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奇速英语阅读:来自上海的灵魂拷问:你是什么垃圾?
阅读量:24429 2019.07.25 作者: 奇速小牛
奇速英语阅读理解:今天和广大英语阅读爱好者分享的主题是来自上海的灵魂拷问:你是什么垃圾?上海正在应对一个明显的环境问题:上海每年产生900万吨垃圾,超过伦敦的年产量,而且还在迅速增加。但与国内其他城市一样,它缺乏回收体系。
Shanghai authorities use propaganda and the threat of fines to urge residents to obey strict new recycling rules
上海敦促居民遵守严格的垃圾回收新规定
“WHAT KIND of rubbish are you?”This question might normally provoke anger,but in Shanghai it has elicited weary groans over the past week.On July 1st the city introduced stringent trash-sorting regulations that are expected to be used as a model for the country.
“你是什么垃圾?”一般来说,这个问题可能会引发愤怒,但在过去一周,它引发的则是令人疲惫的抱怨。7月1日,该市出台了严格的垃圾分类规定,有望使其成为全国的先锋榜样。
Residents must divide their waste into four separate categories and toss it into specific public bins.They must do so at scheduled times,when monitors are present to ensure compliance(and to inquire into the nature of one’s rubbish.)Violators face the prospect of fines and worse.
居民必须将垃圾分为四类,并将其扔进特定的公共垃圾箱。他们必须在这个规定的时间进行这样分类,监察员也会在场监督,以确保其遵守垃圾分类的规则(并调查垃圾的性质)。而违反者将面临罚款甚至更糟的情况。
Shanghai authorities are responding to an obvious environmental problem.It generates 9m tonnes of garbage a year,more than London’s annual output and rising quickly.But like other cities in China,it lacks a recycling system.
上海正在应对一个明显的环境问题:上海每年产生900万吨垃圾,超过伦敦的年产量,而且还在迅速增加。但与国内其他城市一样,它缺乏回收体系。
Instead,it has relied on trash pickers to sift through the waste,plucking out whatever can be reused.This has limits.As people get wealthier,fewer of them want to do such dirty work.The waste,meanwhile,just keeps piling up.China churns out 80bn pairs of disposable chopsticks a year.
相反,它依靠捡垃圾的人来筛选垃圾,以挑出任何可以再利用的东西。这有很大的局限。而且随着人们变得越来越富有,越来越少的人愿意做这种脏活累活。与此同时,垃圾也在不断堆积。国内每年还会生产800亿双一次性筷子。
Officials have tried before to get people to limit their rubbish.But bins marked for recycling have in practice served as yet more garbage cans.This time the government sent a signal that it was more serious:The president,visited Shanghai last year and called on the city to make a success of its trash-sorting.
公职人员曾试图让人们自己去进行垃圾分类。但是,标有回收标志的垃圾桶实际上充当了大多数垃圾桶的角色。这一次政府发出了一个更为严肃的信号:领袖去年访问了上海,并呼吁上海要垃圾分类工作中取得成功。
Just about every building has been plastered with recycling instructions.A popular reality-television show featured celebrities walking along river banks to pick up garbage.There have also been public performances,including cheerleaders dancing to a peppy song about recycling and traditional drumming troupes battering away at rubbish bins.
上海几乎所有的建筑物都贴上了回收指示。而一档受欢迎的真人秀节目中,明星们则在沿着河岸捡垃圾。当然,也有公共的表演,包括拉拉队随着有关回收利用的欢快歌曲而跳舞,以及传统的击鼓乐队在敲打垃圾桶。
On the first day of enforcement the government sent 3,600 city-management officers,a quasi-police force,to 4,216 rubbish-collection points.They began by making an example of wealthy foreigners:the first warning was issued to Swissôtel Grand,a five-star hotel,for improper sorting.
在执行垃圾分类的第一天,上海派出3600名城市管理人员,一支协警部队,前往4216个垃圾收集站去进行监督。富有的外国人成为了首批顾客:第一次关于垃圾分类的警告是来自于五星级酒店瑞士大酒店的分类不当。
Individuals who fail to recycle could be hit with fines of up to 200 yuan($29).For repeat violators,the city can add black marks to their credit records,making it harder for them to obtain bank loans or even buy train tickets.
