VOA慢速英语2019 日本橄榄球世界杯赛 公厕最新智能马桶毁誉参半

Japan Shows Off High-Tech¹ Toilets at Rugby World Cup

Japan is known for creating unusual high-tech products across many different industries. One place to experience an example of such development is in some of the country’s public bathrooms.

日本素以在许多不同行业创造出独特的高科技产品而闻名。该国的一些公共卫生间是体验这类科技发展案例的一个去处。

Some people visiting Japan for the Rugby World Cup are seeing the latest high-tech toilets for the first time. Visitors using the modern “washlets” describe having a different, almost futuristic experience.

一些到日本观看橄榄球世界杯的人士第一次见到最新的高科技马桶。使用现代“卫洗丽”的游客称之为一种与众不同、近乎未来的体验。

Developers say the high-tech toilets were built with several tools to provide the best experience possible. Some open themselves when people walk up. Others welcome users² with a warm seat.

开发人员表示，这种高科技马桶使用了多种工具建造，用以提供尽可能的最佳体验。有些马桶会在人们走近时自动打开。其它马桶会以温暖的马桶圈来迎接人们。

Some perform so many technology operations they can be hard for users to understand. Often, the toilet controls also do not contain English explanations.

有些马桶执行了许多技术操作，可能让用户难以理解。马桶控制面板通常没有英文说明。

Alex Weimer is a French rugby fan visiting Japan for the World Cup. Two hours after landing³ at the airport in Tokyo, he could not call his first high-tech toilet experience a great one.

亚历克斯·韦默是一位来日本观看世界杯的橄榄球迷。在东京机场落地两小时之后，他的第一次高科技马桶体验称不上很好。

“There were something like 15 buttons in Japanese and I didn’t know which one to press,” Weimer told Reuters news agency⁴. He said there were “strange symbols” attached to a series of controls that sent water shooting “in every direction.”

韦默对路透社表示：“控制面板上大约有15个日文的按钮，我不知道该按哪个。”他说，贴着“奇怪符号”的控制按钮控制着往“各个方向”射水。

Weimer added that the toilet machine “made strange noises” when he tried to find the right control to make the device⁵ flush⁶.

韦默还说，当他尝试找到正确的冲水按钮时，这个马桶机器“发出了奇怪的声音。”

Brent York, a supporter of New Zealand’s national rugby team, said he thinks the toilets have too much technology for their own good. “A bit too sophisticated⁷ for me,” he told Reuters. “I just like the simple one, push the button without all the other experiences.”

新西兰国家橄榄球队的支持者布伦特·约克表示，他认为这些马桶有太多对自身有利的技术。他对路透社表示：“对我来说有点太复杂啦。我喜欢简单的那种，按下按钮就行，不需要其它各种体验。”

York’s friend, Bernard James, feels differently, however. He says that while the toilets can at first be “a bit intimidating⁸,” he is now used to them after visiting Japan so many times. “Japan leads the way in toilets technology,” James said.

然而约克的朋友伯纳德·詹姆斯却有不同感受。他说，虽然一开始这些马桶有些“令人生畏”，但他到日本多次后已经对它们很习惯了。詹姆斯表示：“日本在马桶技术上处于领先地位。”

Japanese people generally take cleanliness and disease⁹ prevention very seriously. Some people wash their bodies before entering a bath and most remove shoes when entering a home.

日本人普遍非常重视清洁和疾病预防。有些人在进浴缸前先洗澡，大多数人在进屋时要脱鞋。

The high-tech washlets can be found everywhere in Japan – in public toilets, hotels and inside homes. The market for the devices¹⁰ is huge, with millions of tech-friendly Japanese.

这种高科技的卫洗丽在日本各地的公共厕所、酒店和住宅都能找到。这些设备的市场非常大，有着数百万支持科技的日本用户。

But people desiring the technology can pay a high price. The low-end machines begin at around $232, while the complex ones sell for up to $9,300.

但是喜欢这种科技的人士可能要付出高昂代价。它的低端机器起价约为232美元，而复杂的机器售价高达9300美元。

I’m Bryan Lynn.

Words in This Story

toilet – n. a bowl that you sit on or stand near when you get rid of waste substances from your body

symbol – n. a sign or object used to represent something

flush – v. when a toilet or other device empties and fills with water again

sophisticated – adj. advanced; able to work in a smart way

button – n. a switch that is pressed to control a piece of equipment

intimidating – adj. having a frightening or threatening effect

1 high-tech   

adj.高科技的

参考例句：

• The economy is in the upswing which makes high-tech services in more demand too.经济在蓬勃发展，这就使对高科技服务的需求量也在加大。
• The quest of a cure for disease with high-tech has never ceased. 人们希望运用高科技治疗疾病的追求从未停止过。

2 users   

用户，使用者( user的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The new software will prove a boon to Internet users. 这种新软件将会对互联网用户大有益处。
• Ramps should be provided for wheelchair users. 应该给轮椅使用者提供坡道。

3 landing   

n.登陆；着陆；楼梯平台

参考例句：

• Owing to engine trouble,the plane had to make a forced landing.由于发动机出了毛病，飞机不得不进行迫降。
• When are we landing?我们什么时候着陆？

4 agency   

n.经办；代理；代理处

参考例句：

• This disease is spread through the agency of insects.这种疾病是通过昆虫媒介传播的。
• He spoke in the person of Xinhua News Agency.他代表新华社讲话。

5 device   

n.器械，装置；计划，策略，诡计

参考例句：

• The device will be in production by the end of the year.该装置将于年底投入生产。
• The device will save much time and effort for us.这种装置会使我们节省大量时间和气力。

6 flush   

vi.奔流；vt.冲洗；adj.齐平的；n.脸色，脸红

参考例句：

• Father asked me to flush off the garage floor.父亲叫我冲洗车库的地板。
• There was a flush in her cheeks.她满脸通红。

7 sophisticated   

adj.老练的，精密的，尖端的，高雅的

参考例句：

• She has become very sophisticated since she went to live in London.移居伦敦后她变得世故多了。
• This is a very sophisticated machine.这是一台非常精密的机器。

8 intimidating   

vt.恐吓，威胁( intimidate的现在分词)

参考例句：

• They were accused of intimidating people into voting for them. 他们被控胁迫选民投他们的票。
• This kind of questioning can be very intimidating to children. 这种问话的方式可能让孩子们非常害怕。

9 disease   

n.疾病，弊端

参考例句：

• The doctors are trying to stamp out the disease.医生正在尽力消灭这种疾病。
• He fought against the disease for a long time.他同疾病做了长时间的斗争。

10 devices   

n.设备；装置( device的名词复数 )；花招；（为实现某种目的的）计划；手段

参考例句：

• electrical labour-saving devices around the home 节省劳力的各种家用电器
• modern labour-saving devices such as washing machines and dishwashers 诸如洗衣机和洗碗机之类的现代化省力设备