Over the past century， one trend which has undeniably emerged is our love of all things disposable - and the cost of this convenience is huge。
在过去的一个世纪里，有一个不可否认的趋势是我们越来越喜欢所有的一次性物品——但便利之后是巨大的代价。
But these aren‘t the only items which are having a negative impact on the environment。 There is an alarmingly long list， according to CNN ， of everyday bits and pieces which， going into 2017， we should seriously reconsider using。
但是，并非只有一次性用品会给环境造来负面影响。CNN整理了一份长长的清单，列数需要我们警惕的日常用品。进入2017年，我们应该认真地重新考虑一下是否应该继续使用它们。
1。 Toothpaste
牙膏
We‘re not suggesting you abandon toothpaste altogether or stop brushing your teeth。 Some brands of toothpaste， however， do contain microbeads。
我们并不是建议你扔掉所有的牙膏或者就不刷牙了，但有些品牌的牙膏里确实有小颗粒。
The tiny plastic balls present in cosmetic and cleaning products came under the spotlight earlier this year when it was announced they will be banned from items like toothpaste and exfoliating body scrubs by next year。
今年早些时候，化妆品和清洁产品中的小塑料珠珠成了大家关注的焦点，根据报道，明年牙膏和去角质磨砂膏里都将禁止使用此类颗粒。
This is because the beads are too small to be filtered by the sewage system， so they get washed into rivers and oceans， where they absorb toxins and get eaten by fish and other animals。 This could either kill them or contaminate them。
这是因为小珠珠太小了，没法被污水处理系统过滤，所以它们会被冲到河流和海洋中，并吸收有毒物南，然后被鱼类和其它动物吃掉，杀死或者毒害食用的生物。
2。 Wet wipes
湿纸巾
Seen as miracle workers which can clean up an array of stains， marks and smudges， there is a downside to wet wipes。
湿纸巾被人视作神物，可以清洁各种污渍、印迹、油渍，但它有自己的缺点。
Unlike toilet paper， which will biodegrade when flushed， wet wipes won‘t。 This is owing to fact they contain plastic， meaning they don’t break down in the same way toilet paper does。
厕纸被水冲下去之后可以生物降解，但湿纸巾与之不同，因为它们内含塑料，也就是说它们不能像厕纸一样被分解。
So， when flushed， they cause blockages - and even contribute to ‘fatbergs’ present in sewers。
所以，被水冲走后，它们会导致下水道堵塞，甚至会带来“地沟油脂”。
3。 Wooden chopsticks
木制筷子
Chopsticks may look innocent and natural enough， but it‘s precisely this which is the problem。
筷子可能看起来很无辜又足够“自然”，但其正为问题所在。
Manufacturing these， according to CNN， is stripping forests in Asia of their trees。 Four million trees are felled to make 57 million pairs of chopsticks every year。
据CNN报道，要生产筷子，就必须毁坏亚洲的森林，每年大约要砍伐400万棵树来生产5700万双筷子。
4。 Disposable batteries
干电池
Disposable batteries typically contain a cocktail of cadmium， lead and mercury。 This mixture is toxic and， when leaked out into soil and into water supplies， causes deadly pollution。
干电池基本上是由镉、铅、汞制成的，这种混合物是有毒的，如果泄漏到土壤或水源中，就会导致致命的污染。
Trying to incinerate them is as equally harmful， with the metals becoming airborne。
试图把它们焚烧掉也一样有害，因为内含的金属会变成气体。
5。 Plastic tea bags
塑料茶包
Typically， our tea bags are made out of paper。
一般情况下，我们的茶包是纸做的。
More and more， however， manufacturers are making them out of Polyethylene terephthalate， commonly abbreviated as PET。
但是越来越多的制造商正用聚对苯二甲酸乙二醇酯（通常简称为PET）做茶包。
来源：沪江英语
责任编辑：王淳
