時差N小時:酸雨 Acid Water

What are you doing outside, Don? It's about to rain.

你在干嘛呢?馬上下雨啦!

I'm setting out bottles.

我在放瓶子。

I can see that. But why?

我看得出來!有什么用呢?

For my new business venture. Bottled rainwater!

做新的投資啊。瓶裝雨水!

As in living plastic bottles out in the rain and thenselling themas health drinks?

就像這樣子把生活塑料瓶放在雨中裝雨水，然后再把它們當健康飲用水賣了?

Exactly! What could be more pure and fresher than what straight from the heavens!

一點不差!還有什么水比從天上直接降下來的水更純凈更新鮮呢!

Maybe water from the a mountain stream!

或許山泉水可以!

You see any mount stream around here?

那你在附近有看到山泉嗎?

Fine. But rainwater isn't exactly pure, Don.

好吧，是沒有。但是雨水絕不是那么純凈的。

It's got a lot chemicals.

雨水中有許多化學(xué)物質(zhì)。

Like what?

比如說?

Well, even without industrial pollution, atmospheric carbon dioxide dissolved into cloudsmakesrainwater at least slightly acidic.Oh!

嗯…即使是沒有工業(yè)污染，空氣中的二氧化碳被云層吸收也會使雨水呈弱酸性。噢!

But here in Indiana, a rain is almost ten times more acidic than natural rainwater.

但是，我們印第安納州雨水的酸性比天然雨水要高出整整十倍!

Why?Well, a lot of power plants and other factories that burn coal to make energy in thisMidwesternstate.

這又是為什么啊?在這個中西部城市，有許多的發(fā)電廠和其他的工廠都是靠燒煤來產(chǎn)能的。

Burning coal releases sulfur and nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere, which make rainmoreacidic.

煤燃燒時會產(chǎn)生硫和氧化氮，揮發(fā)到大氣中，使這里的雨水呈較強的酸性。

That does sound good! What would happen if you drag a rainwater?

這個聽起來確實很有道理!那如果人喝了這些酸性的雨水又會怎么樣呢?

Nothing! The acid content isn't high enough to harm humans, and it doesn't affect the tasteofthe water, either.

那倒沒事。雨水的酸含量不高，不會對人體造成什么傷害，也不會影響水的味道。

But acid rain can damage lakes, streams, and harm trees at high elevations.

但是，酸雨會影響湖泊，溪流，以及高海拔地區(qū)的樹木植被。

Also,acid rain accelerates the decay of buildings, statues, and sculptures.

同時，酸雨還會加快建筑物，雕像，雕塑等的腐蝕。