VOA常速英语2015--首尔在气候会议上强调环境投资

Seoul Highlights Environmental Investments at Climate Change Conference 首尔在气候会议上强调环境投资

SEOUL—

This week South Korea’s capital city showcases its efforts to greatly reduce air pollution, increase energy efficiency and improve urban environments. At a major climate change conference, Seoul Mayor Park Won Soon talked with VOA about how investments in green technology are paying off, and how he is working with neighboring cities to prevent toxic¹ dust from blowing in across the border.

The Mapo Resource Recovery facility in Seoul converts 750 tons of trash a day into electricity, produces the equivalent of 41,000 barrels of oil a year, and uses a system of filters to capture most of the carbon gases produced in the burning process.

首尔麻浦资源回收厂每天将750吨垃圾转化为电力，每年生产4.1万桶石油，还使用一个过滤系统来捕捉燃烧过程中产生的碳化气。

It's just one of the projects Seoul is highlighting as it hosts the world’s largest climate change conference focusing on city governments.

首尔正举办关注于市政府的全世界最大气候变化会议，而这只是首尔在会议上强调的项目之一。

Green tech

Park Won Soon said the eco-friendly investments are good for the environment, the economy and the 10 million people living in the city.

市长朴元淳说这个环保投资对环境和经济都有益，对生活在这座城市的1000万市民也有好处。

“I think it brings more incentives² that have helped us recover our health and improve our quality of life. This also works as a philosophical³ base for our policy,” he said.

“我认为这个项目带来更多的激励，帮助我们恢复健康并改善生活质量，还是我们政策的哲学基础。”

A decade ago, the Cheonggye Stream project restored the waterway that runs through the city, making it a tourist attraction that also acts to slightly moderate heat during the summer.

10年前，清溪流项目恢复了贯穿该市的水道，使其成为一个旅游景点，还能稍微缓和夏季的酷热。

In the modern, glass-enclosed city hall building that critics say looks like a tsunami⁴ wave, plants line the walls to create oxygen. Solar panels on the ceiling produce renewable energy.

这个现代化、玻璃制的市政大楼在批评者看起来像是海啸波，在这里，沿着墙壁排开的植物在制造氧气，天花板上的太阳能面板在制造可再生能源。

And the Seoul Resource Center provides jobs, reduces city landfills and recoups much of its operating costs by selling salvaged⁵ parts from discarded electronic waste.

首尔资源中心提供就业机会，减少了市政垃圾，还通过销售废弃电子垃圾中回收的部件来减少运营成本。

Sharing knowledge

The mayor said Seoul is working to export its expertise⁶ and technologies to other cities facing environmental problems.

这位市长说，首尔正努力将其在这方面的专业经验和技术出口给其他面临环境问题的城市。

“We have been developing various know-hows and techniques through the process of resolving such problems. I think it is very important to share these with various countries around the world," Park said.

“通过解决这样的问题，我们开发了各种知识和技术，我想与世界各国分享这些知识和技术很重要。”

Despite the reduced local pollution, a toxic mix of desert dust and factory smog often hits Seoul when the winds blow in from China.

尽管首尔减少了当地的污染，但当风从中国吹来时，总会有沙漠灰尘和工厂烟雾的有毒混合物袭击首尔。

The Seoul mayor said he reached out to 13 cities in China and Mongolia to help them curb⁷ pollution and erosion in the region.

首尔市长说他去了中国13个城市和蒙古，帮助它们控制当地的污染和水土流失。

“If these things progress, I think various ways will be prepared to tackle erosion and global warming by the international common effort,” he said.

“如果这些措施有效，我想全球将协同努力采取各种措施来解决水土流失和全球变暖问题。”

There is much cities like Seoul can do to limit the effect of climate change, but the mayor says no city can do it alone in this interconnected world.

对于像首尔这样的城市来说，在减少气候变化影响方面可以做很多，但市长说在这个相互关联的世界里，没有哪个城市能独立解决好这个问题。

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 incentives   

激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机

参考例句：

• tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
• Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

3 philosophical   

adj.哲学家的，哲学上的，达观的

参考例句：

• The teacher couldn't answer the philosophical problem.老师不能解答这个哲学问题。
• She is very philosophical about her bad luck.她对自己的不幸看得很开。

4 tsunami   

n.海啸

参考例句：

• Powerful quake sparks tsunami warning in Japan.大地震触发了日本的海啸预警。
• Coastlines all around the Indian Ocean inundated by a huge tsunami.大海啸把印度洋沿岸地区都淹没了。

5 salvaged   

（从火灾、海难等中）抢救（某物）( salvage的过去式和过去分词 )； 回收利用（某物）

参考例句：

• The investigators studied flight recorders salvaged from the wreckage. 调查者研究了从飞机残骸中找到的黑匣子。
• The team's first task was to decide what equipment could be salvaged. 该队的首要任务是决定可以抢救哪些设备。

6 expertise   

n.专门知识(或技能等)，专长

参考例句：

• We were amazed at his expertise on the ski slopes.他斜坡滑雪的技能使我们赞叹不已。
• You really have the technical expertise in a new breakthrough.让你真正在专业技术上有一个全新的突破。

7 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。