疯长的杂草正在令全球50国湖泊窒息，如今却被女性编织成精美包袋 | 全球零废弃：英语精读讲义

This invasive weed is choking lakes and rivers around the world. 講解

这种入侵杂草正在堵塞世界各地的湖泊与河流。

Water hyacinths now clog waterways in over 50 countries, 短語搭配

如今，水葫芦已经堵塞了50多个国家的水道，

including Tonle Sap, 文化背景

其中包括洞里萨湖，

the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia.

也就是东南亚最大的淡水湖。

The people there cannot travel easily when it grows super thick.

水葫芦一旦长得特别茂密，当地人就很难出行。

And also the living things under the water die.

水下的生物也会死亡。

So far,

到目前为止，

exterminating the plant has proven impossible for the 1.5 million people who live here. 短語搭配

事实证明，对生活在这里的150万人来说，彻底消灭这种植物是不可能的。

Now,

如今，

locals are removing the pest with their bare hands

当地人正徒手清除这种有害植物，

and giving new life to the dry stems. 習語

让晒干的茎秆重获新生。

We went to Cambodia to see how local women are making fashionable bags from worldwide waste. 表達脈絡

我们前往柬埔寨，看看当地女性如何把这种遍布全球的废弃物制成时尚包袋。

Water hyacinth is native to the Amazon, 短語搭配

水葫芦原产于亚马孙地区，

but over the past century,

但在过去一个世纪里，

humans helped it spread to places it never should have been. 語法

人类帮助它扩散到了本不该出现的地方。

It's been transported all over the world because it's beautiful. 語法

因为它长得漂亮，人们把它运往了世界各地。

It's an ornamental plant species.

它是一种观赏植物。

Dr. Kit Magellan is an ecologist who studies invasive plants.

Kit Magellan博士是一位研究入侵植物的生态学家。

It's native to the upper reaches of the Amazon basin. 用詞

它原产于亚马孙盆地上游。

Most of the transport occurred during the early 20th century.

它主要是在20世纪初被运往各地的。

In the Amazon,

在亚马孙地区，

weevils and moths keep the hyacinths in check. 習語

象鼻虫和飞蛾会抑制水葫芦的数量增长。

But without predators, 語法

但在没有天敌的地方，

the plants can double in size every 2 weeks. 短語搭配

它们每两周就能翻一番。

They block out light and oxygen 短語動詞

它们会隔绝光线和氧气，

and kill all kinds of other species.

导致各种其他物种死亡。

That's a big problem for Tonle Sap's floating villages. 文化背景

对洞里萨湖的水上村庄来说，这是个大问题。

Tonle Sap is the heart of Cambodia. 習語

洞里萨湖是柬埔寨的心脏。

This is a unique ecosystem.

这里有着独一无二的生态系统。

And the villages around there have a rather unique lifestyle.

周边村庄的生活方式也颇为独特。

The hyacinths create so much waste 語法

水葫芦产生了大量废弃物，

that they're harming stocks of staple foods, 用詞

正损害当地的主要食物资源，

and they make it harder to get around. 講解

还让出行变得更加困难。

Many times we got stuck for a few hours in the middle 短語搭配

我们有好几次被困在湖中央，一困就是几个小时，

of the water hyacinth lake.

四周全是水葫芦。

Hor Sounsrors runs Rokhak,

Hor Sounsrors经营着Rokhak，

a company that hires women to remove the weeds by hand

这家公司雇用女性徒手清除杂草，

and then weave the stems into baskets, 短語搭配

再将茎秆编织成篮子、

rugs,

地毯

and other handicrafts.

和其他手工艺品。

She says she wanted to help local women earn a living 短語搭配

她说，她希望帮助当地女性谋生，

while dealing with the plant that makes their way of life more difficult. 短語動詞

同时应对这种让她们生活更加艰难的植物。

Many women they still live in the circle of grown up

许多女性依然困在这样的循环中：长大成人，

and get married in the young age. 語法

然后年纪轻轻就结婚。

I want them to be employed and to get some training.

我希望她们能有工作，也能接受一些培训。

Today,

现在，

four weavers work for Rokhak.

