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Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I’m Neil.
大家好。这里是 BBC 学习英语栏目的六分钟英语。我是内尔。
And I’m Sam. Here at Six Minute English, we often discuss the new inventions and ideas scientists dream up to fight climate change – technologies like geo-engineering which could reduce global warming by reflecting sunlight back into space.
我是萨姆。在这个节目中，我们经常讨论科学家们对抗气候变化的新发明、新想法。比如，岩土工程技术或许可以将阳光反射回太空来延缓全球变暖。
Often these ideas are controversial because scientists disagree over whether the technology is possible, and whether, in some cases, it could do more harm than good.
这些新想法常常引起争议。关于某项技术是否可行，有些技术是否弊大于利，科学家们常常意见相左。
In this programme, we’ll be finding out about a new idea to collect lumps of precious metals, called nodules, from the bottom of the ocean.
今天这期节目，我们就讨论一个新想法——开采海底矿产资源。
The idea, known as deep-sea mining, could provide the metals like copper, nickel and cobalt which are needed for the green technology used in electric car batteries and other renewable energy.
深海采矿或许能给人们带来铜，镍和钴，而这些金属可以用来发展绿色科技，比如加工电动汽车的电池，创造其它可再生能源。
But could deep-sea mining actually damage delicate ocean ecosystems as well?
但是深海采矿会不会破坏脆弱的海洋生态环境呢？
We’ll be hearing from two experts and learning some new vocabulary soon, but first I have a question for you, Sam.
我们将会听到两名专家的见解，并学到一些新词，但首先我要问你一个问题，萨姆。
Mammals like dolphins and whales represent a tiny amount of all marine biodiversity - the thousands of animal species living in the sea. Even all the different types of fish combined make up less than 3% of all living things in the ocean.
像海豚和鲸鱼这种哺乳动物仅占大量海洋动物中的很小一部分。即使是所有鱼类加在一起也只占海洋生物的3%。
So, according to recent estimates by Unesco oceanographers, how many different marine species have their home in the ocean? Is it: a) 70,000? b) 170,000? c) 700,000?
那么，根据联合国教科文组织海洋学家最近的估计，海洋中有多少不同的物种呢? a) 70,000? b) 170,000? c) 700,000?
I’ll guess there are around 170,000 animal species living in the sea. OK, Sam, I’ll reveal the answer at the end of the programme.
我猜，大概有170,000种生物生活在海里。好的，萨姆，节目最后我会告诉你答案的。
Deep-sea mining is supported by some scientists because it could provide the raw materials, especially metals, needed to power electric cars.
深海采矿得到了一些科学家的支持，因为它可以提供电动汽车所需的原材料，尤其是金属。
Amongst them is, Bramley Murton, a professor of marine biology at Southampton’s National Oceanographic Centre. Here he outlines the problem to BBC World Service’s, Science in Action.
其中就包括南安普顿国家海洋研究中心的海洋生物学教授布拉姆利·默顿。在这里，他向BBC世界服务的科学在行动栏目概述了这个问题。
As in so many things in life, there's a real kind of paradox or a conundrum. The global grid capacity by 2050 will have to increase by three times. Electrical car ownership is set to increase by a factor of 25. Solar and wind generation is going to grow by a factor of a hundred.
就像生活中的许多事情一样，就深海采矿而言，我们进退两难或者说面临一个难题。到2050年，全球电网容量必须增加三倍。电动汽车占有量应该会增加至25倍。太阳能和风能发电量将增至100倍。
All of these things which we need to do to decarbonise are going to require raw materials and metals in particular. So, as a society we’re faced with this conundrum. We need to decarbonise.
我们需要做的所有这些脱碳的事情都将需要原材料，尤其是金属。所以，作为一个社会，我们面临着这个难题。我们需要脱碳。
Professor Murton describes the situation using two words. Firstly, he calls it a conundrum – a problem that is very difficult to solve.
默顿教授用两个词来描述这种情况。首先，他称之为难题——一个很难解决的问题。
He also calls it a paradox – a situation that seems impossible because it contains two opposite ideas. Deep-sea mining could damage the ocean, but paradoxically it might provide rare metals needed to decarbonise the planet.
