London Green Wall 伦敦“绿”墙

The script of this programme 本节目台词

Helen: This is so bad, fumes everywhere.

Rob: The pollution in London is getting worse. It's terrible for us working and living in the capital.

Helen: I wish the government could do something about it.

大家好，我是 Helen. 欢迎收听BBC 都市掠影节目。

Rob: And I'm Rob. Welcome to On the Town from BBC Learning English.

Helen: 伦敦作为国际大都市，近年来也备受环境污染的困扰。

Rob: We have millions of people living in this city and millions of cars as well. The traffic produces the worst pollution in the capital.

Helen: 是的，伦敦白天路上堵车特别厉害，汽车的废气绝对是造成空气污染 air pollution 的重要因素之一。

Rob: If the government doesn't do something about the air quality, the European Union is planning to fine the UK government millions of pounds for breaching the legal limit.

Helen: 如果再不解决问题，伦敦要被欧盟罚好几百万英镑呢。So how does the government plan to tackle this health issue?

Rob: Well, according to BBC London, the answer is Plant Power.

This is a green wall and it's being grown to trap harmful pollution called particulate matter or PM10s. Soon it will be on its way to the capital's most polluted streets.

These green walls have been built to trap harmful pollution in London

Helen: Green wall 绿墙。这是伦敦市政府为了解决空气污染问题的作出的新策略之一。

Rob: As the name suggests, these walls are very green. They're not painted green, but made up of plants.

Helen: 绿墙可真的是一堵植物墙，密密麻麻的种满了各种各样的植物。外形特别独特。但主要目的是环保，要捕捉 particulate matters 简称 PM10 就是那些在空气中漂浮的微小颗粒。

Rob: The PM10s are very bad for us, when breathed in, they get sucked into our lungs and cause all sorts of illnesses.

Helen: 这些微小颗粒会造成很多各种各样的疾病，比如心脏病 heart attacks, 肺炎 lung disease. 它们是从哪里来的呢？请留意下面的录音中提到有关汽车的词汇 diesel engines, tyres and brakes.

Particulates are extremely damaging to health, increasing the risks of heart attacks and lung disease. They are caused by, amongst other things, diesel engines, tyres and brakes. The idea is that these green walls will catch the tiny particles which will then be harmlessly washed away.

Rob: Well, it seems like the PM10s are coming from cars mostly.

Helen: Yes, they are the root of the problem. 柴油发动机 diesel engines, 轮胎 tyres, 刹车 brakes, 都会产生很多 PM10s.

Rob: And this green wall could potentially capture the particulates and then they are harmlessly washed away.

Helen: 那么绿墙是靠什么来 trap 抓住这些颗粒呢？伦敦城市交通部的 Nicola Cheetham 介绍能够在绿墙上占有一席地位的植物，它们的品种很重要。

We've got hairy plants, and we know from research that the coarser the leaves, and the hairier the leaves, the better they are at trapping the particulate matter that circulates in the atmosphere and can be harmful to health.

Hairy plants used in the green walls are good at trapping the particulate matter.

Rob: Hairy plants! I suppose that makes sense.

Helen: 长毛毛的 hairy, 或者表面粗糙的 coarse, 这一类型的植物在捕捉有害微型颗粒时是最有效的。

Rob: But is it really going to work? Dr Thomas, an air quality scientist, has his reservations.

It should help. The question is how much in the end will it really help? It may be that the effect is very small as some studies have indicated.

Helen: 看来不是所有人都相信绿墙能够解决伦敦的空气污染问题。Thomas 刚才说效果是有的，但可能不是大家期望的那么好，the effect may be very small.

Rob: Well, the green walls have been installed in several parts of London. Their environmental effects remain to be seen. However, their visual impact is certainly striking.

Helen: 视觉效果 visual impact, 伦敦好一些交通繁忙的地方都出现了植物绿墙。真的是让人眼前一亮。

Rob: They are not just green; most of them have different colours and depths.

Helen: 这些墙有不同的色彩和层次，像画一般。我希望从艺术角度来讲，伦敦能有更多的 green wall.

Rob: Well, that's all from us. Why not visit our website www.bbcukchina.com, where you can find lots of other interesting programmes about the UK.

Helen: 谢谢收听。我们下次再见！

Rob: Bye bye!

Helen: Bye.