英语听力精选进阶版 6359

One of the world’s richest men has taken a close interest in one of man’s most basic functions: visiting the toilet. Bill Gates’s charitable organisation¹, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is looking for inventors to design the loo of the future, which, they hope, would improve sanitation² for millions of people around the world.

So, what’s wrong with the traditional flush toilet? Firstly, it wastes a huge amount of potential drinking water. This is a real problem in many areas of the developing world, where, according to United Nations estimates, unsafe sanitation causes half of all hospitalisations. Younger people are particularly at risk. Illnesses which cause diarrhoea are responsible for the deaths of about 1.5 million children a year. Secondly³, standard lavatories⁴ simply aren’t practical in remote areas.

The challenge set by Bill Gates was to come up with a latrine which works without running water, electricity or a septic tank. It also needed to operate for less than 5 cents (0.3 RMB).

28 designs were displayed at the recent Reinvent the Toilet fair in Seattle, USA. Among them was one which turned poo into electricity using microwaves, another which converted excrement⁵ into charcoal⁶, and yet another which used urine for flushing.

But the winner was a solar-powered design which generated hydrogen gas and electricity. The team from the California Institute of Technology picked up a prize of $100,000, almost 650,000 RMB.

But clearly Bill Gates doesn’t feel he’s flushing money down the toilet. After the Seattle event he said, “We couldn’t be happier with the response we’ve gotten.” Gates has even pledged $370m (2.2 billion RMB) more to the future toilet project. They hope to field test more prototypes over the next three years.

Quiz 测验

1.Why is Bill Gates paying people to invent new toilets?

Dirty water and poor sanitation causes huge problems in the developing world.

2. What does a traditional flush toilet use lots of?

A huge amount of potential drinking water.

3. How many childen die because of diarrhoea?

1.5 million children a year.

4. What three words are used in the report meaning 'toilet'?

Loo, lavatory⁷, latrine.

5. How was the winning design powered?

The winner was a solar-powered design.

Glossary 词汇表

loo（英式俚语） 一个厕所

sanitation 公共卫生条件或状况

flush toilet 抽水马桶

hospitalisation 住院

diarrhoea 腹泻

lavatory 盥洗室，厕所

latrine 公共厕所

septic tank 化粪池

poo 大便

excrement 粪便

charcoal 木炭

urine 尿

flushing 冲洗

solar-powered 用太阳能驱动的

hydrogen 氢气

flushing money down the toilet 把钱从厕所冲下去，（比喻）浪费钱

prototypes 样机或模型

1 organisation   

n.组织，安排，团体，有机休

参考例句：

• The method of his organisation work is worth commending.他的组织工作的方法值得称道。
• His application for membership of the organisation was rejected.他想要加入该组织的申请遭到了拒绝。

2 sanitation   

n.公共卫生，环境卫生，卫生设备

参考例句：

• The location is exceptionally poor,viewed from the sanitation point.从卫生角度来看，这个地段非常糟糕。
• Many illnesses are the result,f inadequate sanitation.许多疾病都来源于不健全的卫生设施。

3 secondly   

adv.第二，其次

参考例句：

• Secondly,use your own head and present your point of view.第二，动脑筋提出自己的见解。
• Secondly it is necessary to define the applied load.其次，需要确定所作用的载荷。

4 lavatories   

n.厕所( lavatory的名词复数 )；抽水马桶；公共厕所（或卫生间、洗手间、盥洗室）；浴室水池

参考例句：

• But there would be no public lavatories in a quarter like this. 可是在这样的地方是找不到公共厕所的。 来自英汉文学
• The lavatories are at the rear of the cabin. 盥洗室在机舱的尾部。 来自互联网

5 excrement   

n.排泄物，粪便

参考例句：

• The cage smelled of excrement.笼子里粪臭熏人。
• Clothing can also become contaminated with dust,feathers,and excrement.衣着则会受到微尘、羽毛和粪便的污染。

6 charcoal   

n.炭，木炭，生物炭

参考例句：

• We need to get some more charcoal for the barbecue.我们烧烤需要更多的碳。
• Charcoal is used to filter water.木炭是用来过滤水的。

7 lavatory   

n.盥洗室，厕所

参考例句：

• Is there any lavatory in this building?这座楼里有厕所吗？
• The use of the lavatory has been suspended during take-off.在飞机起飞期间，盥洗室暂停使用。