在地球上最乾燥的地方節水 ⏲️ 6分鐘英語：英語精讀講義

Six Minute English from bbclearningenglish.com.

來自 bbclearningenglish.com 的六分鐘英語。

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

大家好，這裡是 BBC Learning English 的六分鐘英語。

I'm Neil.

我是 Neil。

And I'm Beth.

我是 Beth。

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

我們都知道口渴的感覺有多難受。

Human bodies need around 3 litres of water a day,

人體每天大約需要 3 升水，

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

值得慶幸的是，我們大多數人只需打開廚房的水龍頭就能獲得乾淨的飲用水。

But globally, over 2 billion people, 表達脈絡

但在全球範圍內，有超過 20 億人，

around a quarter of the world's population,

約占世界人口的四分之一，

live in water-stressed countries 用詞

生活在水資源緊張的國家，

where access to water for drinking, 文法

那裡的飲用、

cooking, and washing is not guaranteed.

烹飪和洗滌用水得不到保障。

What's more, 表達脈絡

而且，

water is also needed to grow food,

種植糧食也需要水，

and that's getting harder due to droughts, 文法

但由於乾旱，這變得越來越困難，

which are increasing with climate change.

而隨著氣候變化，乾旱正不斷加劇。

In this program,

在本期節目中，

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

我們將拜訪地球上最乾旱地區之一的農民，

Yuma, in the USA,

也就是美國的 Yuma（尤馬），

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

那裡的一項涉及液態黏土的新技術正在幫助農民在沙漠中種植水果和蔬菜。

And as usual, 片語搭配

像往常一樣，

we'll be learning some useful new vocabulary too.

我們也會學習一些實用的新詞彙。

But first,

但首先，

I have a question for you, Neil.

我有一個問題要問你，Neil。

Everyone knows that plants need sunlight and water to grow,

大家都知道植物生長需要陽光和水，

but soil is just as important. 文法

但土壤也同樣重要。

One of the most useful soils is clay,

最有用的一種土壤是黏土，

a dense, smooth soil which is very fertile, 用詞

這是一種緻密、細膩的土壤，非常肥沃，

but sticky.

但是很黏。

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

黏土在農業上的應用已有數千年的歷史，

but what is its more modern use?

但它更現代的用途是什麼呢？

Is clay good for A,

黏土適合 A，

curing headaches,

治療頭痛，

B,

B，

digesting food,

消化食物，

or C,

還是 C，

smoothing face skin?

使面部皮膚變得光滑？

Well,

嗯，

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

我認為黏土可以用來使人的面部皮膚變得光滑。

Okay, Neil.

好的，Neil。

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

我們稍後會揭曉這是否是正確答案。

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

缺水與農業密切相關。

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

農業消耗了全球淡水資源的 70%，占比巨大。

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

因此，我們迫切需要更高效利用水資源的方法。

Ole Sivertson's company, Desert Control,

Ole Sivertson 的公司 Desert Control

works with date farmers in Yuma, 用詞

與 Yuma 的棗樹種植戶合作，

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

該地區位於加利福尼亞州和墨西哥的邊境。

One of the hottest places on Earth,

作為地球上最熱的地方之一，

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

Yuma 正在經歷 500 年來最嚴重的乾旱，

forcing farmers to pump water from rivers 文法

迫使農民從河裡抽水

to grow their date palm trees. 用詞

來種植他們的椰棗樹。

Fortunately,

幸運的是，

Ole's team have created a liquid that they say

Ole 的團隊發明了一種液體，據他們說

can turn the sandy desert soil into a sponge, 慣用語

可以將沙質的沙漠土壤變成海綿，

which holds water and nutrients.

從而鎖住水分和營養。

Here,

在這裡，

he explains his invention to Anthony Wallace,

他向 Anthony Wallace 解釋了他的發明，

reporter for BBC World Service program,

Anthony 是 BBC 國際頻道節目

People Fixing the World.

《People Fixing the World》的記者。

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. 片語搭配

我們需要看看沙土和黏土之間的區別。

Sandy desert soil has a lot of gaps in it,

沙漠的沙質土壤中有很多縫隙，

so water drains through it quickly, 用詞

所以水很快就從中流失（drain）了，

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

使得植物很難在地下建立根系。

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

但是黏土是由小得多的顆粒組成的，

that cling together and naturally stop water from escaping. 講解

這些顆粒緊密結合在一起，自然地阻止水分流失。

It creates the habitat

它創造了棲息地

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

讓土壤微生物也能開始發育和進化。

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

所以這在某種程度上也推動（kickstart）了自然生態的發展。

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

沙土的問題在於它會流失（drain）水分。

If you drain something,

如果你對某物進行 drain，

you remove the liquid from it.

