被酶吃掉的塑料垃圾 ⏲️ 6分钟英语：英语精读讲义

6 Minute English from bbclearningenglish.com.

来自 bbclearningenglish.com 的 6 Minute English。

Hello, this is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English.

你好，这里是 BBC Learning English 的 6 Minute English。

I'm Neil.

我是尼尔。

And I'm Beth.

我是贝丝。

Plastic pollution is a problem we've discussed before on 6 Minute English. 語法

塑料污染是我们之前在《6 Minute English》中讨论过的一个问题。

It's an environmental issue which,

这是一个环境问题，

like the growing amounts of plastic waste,

就像日益增加的塑料垃圾一样，

isn't going away. 短語動詞

它并没有消失。

And now microparticles of plastic have even been found,

而现在甚至发现了塑料微粒，

can you guess where, Beth?

你能猜到在哪里吗，贝丝？

Hmm, let me guess.

嗯，让我猜猜。

Uh in our food,

呃，在我们的食物里，

inside dead animals,

在死去的动物体内，

at the North Pole?

在北极？

Hmm.

嗯。

At the top of Mount Everest,

在珠穆朗玛峰山顶，

although the other places you mentioned are true as well. 語法

尽管你提到的其他地方也确实如此。

Plastic is a tough problem to fix, 語法

塑料是一个很难解决的问题，

but fortunately scientists may now have found a solution. 語法

但幸运的是，科学家现在可能已经找到了一个解决方案。

In this program, we'll be hearing about chemical recycling, 表達脈絡

在今天的节目中，我们将听到关于化学回收的内容，

a groundbreaking way of making old plastic new again. 短語搭配

这是一种让旧塑料焕然一新的开创性方法。

And as usual, we'll be learning some useful new vocabulary as well. 短語搭配

像往常一样，我们还会学习一些有用的新词汇。

But first, I have a question for you, Beth. 表達脈絡

但首先，我有一个问题要问你，贝丝。

Visit the country or seaside and you'll soon see evidence of plastic waste. 語法

去乡下或海边走走，你很快就会看到塑料垃圾的痕迹。

According to the UN, 表達脈絡

根据联合国的数据，

around 400 million tons of new plastic is produced every year,

每年大约生产4亿吨的新塑料，

much of it going to waste. 語法

其中很大一部分变成了垃圾。

It's hard to imagine what 400 million tons looks like, 語法

很难想象4亿吨是什么概念，

so which of the following,

那么以下哪一项，

if you placed on a set of scales, 語法

如果放在秤上，

would weigh about the same?

重量会大致相同呢？

Is it A,

是 A，

all the people on Earth,

地球上所有人的重量，

B,

B，

all the cars on Earth,

地球上所有汽车的重量，

or C,

还是 C，

all the elephants on Earth?

地球上所有大象的重量？

Hmm,

嗯，

I think all the cars on Earth would weigh about 400 million tons.

我想地球上所有汽车的重量大约会是4亿吨。

Okay, Beth,

好的，贝丝，

we'll find out if that's the right answer later. 短語動詞

我们稍后会揭晓这是否是正确答案。

Globally, less than 10% of all plastic gets recycled. 語法

在全球范围内，所有塑料中只有不到10%被回收利用。

Some gets incinerated or burnt, 用詞

一部分被焚烧或烧毁，

and about half of all plastic waste goes straight to landfill, 用詞

还有大约一半的塑料垃圾直接进入垃圾填埋场，

meaning it's buried underground.

也就是被埋在地下。

But as reporter for BBC World Service program People Fixing the World,

但是正如 BBC 世界服务节目《修复世界的人》的记者

William Kremer explained,

威廉·克雷默所解释的，

this only fixes part of the problem. 短語搭配

这只解决了一部分问题。

Uh so there is a mechanical process

呃，所以有一种物理过程，

where some plastics can be sort of melted down 講解

在其中一些塑料可以被融化，

and remolded into a new shape or a new form. 短語搭配

然后重新塑造成一种新的形状或形式。

Um but not all plastics can go through that process at all. 語法

嗯，但并非所有塑料都能经历那个过程。

And also it loses a little bit of quality every time you do that, 語法

而且每次你那样做，它都会失去一点品质，

so it will become slightly more brittle.

所以它会变得稍微脆一点。

So it's actually more downcycling than recycling 表達脈絡

因此，与其说是回收（recycling），不如说是降级回收（downcycling），

that every time it goes through that process, 語法

因为每次它经历那个过程，

it gets less useful.

它的用处就会变小。

Each time plastic is recycled,

每次塑料被回收利用时，

it gets more brittle,

它就会变得更脆，

meaning it's easier to break or crack.

这意味着它更容易断裂或开裂。

As a result, what we call recycling is actually downcycling, 表達脈絡

因此，我们所说的回收实际上是降级回收，

creating recycled products

制造出来的回收产品

which are less valuable and of lower quality than the original waste product. 語法

比原来的废弃物价值更低、质量更差。

And that's where the new discovery fits in. 短語動詞

而这正是新发现的切入点。

Chemical recycling uses enzymes, 用詞

化学回收利用了酶，

natural chemicals 語法

即天然化学物质，

which cause changes in other chemicals without being changed themselves.

