VOA慢速英语2013 AS IT IS 2013-07-10 Measuring the Effects of Climate Change Policies

 

AS IT IS 2013-07-10 Measuring the Effects of Climate Change Policies

Welcome again, to the daily magazine show, As It Is, from VOA Learning English. I’m Mario Ritter. Today, we hear about an unusual artist who decorates prosthetic limbs. We have a story about the lasting¹ appeal of superheroes, just as the latest Superman appears in theaters. But first, we learn about the Megacities Carbon Project, an effort to understand the effects of climate change policies.

Scientists have been able to measure air quality and study its effect on human health for many years. Now, as part of a complex project  called the Megacities Carbon Project, scientists are testing new ways to measure gases linked to climate change.

Los Angeles is one of the cities scientists are studying in the project. With a population of 18 million people and many cars, the city is often covered in smog and pollution. Stan Sander is a senior research scientist at the United States space agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory near Los Angeles. He describes these layers of visible air, or haze², in this way.

“That haze is caused by the fact that the air is trapped inside a layer that’s a few hundred meters to a thousand meters in altitude above the LA basin.  So it collects those emissions³ from the cars and other sources and forms that layer.”

Jet Propulsion Laboratory scientist Riley Duren says these pollutants⁴ include greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane⁵. And he says, they do not just effect cities. 

“So these gases have a small local effect but the bigger impact is on the climate.  We’re all in this together.  It takes several weeks or months for these gases to mix, but they end up in the atmosphere and they affect everywhere - not just in the local city.”

The Megacities Carbon Project wants to observe greenhouse gases over long periods of time to try to identify patterns. The goal is to find out if environmental policies are successful in lowering greenhouse gas emissions.

Sixteen highly sensitive monitoring devices are being placed on rooftops and media towers across southern California. These instruments work continuously to analyze⁷ what is in the air. 

Scientists also use what is called “remote sensing” to monitor the air.  Instruments placed on airplanes and a satellite are able to find evidence of carbon dioxide and methane in the air.

There is also a remote sensing instrument on top of Mt. Wilson, northeast of Los Angeles. NASA’S Stan Sander says this remote sensing equipment can study air quality across the Los Angeles area.

“What we’re hoping to do here on Mt. Wilson is create a sort of pattern or model for the way other cities might be able to measure their greenhouse gas emissions in a very similar way.”

Riley Duren says developed countries are trying to reduce emissions. But he notes that cities in developing nations are growing at an extremely fast rate.

“In the developing world, particularly in South America, Africa and Asia, we’re seeing explosive growth in cities because of the combined effects of urbanization and economic growth.”

He says many of these growing cities are at higher risk for the effects of climate change. 

The loss of a limb because of an injury or illness can be a very difficult experience. Many people regain⁸ abilities they lost, like walking, by using artificial, or prosthetic, limbs.  Faith Lapidus tells us about an artist who decorates prosthetics.

Pete Nichols lost part of his leg in a motorcycle accident three years ago. He wanted a prosthetic device that was just as flashy as his car. He loves his car. It has bright red paint and racing⁹ stripes and shiny wheels. His artificial leg is a bright chrome color.

“I love lots of color and I love chrome.”

Pete Nichols did a search online and found Dan Horkey. He is an amputee who had started a company in Seattle called ProstheticInk.com.  Dan had also lost his leg in a traffic accident. He decided¹⁰ to add color to colorless prosthetics. He started by adding images of flames.

“It kind of reminded me of the aftermath of my accident, sitting in the hospital and the pain I felt in my leg after they chopped it off.”

Dan Horkey uses local artists to decorate prosthetic arms, legs and braces¹¹, offering many colors and designs.

“We have people that want Superman.  We have requests that are really just unique to the wearer sometime, so that’s what’s really cool about it.  It is all about personalizing their limb.”

Dan Horkey has had a variety of customers. Some are military veterans who were wounded in combat. Another was a five-year-old boy about to start kindergarten.

Pete Nichols says the colorful prosthetics attract attention and start conversations. 

“Do not hide it.  Find that color, that art scheme, that one [artistic] device that is you.”

Dan Horkey says his work has been getting attention across the United States and in other countries. He says amputees are amazed at how a little color and art can lift their confidence.  

