yuma, in the USA,

也就是美国的 Yuma（尤马），

where a new technology involving liquid clay is helping farmers grow fruit and vegetables in the desert. 語法

那里的一项涉及液态粘土的新技术正在帮助农民在沙漠中种植水果和蔬菜。

And as usual, 短語搭配

像往常一样，

we'll be learning some useful new vocabulary too.

我们也会学习一些实用的新词汇。

But first,

但首先，

I have a question for you, Neil.

我有一个问题要问你，Neil。

Everyone knows that plants need sunlight and water to grow,

大家都知道植物生长需要阳光和水，

but soil is just as important. 語法

但土壤也同样重要。

One of the most useful soils is clay,

最有用的一种土壤是粘土，

a dense, smooth soil which is very fertile, 用詞

这是一种致密、细腻的土壤，非常肥沃，

but sticky.

但是很黏。

Clay has been used in agriculture for thousands of years, 語法

粘土在农业上的应用已有数千年的历史，

but what is its more modern use?

但它更现代的用途是什么呢？

Is clay good for A,

粘土适合 A，

curing headaches,

治疗头痛，

B,

B，

digesting food,

消化食物，

or C,

还是 C，

smoothing face skin?

使面部皮肤变得光滑？

Well,

嗯，

I think clay can be used to smooth the skin on people's faces. 語法

我认为粘土可以用来使人的面部皮肤变得光滑。

Okay, Neil.

好的，Neil。

We'll find out if that's the correct answer later. 短語動詞

我们稍后会揭晓这是否是正确答案。

Lack of water and farming are closely connected. 短語搭配

缺水与农业密切相关。

Agriculture uses a massive 70% of the world's fresh water supply. 用詞

农业消耗了全球淡水资源的 70%，占比巨大。

So ways to use water more efficiently are much needed. 用詞

因此，我们迫切需要更高效利用水资源的方法。

Ole Sivertson's company, Desert Control,

Ole Sivertson 的公司 Desert Control

works with date farmers in Yuma, 用詞

与 Yuma 的枣树种植户合作，

an area on the border of California and Mexico. 文化背景

该地区位于加利福尼亚州和墨西哥的边境。

One of the hottest places on Earth,

作为地球上最热的地方之一，

Yuma has been experiencing its worst drought in 500 years, 語法

Yuma 正在经历 500 年来最严重的干旱，

forcing farmers to pump water from rivers 語法

迫使农民从河里抽水

to grow their date palm trees. 用詞

来种植他们的椰枣树。

Fortunately,

幸运的是，

Ole's team have created a liquid that they say

Ole 的团队发明了一种液体，据他们说

can turn the sandy desert soil into a sponge, 習語

可以将沙质的沙漠土壤变成海绵，

which holds water and nutrients.

从而锁住水分和营养。

Here,

在这里，

he explains his invention to Anthony Wallace,

他向 Anthony Wallace 解释了他的发明，

reporter for BBC World Service program,

Anthony 是 BBC 国际频道节目

People Fixing the World.

《People Fixing the World》的记者。

To understand how it works, 表達脈絡

要了解它的工作原理，

we need to look at the difference between sandy soil and clay soil. 短語搭配

我们需要看看沙土和粘土之间的区别。

Sandy desert soil has a lot of gaps in it,

沙漠的沙质土壤中有很多缝隙，

so water drains through it quickly, 用詞

所以水很快就从中流失（drain）了，

making it hard for plants to establish a root system in the ground. 語法

使得植物很难在地下建立根系。

But clay soil is made up of much smaller particles 短語動詞

但是粘土是由小得多的颗粒组成的，

that cling together and naturally stop water from escaping. 講解

这些颗粒紧密结合在一起，自然地阻止水分流失。

It creates the habitat

它创造了栖息地

for the soil microbiology to also start to develop and evolve. 用詞

让土壤微生物也能开始发育和进化。

So it's kind of a kickstart as well to nature's natural processes. 講解

所以这在某种程度上也推动（kickstart）了自然生态的发展。

The problem with sandy soil is that it drains water. 語法

沙土的问题在于它会流失（drain）水分。

If you drain something,

如果你对某物进行 drain，

you remove the liquid from it.

就意味着排干其中的液体。

Clay soil,

粘土，

on the other hand, 表達脈絡

另一方面，

is made of smaller particles which cling or stick together tightly and hold water,

由较小的颗粒组成，这些颗粒紧密结合或黏附（cling）在一起并锁住水分，

helping plants grow.

帮助植物生长。

Ole makes a liquid by mixing clay and water, 語法

Ole 将粘土和水混合制成一种液体，

which changes the soil composition 用詞

这改变了土壤成分

and kickstarts the growth of his trees. 習語

并促进（kickstart）了他的树木生长。

The liquid makes the trees start growing more quickly.

