【2023.2.17】六分钟英语 我能为环境做点什么 How can I hel
Introduction
How can I help the environment? What can I do to be more environmentally friendly? What can we do to make a difference? Sam and Neil discuss the small practical changes you can make to help the environment and teach you 6 items of useful English vocabulary in this 6 Minute English.
This week's question
Plastic has many natural variations but where was the first artificial plastic developed? Was it:
a) England
b) Germany or
c) Switzerland?
Listen to the programme to find out the answer.
Transcript
Note: This is not a word for word transcript
Neil
Hello. This is 6 Minute English. I'm Neil.
Sam
And I'm Sam.
Neil
Now, tell me about your teeth-cleaning routine.
Sam
OK. Well, it’s pretty good, I think. I brush twice a day and change my brush every couple of months.
Neil
And what kind of brush do you use?
Sam
Nothing fancy, just a regular, cheap plastic one.
Neil
Oh dear!
Sam
What do you mean?
Neil
Well, imagine all the toothbrushes you’ve used in your life, from your first brush as a child, to the one you currently have. You do realisethat probably they all still exist in the environment somewhere. We use them for a couple of months yet they will last for hundreds of years.
Sam
Oh dear, and I thought I was actually quite environmentally aware. But that’s quite shocking. I hadn’t thought of that.
Neil
Wellit’s just one of the problems we are facing with our use of plastics. A marvellousinvention that has given us so much. But we are beginning to realiseit's causing many long-lasting environmental problems. More on this topic shortly, but first, a question: Plastic has many natural variations but where was the first artificial plastic developed? Was it:
a) England
b) Germany or
c) Switzerland?
What do you think, Sam?
Sam
I’m going to have a guess at Switzerland.
Neil
OK, we’ll find out if you’re right at the end of the programme. Environmental issues are, of course, a big story at the moment. The topic was featured on the BBC Woman’s Hour radio programmerecently. Madeleine Murray is from an Irish organisationthat gives advice to businesses and communities on how to operate in an environmentally responsible way. She was asked about what she does in her daily life that other people could do too. What food items does she mention?
Madeleine Murray
My personal, like, pet peeve is multipacks and minipacks. I buy in bulk now. I buy the biggest yoghurtI can buy. I buy big cereal boxes. I buy big shampoo bottles. We can decant stuff into lunch boxes and we can, you know, refill our pasta and our rice.
Neil
So, what food does she mention, Sam?
Sam
She talked about yoghurt, cereal, pasta andrice.
Neil
And what was she saying about those foods?
Sam
She was saying that she buys the biggest containers for those that she can - and not just food - things like shampoo as well.
Neil
And what’s the benefit of that?
Sam
Well, she says that her pet peeve is small packs of things. A pet peeve is something that you find particularly annoying. She doesn’t like small packs because they use a lot of packaging for a small amount of product.
Neil
So she buys in bulk. Buying in bulk means 'buying a lot of something'. And if you have a lot of something like rice or pasta, you can always transfer it to different smaller reusable containers. She uses the word decant for this. So that’s one area where we can all be a bit more environmentally friendly. Another area is reusing things that are perfectly good but which we don’t need any more. DrTara Shine is a colleague of Madeleine Murray and she talked about how new parents often buy a lot of new things for their babies, which they then throw away when the child gets too big or too old. She suggests that it’s better to pass these things on -to give them to other people.
Dr Tara Shine
Pass things on. The hand-me-down, pass-thing-on culture is really, really important in the world of kids and there are lots of things that can be passed down, whether it’s toys or the equipment, or the high chair, whatever it is, all of that can be passed on and that’s really important. It’s saving someone else money. Most of these things are in good nick when we need to pass them on.
Neil
She used another expression for passing things on, didn’t she?
Sam
Yes, she talked about the hand-me-down culture. When I was growing up, I had a lot of hand-me-downs. These were toys and clothes from my older cousins, which saved us a lot of money and they were then passed on to someone else.
