Today we’re talking about plastic.

今天我們要談?wù)撌撬芰稀?/p>

Yes, it’s our addiction to plastic that is of concern. Because this material doesn’t decay very quickly. So once we’ve used it, it hangs around for a very long time.

是的承桥，我們對塑料的過度依賴令人擔(dān)憂凤薛。因為這種材料不是很快腐爛略水。所以一旦被我們使用，它會滯留很長一段時間源织。

It is a problem. And ’decay’, by the way, describes the natural process of something being destroyed or breaking down into small particles. We hear so much about the consequences of having too much waste plastic around, don’t we?

那是個問題。而且順便說一下，“腐爛”描述的是某事物被毀壞或者分解成小顆粒的自然過程着倾。我們聽說如此多關(guān)于有太多塑料垃圾無處不在所造成的后果，不是嗎燕少？

Indeed. Not only does it cause a mess, wildlife, particularly marine animals, are at risk when they become entangled in plastic waste, or ingest it. It’s an issue that needs tackling or dealing with. And that’s what we’ll be discussing today and finding out what could be done to solve this plastic crisis.

確實是卡者。它不僅僅是會造成臟亂，當(dāng)野生動物客们，特別是海洋生物被塑料垃圾包圍或者吃掉塑料垃圾時崇决，它們會處于危險之中。那是需要解決或者處理的事情底挫。而且那是我們今天將要討論的內(nèi)容恒傻，并且還要找出可以做些什么來解決這個塑料危機(jī)。

OK, first, let’s challenge you to answer a question about plastic, Rob. The first synthetic plastic – that’s plastic made entirely from man-made materials - was created over 100 years ago. Do you know what its brand name was? Was it… a) Bakelite, b) Lucite or c) Formica?

好的建邓，但是首先讓我們考驗?zāi)慊卮鹨粋€關(guān)于塑料的問題碌冶，羅伯。第一種合成塑料涝缝，即完全由人造材料制成的塑料扑庞，是在100多年前被制造出來的。你知道它的商標(biāo)名稱是什么嗎拒逮？是a) 酚醛樹脂罐氨， b) 透明合成樹脂 還是 c) 膠木？

I’m no expert, so I’ll say c) Formica.

我不是專家滩援，所以我會說是c) 膠木栅隐。

Well, we’ll reveal the answer at the end of the programme. Now let’s talk more about plastic. This man-made substance is everywhere - from clothing to crisp packets, and bottles to buckets.

好的，我們將在節(jié)目最后揭曉答案⊥婊玻現(xiàn)在讓我們談?wù)摳嚓P(guān)于塑料的內(nèi)容租悄。這種人造物質(zhì)無處不在，從服裝到薯片包裝袋恩袱，從塑料瓶到塑料桶泣棋。

But the problem is that most of it isn’t biodegradable. That’s a word that describes something that can decay naturally without harming anything. Each year, 400 million tonnes of plastic is produced and 40% of that is single-use. So why don’t we stop using it?

但是問題是大多數(shù)塑料不是可生物降解的。那個單詞描述的是某物會自然腐爛而不傷害任何東西畔塔。每年有4億噸塑料被生產(chǎn)出來潭辈，其中有40%是一次性的鸯屿。所以我們?yōu)槭裁床煌Ｖ故褂盟芰夏兀?/p>

It’s not that easy, Rob, and it’s something Lucy Siegle, a BBC reporter and author, has been talking about. She was speaking in a discussion on the Costing the Earth programme on BBC Radio 4, and explained the issue we have with quitting plastic but also how our attitude is changing…

并沒有那么簡單，羅伯把敢，而且那正是BBC記者及作家露西?司格爾一直談到的寄摆。她在BBC廣播4頻道的Costing the Earth節(jié)目中討論了這個話題，并對我們停止使用塑料會產(chǎn)生的問題以及我們的態(tài)度是如何改變進(jìn)行了說明修赞。

We have this weird psychological attachment to this material, that’s been around and it’s like a push and pull. At one time, we’re so horrified by what we’re seeing – the whales dying, the oceans vomiting plastic beaming in from all over the world. And at the same time we’re being told we can’t live without it. So that creates a psychological dissonance, which I think is the barrier to behavioural change. But I’m finding now awareness has peaked and it’s going over into activism.

