时间:2018-12-24 作者:英语课 分类:Scientific American(八)月


英语课

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch may be disappearing, and not in a good way. New research presented at the biannual 1 meeting of the American Chemical Society reveals that polystyrene actually can break down in seawater.


Polystyrene is probably better known as Styrofoam, wads of which can be found on seashores and floating out to sea. Most scientists assumed it would linger forever but apparently 2, when exposed to sunlight and rain and seawater, Styrofoam breaks down into its constituents 3, most notably 4 three chemicals known to cause cancer.


 


Japanese chemists found traces of these chemicals in samples of seawater from across the Pacific.


They also found bisphenol A, or BPA, which is another chemical that leaches 5 from some plastics. BPA has been linked to human health impacts, such as heart disease, as well as developmental and reproductive disorders 6 in animals.


 


Of course, these chemicals are diluted 7 almost beyond detection by the vastness of the sea and not all plastics are exposed to strong sunlight or warm waters. But it’s clear that the millions of tons of plastic pollution building up in the world's oceans are up to no good.


 



1 biannual
adj.一年两次的
  • I have to make a biannual report next Monday.下周一我得作半年度报告。
  • Our school doctor recommends a biannual visit to the dentist.我们校医建议一年去看牙医两次。
2 apparently
adv.显然地;表面上,似乎
  • An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽,豁然开朗。
  • He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。
3 constituents
n.选民( constituent的名词复数 );成分;构成部分;要素
  • She has the full support of her constituents. 她得到本区选民的全力支持。
  • Hydrogen and oxygen are the constituents of water. 氢和氧是水的主要成分。 来自《简明英汉词典》
4 notably
adv.值得注意地,显著地,尤其地,特别地
  • Many students were absent,notably the monitor.许多学生缺席,特别是连班长也没来。
  • A notably short,silver-haired man,he plays basketball with his staff several times a week.他个子明显较为矮小,一头银发,每周都会和他的员工一起打几次篮球。
5 leaches
n.(将化学品、矿物质等)过滤( leach的名词复数 );(液体)过滤,滤去
  • People consume it when it leaches from plastic into baby formula, water or food in container. 当它被从塑料中经沥滤而入婴儿配方奶粉、水或罐装食品当中的时候,人们将其摄入。 来自互联网
  • After this article uses is also the microwave pretreatment, leaches the method with the solution. 本文采用的也是微波预处理后用溶液浸取的方法。 来自互联网
6 disorders
n.混乱( disorder的名词复数 );凌乱;骚乱;(身心、机能)失调
  • Reports of anorexia and other eating disorders are on the increase. 据报告,厌食症和其他饮食方面的功能紊乱发生率正在不断增长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The announcement led to violent civil disorders. 这项宣布引起剧烈的骚乱。 来自《简明英汉词典》
7 diluted
无力的,冲淡的
  • The paint can be diluted with water to make a lighter shade. 这颜料可用水稀释以使色度淡一些。
  • This pesticide is diluted with water and applied directly to the fields. 这种杀虫剂用水稀释后直接施用在田里。
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学英语单词
'Ajmāh, Jab.al
ablastin
additional damage clause
admin password
alloy tape
angulare(os)
artauds
arterial pump
austempered nodular iron
average mark-on
Bacillus coli mobilis
backward production system
belco
bellovian
beneficiary case
bighearted
Chemiosulfa
chess match
closed model
cold-drawn pipe
complex deposit
computational psychology
congenital kidney malformation
contact call
controller cover
crossgrained
deflection strength
delay-of-game
delta-matching
deputy chief
End System-to-Intermediate System
eucymon cyanipennis
family Ciconiidae
fattening feed
feedbacked
fluidized gasification system
fosterings
functional dysmenorrhea
genus kalotermess
granular panidiomorphic
headed notepaper
helical pinch
hexahydrobilin
hydroenergy utilization
hypertensin precursor
infiller
ionic linkage
jakosz
jet-proof type
lacidipine
Laertes
lay in lavender
Leonidovka
Limehoused
line synchro
liquidation or bankruptcy proceedings
make my bread
management information base (mib)
Mapp gas
mashman
meat mixer
middle schools
mindmaps
mine row
modemist
move ... to tears
nagin
nest of intervals
opesia
pecazine
philandry
physiology of binocular vision
pilot in
plumb-line sign
portable crane
pulse photomultiplier
race discrimination
ratiocinative
relative hypermetropia
revertants
right ascension of satellite ascending node
rondes
rotation hexad
s-roll
search plan for moving target
selfthinning
sequencer register
simplex/duplex modem
ski-jacket
spectro-measurement
spiranthes romanzoffianas
staphylococcal enterotoxins
summary card punch
swinestone
teitel
topological extension
torun metal
virtue name
westings
White's rating
woodbanks
ziade