被酵素吃掉的塑膠垃圾 ⏲️ 6分鐘英語：英語精讀講義

6 Minute English from bbclearningenglish.com.

來自 bbclearningenglish.com 的 6 Minute English。

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

你好，這裡是 BBC Learning English 的 6 Minute English。

I'm Neil.

我是尼爾。

And I'm Beth.

我是貝絲。

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

塑膠污染是我們之前在《6 Minute English》中討論過的一個問題。

It's an environmental issue which,

這是一個環境問題，

like the growing amounts of plastic waste,

就像日益增加的塑膠垃圾一樣，

isn't going away. 片語動詞

它並沒有消失。

And now microparticles of plastic have even been found,

而現在甚至發現了塑膠微粒，

can you guess where, Beth?

妳能猜到在哪裡嗎，貝絲？

Hmm, let me guess.

嗯，讓我猜猜。

Uh in our food,

呃，在我們的食物裡，

inside dead animals,

在死去的動物體內，

at the North Pole?

在北極？

Hmm.

嗯。

At the top of Mount Everest,

在聖母峰山頂，

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

儘管妳提到的其他地方也確實如此。

Plastic is a tough problem to fix, 文法

塑膠是一個很難解決的問題，

but fortunately scientists may now have found a solution. 文法

但幸運的是，科學家現在可能已經找到了一個解決方案。

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

在今天的節目中，我們將聽到關於化學回收的內容，

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

這是一種讓舊塑膠煥然一新的開創性方法。

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

像往常一樣，我們還會學習一些有用的新詞彙。

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

但首先，我有一個問題要問妳，貝絲。

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

去鄉下或海邊走走，你很快就會看到塑膠垃圾的痕跡。

According to the UN, 表達脈絡

根據聯合國的數據，

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

每年大約生產4億噸的新塑膠，

much of it going to waste. 文法

其中很大一部分變成了垃圾。

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

很難想像4億噸是什麼概念，

so which of the following,

那麼以下哪一項，

if you placed on a set of scales, 文法

如果放在秤上，

would weigh about the same?

重量會大致相同呢？

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,

地球上所有汽車的重量，

or C,

還是 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.

我想地球上所有汽車的重量大約會是4億噸。

Okay, Beth,

好的，貝絲，

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

我們稍後會揭曉這是否是正確答案。

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

在全球範圍內，所有塑膠中只有不到10%被回收利用。

Some gets incinerated or burnt, 用詞

一部分被焚燒或燒毀，

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

還有大約一半的塑膠垃圾直接進入垃圾掩埋場，

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 世界服務節目《修復世界的人》的記者

William Kremer explained,

威廉·克雷默所解釋的，

this only fixes part of the problem. 片語搭配

這只解決了一部分問題。

Uh so there is a mechanical process

呃，所以有一種物理過程，

where some plastics can be sort of melted down 講解

在其中一些塑膠可以被融化，

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

然後重新塑造成一種新的形狀或形式。

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

嗯，但並非所有塑膠都能經歷那個過程。

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

而且每次你那樣做，它都會失去一點品質，

so it will become slightly more brittle.

所以它會變得稍微脆一點。

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

因此，與其說是回收（recycling），不如說是降級回收（downcycling），

that every time it goes through that process, 文法

因為每次它經歷那個過程，

it gets less useful.

它的用處就會變小。

Each time plastic is recycled,

每次塑膠被回收利用時，

it gets more brittle,

它就會變得更脆，

meaning it's easier to break or crack.

這意味著它更容易斷裂或開裂。

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

因此，我們所說的回收實際上是降級回收，

creating recycled products

製造出來的回收產品

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

比原來的廢棄物價值更低、品質更差。

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

而這正是新發現的切入點。

Chemical recycling uses enzymes, 用詞

化學回收利用了酶，

natural chemicals 文法

即天然化學物質，

which cause changes in other chemicals without being changed themselves.

它們能在自身不發生變化的情況下引起其他化學物質的變化。

Certain enzymes have evolved the ability 片語搭配

某些酶已經演化出一種能力，

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

可以將塑膠分解成其基本構成單元，

and use that to make new plastic.

並利用這些基本單元來製造新塑膠。

The problem is that very few enzymes exist

問題在於，只有極少數酶

which can break the chemical bonds in stronger plastics, 用詞

能夠分解更堅固塑膠中的化學鍵，

like PET, 文化背景

比如 PET，

the plastic used in drinks bottles.