未能正确分类及回收的个人将面临最高200元(29美元)的罚款。对于屡犯不改的人,市政府可以在他们的信用记录上加上黑色标记,使他们更难获得银行贷款,甚至更难买到火车票。
Some object to this.But others say a tough campaign is necessary.“Slowly people will get used to it,”says Li Changjun of Fudan University.
有人对此表示反对。但也有人表示,有必要去开展这一场艰苦的垃圾分类运动。复旦大学的李长军(音译)说:“人们会慢慢习惯的。”
【拓展理解】
Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences
上海社会科学院为上海综合性人文和社会科学研究机构,是中华人民共和国最早建立的社会科学院,是首批国务院学位委员会批准的学位授予单位。
Many residents appear to support the idea of recycling in general but are frustrated by the details.Rubbish must be divided according to whether it is food,recyclable,dry or hazardous,the distinctions among which can be perplexing,though there are apps to help work it out.
许多居民似乎普遍支持垃圾分类回收利用的想法,但具体操作细节着实差强人意。垃圾必须按照是否是食物、是否可回收、干湿还是有害来分类,尽管有一些手机应用程序可以帮助解决这个问题,但这些区别还是可能令人困惑。
They must put it straight in the requisite public bin,forcing them to tear open plastic bags and toss it by hand.Most vexing are the short windows for dumping trash,typically a couple of hours,morning and evening.
人们必须把垃圾直接放进必要的公共垃圾箱,而且迫使他们撕开塑料袋,用手扔出去。最令人困扰的是倾倒垃圾的短窗,通常是只有早晚两三个小时。
“People have to get to work.We don’t have the time for this,”said Mr Wu as he threw out rubbish outside his apartment building.To your correspondent’s untrained eye,his sorting looked impeccable.
“人们总要去工作,我们没有时间这么做。”吴先生一边说一边把垃圾扔出了他的公寓大楼。在我们未经训练的通讯记者眼中,他的分类工作看起来无可挑剔。
上海人怀疑人生系列:被垃圾分类逼疯
根据上海市发布的《垃圾分类处理条例》,7月1日起,生活垃圾按照“可回收物”、“有害垃圾”、“湿垃圾”、“干垃圾”的分类标准。没有垃圾分类和未指定投放到指定垃圾桶内等会被罚款和行政处罚。个人没有将垃圾分类投放最高罚款200元人民币,单位混装混运最高罚款5万元人民币。“垃圾分类”俨然成为了热议话题,“阿拉上海宁”一门心思统统扑在垃圾上:讨论着垃圾怎么分类,什么时候扔垃圾。
垃圾回收点的志愿者和监督员大爷大妈们,会在你拎来垃圾时负责任地问你一句:“侬zi撒喇希(你是什么垃圾)”?
有人说,中国的正在做的垃圾分类是无用功,原因之一是,社会整体学习成本太高,特别是成年人,这种行为习惯应从娃娃抓起;
另一个原因则是,当个体付出差异巨大,无法收获相应成果时,容易产生劣币驱逐良币的现象。意思是当个别人的努力被违背这样的行为的人淹没,分拣者和混扔者交织时,很难有人坚持这种行为。
但垃圾分类其实并没有那么难,难的是人们意识的转变,当人们先下意识主动地进行垃圾分类,按类扔垃圾就变成理所当然的事了。如果不从现在抓起,又何来的从娃娃抓起呢?
上海实行的垃圾分类为我们开了一个好头,北京等46个重点城市也在计划布置当中。当我们习惯了这件事后,它就会往越来越好的方向发展,人人参与环保后,环保就不再只是一个用来空喊的口号。
有人说,中国的正在做的垃圾分类是无用功,原因之一是,社会整体学习成本太高,特别是成年人,这种行为习惯应从娃娃抓起;更多奇速英语阅读资讯,请持续关注奇速英语官网:www.qisuabc.com