VOA常速英语2105--纽约垃圾何去何从?

 

纽约垃圾何去何从?

New York's population is almost 8.5 million people.

纽约人口近850万人。

And every day,every resident literally¹ leaves behind a pile a garbage.

而每一天,每一位居民都会扔下一堆垃圾。

Where does much of that trash go?

那这些垃圾到哪里去了?

To the Sims Municipal Recycling Facility in Brooklyn,which features the latest technology ingarbage processing. Every month,the facility processes 20,000 tons of metal,plastic and glass.

布鲁克林西姆斯市政回收设施有着处理垃圾的最新技术。每个月该设施都会处理近20000吨的金属,塑料和玻璃。

The city's recycling program encourages New Yorkers to sort bottles and cans into separatebags. City garbage collection services bring the bags here. But only about 20 percent of New Yorkers sort their garbage for recycling.

这座城市的回收项目鼓励纽约市民将瓶瓶罐罐分门别类装入单独的袋子。而城市垃圾回收服务将所有袋子集中到这里。但只有约20%的纽约市民分类用于回收的垃圾。

Sims General Manager Tom Outerbridge says that's because of the city's diverse populationand high turnover².

西姆斯总经理汤姆·奥特博格表示这是因为城市的多元化人口及高流动率所致。

“All of these create challenges for recycling programs that you may not have in a moresuburban homogenous³ society.But given those challenges,the city does quite well."

“所有这些回收项目带来的难题的你可能不会在更多郊区社区中见到。但考虑到这些难题，这个城市做的很好。”

This machine,called “Liberator," rips plastic bags apart and sends the contents to be sorted. A huge magnet pulls out items that have iron in them and diverts them to a separateconveyor. And this piece of equipment breaks glass that “floats” in another direction.

这台名为“解放者”的机器将塑料袋撕裂后进行内容分类。一块巨大磁铁吸引出含铁物品后把它们单独送往输送机。而这个设备打碎在另一个方向“漂浮”的玻璃。

"Ballistic separators have panels inside that are moving like this. Two dimensional things get walked up the panels,like paper,plastic bags,when threedimensional things,like bottles and cans,get rolled down the panels."

“冲击式分离器内部安装有面板,可以这样移动。如纸、塑料袋等的二维物体通过面板,而像瓶子和罐子等的三维物体则向下通过。”

Optic scanners,which cost about 100,000,are the most technologically-advanced part of theprocess. They are programmed to identify certain types of objects,like plastic water and milk bottles. When the scanner “sees” one,it signals dozens of air fountains on the conveyor belt,to blow itonto a separate conveyor.

造价约100000美元的光学扫描仪是垃圾处理最为先进的一项技术。它们被编程为识别如像塑料饮用水及牛奶瓶等特定类型的物体。当扫描仪“看到”一个时,会在输送带上发送几十个喷气嘴,进入一部单独的输送机。

"We are working with materials that everybody says is garbage,but it's recyclable things."

“我们同每个人都说是垃圾的材料打交道,但这是可回收的东西。”

Sorted garbage arrives at the baler,which produces the facility's final product-pressed bales ofplastic and metal,each weighing up to half a ton.

当分类垃圾到达这座设施最终生产产品的打包机后,会将塑料和金属压制成每个重达半吨的大包。

Sims Recycling sells the bales to industrial plants where new bottles and cans are made for NewYorkers to use again.

"We are just making the Earth a better place.We are helping⁴ each other survive. I think that's the best part."

“我们只是让地球变得更美好。我们互相帮助生存。我认为这是最好的部分。”

Sims also sets an example by its own environmental consciousness.

西姆斯也通过自己的环境意识树立了好榜样。

It has solar panels on the roof and a wind turbine right in front of the entrance.

正前方的入口屋顶上的太阳能电池板及风力涡轮机正是起到这样的作用。

Together,they provide up to 20 percent of the energy needed for the plant's operations.

它们一起为这家工厂所需提供多达20%的能源。

1 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

2 turnover   

n.人员流动率，人事变动率；营业额，成交量

参考例句：

• The store greatly reduced the prices to make a quick turnover.这家商店实行大减价以迅速周转资金。
• Our turnover actually increased last year.去年我们的营业额竟然增加了。

3 homogenous   

adj.同类的，同质的，纯系的

参考例句：

• Japan is a wealthy,homogenous,developed nation with a stable political system.日本是一个富裕的同质型发达国家，政治体制稳定。
• My family is very homogenous and happy.我们这个家庭很和睦很幸福。

4 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。