我們對塑料這種材料有種怪異的心理依賴婶恼，那種情況一直都有，它就像是一種推拉的感覺柏副。我們一度對自己所看到的感到如此驚駭——鯨魚死亡熙尉，來自世界各處的塑料垃圾從海里冒出來，反射出光來搓扯。而且與此同時，我們被告知沒有塑料我們無法生活包归。所以那就產(chǎn)生一種心理上的沖突锨推，我認(rèn)為那是轉(zhuǎn)變行為的障礙。但是現(xiàn)在我發(fā)現(xiàn)人們對塑料的警覺達(dá)到頂峰公壤，而且已經(jīng)轉(zhuǎn)變?yōu)樾袆又髁x换可。

She mentioned the word ’psychological’, that’s something that affects or involves our mind. So here, psychological attachment means that in our mind we feel we have to use plastic, we’re addicted.

她提到“心理上的”這個詞，那是影響我們思想的某事物厦幅。所以在這里沾鳄，心理依賴指的是在我們心目中我們覺得自己不得不使用塑料，我們過度依賴塑料确憨。

But we also see the negative impact of plastic, like whales dying. And in our mind we’re also thinking we must stop! This has created what Lucy says is a ’psychological dissonance’.Dissonance’ means a disagreement between two opposing ideas. So we’re having an argument in our head about the right thing to do. This is the ’push and pull’ of thoughts she referred to.

但是我們同樣看到塑料的負(fù)面影響译荞，就像鯨魚死亡。而且在我們心目中我們同樣覺得我們必須停止使用塑料休弃！這就產(chǎn)生了露西所說的“心理上的沖突”吞歼。“沖突”指的是兩個對立觀點間的分歧塔猾。所以對于要做的對的事情我們會在大腦中爭吵一番篙骡。這就是她所指的思想上的推拉。

And this dissonance has been the barrier to us trying to solve the plastic issue. But now we’re starting to do something about it. We’re taking action to reduce our plastic waste. We’re turning to activism. That’s taking action to change something. It could be social or political change, or a change in our behaviour or attitude.

而且這種沖突一直是我們設(shè)法解決塑料問題的障礙丈甸。但是現(xiàn)在我們開始做一些相關(guān)的事情糯俗。我們正采取行動來減少塑料垃圾。我們正在轉(zhuǎn)變?yōu)樾袆又髁x睦擂。那是說做出行動來改變某事得湘。它可能是社會或者政治改變，又或者是我們行為或態(tài)度上的改變顿仇。

Of course there has been a big push, that means people have been strongly encouraged to recycle.

當(dāng)然忽刽，那里有巨大推動力天揖，那指的是人們被極力鼓勵來循壞利用塑料。

Maybe in an ideal world the best thing to do is go plastic-free. But that isn’t easy, is it?

或許在理想世界跪帝，要做的最好的事情就是無塑料今膊。但是那并不容易，不是嗎伞剑？

No, it isn’t, and it’s something Lucy Siegle spoke about. Getting rid of plastic in our lives is a gradual process. But where does she think we can make the biggest difference?

不斑唬，它并不容易，而且那是露西?司格爾談到的黎泣。在我們生活中擺脫塑料是一個循序漸進(jìn)的過程恕刘。但是她認(rèn)為我們可以在哪方面做出最大改變？

I really think that to concentrate on stopping the flow of plastics into your life is easier and more effective in the long term, than trying to go plastic-free from the outset. We are in the UK, a supermarket culture, so a lot of the tips and tricks to decreasing the flow of plastic are getting round supermarket culture.

