VOA标准英语2008年-Fish And Chip Oil Powers Road Trip Around Austr

By Phil Mercer
Sydney
22 May 2008

A couple has embarked¹ on a journey around Australia in a car powered by leftover² vegetable oil from fish and chip shops.  Rachel and Gerard Mimmo plan to drive 18,000 miles in a specially³ designed four-wheel drive.  From Sydney, Phil Mercer reports.
 
Rachel Mimmo's second-hand⁴ car is nicknamed "The Battered⁵ Fish" because of the pungent⁶ smell of fried fish from its exhaust fumes⁷. 

One of the car's two fuel tanks holds discarded fish and chip oil donated by restaurants. The other is for diesel⁸, which is used only in small quantities.

There have been mechanical problems and getting fuel has been difficult.  Many restaurants sell used frying oil for conversion⁹ into bio-diesel and are unwilling¹⁰ to give it away.

Rachel Mimmo, a British lawyer, says she and her husband want their journey to be as environmentally friendly as possible.

"We'll be staying in bush camps as much as possible rather than powered camp sites or hotels," Mimmo said. "We also have a solar panel on top of our car to fuel the battery for the car which generates power for our fridge. We've got a solar shower instead of trying to get into campsites with facilities."

Australia is one of the world's worst per capita emitters of greenhouse gases, which are widely thought to contribute to global warming.

Her Australian husband Gerard Mimmo says he wants to do his bit to help the environment.

"We were looking for an adventure," he explained. "We were moving out to Australia, so we decided¹¹ that we will combine the two. I just finished a sustainability degree over in the U.K., and I thought it would be a bit rude if I came out and added to the emissions¹² of Australia without trying to do something about it."

So far, the couple has driven from Sydney to Brisbane.  While the fishy¹³ fuel helps the environment on the tour, it also spares the Mimmo's the expense of record-breaking gasoline prices.

1 embarked   

乘船( embark的过去式和过去分词 )； 装载； 从事

参考例句：

• We stood on the pier and watched as they embarked. 我们站在突码头上目送他们登船。
• She embarked on a discourse about the town's origins. 她开始讲本市的起源。

2 leftover   

n.剩货，残留物，剩饭；adj.残余的

参考例句：

• These narrow roads are a leftover from the days of horse-drawn carriages.这些小道是从马车时代沿用下来的。
• Wonder if that bakery lets us take leftover home.不知道那家糕饼店会不会让我们把卖剩的带回家。

3 specially   

adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地

参考例句：

• They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。
• The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings.这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。

4 second-hand   

adj.用过的，旧的，二手的

参考例句：

• I got this book by chance at a second-hand bookshop.我赶巧在一家旧书店里买到这本书。
• They will put all these second-hand goods up for sale.他们将把这些旧货全部公开出售。

5 battered   

adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损

参考例句：

• He drove up in a battered old car.他开着一辆又老又破的旧车。
• The world was brutally battered but it survived.这个世界遭受了惨重的创伤,但它还是生存下来了。

6 pungent   

adj.（气味、味道）刺激性的，辛辣的；尖锐的

参考例句：

• The article is written in a pungent style.文章写得泼辣。
• Its pungent smell can choke terrorists and force them out of their hideouts.它的刺激性气味会令恐怖分子窒息，迫使他们从藏身地点逃脱出来。

7 fumes   

n.(强烈而刺激的)气味，气体

参考例句：

• The health of our children is being endangered by exhaust fumes. 我们孩子们的健康正受到排放出的废气的损害。
• Exhaust fumes are bad for your health. 废气对健康有害。

8 diesel   

n.柴油发动机，内燃机

参考例句：

• We experimented with diesel engines to drive the pumps.我们试着用柴油机来带动水泵。
• My tractor operates on diesel oil.我的那台拖拉机用柴油开动。

9 conversion   

n.转化，转换，转变

参考例句：

• He underwent quite a conversion.他彻底变了。
• Waste conversion is a part of the production process.废物处理是生产过程的一个组成部分。

10 unwilling   

adj.不情愿的

参考例句：

• The natives were unwilling to be bent by colonial power.土著居民不愿受殖民势力的摆布。
• His tightfisted employer was unwilling to give him a raise.他那吝啬的雇主不肯给他加薪。

11 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。

12 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。

13 fishy   

adj. 值得怀疑的

参考例句：

• It all sounds very fishy to me.所有这些在我听起来都很可疑。
• There was definitely something fishy going on.肯定当时有可疑的事情在进行中。