经济学人: 清理海洋垃圾 (2)

 　　A three-metre deep skirt (made of sturdy polyester) dangles¹ beneath the boom to prevent litter from escaping under it; 3米深的裙座（由坚固的聚酯制成）悬挂在吊杆下方，以防止垃圾漏出来；

　　buoyant plastic tends to float within a metre of the water's surface. 塑料可在海水表面一米内漂浮。

　　The device is even simpler than Mr Slat's original idea, having dispensed² with the anchor. 该设备甚至比斯拉特原先的想法还简单，它没有用到锚。

　　Instead, it relies on the observation that the boom, which is driven by the current as well as by waves and wind, 而是依靠观察，在借助海流以及海浪和风为动力下，

　　always moves faster relative to the plastic, which is propelled by the current alone. It therefore scoops³ the litter up as it drifts. 吊杆总是比塑料移动迅速，而塑料仅由海流推动。因此，该设备可以将这些漂浮的垃圾捞上来。

　　A straight boom will first be towed 250 nautical⁴ miles off the coast of California for a fortnight of tests, 笔直的挡板首先将被脱离加利福尼亚海岸250海里，先做一个为期两周的测试，

　　before embarking⁵ on a three-week voyage to its final destination. 之后才开始进行为期三周的航行抵达最终目的地。

　　There it will be turned into a U-shape, with its ends fastened in place using metal lines, and set adrift. 在目的地，该设备将变成U型，并利用铁圈将它的末端固定任其随波逐流。

　　Satellite tracking and other electronics will allow its progress to be monitored remotely. 卫星跟踪和其他电子设备将可以对该设备进程进行远程监控。

　　Light beacons⁶ will alert the two dozen ships which cross the gyre each week to its presence. 灯光信标将提醒每周经过该环流的20艘船只，该设备的存在。

　　Some time next year another vessel⁷ will be dispatched to fish out the collected rubbish, which the charity hopes to sell to recyclers. 明年将派遣另一艘船只前去捞出收集到的垃圾，该慈善机构希望能将这些收集的垃圾卖给回收站。

　　If System 001 succeeds, Mr Slat wants to deploy⁸ another 60 booms, measuring 1km or more. 如果System 001成功了，斯拉特希望再布置60个吊杆，长度为1千米或更长。

　　Corporate⁹ sponsors would foot the bill of 5m euros a piece for construction and three years' operation, Mr Slat hopes. 斯拉特希望，赞助公司可以支付其建造和三年内运行的费用，共计500万欧元。

　　He already enjoys the backing of deep-pocketed endowments and of tycoons¹⁰ like Marc Benioff, founder¹¹ of Salesforce, and Peter Thiel, a noted¹² investor¹³. 他已经获得了大笔资助以及一些商业大亨，如软件营销部队创始人马克·贝尼奥夫以及著名投资人彼得·蒂尔的支持。

　　The system can do little about plastic that has fragmented into microscopic¹⁴ particles, but these make up just 8% of plastic in the gyre. 该系统对那些已经分解为微型颗粒的塑料收效甚微，但这类塑料仅占环流垃圾的8%。

　　Mr LeBreton reckons that a fleet of booms could, by 2040, sweep up virtually all the non-tiny detritus¹⁵, LeBreton估计截止2040年，一组吊杆几乎可以清理所有非颗粒垃圾，

　　but only if plastic leakage¹⁶ into the sea is stanched¹⁷. 但前提是流入海洋的垃圾是防水的。

　　If it continues unabated, the incoming debris¹⁸ would outweigh¹⁹ the fleet's capacity to skim it within a few years. 如果塑料垃圾数量不减，那么在几年内，这些垃圾将会超过船只的负载量，垃圾无法继续被收集。

　　The ocean's plastic problem cannot really be solved without better waste management on land. 如果岸上的人不采取更好的垃圾管理措施，那么海洋塑料垃圾问题无法真正得到解决。

1 dangles   

悬吊着( dangle的第三人称单数 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口

参考例句：

• A kite dangles from a telephone wire. 一只风筝悬挂在电话线上晃来晃去。
• Her hand, which dangles over the side, sparkles cold with jewels. 她一只手耷拉在一边，闪耀着珠宝的寒光。