Neil
And the thing is children grow up quickly so often everything is in good condition.
Sam
DrShine used an interesting expression for that, didn’t she? She said most of these things are in good nick. That expression means 'in good condition'.
Neil
Now, before we recycle today’s vocabulary …
Sam
Oh, very good, I see what you did there!
Neil
It’s time for the answer to today’s question. Where was the first artificial plastic developed? Was it:
a) England
b) Germany or
c) Switzerland?
What did you think, Sam?
Sam
I guessed Switzerland.
Neil
Well, I'm afraid, you are wrong. The correct answer is actually, England. Well done if you got that right. Extra bonus points if you knew that in 1856 Alexander Parkes patented Parkesine, the first artificial plastic. Now, let’s recap today’s words and expressions.
Sam
Yes, a pet peeve is something that someone finds particularly annoying.
Neil
Buying in bulk means 'buying many of the same things or a large quantity of something'. Buying in bulk is usually cheaper and can be better environmentally.
Sam
And if you have a lot of something, you can decant it to smaller containers, that is, you can transfer it to those other containers to make it easier to use. For example:I buy huge bottles of liquid soap and decant it into smaller dispensers for the kitchen and bathrooms.
Neil
You can pass on clothes, toys and other kids' stuff to family and friends. This means 'giving them to other people to use'. And those things can be described as hand-me-downs.
Sam
But of course you’d only want to pass on things in good nick, that is, 'in good condition'.
Neil
Right, that's all we have time for. We hope you will join us again soon, though. And you can always find us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, online and on our app. We are BBC Learning English. See you soon. Good-bye!
Sam
Bye!
Vocabulary
a pet peeve
something someone finds particularly annoying or frustrating
(buying) in bulk
buying many or a large quantity of something
decant
to transfer from an original container to a different one
to pass on
to give something to someone
a hand-me-down
a possession or item of clothing that is not new but has come from someone who no longer needs it or has outgrown it
in good nick
in good condition
双语版Transcript
Hello. This is6 Minute English. I'm Neil.
大家好，这里是六分钟英语，我是尼尔。
And I'm Sam.
我是萨姆。
Now, tell meabout your teeth-cleaning routine.
现在告诉我你的牙齿清洁习惯吧。
OK. Well, it'spretty good, I think.
好的。嗯，我觉得还不错。
I brush twice aday and change my brush every couple of months.
我每天刷牙两次，每两三个月换一次牙刷。
And what kindof brush do you use?
你用哪种牙刷？
Nothing fancy,just a regular, cheap plastic one.
没什么特别的，就是一个普通的，便宜的塑料牙刷。
Oh dear!
天哪！
What do youmean?
什么意思？
Well, imagineall the toothbrushes you've used in your life, from your first brush as achild, to the one you currently have.
好吧，想象一下你一生中用过的所有牙刷，从孩提时代的第一把牙刷到现在用的这把。
You do realisethat probably they all still exist in the environment somewhere.
你确实会意识到它们可能还都存在于某个环境中。
We use them fora couple of months yet they will last for hundreds of years.
它们被我们使用了几个月，但将会存留数百年。
Oh dear, and Ithought I was actually quite environmentally aware.
哦，天哪，我还以为我真的很环保呢。
But that'squite shocking.
那相当令人震惊啊。
I hadn'tthought of that.
我没想过那方面。
Well it's justone of the problems we are facing with our use of plastics.
好吧，这只是我们使用塑料所面临的问题之一。
A marvellousinvention that has given us so much.
这个了不起的发明让我们收获颇多。
But we arebeginning to realise it's causing many long-lasting environmental problems.
但我们开始意识到，它正在造成许多长期性环境问题。
More on thistopic shortly, but first, a question.
马上会对这个话题进行更多讨论，但首先有一个问题。
Plastic hasmany natural variations but where was the first artificial plastic developed?
塑料有很多自然变化，但第一种人造塑料是在哪里制成的？
Was it: a)England, b) Germany or c) Switzerland?