Rokhak有四名编织工。

They can bundle as many as 200 hyacinth stalks at a time. 語法

她们一次最多能捆扎200根水葫芦茎秆。

They bring them back onto shore

她们把茎秆带回岸上，

to dry in the sun for up to 2 weeks. 短語搭配

放在阳光下晾干，最长需要两周。

Then,

接着，

they wash them.

她们会把茎秆洗干净。

The women lay the stems out on top of this wooden platform 短語動詞

这些女性把茎秆铺在这个木制平台上，

and steam the plants over charcoal

再用木炭火蒸这些茎秆，

to kill bacteria and get the right color.

以杀灭细菌并让它们呈现合适的色泽。

After the steaming,

蒸制后，

our weavers would select the size of water hyacinth stem.

我们的编织工会按尺寸挑选水葫芦茎秆。

They use small stems for coasters

她们用细茎制作杯垫，

and medium ones for bags and baskets. 語法

中等粗细的茎则用来制作包袋和篮子。

The largest stems will become rugs.

最粗的茎秆会变成地毯。

Our weaving is based on our traditional weaving. 短語搭配

我们的编织方式源自传统编织技艺。

You can see from our weaving style

从我们的编织风格

and also the fabric that we use.

以及使用的面料中，都能看出这一点。

This one we made for one of the apartments in Siem Reap.

这一件是我们为暹粒的一间公寓制作的。

One rug can take three women over a month to weave. 語法

一张地毯需要三名女性花一个多月才能织完。

But at Rokhak,

但在Rokhak，

women can make up to $300 for a finished product, 用詞

女性制作一件成品最多能赚到300美元，

more than what the average Cambodian earns in a month.

超过柬埔寨人的平均月收入。

There are millions of people around the world struggling with water hyacinths,

全球有数百万人正饱受水葫芦之苦，

and they've found all kinds of solutions.

他们也找到了各种各样的解决办法。

In Bangladesh,

在孟加拉国，

locals farm on top of mats made from the invasive plant. 文化背景

当地人在这种入侵植物制成的垫子上耕种。

Mechanical harvesters on Lake Victoria in Kenya keep the plants in check,

在肯尼亚的维多利亚湖，机械收割机可以控制水葫芦，

but they're expensive to operate.

但运行成本很高。

Local entrepreneurs there have found success 短語搭配

当地创业者也成功找到了一条出路，

helping the weeds break down into biogas for cooking 短語動詞

将这些杂草分解，转化为做饭用的沼气

and compost for growing crops.

和种植作物用的堆肥。

In Nigeria,

在尼日利亚，

a startup similar to Rokhak also employs women to make handicrafts.

一家与Rokhak类似的初创公司也雇用女性制作手工艺品。

One thing we have to remember about all of these uses 表達脈絡

对于所有这些用途，我们必须记住一点：

is they're probably not sustainable, 用詞

它们很可能都不可持续，

so they're only short-term solutions to the problem of this invasive species.

因此只是应对这种入侵物种的短期方案。

Because if we create an industry using this species, 語法

因为如果我们利用这一物种建立起一个产业，

then we're going to create a demand for this species. 短語搭配

就会制造出对这一物种的需求。

Rokhak's weavers say they're making an impact on the environment, 短語搭配

Rokhak的编织工说，她们正给环境带来积极影响，

despite their small workforce. 語法

尽管团队人手不多。

But the hyacinths reproduce far faster 語法

但水葫芦的繁殖速度

than the company's four employees can harvest them.

远快于公司四名员工的采收速度。

Still,

尽管如此，

Hor Sounsrors has succeeded in one part of her mission,

Hor Sounsrors还是实现了她使命的一部分：

to give the women of Tonle Sap an opportunity 短語搭配

为洞里萨湖的女性提供一个机会，

to support their families.

让她们能够养家。

I used to question myself 語法

我以前常常问自己，

how to be independent like when I grown up.

长大后要怎样才能独立。

This is what I would like to see 語氣意圖

我也希望看到

in the other women.

其他女性能够独立起来。