英语听力文摘 English Digest 405、可以喝的雨水

Acid Water

Yaël: What are you doing outside, Don? It's about to rain.

Don: I'm setting out bottles.

Y: I can see that. But why?

D: For my new business venture. Bottled rainwater!

Y: As in living plastic bottles out in the rain and then selling them as health drinks?

D: Exactly! What could be more pure and fresher than what straight from the heavens!

Y: Maybe water from the a mountain stream!

D: You see any mount stream around here?

Y: Fine. But rainwater isn't exactly pure, Don. It's got a lot chemicals.

D: Like what?

Y: Well, even without industrial pollution, atmospheric¹ carbon dioxide dissolved into clouds makes rainwater at least slightly acidic.

D: Oh!

Y: But here in Indiana, a rain is almost ten times more acidic than natural rainwater.

D: Why?

Y: Well, a lot of power plants and other factories that burn coal to make energy in this Midwestern state. Burning coal releases sulfur² and nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere, which make rain more acidic.

D: That does sound good! What would happen if you drag a rainwater?

Y: Nothing! The acid content isn’t high enough to harm humans, and it doesn’t affect the taste of the water, either. But acid rain can damage lakes, streams, and harm trees at high elevations³. Also, acid rain accelerates the decay of buildings, statues, and sculptures.

酸雨

Yaël: Don你在干嘛呢？这天都快下雨啦！

Don: 我在放瓶子。

Y: 我看得出来！你放瓶子有什么用呢？

D: 做新的投资啊。瓶装雨水！

Y: 就像这样子把生活塑料瓶放在雨中装雨水，然后再把它们当健康饮用水卖了？

D: 一点不差！还有什么水比从天上直接降下来的水更纯净更新鲜呢！

Y: 或许山泉水可以！

D: 那你在附近有看到山泉吗？

Y: 好吧，是没有。但是雨水绝不是那么纯净的。雨水中有许多化学物质。

D: 比如说？

Y: 嗯……即使是没有工业污染，空气中的二氧化碳被云层吸收也会使雨水呈弱酸性。

D: 噢！

Y: 但是，我们印第安纳州雨水的酸性比天然雨水要高出整整十倍！

D: 这又是为什么啊？

Y: 在这个中西部城市，有许多的发电厂和其他的工厂都是靠烧煤来产能的。煤燃烧时会产生硫和氧化氮，挥发到大气中，使这里的雨水呈较强的酸性。

D: 这个听起来确实很有道理！那如果人喝了这些酸性的雨水又会怎么样呢？

Y: 那倒没事。雨水的酸含量不高，不会对人体造成什么伤害，也不会影响水的味道。但是，酸雨会影响湖泊，溪流，以及高海拔地区的树木植被。同时，酸雨还会加快建筑物，雕像，雕塑等的腐蚀。

 

1 atmospheric   

adj.大气的，空气的；大气层的；大气所引起的

参考例句：

• Sea surface temperatures and atmospheric circulation are strongly coupled.海洋表面温度与大气环流是密切相关的。
• Clouds return radiant energy to the surface primarily via the atmospheric window.云主要通过大气窗区向地表辐射能量。

2 sulfur   

n.硫，硫磺（=sulphur）

参考例句：

• Sulfur emissions from steel mills become acid rain.炼钢厂排放出的硫形成了酸雨。
• Burning may produce sulfur oxides.燃烧可能会产生硫氧化物。

3 elevations   

（水平或数量）提高( elevation的名词复数 )； 高地； 海拔； 提升

参考例句：

• Weight of the crust changes as elevations are eroded and materials are deposited elsewhere. 当高地受到侵蚀，物质沉积到别的地方时，地壳的重量就改变。
• All deck elevations are on the top of structural beams. 所有甲板标高线均指结构梁顶线。