它们能在自身不发生变化的情况下引起其他化学物质的变化。

Certain enzymes have evolved the ability 短語搭配

某些酶已经进化出一种能力，

to break down plastic into its basic building blocks 短語動詞

可以将塑料分解成其基本构成单元，

and use that to make new plastic.

并利用这些基本单元来制造新塑料。

The problem is that very few enzymes exist

问题在于，只有极少数酶

which can break the chemical bonds in stronger plastics, 用詞

能够分解更坚固塑料中的化学键，

like PET, 文化背景

比如 PET，

the plastic used in drinks bottles.

即用于制作饮料瓶的塑料。

At least that's what scientists used to think, 表達脈絡

至少科学家们曾经是这样认为的，

until researcher Sintawee Sulaiman 表達脈絡

直到研究员辛塔薇·苏莱曼

took a autumn walk in the park

在秋天去公园散步时，

near her laboratory at the University of Osaka, Japan.

在她所在的日本大阪大学实验室附近。

In a pile of rotting leaves,

在一堆腐烂的树叶中，

she discovered the microorganism leaf branch compost cutinase,

她发现了微生物枝叶堆肥角质酶，

or LCC for short. 短語搭配

简称 LCC。

Sintawee mixed LCC with plastic

辛塔薇将 LCC 与塑料混合在一起，

and left it in her lab overnight. 短語搭配

并把它留在实验室里过夜。

She was surprised to return the next morning 語法

第二天早上回来时她惊讶地发现，

and find the plastic gone,

塑料不见了，

eaten by the enzyme. 語法

被这种酶吃掉了。

The news spread,

消息传开了，

and soon scientists were predicting a major breakthrough, 用詞

很快科学家们就预测会有一项重大突破，

as William Kremer reported

正如威廉·克雷默

for BBC World Service program People Fixing the World.

在 BBC 世界服务节目《修复世界的人》中所报道的那样。

This discovery wasn't the end of the story, 習語

这个发现并不是故事的结束，

but the beginning.

而是开始。

LCC showed promise in breaking down PET plastic, 短語搭配

LCC 在分解 PET 塑料方面展现出了前景，

but it needed a lot more work to become stable and effective. 短語搭配

但还需要大量改进，才能变得稳定而有效。

The LCC enzyme showed promise

LCC 酶在分解

in breaking down even strong plastics.

甚至坚固的塑料方面展现出了前景。

If something shows promise,

如果某事 shows promise，

it has the potential to be successful in the future. 短語搭配

就意味着它在未来有成功的潜力。

Since then, 習語

从那时起，

that promise has started to come true.

那个希望已经开始成为现实。

Scientists in France have used LCC to develop new enzymes, 語法

法国的科学家利用 LCC 开发出了新的酶，

and by 2025 they plan to recycle 50,000 tons of plastic waste annually, 語法

到2025年，他们计划每年回收5万吨塑料垃圾，

including strong plastics like PET and nylon, 表達脈絡

包括 PET 和尼龙等坚固塑料，

which is used to make clothes. 語法

尼龙常用来制作衣服。

But there's still work to do. 短語搭配

但仍有很多工作要做。

50,000 tons sounds a lot, 語法

5万吨听起来很多，

but not as much as the 400 million tons

但不如你问题中提到的4亿吨

of plastic waste in your question, Neil.

塑料垃圾那么多，尼尔。

So what was the correct answer?

那么正确答案是什么呢？

Right,

对的，

I asked you what else would weigh about 400 million tons,

我问你还有什么东西的重量大约也是4亿吨，

the amount of new plastic we produce each year.

也就是我们每年生产的新塑料的数量。

You guessed all the cars on Earth would weigh the same,

你猜地球上所有汽车的重量加起来会一样重，

which was the wrong answer,

那是错误的答案，

I'm afraid, Beth. 語氣意圖

恐怕不对，贝丝。

In fact,

事实上，

it was all the people on Earth.

是地球上所有人的重量。

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

好的，让我们回顾一下在这个节目中学到的词汇，

starting with incinerate, 短語搭配

从 incinerate 开始，

another word for burn.

它是 burn（燃烧）的另一个词。

Landfill is a method of dealing with rubbish 短語搭配

Landfill（垃圾填埋）是一种处理垃圾的方法，

by burying it in large holes in the ground.

就是把它埋在地面的大坑里。

The adjective brittle means easily broken or snapped.

形容词 brittle 的意思是容易断裂或折断的。

Downcycling is recycling,

Downcycling（降级回收）就是回收，

but in such a way that the resulting product 語法

但以这种方式产生的产品

is less valuable or of lower quality than the original.

比原来的价值更低或质量更差。

Enzymes are chemicals found in living cells

Enzymes（酶）是在活细胞中发现的化学物质，

which cause changes in other chemicals to happen

它能引发其他化学物质发生变化，

while not being changed themselves.

而自身不会改变。

And finally,

最后，

if something shows promise,

如果某事物 shows promise，

it has a lot of potential for success in the future.

就意味着它在未来有很大成功的潜力。

Once again,

再一次，

our 6 minutes are up.

我们的6分钟到了。

But remember to join us again

但请记住下次再来

next time here at 6 Minute English.

《6 Minute English》听我们聊天。

Goodbye for now.

暂且再见。

Bye.

再见。

6 Minute English

6 Minute English

from bbclearningenglish.com.

来自 bbclearningenglish.com。