我真的覺得長期看來抒倚，集中精力在不讓塑料進(jìn)入我們的生活比設(shè)法從源頭上達(dá)到無塑料要更簡單褐着，更高效。我們在英國托呕，一個超市文化的國家含蓉，所以許多減少塑料的訣竅和技巧在超市文化中傳播開來。

She says we have a supermarket culture in the UK. Culture’ here describes a way of life or a way that we generally behave. And in terms of food shopping, we tend to do that in supermarkets.

她說在英國我們有超市文化项郊∠诳郏“文化”在這里指的是一種生活方式或者是我們的一種通常舉動。而且就餐飲購物而言着降，我們傾向于在超市里使用塑料差油。

So, for example, customers can make a big difference by putting pressure on supermarkets to use less plastic packaging. It does seem that the future of plastic is in our hands. We need to be more careful about how and when we use it. And use our collective power to force change if it’s needed.

所以，例如任洞，顧客可以通過向超市施壓蓄喇，使用更少的塑料包裝來造成巨大改變。塑料的未來看起來確實像在我們手中交掏。對于如何以及何處使用塑料我們需要更加謹(jǐn)慎公罕。而且如果有需要的話，利用集體的力量來強制改變耀销。

But there’s no doubt plastic is useful for many things. So it will be a long time before it disappears altogether.

但是毫無疑問塑料對一些事物來說是有用的楼眷。所以在塑料完全消失之前那將會是很長一段時間。

And earlier I asked you what was the name of the first synthetic plastic invented over a 100 years ago. Was it… a) Bakelite,b) Lucite or c) Formica?

早些時候我問你發(fā)明于100多年前的第一種合成塑料的名字是什么熊尉。是a) 酚醛樹脂罐柳， b) 透明合成樹脂 還是 c) 膠木？

And I said c) Formica. Was I right?

我說是c) 膠木 狰住。對嗎张吉？

Formica is a type of hard plastic used for covering tables and working areas in kitchens. But it’s not the oldest type. That was Bakelite.

膠木是一種用來覆蓋桌面以及廚房工作區(qū)域的硬質(zhì)塑料。但是它不是最早的那種催植。最早的是酚醛樹脂肮蛹。

I may have got that wrong, but hopefully I’ll have more success recapping some of today’s vocabulary. Starting with ’decay’, which describes the natural process of something being destroyed or breaking down into small particles, which plastic takes a long time to do.

我或許答錯了勺择，但是還好回顧今天的一些詞匯我能成功點。從“decay”開始伦忠，那形容的是某事物被毀壞或者分解成小顆粒省核，塑料要花很長一段時間才能完成的事情。

Next we had ’biodegradable’. That’s a word to describe something that can decay naturally without harming anything.

接下來是“可生物降解的”昆码。那個單詞形容的是某事物能夠腐爛而不傷害任何東西气忠。

Then we had ’psychological’, that’s something that affects or involves your mind.

然后我們學(xué)了“心理學(xué)的”，那是影響人們思想的事物赋咽。

Next up, we had ’dissonance’, which describes a disagreement between two opposing ideas.

接下來我們學(xué)了“沖突”旧噪，那指的是兩個對立觀點間的分歧。

And then we mentioned ’activism’, that’s taking action to change something. We also mentioned the phrase ’a big push’ which means people are strongly encouraged or persuaded to do something, usually by force.

然后我們提到了“行動主義”脓匿，那是說采取行動來改變某些事淘钟。我們還提到了短語“巨大推動力”，指的是人們被極力鼓勵或者說服做某事陪毡，通常是通過強制米母。

And finally we had culture. In our context of supermarket culture, it describes a way of life or a way that we generally behave.

最后我們提到了文化。在我們超市文化背景下缤骨，它形容的是一種生活方式，或者說是我們一種通常舉動尺借。