是a)英格兰，b)德国还是c)瑞士？
What do youthink, Sam?
你觉得呢，萨姆？
I'm going tohave a guess at Switzerland.
我猜是瑞士。
OK, we'll findout if you're right at the end of the programme.
好的，我们将在节目最后揭晓你是否回答正确。
Environmentalissues are, of course, a big story at the moment.
当然，目前环境问题是一个大问题。
The topic wasfeatured on the BBC Woman's Hour radio programme recently.
这一话题最近在BBC《女性时间》节目中被提及。
MadeleineMurray is from an Irish organisation that gives advice to businesses andcommunities on how to operate in an environmentally responsible way.
玛德琳·默里来自一个爱尔兰组织，该组织为企业和社区提供建议：如何以一种对环境负责任的方式运营？
She was askedabout what she does in her daily life that other people could do too.
她被问及她在日常生活中做了哪些其他人也能做的事情。
What food itemsdoes she mention?
她提到了什么食物？
My personal,like, pet peeve is multipacks and minipacks.
我个人觉得恼人的就是多包装和迷你包装。
I buy in bulknow. I buy the biggest yoghurt I can buy. I buy big cereal boxes. I buy bigshampoo bottles.
我现在是大量购买东西。我买我能买到的最大包装的酸奶。我买大盒的麦片。我买大瓶洗发水。
We can decantstuff into lunch boxes and we can, you know, refill our pasta and our rice.
我们可以把东西倒进便当盒里，你知道，我们可以用意大利面和大米把它再装满。
So, what fooddoes she mention, Sam?
所以她提到了什么食物，萨姆？
She talkedabout yoghurt, cereal, pasta and rice.
她谈到了酸奶、麦片、意大利面和大米。
And what wasshe saying about those foods?
关于那些食物她说了什么？
She was sayingthat she buys the biggest containers for those that she can - and not just food- things like shampoo as well.
她说那些东西她会买她能买到的最大包装，不仅仅是食物，像洗发水也是。
And what's thebenefit of that?
那样做有什么好处？
Well, she saysthat her pet peeve is small packs of things.
好吧，她说她觉得恼人的东西的是小包装产品。
A pet peeve issomething that you find particularly annoying.
恼人的事物是指你觉得特别讨厌的事物。
She doesn'tlike small packs because they use a lot of packaging for a small amount ofproduct.
她不喜欢小包装，因为他们用大量包装材料包装少量的产品。
So she buys inbulk.
所以她大量购买东西。
Buying in bulkmeans 'buying a lot of something'.
大量购买指的是"买很多东西"。
And if you havea lot of something like rice or pasta, you can always transfer it to differentsmaller reusable containers.
如果你有很多像大米或意大利面之类的东西，你可以把它们转移到不同的可重复使用的小容器中。
She uses theword decant for this.
她用了"decant"这个单词。
So that's onearea where we can all be a bit more environmentally friendly.
所以那是一个我们都可以更加环保的领域。
Another area isreusing things that are perfectly good but which we don't need any more.
另一个领域是重复使用那些非常好但是我们不再需要的东西。
Dr Tara Shineis a colleague of Madeleine Murray, and she talked about how new parentsoften buy a lot of new things for their babies, which they then throw away whenthe child gets too big or too old.
塔拉·希恩博士是马德琳·默里的同事，她谈到了新手父母经常给孩子买很多新东西，孩子长大后，他们就会扔掉那些东西。
She suggeststhat it's better to pass these things on - to give them to other people.
她建议最好把这些东西转送给别人——把它们给其他人。
Pass things on.
转送东西。
Thehand-me-down, pass-thing-on culture is really, really important in the world ofkids, and there are lots of things that can be passed down, whetherit's toys or the equipment, or the high chair, whatever it is, all of that canbe passed on and that's really important.
