本集内容

London's new black cabs put to Arctic test 伦敦新黑色出租车送往北极测试

Pollution-fighting pigeons 英国科学家利用鸽子研究城市污染模式

文字稿

This is the brand new design for the iconic London black cab. But before they can put this through its paces in the cities, they have to try it out in one of the most hostile environments on Earth. It's got an electric engine, most of the time driving with zero emissions, although a small petrol motor charges the battery from time to time.

这是伦敦著名的黑色出租车的全新设计样式。但在新车型被投入到各城市中大展身手之前，工作人员需要先把它送到地球上环境最严酷的地区之一试驾。新款黑色出租车配有电力引擎，且在大多数驾驶时间内可实现零排放，但它仍装有一台时而需要为汽车电池充电的小型汽油发动机。

Can pigeons help us in the battle against air pollution? It sounds far-fetched but academics from Birmingham University are convinced they can. They're attaching sensors to the birds which, unlike drones, can fly without restrictions above busy urban centres. The information collected will help to model how pollution moves around cities and could be used by planners to help decide where to build hospitals or schools.

鸽子能帮我们对抗空气污染吗？这听起来令人难以置信，但一组来自伯明翰大学的学者对此坚信不疑。他们给这些鸟绑上传感器，和同样安装了传感器的无人机不同的是，鸽子可以不受限制地在繁忙的城市上空翱翔。由这些鸽子收集到的信息能帮助科学家模拟污染物在城市移动的模式，城市规划者也可以根据这些信息决定设立医院或学校的地点。

词汇

emissions
（有害气体）排放

far-fetched
难以置信的

练习

请从以下词汇中选择适当的答案来完成句子。注意：你可能需要改变单词的时态来完成句子。

emissions / far-fetched

1. A collapse in the use of coal has driven UK carbon ______ down to levels barely seen since the Victorian era, new figures show.

2. The idea of pigs producing human organs might sound a bit ______ but that is what a group of Japanese scientists is attempting to do.

答案

1. A collapse in the use of coal has driven UK carbon emissions down to levels barely seen since the Victorian era, new figures show.

2. The idea of pigs producing human organs might sound a bit far-fetched but that is what a group of Japanese scientists is attempting to do.