WEEK11-06-英语拓展打卡

In 1963, scientists studying Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in New Hampshire made a shocking discovery.

1963年，在新罕布什尔州研究 Hubbard Brook试验林的科学家们有了一个令人震惊的发现。

 Their most recent rainfall samples were nearly 100 times more acidic than usual.

他们最近的降雨样本的酸性是正常的近100倍。

 At these levels, additional downpours of acid rain would destroy the region’s  marine and arboreal ecosystems in a matter of decades.

在这种水平上，再下一场酸雨将在几十年内摧毁该地区的海洋和树木生态系统。

 Urgently sharing their findings with fellow researchers, they were determined  to answer two questions: what was causing this deadly rainfall?

他们急切地与同行研究人员分享他们的发现，决心回答两个问题: 是什么导致了这场致命的降雨？

 And what could be done to stop it?

我们能做些什么来阻止这一切？

 Rain is never just composed of water.

雨不仅仅是由水组成的。

 Chemicals and particulates in the atmosphere can be found in every drop, and some compounds- like carbon dioxide- make even regular rainfall  slightly acidic.

大气中的化学物质和微粒可以在每一滴水中找到，一些化合物，如二氧化碳，甚至使定期降雨略呈酸性。

 But this pales in comparison  to the powerful acids produced when water interacts with oxides  of nitrogen or sulfur dioxide.

但与水与氮氧化物或二氧化硫相互作用时产生的强酸相比，这就相形见绌了。

 On the pH scale which measures acidity, each whole number is 10 times  more acidic than the one above it.

在测量酸度的 pH 值范围内，每个整数的酸度是上面那个数的10倍。

 And where normal rain has a pH  of roughly 5.4, rain that’s interacted with these gases  can rank as low as 3.7

正常降雨的 pH 值大约是5.4 与这些气体相互作用的降雨量可以低至3.7。

 Oxides of nitrogen and sulfur dioxide can appear naturally as a short-lived byproduct of  volcanic eruptions or lightning strikes.

氮氧化物和二氧化硫可以作为火山爆发或闪电的短期副产品自然出现。

 But power plants, refineries,  and vehicles that use fossil fuels consistently pump large quantities  into the air.

但是，发电厂、炼油厂和使用化石燃料的汽车不断地向空气中排放大量的废气。

 These dangerous gases travel with the wind spreading hundreds of kilometers from the pollution’s source.

这些危险气体随着风从污染源传播数百公里。

 Acting like roaming clouds of destruction, their presence dramatically increases the acidity of local precipitation, creating acid rain, acid snow,  and acid fog.

它们就像漫游的破坏云，它们的存在极大地增加了当地降水的酸度，产生了酸雨、酸雪和酸雾。

 These all acidify lakes and streams, kill crops and forests, and damage soil to inhibit future growth.

这些都会酸化湖泊和溪流，杀死农作物和森林，破坏土壤，抑制未来的生长。

 Over time, acid rain can even corrode human structures made of stone or metal.

随着时间的推移，酸雨甚至可以腐蚀人类的石头或金属结构。

 By the 1970s, scientists in North America and Europe classified acid rain as a major environmental threat.

到20世纪70年代，北美和欧洲的科学家将酸雨列为主要的环境威胁。

 But despite clear evidence tying the problem to air pollution, companies denied responsibility  and cast doubt on the research.

但是，尽管有明确的证据表明这个问题与空气污染有关，但是公司否认对此负责，并对这项研究表示怀疑。

 In the United States, corporations lobbied against regulating pollution, and convinced politicians  that such policies would raise energy costs and threaten jobs.

在美国，企业游说反对监管污染，并使政客们相信这样的政策会提高能源成本，威胁就业。

 These obstacles led the government to delay changes, and mandate further research into the issue.

这些障碍导致政府推迟改革，并要求对这一问题进行进一步研究。

 But after a decade of mounting concern, Congress finally took action.

但经过十年的担忧，国会终于采取了行动。

 Since the bulk of sulfur dioxide emissions came from power plants, the government set a limit on the total amount of it the electric power sector could emit each year.

由于大部分二氧化硫排放来自发电厂，政府对电力部门每年的二氧化硫排放总量设定了限制。

 Then, they divided the permitted emissions into a fixed number of “allowances” distributed to each power plant.