这种液体使树木开始更快地生长。

Liquid clay technology is still new,

液态粘土技术还是一项新技术，

and costing around $2,000 an acre, 用詞

每英亩成本约为 2000 美元，

it's not cheap.

这并不便宜。

But Ole claims his technique halves the amount of water needed to grow fruit trees, 用詞

但 Ole 声称他的技术使种植果树所需的水量减半，

and that most farmers will make back their investment within 2 years. 短語動詞

而且大多数农民将在两年内收回投资。

Ole's claims sound too good to be true, 習語

Ole 的说法听起来好得令人难以置信，

but are there downsides to interfering with nature in this way? 用詞

但是以这种方式干预自然是否有不利的一面呢？

Presenters Myra Anubi and Anthony Wallace

主持人 Myra Anubi 和 Anthony Wallace

discuss this question for BBC World Service's

在 BBC 国际频道的

People Fixing the World.

《People Fixing the World》节目中讨论了这个问题。

Anthony,

Anthony，

I'm still left wondering, right, 語氣意圖

我还在想，对吧，

when you manipulate soil like this,

当你这样操纵（manipulate）土壤时，

could you be causing problems down the line? 講解

会在将来（down the line）引发问题吗？

Yeah,

是的，

I think anytime that there's a new technology where you are,

我认为任何时候出现新技术时，你在

like you said, 語氣意圖

就像你说的，

manipulating nature,

操纵自然，

only time will tell what the long-term effects that will be. 講解

只有时间能证明（only time will tell）长期的影响会是什么。

Um

嗯

but Ole did stress that their liquid clay does not use any chemicals, 語法

但 Ole 确实强调他们的液态粘土没有使用任何化学物质，

um only clay,

嗯，只有粘土、

air, and water.

空气和水。

Ole's liquid clay involves manipulating soil 用詞

Ole 的液态粘土涉及对土壤的操纵（manipulating），

using and controlling it skillfully to achieve some result.

即巧妙地使用和控制它以达到某种结果。

Myra worries that when people do this,

Myra 担心人们这样做时，

they could create problems down the line

他们可能会在将来产生问题，

at some unspecified point in the future.

也就是在未来某个不确定的时间点。

In fact,

事实上，

only time will tell

只有时间能证明

if liquid clay is a long-term solution to the problem of water scarcity. 短語搭配

液态粘土是否是解决水资源短缺问题的长期方案。

The phrase only time will tell

短语 only time will tell

means that the result of something happening now will not be known until the future. 語法

意思是现在发生的事情的结果要到未来才能知晓。

Something we can know, 表達脈絡

有一件事我们可以知道，

though,

那就是，

is the answer to my question,

我对你提出的那个问题的答案，

Neil.

Neil。

Yes,

是的，

you asked about a modern use for clay,

你问了关于粘土的现代用途，

and I guessed it was for smoothing facial skin.

我猜它是用来使面部皮肤变得光滑的。

Which was the correct answer.

这是正确答案。

A clay mask,

粘土面膜，

also called a mud pack, 語法

也叫泥膜，

is used to smooth the skin on your face.

是用来平滑你脸部皮肤的。

Okay,

好的，

let's recap the vocabulary we've learned in this program, 表達脈絡

让我们回顾一下在这期节目中学到的词汇，

starting with the verb to drain, 表達脈絡

从动词 drain 开始，

which means to remove liquid.

意思是去除液体或排干。

To cling

cling

means to stick or hold tightly onto something.

意思是紧紧贴住或抓住某物。

If you kickstart something,

如果你 kickstart 某事，

you make it start or develop more quickly.

就是使它更快地开始或发展。

To manipulate

manipulate

means to skillfully use or control something.

意思是巧妙地使用或控制某物。

The phrase down the line

短语 down the line

means sometime in the future.

意思是未来某个时候。

And finally,

最后，

the idiom only time will tell

习语 only time will tell

means that the truth about something happening now

意思是现在发生的事情的真相

will only be known in the future.

只能在未来知晓。

Once again,

又一次，

our 6 minutes are up, 用詞

我们的六分钟到了，

but remember to join us again next time 語氣意圖

但请记住下次再来加入我们，

for more trending topics and useful vocabulary 用詞

获取更多热门话题和实用词汇，

here at Six Minute English.

就在六分钟英语。

Goodbye for now. 短語搭配

暂时再见。

Bye.

拜拜。

Six Minute English

六分钟英语

from bbclearningenglish.com.

来自 bbclearningenglish.com。