即用於製作飲料瓶的塑膠。

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

至少科學家們曾經是這樣認為的，

until researcher Sintawee Sulaiman 表達脈絡

直到研究員辛塔薇·蘇萊曼

took a autumn walk in the park

在秋天去公園散步時，

near her laboratory at the University of Osaka, Japan.

在她所在的日本大阪大學實驗室附近。

In a pile of rotting leaves,

在一堆腐爛的樹葉中，

she discovered the microorganism leaf branch compost cutinase,

她發現了微生物枝葉堆肥角質酶，

or LCC for short. 片語搭配

簡稱 LCC。

Sintawee mixed LCC with plastic

辛塔薇將 LCC 與塑膠混合在一起，

and left it in her lab overnight. 片語搭配

並把它留在實驗室裡過夜。

She was surprised to return the next morning 文法

第二天早上回來時她驚訝地發現，

and find the plastic gone,

塑膠不見了，

eaten by the enzyme. 文法

被這種酶吃掉了。

The news spread,

消息傳開了，

and soon scientists were predicting a major breakthrough, 用詞

很快科學家們就預測會有一項重大突破，

as William Kremer reported

正如威廉·克雷默

for BBC World Service program People Fixing the World.

在 BBC 世界服務節目《修復世界的人》中所報導的那樣。

This discovery wasn't the end of the story, 慣用語

這個發現並不是故事的結束，

but the beginning.

而是開始。

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

LCC 在分解 PET 塑膠方面展現出了前景，

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

但它還需要大量改良，才能變得穩定且有效。

The LCC enzyme showed promise

LCC 酶在分解

in breaking down even strong plastics.

甚至堅固的塑膠方面展現出了潛力。

If something shows promise,

如果某事 shows promise，

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

就意味著它在未來有成功的潛力。

Since then, 慣用語

從那時起，

that promise has started to come true.

那個希望已經開始成為現實。

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

法國的科學家利用 LCC 開發出了新的酶，

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

到2025年，他們計劃每年回收5萬噸塑膠垃圾，

including strong plastics like PET and nylon, 表達脈絡

包括 PET 和尼龍等堅固塑膠，

which is used to make clothes. 文法

尼龍常用來製作衣服。

But there's still work to do. 片語搭配

但仍有很多工作要做。

50,000 tons sounds a lot, 文法

5萬噸聽起來很多，

but not as much as the 400 million tons

但不如你問題中提到的4億噸

of plastic waste in your question, Neil.

塑膠垃圾那麼多，尼爾。

So what was the correct answer?

那麼正確答案是什麼呢？

Right,

對的，

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

我問妳還有什麼東西的重量大約也是4億噸，

the amount of new plastic we produce each year.

也就是我們每年生產的新塑膠的數量。

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

妳猜地球上所有汽車的重量加起來會一樣重，

which was the wrong answer,

那是錯誤的答案，

I'm afraid, Beth. 語氣意圖

恐怕不對，貝絲。

In fact,

事實上，

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，讓我們回顧一下在這個節目中學到的詞彙，

starting with incinerate, 片語搭配

從 incinerate 開始，

another word for burn.

它是 burn（燃燒）的另一個詞。

Landfill is a method of dealing with rubbish 片語搭配

Landfill（垃圾掩埋）是一種處理垃圾的方法，

by burying it in large holes in the ground.

就是把它埋在地面的大坑裡。

The adjective brittle means easily broken or snapped.

形容詞 brittle 的意思是容易斷裂或折斷的。

Downcycling is recycling,

Downcycling（降級回收）就是回收，

but in such a way that the resulting product 文法

但以這種方式產生的產品

is less valuable or of lower quality than the original.

比原來的價值更低或品質更差。

Enzymes are chemicals found in living cells

Enzymes（酶）是在活細胞中發現的化學物質，

which cause changes in other chemicals to happen

它能引發其他化學物質發生變化，

while not being changed themselves.

而自身不會改變。

And finally,

最後，

if something shows promise,

如果某事物 shows promise，

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

就意味著它在未來有很大成功的潛力。

Once again,

再一次，

our 6 minutes are up.

我們的6分鐘到了。

But remember to join us again

但請記住下次再來

next time here at 6 Minute English.

《6 Minute English》聽我們聊天。

Goodbye for now.

暫且再見。

Bye.

再見。

6 Minute English

6 Minute English

from bbclearningenglish.com.

來自 bbclearningenglish.com。