World events often seem to call for a superhero – a character with extraordinary powers to put things right. So it is not a surprising that comic book superheroes have remained popular for generations. Conventions where people act like superheroes are popular in the United States. Recently, thousands of people attended one such event in Washington. Avi Arditti tells us more.

Acting¹² like superheroes, the good guys, or super-villains, the bad guys, is for many people a way to have fun. Recently, comic book fans went as their favorite characters to Washington’s “Awesome¹³ Con⁶ DC” convention.

Many take the fun seriously. Dale Harvey stood in brown battle armor with a winged skull¹⁴ across the front. It took him more than four months to make the clothes and equipment of a video game character.

“I get enjoyment¹⁵ out of creating it, out of building it with my friends, just having a good time seeing people’s reaction to it. The most awesome thing for me is watching kids, young and old, have a good time seeing a character come to life.”

Organizers of the “Awesome Con DC” event say more than 5,000 visitors attended over two days.

Ben Penrod says huge hit movies based on comic book superheroes, like The Avengers, have helped fuel the popularity of events like his.

“You had to read comic books to know The Avengers. Now The Avengers is the third highest-grossing film of all time. And people, everybody knows about it.”

1 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

2 haze   

n.霾，烟雾；懵懂，迷糊；vi.(over)变模糊

参考例句：

• I couldn't see her through the haze of smoke.在烟雾弥漫中，我看不见她。
• He often lives in a haze of whisky.他常常是在威士忌的懵懂醉意中度过的。

3 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

4 pollutants   

污染物质（尤指工业废物）( pollutant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Pollutants are constantly being released into the atmosphere. 污染物质正在不断地被排放到大气中去。
• The 1987 Amendments limit 301(g) discharges to a few well-studied nonconventional pollutants. 1987年的修正案把第301条（g）的普通排放限制施加在一些认真研究过的几种非常规污染物上。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

5 methane   

n.甲烷，沼气

参考例句：

• The blast was caused by pockets of methane gas that ignited.爆炸是由数袋甲烷气体着火引起的。
• Methane may have extraterrestrial significance.甲烷具有星际意义。

6 con   

n.反对的观点，反对者，反对票，肺病；vt.精读，学习，默记；adv.反对地，从反面；adj.欺诈的

参考例句：

• We must be fair and consider the reason pro and con.我们必须公平考虑赞成和反对的理由。
• The motion is adopted non con.因无人投反对票，协议被通过。

7 analyze   

vt.分析，解析 (=analyse)

参考例句：

• We should analyze the cause and effect of this event.我们应该分析这场事变的因果。
• The teacher tried to analyze the cause of our failure.老师设法分析我们失败的原因。

8 regain   

vt.重新获得，收复，恢复

参考例句：

• He is making a bid to regain his World No.1 ranking.他正为重登世界排名第一位而努力。
• The government is desperate to regain credibility with the public.政府急于重新获取公众的信任。

9 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

10 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

11 braces   

n.吊带，背带；托架( brace的名词复数 )；箍子；括弧；（儿童）牙箍v.支住( brace的第三人称单数 )；撑牢；使自己站稳；振作起来

参考例句：

• The table is shaky because the braces are loose. 这张桌子摇摇晃晃，因为支架全松了。
• You don't need braces if you're wearing a belt! 要系腰带，就用不着吊带了。

12 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

13 awesome   

adj.令人惊叹的，难得吓人的，很好的

参考例句：

• The church in Ireland has always exercised an awesome power.爱尔兰的教堂一直掌握着令人敬畏的权力。
• That new white convertible is totally awesome.那辆新的白色折篷汽车简直棒极了.

14 skull   

n.头骨；颅骨

参考例句：

• The skull bones fuse between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five.头骨在15至25岁之间长合。
• He fell out of the window and cracked his skull.他从窗子摔了出去，跌裂了颅骨。

15 enjoyment   

n.乐趣；享有；享用

参考例句：

• Your company adds to the enjoyment of our visit. 有您的陪同，我们这次访问更加愉快了。
• After each joke the old man cackled his enjoyment.每逢讲完一个笑话，这老人就呵呵笑着表示他的高兴。