然后，他们将允许的排放量划分为一个固定数量的“配额”，分配给每个发电厂。

 A plant could then choose to emit as much  sulfur dioxide as they were allowed, or reduce their emissions and sell their  unused allowances to other power plants.

然后，电厂可以选择排放尽可能多的二氧化硫，或者减少其排放量，并将其未使用的配额出售给其他发电厂。

 This system, known as “cap and trade,” offered power plants  the economic flexibility to keep costs low while strictly limiting pollution.

这个被称为“总量管制与交易”的体系为发电厂提供了经济上的灵活性，既能保持低成本，又能严格限制污染。

 Many critics called these allowances licenses to pollute, or said the government  was selling clean air.

许多批评人士称这些许可证是为了污染环境，或者说政府在出售清洁空气。

 But since the cap was set to lower five years into the program, it forced every utility company to reduce emissions in the long term.

但是，由于这个上限在项目实施5年后被设定为降低，它迫使每家公用事业公司长期减少排放。

 Some plants added desulfurizing scrubbers to their smokestacks, or switched to low-sulfur coal  and natural gas.

一些工厂在烟囱里增加了脱硫洗涤器，或者改用低硫煤和天然气。

 Oxides of nitrogen emissions  were also reduced with relatively low-cost technologies.

采用成本相对较低的技术也减少了氮氧化物的排放。

 These advances allowed the power sector to grow while the cap kept pollution  under control.

这些进步使电力部门得以发展，同时控制了污染。

 By 1985, Canada and the European Union adopted their own solutions, and international treaties  began circulating to reduce air pollution worldwide.

到1985年，加拿大和欧盟采取了各自的解决方案，国际条约开始在世界范围内传播，以减少空气污染。

 Today, this science-driven economic  policy has largely eliminated acid rain across the United States and Canada.

今天，这种科学驱动的经济政策已经在很大程度上消除了美国和加拿大的酸雨。

 And while many ecosystems still need time to recover, scientists have sped up the restoration  of other areas by reintroducing essential organisms  killed off by acid rain.

虽然许多生态系统仍然需要时间来恢复，但科学家们已经通过重新引入被酸雨杀死的重要生物，加快了其他地区的恢复。

 Some countries, like Russia,  India, and China still rely heavily on high-sulfur coal and continue to struggle  with the environmental consequences.

一些国家，如俄罗斯、印度和中国，仍然严重依赖高硫煤，并继续与环境后果作斗争。

 However, acid rain’s relatively quick journey from major threat to minor issue is rightly celebrated as a victory for policies that protect the environment.

然而，酸雨相对较快地从主要威胁转变为次要问题，被当作保护环境政策的胜利来庆祝，这是合情合理的。

 Cap and trade can’t solve every environmental problem.

限额和交易不可能解决所有的环境问题。

 But by using scientific consensus to guide policy, adopting efficient technology, and being unafraid to impose  reasonable costs for pollution, countries can stop a growing storm  of destruction before it’s too late.

但是，通过利用科学共识来指导政策，采用高效的技术，并且不害怕对污染征收合理的成本，各国可以在为时未晚之前阻止日益增长的破坏风暴。

Long, long ago there was a poor scholar who wrote the character ‘fu’ or ‘happiness’ on paper and his wife tore the character out.

很久很久以前，有一个贫穷的学者在纸上写了一个“福”字或“幸福”字，他的妻子把这个字撕掉了。

 This is the origin of papercutting (jian zhi).

这就是剪纸的起源。

 The jian zhi craft is considered to be one of the standards to identify a smart woman.

剪纸工艺被认为是一个以确定一个聪明的女人的标准之一。

 People think a woman who is good at making delicate jian zhi is smart.

人们认为一个善于制作精致的剪纸的女人是聪明的。

 Jian zhi patterns come from daily life.

剪纸图案来源于日常生活。

 Clipping and engraving are two skills used to make jian zhi.

剪裁和雕刻是制作剪纸的两种技巧。

 Intricate centres are important for jian zhi designs.

错综复杂的中心是剪纸设计的重要内容。

 Jian zhi is a popular folk art.

剪纸是一种流行的民间艺术。

 Jian zhi expresses Chinese people’s wishes for happiness and good luck.