2 dispensed   

v.分配( dispense的过去式和过去分词 )；施与；配（药）

参考例句：

• Not a single one of these conditions can be dispensed with. 这些条件缺一不可。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• They dispensed new clothes to the children in the orphanage. 他们把新衣服发给孤儿院的小孩们。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

3 scoops   

n.小铲( scoop的名词复数 )；小勺；一勺[铲]之量；（抢先刊载、播出的）独家新闻v.抢先报道( scoop的第三人称单数 )；（敏捷地）抱起；抢先获得；用铲[勺]等挖（洞等）

参考例句：

• two scoops of mashed potato 两勺土豆泥
• I used three scoops of flour and one(scoop)of sugar. 我用了三杓面粉和一杓糖。 来自辞典例句

4 nautical   

adj.海上的，航海的，船员的

参考例句：

• A nautical mile is 1,852 meters.一海里等于1852米。
• It is 206 nautical miles from our present location.距离我们现在的位置有206海里。

5 embarking   

乘船( embark的现在分词 )； 装载； 从事

参考例句：

• He's embarking on a new career as a writer. 他即将开始新的职业生涯——当一名作家。
• The campaign on which were embarking was backed up by such intricate and detailed maintenance arrangemets. 我们实施的战争，须要如此复杂及详细的维护准备。

6 beacons   

灯塔( beacon的名词复数 )； 烽火； 指路明灯； 无线电台或发射台

参考例句：

• A chain of beacons was lit across the region. 整个地区点起了一系列灯塔。
• Lighthouse and beacons flash at night. 晚上灯塔与信号台闪着光。

7 vessel   

n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管

参考例句：

• The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
• You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。

8 deploy   

v.（军）散开成战斗队形，布置，展开

参考例句：

• The infantry began to deploy at dawn.步兵黎明时开始进入战斗位置。
• The president said he had no intention of deploying ground troops.总统称并不打算部署地面部队。

9 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

10 tycoons   

大君( tycoon的名词复数 )； 将军； 企业巨头； 大亨

参考例句：

• The great tycoons were fierce competitors, single-minded in their pursuit of financial success and power. 企业巨头都是激烈的竞争者，他们一心追求钱财和权势。
• Tycoons and their conglomerates are even raising money again on international markets. 企业大亨们以及他们的企业甚至正再次从国际市场上筹集资金。

11 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

12 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

13 investor   

n.投资者，投资人

参考例句：

• My nephew is a cautious investor.我侄子是个小心谨慎的投资者。
• The investor believes that his investment will pay off handsomely soon.这个投资者相信他的投资不久会有相当大的收益。

14 microscopic   

adj.微小的，细微的，极小的，显微的

参考例句：

• It's impossible to read his microscopic handwriting.不可能看清他那极小的书写字迹。
• A plant's lungs are the microscopic pores in its leaves.植物的肺就是其叶片上微细的气孔。

15 detritus   

n.碎石

参考例句：

• Detritus usually consists of gravel, sand and clay.岩屑通常是由砂砾，沙和粘土组成的。
• A channel is no sooner cut than it chokes in its own detritus.一个河道刚被切割了不久，很快又被它自己的碎屑物质所充塞。

16 leakage   

n.漏，泄漏；泄漏物；漏出量

参考例句：

• Large areas of land have been contaminated by the leakage from the nuclear reactor.大片地区都被核反应堆的泄漏物污染了。
• The continuing leakage is the result of the long crack in the pipe.这根管子上的那一条裂缝致使渗漏不断。

17 stanched   

v.使（伤口）止血( stanch的过去式 )；止（血）；使不漏；使不流失

参考例句：

• Sophia stanched the blood with a cloth. 索菲亚用一布块止住了血。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Results 26 patients were all stanched by the way above-mentioned. 结果26例患者经上述治疗后全部止血。 来自互联网

18 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。

19 outweigh   

vt.比...更重，...更重要

参考例句：

• The merits of your plan outweigh the defects.你制定的计划其优点胜过缺点。
• One's merits outweigh one's short-comings.功大于过。