歌词
From VOA Learning English,
选自VOA慢速英语
this is the Agriculture Report.
下面是农业播报
Students at the University of Virginia
美国弗吉尼亚大学的学者
have developed a new way of purifying water.
已经研制一种净化水的新方法
They say it could bring improved water quality
他们声明这种方法可以改善水质
to millions of people in the developing world.
面向于广大发展中国家的人
They called it MadiDrop.
他们称之为MadiDrop
Field testing begins recently in South Africa.
现场测试最近在南非展开
The laboratory in which the MadiDrop is made
在MadiDrop研制的实验室里
operates like a kitchen.
忙的不可开交 就像厨房一样
Workers add ingredients and mix, weigh, press and bake.
工人们添加原料然后混合，压制，烘烤
What the workers are making
工人们在制作的
is a ceramic disc that contains silver.
是一种带银的陶瓷盘
When the disc is dropped in water,
当这种盘被放入水中
silver ions are released to purify the water.
银离子被释放出来净化水
Ions are atoms that have an electrical charge.
离子是一个有电荷的原子
Testing at the University of Virginia
在弗吉尼亚大学的研究
shows that the disc produces clean, safe water.
表明这种盘可以生产出纯净安全的水
Beeta Ehdaie is a doctoral candidate at UVA.
Beeta Ehdaie是弗吉尼亚大学的一名博士生
"It's not just about making a really great technology
说，“这并不只是一个伟大的科技进步
that effectively removes or kills bacteria and pathogens.
同时它有效地消除或杀死了细菌和病原体”
It's about making a low cost, simple to use one,
并且低成本 使用简单
tailored to people in developing countries
适用于没有太多资源的
who don't have many resources."
发展中国家
The students are experimenting with different sizes of MadiDrops
学者们用不同大小的MadiDrop做实验
to match them with different sized water containers.
以之来适应不同容量的容器
Why the name "MadiDrop"?
为什么要命名为MadiDrop呢？
The word "madi" means water in Tshivenda,
madi在文达语中意为水
a language of Limpopo Province in South Africa.
一种在南非林波波省的语言
There, fifty women run a factory that makes water filters.
在那儿，50名女性经营一家制造滤水器的工厂
The university started the factory last summer.
是弗吉尼亚大学去年夏天开办的
The women mix sawdust and clay to make flower pot shaped filters
女人们将锯木屑和黏土混合，然后做成花盆状的滤水器
that they use to purify drinking water.
用来净化饮用水
The water flows through the filters
当水流过过滤器
is which trap bacteria and solid particles.
细菌和固体颗粒会被过滤出来
The factory sells the filters to local families.
这家工厂把这些过滤器出售给当地居民
Manager Certinah Khashane says
经理Certinah Khashane说
the work has changed the women's lives.
这项工作改变了妇女们的生活
"When they get money for those pots,
“当她们得到了卖滤水器的钱，
they just buying school uniform for their children."
她们就可以给自己的孩子买校服了”
But the MadiDrop is smaller and less expensive than the filters.
但是MadiDrop比这些过滤器更小更便宜
Over the next few months,
在接下来的几个月期间
students will test the MadiDrop in South Africa.
学者们将在南非考察MadiDrop
Maggie Montgomery is a water expert
Maggie Montgomery是一个水专家
with the World Health Organization.
是世界卫生组织的
Over Skype, she explained what field testing should show.
通过Skype,她解释了此次测试的目的
"Do they find it convenient,
“她们会觉得它方便么
does it have a certain taste they don't like to the water,
它会有一种他们不喜欢的特殊的味道么
what happens once it becomes exhausted?"
如果用完失效以后怎么办”
If the testing is successful,
如果考察成功的话
the South African women will make and sell the MadiDrops.
南非的妇女将会制作和售卖MadiDrop
The goal is to expand such factories to other developing countries
目标是向其他发展中国家推广此种工厂
and improve millions of lives each year.
每年改善广大人民的生活
Jim Smith is a UVA engineering professor.
Jim Smith是弗吉尼亚大学的工程学教授
He leads the project.
由他领导这个项目
"Imagine a magic stone and you take this magic stone
“想象一下 这是一块有魔法的石头，
and you drop it in your water container.
你将这块石头丢入水容器中，
It purifies the water and makes it safe to drink.
它就会净化水，并使得它可以安全饮用。
And then imagine that this magic stone only costs a few dollars.
同时想象它仅仅只需要一美元。”
That's what a MadiDrop is."
这就是MadiDrop
Professor Smith says he has received calls
史密斯教授说他已经接到了许多电话
from companies that want to make the MadiDrop.
来自想要生产MadiDrop的公司
And that's the Agriculture Report from VOA Learning English.
以上就是VOA慢速英语此次播报的农业报道
I'm Christopher Cruise.
我是Christopher Cruise.
专辑信息
1.MadiDrop