在孩子们的世界里，用别人用过的东西，转送东西的这种文化真的真的很重要，有很多东西可以转送，不管是玩具、器材，还是高脚椅，不管是什么，所有这些都可以转送，这一点非常重要。
It's savingsomeone else money. Most of these things are in good nick when we need to passthem on.
这是在为别人省钱。当我们需要把这些东西转送给别人的时候，这些东西中的大多数都是状况良好的。
She usedanother expression for passing things on, didn't she?
她用另一个说法来表达转送东西，不是吗？
Yes, she talkedabout the hand-me-down culture.
是的，她谈到了用别人用过的东西这种文化。
When I wasgrowing up, I had a lot of hand-me-downs.
在我成长的过程中，我有很多别人用过的东西。
These were toysand clothes from my older cousins, which saved us a lot of money and they werethen passed on to someone else.
这些玩具和衣服是我堂姐的，它们为我们省了很多钱，然后它们又被转送给了别人。
And the thingis children grow up quickly so often everything is in good condition.
重要的是孩子们长得很快，所以通常每件东西都还很好。
Dr Shine usedan interesting expression for that, didn't she?
希恩博士对此用了一个有趣的表达方式，不是吗？
She said mostof these things are in good nick.
她说这些东西大部分都还很好。
That expressionmeans 'in good condition'.
这个短语的意思是"状况良好"。
Now, before werecycle today's vocabulary … Oh, very good, I see what you did there!
在我们重复使用今天的词汇之前……不错哦，我明白你刚才的意思！
It's time forthe answer to today's question.
是时候揭晓今天问题的答案了。
Where was thefirst artificial plastic developed?
第一种人造塑料是在哪里制造的？
Was it: a)England, b) Germany or c) Switzerland?
是a)英格兰，b)德国还是c)瑞士？
What did youthink, Sam?
你觉得呢，萨姆？
I guessedSwitzerland.
我猜是瑞士。
Well, I'mafraid, you are wrong.
好吧，恐怕你答错了。
The correctanswer is actually, England.
正确答案实际上是英格兰。
Well done ifyou got that right.
如果你答对了，那很棒啊。
Extra bonuspoints if you knew that in 1856 Alexander Parkes patented Parkesine, the firstartificial plastic.
如果你知道1856年亚历山大·帕克辛为第一种人造塑料"帕克辛"申请了专利，你会得到额外加分哦。
Now, let'srecap today's words and expressions.
现在让我们回顾一下今天的单词和短语。
Yes, a petpeeve is something that someone finds particularly annoying.
是的，"恼人的事物"是某人觉得特别讨厌的东西。
Buying in bulkmeans 'buying many of the same things or a large quantity of something'.
大量购买的意思是"购买许多相同的东西或大量东西"。
Buying in bulkis usually cheaper and can be better environmentally.
大量购买通常更便宜，也更环保。
And if you havea lot of something, you can decant it to smaller containers, that is, you cantransfer it to those other containers to make it easier to use.
如果你有很多东西，你可以把它倒进更小的容器里，也就是说，你可以把它转移到其它容器里，使它更易使用。
For example: Ibuy huge bottles of liquid soap and decant it into smaller dispensers for thekitchen and bathrooms.
例如：我买了一大瓶洗手液，把它倒进厨房和浴室的小瓶里。
You can pass onclothes, toys and other kids' stuff to family and friends.
你可以把衣服、玩具和其他孩子们的东西转送给亲戚和朋友。
This means'giving them to other people to use'.
这意味着"把它们给别人使用"。
And thosethings can be described as hand-me-downs.
而那些东西可以被形容为别人用过的东西。
But of courseyou'd only want to pass on things in good nick, that is, 'in good condition'.
但当然，你只希望转送状况还好的东西，即"状况良好"。
Right, that'sall we have time for. We hope you will join us again soon, though.
好了，以上就是我们今天的全部内容。不过，我们希望你能很快再次加入我们。
We are BBCLearning English.
我们是BBC教学英语。
See you soon.Good-bye!
下次见。拜！
Bye