就意味著排乾其中的液體。

Clay soil,

黏土，

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,

由較小的顆粒組成，這些顆粒緊密結合或黏附（cling）在一起並鎖住水分，

helping plants grow.

幫助植物生長。

Ole makes a liquid by mixing clay and water, 文法

Ole 將黏土和水混合製成一種液體，

which changes the soil composition 用詞

這改變了土壤成分

and kickstarts the growth of his trees. 慣用語

並促進（kickstart）了他的樹木生長。

The liquid makes the trees start growing more quickly.

這種液體使樹木開始更快地生長。

Liquid clay technology is still new,

液態黏土技術還是一項新技術，

and costing around $2,000 an acre, 用詞

每英畝成本約為 2000 美元，

it's not cheap.

這並不便宜。

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

但 Ole 聲稱他的技術使種植果樹所需的水量減半，

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

而且大多數農民將在兩年內收回投資。

Ole's claims sound too good to be true, 慣用語

Ole 的說法聽起來好得令人難以置信，

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

但是以這種方式干預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 國際頻道的

People Fixing the World.

《People Fixing the World》節目中討論了這個問題。

Anthony,

Anthony，

I'm still left wondering, right, 語氣意圖

我還在想，對吧，

when you manipulate soil like this,

當你這樣操縱（manipulate）土壤時，

could you be causing problems down the line? 講解

會在將來（down the line）引發問題嗎？

Yeah,

是的，

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

我認為任何時候出現新技術時，你在

like you said, 語氣意圖

就像你說的，

manipulating nature,

操縱自然，

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

只有時間能證明（only time will tell）長期的影響會是什麼。

Um

嗯

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

但 Ole 確實強調他們的液態黏土沒有使用任何化學物質，

um only clay,

嗯，只有黏土、

air, and water.

空氣和水。

Ole's liquid clay involves manipulating soil 用詞

Ole 的液態黏土涉及對土壤的操縱（manipulating），

using and controlling it skillfully to achieve some result.

即巧妙地使用和控制它以達到某種結果。

Myra worries that when people do this,

Myra 擔心人們這樣做時，

they could create problems down the line

他們可能會在將來產生問題，

at some unspecified point in the future.

也就是在未來某個不確定的時間點。

In fact,

事實上，

only time will tell

只有時間能證明

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

液態黏土是否是解決水資源短缺問題的長期方案。

The phrase only time will tell

短語 only time will tell

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

意思是現在發生的事情的結果要到未來才能知曉。

Something we can know, 表達脈絡

有一件事我們可以知道，

though,

那就是，

is the answer to my question,

我對你提出的那個問題的答案，

Neil.

Neil。

Yes,

是的，

you asked about a modern use for clay,

你問了關於黏土的現代用途，

and I guessed it was for smoothing facial skin.

我猜它是用來使面部皮膚變得光滑的。

Which was the correct answer.

這是正確答案。

A clay mask,

黏土面膜，

also called a mud pack, 文法

也叫泥膜，

is used to smooth the skin on your face.

是用來平滑你臉部皮膚的。

Okay,

好的，

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

讓我們回顧一下在這期節目中學到的詞彙，

starting with the verb to drain, 表達脈絡

從動詞 drain 開始，

which means to remove liquid.

意思是去除液體或排乾。

To cling

cling

means to stick or hold tightly onto something.

意思是緊緊貼住或抓住某物。

If you kickstart something,

如果你 kickstart 某事，

you make it start or develop more quickly.

就是使它更快地開始或發展。

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

短語 down the line

means sometime in the future.

意思是未來某個時候。

And finally,

最後，

the idiom only time will tell

習語 only time will tell

means that the truth about something happening now

意思是現在發生的事情的真相

will only be known in the future.

只能在未來知曉。

Once again,

又一次，

our 6 minutes are up, 用詞

我們的六分鐘到了，

but remember to join us again next time 語氣意圖

但請記住下次再來加入我們，

for more trending topics and useful vocabulary 用詞

獲取更多熱門話題和實用詞彙，

here at Six Minute English.

就在六分鐘英語。

Goodbye for now. 片語搭配

暫時再見。

Bye.

拜拜。

Six Minute English

六分鐘英語

from bbclearningenglish.com.

來自 bbclearningenglish.com。