经济学人: 回收:塑料公路 (1)

 　　Of all the plastic produced since the 1950s, less than 10% has been recycled. 20世纪50年代以来，产生的所有塑料中，只有不到10%得到回收。

　　The vast majority ends up being dumped, most of it in landfill. 其中大部分都成了垃圾，大多数都倾倒在了垃圾填埋场。

　　Some is left to litter the natural environment, where it can get into rivers and wash out into the sea. 一些被丢弃在自然环境中，流进河里，冲刷进海洋里。

　　The plastic-waste problem will worsen before it gets better: some 380m tonnes of the stuff are likely to be made this year. 塑料废物问题将在出现好转前恶化：今年似乎生产了3.8亿公吨塑料。

　　That is more than three times as much as the 120m tonnes of bitumen¹ produced annually², most of which goes into building the world's roads. 这是每年生产的1.2亿公吨沥青的三倍还多，大部分沥青都被用于建造世界范围内的公路。

　　There is a connection. Just as plastic is derived³ from petrochemicals, bitumen is produced as a by-product⁴ of refining oil. 其中有一个联系。塑料源自石油化工产品，而生产出的沥青是精炼油脂的副产品。

　　Both are polymers, which consist of long strands⁵ of molecules⁶ bound together firmly. 两者都是聚合物，由紧密相连的分子长链组成。

　　It is this characteristic that makes plastic strong and contributes to its great longevity⁷. 正是这种特征让塑料牢固且寿命超常。

　　Such features are also useful for road builders, who use hot bitumen to bind⁸ together aggregates⁹ made from broken rocks and stones, 这些特点对公路建造者而言也很有用，他们利用热沥青将由碎石子和石头组成的聚合物粘合在一起

　　into what is commonly known as asphalt. All of which has got some people thinking: why not swap¹⁰ one polymer with another? 制成我们熟悉的柏油。所有这一切不禁让人联想：为什么不将一种聚合物用另一种聚合物替换掉呢？

　　Recycled plastic is already used to make some products, such as guttering¹¹ and sewage pipes. 回收塑料已被用于制作一些产品，比如排水沟和排污管。

　　Now attention is turning to roads. On September 11th in Zwolle, a town in the Netherlands, 现在注意力转向了公路，9月11日，在荷兰的一个城镇兹沃勒

　　a 30-metre bicycle track made from 70% recycled plastic and the rest from polypropylene was opened. 由70%的回收塑料以及30%的聚合物组成的一条30米长的自行车径通车。

　　It will be used to test a product called PlasticRoad, which is being developed by two Dutch firms—KWS, a road builder, 这条公路将被用于测试一种被称为塑料公路的产品，由两家荷兰公司研发—公路建造商KWS

　　and Wavin, a firm that makes plastic piping—in partnership¹² with Total, a French oil-and gas firm. 以及制造塑料管道的公司Wavin—合作方为一家法国油气公司Total。

　　PlasticRoad is prefabricated in a factory as modular sections. 塑料公路先在一家工厂预先建造组合作为组装节段。

　　The sections are then transported to the site and laid end to end on a suitable foundation, such as sand. 然后将组装节段运输至场地并将节段以首尾相连的方式铺设在一个合适的地基上，比如沙地。

　　Because these sections are hollow, internal channels can be incorporated into them for drainage, along with conduits for services such as gas and electricity. 因为这些节段是空心的，所以可以装入排水用的内部沟道以及提供气电的导管。

　　For the Zwolle project, sections that were 2.4 metres long and 3 metres wide were used. 用于兹沃勒项目的节段长2.4米，宽3米。

　　These were fitted with sensors¹³ to measure things such as temperature, flexing¹⁴ and the flow of water through the drainage channels. 这些节段都配有传感器以测量温度、弯曲程度以及通过排水管道的水流。

　　A second pilot cycleway is being built in the nearby town of Giethoorn. 第二个试点自行车道将建在附近的希特霍伦。

1 bitumen   

n.沥青

参考例句：

• Bitumen paper can be burnt to gain energy.沥青纸可以焚烧以获得能量。
• In fact,a speciality crude is suitable only for bitumen production.事实上，这种特性的原油只适宜于生产沥青。

2 annually   

adv.一年一次，每年

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。

3 derived   

vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取

参考例句：

• Many English words are derived from Latin and Greek. 英语很多词源出于拉丁文和希腊文。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He derived his enthusiasm for literature from his father. 他对文学的爱好是受他父亲的影响。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 by-product   

n.副产品，附带产生的结果

参考例句：

• Freedom is the by-product of economic surplus.自由是经济盈余的副产品。
• The raw material for the tyre is a by-product of petrol refining.制造轮胎的原材料是提炼汽油时产生的一种副产品。

5 strands   

n.（线、绳、金属线、毛发等的）股( strand的名词复数 )；缕；海洋、湖或河的)岸；（观点、计划、故事等的）部份v.使滞留，使搁浅( strand的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Twist a length of rope from strands of hemp. 用几股麻搓成了一段绳子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She laced strands into a braid. 她把几股线编织成一根穗带。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 molecules   

分子( molecule的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The structure of molecules can be seen under an electron microscope. 分子的结构可在电子显微镜下观察到。
• Inside the reactor the large molecules are cracked into smaller molecules. 在反应堆里，大分子裂变为小分子。

7 longevity   

n.长命；长寿

参考例句：

• Good habits promote longevity.良好的习惯能增长寿命。
• Human longevity runs in families.人类的长寿具有家族遗传性。

8 bind   

vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬

参考例句：

• I will let the waiter bind up the parcel for you.我让服务生帮你把包裹包起来。
• He wants a shirt that does not bind him.他要一件不使他觉得过紧的衬衫。

9 aggregates   

数( aggregate的名词复数 )； 总计； 骨料； 集料（可成混凝土或修路等用的）

参考例句：

• Snowflakes are loose aggregates of ice crystals. 雪花是冰晶的松散凝结。
• Our airplanes based in Europe should be included in the aggregates. 我们驻欧飞机应包括在总数内。

10 swap   

n.交换；vt.交换，用...作交易

参考例句：

• I will swap you my bicycle for your radio.我想拿我的自行车换你的收音机。
• This comic was a swap that I got from Nick.这本漫画书是我从尼克那里换来的。

11 guttering   

n.用于建排水系统的材料；沟状切除术；开沟

参考例句：

• a length of guttering 一节沟槽
• The candle was guttering in the candlestick. 蜡烛在烛台上淌着蜡。 来自辞典例句

12 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

13 sensors   

n.传感器，灵敏元件( sensor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There were more than 2000 sensors here. 这里装有两千多个灵敏元件。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Significant changes have been noted where sensors were exposed to trichloride. 当传感器暴露在三氯化物中时，有很大变化。 来自辞典例句

14 flexing   

n.挠曲，可挠性v.屈曲( flex的现在分词 )；弯曲；（为准备大干而）显示实力；摩拳擦掌

参考例句：

• Flexing particular muscles allows snakes to move in several ways. 可弯曲的特殊的肌肉使蛇可以用几种方式移动。 来自电影对白
• China has become an economic superpower and is flexing its muscles. 中国已经成为了一个经济巨人而且在展示他的肌肉。 来自互联网