他也称之为进退两难，就是一种似乎不可能成功的情况，因为它包含两个矛盾的方面。深海采矿可能会破坏海洋，但矛盾的是，它可能会提供地球脱碳所需的稀有金属。
At the heart of the problem is that, in the future, green activities like driving electric cars and using solar power is going to increase by a factor of a hundred. If something increases by a factor of a certain number, it becomes multiplied that many times.
问题的核心是，在未来，像驾驶电动汽车和使用太阳能这样的绿色活动将会增加至一百倍。“to increase by a factor of a certain number”这个短语的意思是“增加至某倍”。
But another marine biologist, Helen Scales, isn’t convinced. Here she explains her doubts to BBC World Service’s, Science in Action.
但另一位海洋生物学家海伦·斯卡尔斯不同意。在这里，她也向BBC世界服务的科学在行动栏目解释了她的疑虑。
My concern at this point is that deep-sea mining and deep-sea nodules in particular are being seen as a silver bullet to solve the climate crisis, and in such a way as well that I think, that we can hopefully rely on life carrying on pretty much as normal.
目前我的担忧是，深海采矿，尤其是开采贵金属正被人们视为解决气候危机的灵丹妙药，这给人一种错觉——我们不必改变自己的生活方式也能控制气候变化。
My concern is that it really will be opening a door to something much more than those tests – it’s leading down a rather slippery slope I think, towards this getting permission for deep-sea mining to be open on a commercial scale.
我担心的是，深海采矿试验会带来严重的后果，使局势一发不可收拾，比如，人们可能会把深海采矿商业化。
Helen worries that deep-sea mining will be seen as a silver bullet to the climate crisis – a simple and instant solution to a complicated problem.
海伦担心深海采矿将被视为解决气候危机的灵丹妙药，也就是一个简单而迅速的解决复杂问题的方法。
She thinks the tests which have been permitted to assess the difficulty of mining underwater could open the door to mining on a large scale which would damage fragile marine eco-systems beyond repair.
她认为，这些评估水下采矿难度的试验，可能带来大规模采矿，进而对脆弱的海洋生态系统造成无法逆转的伤害。
If you open the door to something, you allow something new to start, or make it possible.
“to open the door to something”，意思是允许新的事情开始，或者让它成为可能。
Helen thinks starting deep-sea mining leads down a slippery slope – asituation or habit that is difficult to stop and is likely to get worse and worse.
海伦认为深海采矿会一发不可收拾，也就是说，这种情况很难停止，而且可能会变得越来越糟。
And that could spell the end for thousands of marine animal and plant species.
这可能意味着成千上万的海洋动植物的灭绝。
Yes, our oceans need protection as much as our land and skies - which reminds me of my question, Sam.
是的，我们的海洋与我们的陆地、天空一样，需要保护——这让我想起了节目开始的问题，萨姆。
Yes, you asked how many different marine species live in the ocean and I guessed it was b) 170,000.
对，你问海洋中有多少物种，我猜是b) 17万种。
Which was the wrong answer, I’m afraid!
不好意思，你答错了！
There are estimated to be around 700,000 marine species, only about 226,000 of which have been identified so far.
据估计，海洋中大约有70万种的生物，迄今为止，我们只发现了226,000种。
OK, let’s recap the vocabulary we’ve learned from the programme, starting with conundrum – a problem that’s very difficult to fix.
好了，让我们来回顾一下本期节目中所学到的词汇，我们从“conundrum”开始，意为一个很难解决的问题。
A paradox describes a situation that seems impossible because it contains two opposite ideas.
“ paradox”描述了一种似乎不可能成功的情况，因为它包含了两个相反的方面。
If something grows by a factor of ten, it becomes multiplied ten times.
“to grow by a factor of ten”，就是说增长到了原来的10倍。
The term, a silver bullet, means a simple solution to a complicated problem - often a solution that doesn’t actually exist.
“a silver bullet”指的是应对复杂问题的简单方法——通常是指实际不可行的方法。
A slippery slope is a situation or course of action that is difficult to stop and is likely to get worse and worse.
“A slippery slope”是指一种难以停止的情况或行动，而且情况可能会变得越来越糟。
And finally, the idiom to open the door to something means to allow something new to start or to make it possible.
最后，“to open the door to something”这个俚语的意思是允许新的事情开始或使之成为可能。
Once again, our six minutes are up. Bye for now! Goodbye!
我们的六分钟时间又到了。再见！再见！
