VOA慢速英语2021 美国干旱地区可用空气制水（在线收听）

If a machine could make water out of air but cost a lot of money, would you buy it?

如果一台机器可以用空气制水，但要花很多钱，你会买它吗?

In very dry parts of California, some homeowners are doing just that.

在加利福尼亚州非常干旱的地区，一些房主就是这样做的。

The air-to-water system works like an air conditioner by using coils to cool air.

空气-水系统的工作原理类似于空调，利用线圈来冷却空气。

It then collects water and drops it in a container.

然后它收集水并将其放入容器中。

The water is then cleaned to make it safe to drink.

然后对水进行净化，使其可以安全饮用。

"Our motto is, water from air is not magic, it is science, and that is really what we are doing with these machines," said Ted Bowman.

泰德·鲍曼说:“我们的座右铭是，空气中的水不是魔法，而是科学，这就是我们用这些机器真正所要做的。”

He is a design engineer at Washington state-based Tsunami Products and helped to design the machine.

他是华盛顿州Tsunami Products的一名设计工程师，帮助设计了这台机器。

The system is one of several that have been developed in recent years to remove water from the air.

该系统是近年来开发的几种从空气中去除水分的系统之一。

The machines are made for use at homes, offices, farms ... just about anywhere.

这些机器是为家庭、办公室、农场制造的。几乎可以用于任何地方。

The technology works especially well in foggy areas.

这项技术在多雾地区运行得特别好。

Machines come in different sizes.

机器有不同的尺寸。

The largest can produce about 8,600 liters of water a day.

最大的一台每天能生产大约8600升水。

The machines, Bowman added, also operate well in any area with high humidity.

鲍曼补充说，这种机器在任何高湿度地区也能很好地运行。

This includes California's coastline.

其中包括加利福尼亚州的海岸线。

The machines are costly.

这些机器很贵。

Prices start at $30,000 and go as high as $200,000.

价格从3万美元起，最高可达20万美元。

Even though the cost is high, some homeowners in California are buying them to meet their water needs.

尽管成本很高，加利福尼亚州的一些房主还是在购买它们来满足他们的用水需求。

California is experiencing one of the worst droughts in recent history.

加利福尼亚州正在经历近年来最严重的干旱之一。

The water supply there is extremely low and people have been asked to save water.

那里的供水极少，人们被要求节约用水。

Don Johnson lives in California and bought the smallest machine.

唐·约翰逊住在加利福尼亚州，他买了一台最小的机器。

It looks like a large air conditioning unit.

它看起来像一个大型空调机组。

He said he hoped it would produce enough water to keep his garden alive.

他说他希望它能生产足够的水来维持他的花园的生机。

He found, however, that it produces more than enough water for use in his garden and house.

然而，他发现它生产的水足以供他的花园和房子使用。

"This machine will produce water for a lot less than you can buy bottled water ... for," he said.

他说：“这台机器生产水的成本要比你买瓶装水的成本低得多……”。

Johnson added that as the cost of water goes up, he thinks the machine will pay for itself.

约翰逊补充说，随着水价上涨，他认为这台机器将会收回成本。

Besides the high price, the machine also needs a lot of energy to run.

除了价格高以外，机器运转还需要大量的能源。

But Johnson said the solar panels on the roof produce enough power to operate the machine without adding energy costs.

但约翰逊表示，屋顶上的太阳能电池板产生的电力足以运行机器，而不会增加能源成本。

Some experts say the technology makes sense for individual homeowners, especially in rural areas.

一些专家说，这项技术对个人房主来说是有意义的，尤其是在农村地区。

But it may not be a good solution for all of California.

但对整个加利福尼亚州来说，这可能不是一个好的解决方案。

One such expert is Helen Dahlke, a researcher with the University of California, Davis.

加利福尼亚大学戴维斯分校的研究员海伦·达尔克就是这样一位专家。

She said the most important thing is to fight global warming to prevent future droughts.

她说，最重要的事情是对抗全球变暖，以防止未来的干旱。

She said the world needs to slow climate warming to really make a difference.

她说，世界需要减缓气候变暖，才能真正有所作为。

I'm Anna Matteo.

安娜·马特奥为您播报。