VOA标准英语2010年-US Oil Spill Draws Help from Volunteer

"It's for the animals. And the animals, you can't replace them if they are gone forever. The beach will return"

Concern is growing about the effects of the ongoing¹ oil spill in the Gulf² of Mexico, and some residents are taking action to try to help. Some people are monitoring the beaches, while others are devising their own clean-up solutions.

"We might as well start at the end," said volunteer Trish O'Neal. Since she retired⁴ to Perdido Key, she finds time every day to walk the beach. This day, she has a special reason for doing it. "I'm a volunteer with the federal park system," she tells a family on the beach. "Did you have any questions for me today regarding the oil?"

She is one of 35 people who have been trained by the National Park Service since oil began washing up along park grounds on Perdido Key. O'Neal talks to visitors about native birds, and sensitive dunes⁵, but most ask about the oil. "Mostly people are wanting to know what does it look like. They don't know what the oil looks like, and it is so  [small], that we point it out to them. The other thing is: are they safe," she said.

The first signs of contamination from the spill were tar³ balls on beaches around Pensacola. Oily globs started appearing on Thursday, and sand on Perdido Key is now stained from oily residue⁶. But O'Neal tells sunbathers it is still safe to swim.

"We don't have enough on our beach to be a big concern. But we don't want people to [touch it], it is a toxin," said O'Neal.

The oil spill poses a threat to fishing and recreation businesses across the Gulf. For O'Neal, the bigger concern is protecting wildlife and their native habitats. "It's for the animals. And the animals, you can't replace them if they are gone forever. The beach will return," she said.

Many other residents along the Gulf coast share that concern for the future of the region. Some are taking action, by cleaning up portions of beach by themselves.

Even actor Kevin Costner is getting involved. The star told lawmakers in Washington about a device his company has developed to remove oil from the water. "The cost of recovering a spill on the ocean is a fraction of the cost of cleaning it on the shore," he said.

While BP has now ordered 32 of Costner's machines to use in the Gulf, the actor says he was frustrated⁷ by previous responses to his idea. "My enthusiasm for what the machine could do was met with apathy⁸. A refusal to move off the status quo," he said.

In spite of the challenges, inventors continue to share their ideas. John Galarneau has built a system called Oil Trap to collect surface oil. "We have a boom coming out this way to one side, and a boom out this way. So when the oil begins to tack⁹ in, it will be funneled¹⁰ and collected into these systems," he said.

Galarneau said the idea was born of frustration¹¹ at the clean-up effort and the lack of equipment for the job. "I'm surprised it hasn't been done before. And this will stop the oil from going into the estuaries¹²," he said.

Galarneau stopped in Pensacola Beach, at the start of a tour of the Gulf. He hopes to sell Oil Trap units to affected¹³ communities. He says the goal is not to make money, but to protect the ecosystem¹⁴. "There are still a lot of beautiful estuaries that are going to be destroyed. If I can do anything and be a part of this I would like to see our estuaries protected. I'm an outdoorsman, I spend a lot of time in the [Florida] Everglades, fishing in the flats. This is just a devastating¹⁵ thing," he said.

For those who enjoy Pensacola Beach, every contribution to the clean-up effort is welcome.

 

1 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

2 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

3 tar   

n.柏油，焦油；vt.涂或浇柏油/焦油于

参考例句：

• The roof was covered with tar.屋顶涂抹了一层沥青。
• We use tar to make roads.我们用沥青铺路。

4 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

5 dunes   

沙丘( dune的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The boy galloped over the dunes barefoot. 那男孩光着脚在沙丘间飞跑。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat. 将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。

6 residue   

n.残余，剩余，残渣

参考例句：

• Mary scraped the residue of food from the plates before putting them under water.玛丽在把盘子放入水之前先刮去上面的食物残渣。
• Pesticide persistence beyond the critical period for control leads to residue problems.农药一旦超过控制的临界期，就会导致残留问题。

7 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 apathy   

n.漠不关心，无动于衷；冷淡

参考例句：

• He was sunk in apathy after his failure.他失败后心恢意冷。
• She heard the story with apathy.她听了这个故事无动于衷。

9 tack   

n.大头钉；假缝，粗缝

参考例句：

• He is hammering a tack into the wall to hang a picture.他正往墙上钉一枚平头钉用来挂画。
• We are going to tack the map on the wall.我们打算把这张地图钉在墙上。

10 funneled   

漏斗状的

参考例句：

• The crowd funneled through the hall. 群众从走廊中鱼贯而过。
• The large crowd funneled out of the gates after the football match. 足球赛后大群人从各个门中涌出。

11 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。

12 estuaries   

（江河入海的）河口，河口湾( estuary的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We also recognize the diversity and complexity of controlling in fluences in estuaries. 我们也认识到在河湾内控制影响的多样性和复杂性。
• Estuaries also contribute to economy through tourism and fishing. 河口还为人类提供了休闲和教育的场所。

13 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

14 ecosystem   

n.生态系统

参考例句：

• This destroyed the ecosystem of the island.这样破坏了岛上的生态系统。
• We all have an interest in maintaining the integrity of the ecosystem.维持生态系统的完整是我们共同的利益。

15 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。