VOA常速英语2014--韩国努力回收电子垃圾

 

South Korea Launches Initiative to Recycle More E-Waste 韩国努力回收电子垃圾

SEOUL— 

South Korea is coping with increasing amounts of garbage from electronic devices, also called “e-waste.” To prevent tons of old computers, smartphones and appliances from ending up in landfills, leaking toxic¹ chemicals, some local governments are launching specialized² e-waste recycling programs.

It is the end of the road for these broken, outdated³ and unwanted electronics.

这就是这些破旧过时的废弃电子产品的最终归宿。

Seoul city throws out some 10 tons of e-waste each year, and about a fifth of that arrives at this recycling center. Here at the SR Center, devices are taken apart so that valuable metals like gold, copper⁴ or rare earths can be extracted -- a 3.8 billion-dollar industry, according to the government.

首尔市每年仍掉大约10吨的电子垃圾，其中五分之一的电子垃圾来到这个回收站。在这个SR中心，各种设备被分拣起来，这样金、铜或稀土等昂贵的金属可以提出出来，政府称这个行业价值38亿美元。

But it is not just about earning profits, says the center’s CEO Ji Un-geun. It is about protecting the environment.

但是该回收站的CEOJi Un-geun说，这么做不仅是为了赚取利润，也是为了保护环境。

“Our planet has a limited amount of natural resources," he said. "Our company contributes to a sustainable society, by conserving⁵ these materials”

“地球上的自然资源很有限，我们公司通过回收这些材料来为可持续型社会做出贡献。”

Ji says  about 90 percent of what is brought here gets recycled.

他说运到这里来的电子垃圾有90%的都得到回收利用。

Accumulating mounds⁶ of electronic trash is not only a concern in technologically-advanced South Korea.  

担心这些大批积累起来的电子垃圾的，不仅仅是科技发达的韩国。

The United Nations reports millions of tons of the world’s e-waste winds up in developing countries. There, toxic materials like lead and mercury pose a severe health risk. That is despite international agreements that ban the export of discarded electronics.

联合国报告称全世界数百万吨的电子垃圾最终流往发展中国家，有毒材料如铅和汞等对这些国家构成了严重的健康威胁，尽管有禁止出口这些废弃电子产品的国际协议，这种行为仍无法禁止。

 Since 2009, the Seoul City government has partnered with the SR Center to collect e-waste from the public and private sectors⁷.

自2009年以来，首尔市政府和SR中心以来从公共和企业部门回收电子垃圾。

 Seoul’s Lee Tae-hong says recycling is also a security matter in the digital age.

首尔的Lee Tae-hong说，在数字时代，回收也涉及安全问题。

“If devices like phones are not recycled, then they could illegally end up in other countries like China or in Southeast Asia, and personal data could be stolen,” he said.

“如果手机等设备不进行回收，那么它们就会通过非法途径流入中国和东南亚等国，这样个人数据就可能被盗。”

Even though recycling centers like this limit the amount of landfill-bound electronics, it is not enough, according to some environmental watchdog groups.

一些国际观察机构称，即使是这样的回收中心减少了堆到垃圾堆的电子垃圾的量，这么做仍是不够的。

Digitally-savvy South Koreans keep buying more gadgets⁸. In the end, some estimate that about 21 percent of the country’s total e-waste actually gets properly recycled.

精通数字产品的韩国人不断地购买更多设备，最终，有人估计该国约有21%的电子垃圾都得到恰当的回收。

That is according to Lee Joo-hong of the Green Consumers Network. He says the average South Korean purchases a new mobile phone every one and a half years.

这是绿色消费者网络的Lee Joo-hong说的，他说平均每个韩国人每一年半就要购买一部新手机。

“People change their phones so quickly partially⁹ because companies offer big subsidies¹⁰ to buy new products," he said. "And Korean consumers do not want to feel left out by not having the latest model.”

“人们非常频繁地更换手机，这部分是因为各公司给新机购买提供很大的补贴，韩国消费者不想因为不购买最新款就被落在后面。”

Ji Un-geun of Seoul’s recycling center agrees that consumer habits are a big reason why old phones keep piling up here. But he says he is doing his part to reduce that.

首尔回收中心的Ji Un-geun人为，消费者习惯是导致旧手机堆积的一大原因，不过他说自己在尽自己一份力来减少这种问题。

“I have had this same phone for 10 years," he said. "It is what I can do to help conserve¹¹ our natural resources”

“我一部手机用了10年了，这就是我帮助保护自然资源的办法。”

Ji says more South Korean cities need to start their own recycling programs to keep up with the increasing loads of e-waste.

他说韩国其他城市也需要启动自己的回收项目，来对付日益增长的电子垃圾问题。

1 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

2 specialized   

adj.专门的，专业化的

参考例句：

• There are many specialized agencies in the United Nations.联合国有许多专门机构。
• These tools are very specialized.这些是专用工具。

3 outdated   

adj.旧式的，落伍的，过时的；v.使过时

参考例句：

• That list of addresses is outdated,many have changed.那个通讯录已经没用了，许多地址已经改了。
• Many of us conform to the outdated customs laid down by our forebears.我们许多人都遵循祖先立下的过时习俗。

4 copper   

n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的

参考例句：

• The students are asked to prove the purity of copper.要求学生们检验铜的纯度。
• Copper is a good medium for the conduction of heat and electricity.铜是热和电的良导体。

5 conserving   

v.保护，保藏，保存( conserve的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Contour planning with or without terracing is effective in conserving both soil and moisture. 顺等高线栽植，无论做或不做梯田对于保持水土都能有效。 来自辞典例句
• Economic savings, consistent with a conserving society and the public philosophy. 经济节约，符合创建节约型社会的公共理念。 来自互联网

6 mounds   

土堆，土丘( mound的名词复数 )； 一大堆

参考例句：

• We had mounds of tasteless rice. 我们有成堆成堆的淡而无味的米饭。
• Ah! and there's the cemetery' - cemetery, he must have meant. 'You see the mounds? 啊，这就是同墓，”——我想他要说的一定是公墓，“看到那些土墩了吗？

7 sectors   

n.部门( sector的名词复数 )；领域；防御地区；扇形

参考例句：

• Berlin was divided into four sectors after the war. 战后柏林分成了4 个区。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Industry and agriculture are the two important sectors of the national economy. 工业和农业是国民经济的两个重要部门。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

8 gadgets   

n.小机械，小器具（ gadget的名词复数 ）

参考例句：

• Certainly. The idea is not to have a house full of gadgets. 当然。设想是房屋不再充满小配件。 来自超越目标英语 第4册
• This meant more gadgets and more experiments. 这意味着要设计出更多的装置，做更多的实验。 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史

9 partially   

adv.部分地，从某些方面讲

参考例句：

• The door was partially concealed by the drapes.门有一部分被门帘遮住了。
• The police managed to restore calm and the curfew was partially lifted.警方设法恢复了平静，宵禁部分解除。

10 subsidies   

n.补贴，津贴，补助金( subsidy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• European agriculture ministers failed to break the deadlock over farm subsidies. 欧洲各国农业部长在农业补贴问题上未能打破僵局。
• Agricultural subsidies absorb about half the EU's income. 农业补贴占去了欧盟收入的大约一半。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 conserve   

vt.保存，保护，节约，节省，守恒，不灭

参考例句：

• He writes on both sides of the sheet to conserve paper.他在纸张的两面都写字以节省用纸。
• Conserve your energy,you'll need it!保存你的精力，你会用得着的！