Microplastic dust flies around the world
by Bryan Nelson
Microplastics are fragments smaller than five millimeters that have broken down from larger pieces of plastic. According to the latest research, there's nowhere left to run from the scourge of microplastic pollution.
microplastics /ˈmaɪkrəʊˌplæstɪks/ n. 微塑料（由plastics加上表示微型的前綴micro-）
fragment /ˈfræɡmənt/ n. 碎片
millimeter /ˈmɪlɪˌmiːtə(r)/ n. 毫米（前綴milli-表示千分之一）
break down 分解
scourge /skɜːdʒ/ n. 禍害
microplastic /ˈmaɪkrəʊˌplæstɪk/ adj. 微塑料的（由plastic加上表示微型的前綴micro-）
A small pilot study recently took microplastic samples from one of Europe's most pristine hideaways, the French Pyrenees mountains, and found as many microplastics in the soil as you might expect from a megacity like Paris.
pilot /ˈpaɪlət/ adj. 試驗性的
sample /ˈsɑːmp(ə)l/ n. 樣品、樣本
pristine /ˈprɪstiːn/ adj. 未開發的、處於原始狀態的
hideaway /ˈhaɪdəˌweɪ/ n. 躲藏處、隱居之處（由hide和away組成）
soil /sɔɪl/ n. 土壤
megacity /ˈmeɡəsɪti/ n. 超大城市（由city加上表示巨大的前綴mega-）
"We'd kind of expected it in a city getting blown around," said Steve Allen from the University of Strathclyde in the U.K., one member of the team. "But way up there? The number is astounding."
kind of 有點、在一定程度上
way /weɪ/ adv. 遠遠（表示強調）
astounding /əˈstaʊndɪŋ/ adj. 令人震驚的
The culprit? The wind. Researchers now fear that our planet's winds can pick up microplastics from just about anywhere and transport them around the world, sometimes in alarming quantities.
culprit /ˈkʌlprɪt/ n. （某件壞事的）原因
researcher /rɪˈsɜːtʃə(r)/ n. 研究者（由research加上表示人的後綴-er）
transport /trænˈspɔːt/ v./n. 運輸、運送
alarming /əˈlɑːmɪŋ/ adj. 令人擔憂的
quantity /ˈkwɒntəti/ n. 數量
The forces of nature don't distinguish between materials like stones and rocks, and plastics. Wind and waves pound plastics and break them down just the same, whittling them down into dust that can then get swept up by the breeze and into the atmosphere. It's an ongoing environmental concern, as more and more microplastics find their way into our food and air.
distinguish /dɪˈstɪŋɡwɪʃ/ v. 區分、分辨
material /məˈtɪəriəl/ n. 材料
pound /paʊnd/ v. 連續擊打、反覆猛擊
whittle /ˈwɪt(ə)l/ v. 削、削制
sweep /swiːp/ v. 橫掃、席捲（swept /swept/ 是過去分詞）
breeze /briːz/ n. 微風、輕風
atmosphere /ˈætməsfɪə(r)/ n. 大氣、大氣層
ongoing /ˈɒŋɡəʊɪŋ/ adj. 持續存在的、不斷發展的
environmental /ɪnˌvaɪr(ə)nˈment(ə)l/ adj. 環境的（由environment加後綴-al變成形容詞）
concern /kənˈsɜːn/ n. 讓人擔憂的事、嚴重問題
Steve Allen and his team set up collectors 1,370 meters up in the mountains for five months to trap plastic particles as they fell to Earth. There are only a few small villages within 100 kilometers of the test site. "We expected to find some," he said. "We didn't expect to find quite as much as we did."
collector /kəˈlektə(r)/ n. 收集器（由collect加上表示人或物的後綴-or）
trap /træp/ v. 捕獲
particle /ˈpɑːtɪk(ə)l/ n. 顆粒、微粒
The team found that an average of 365 plastic particles fell on their one-square-meter collector daily. This included fibers from clothing, bits from plastic bags, plastic film and packaging material, among other plastic sources. Many of these materials were small enough to be inhaled without even realizing it. They're in the air, and they're everywhere.
square meter 平方米
fiber /ˈfaɪbə(r)/ n. 纖維
film /fɪlm/ n. 膠捲、膠片
source /sɔːs/ n. 來源
inhale /ɪnˈheɪl/ v. 吸入
"We suggest that microplastics can reach and affect remote, sparsely inhabited areas through atmospheric transport," the authors conclude in their article, published in the journal Nature Geoscience.
suggest /səˈdʒest/ v. 提出
affect /əˈfekt/ v. 影響
remote /rɪˈməʊt/ adj. 邊遠的、偏僻的
sparsely /ˈspɑːsli/ adv. 稀疏地
inhabit /ɪnˈhæbɪt/ v. 居住、棲息
atmospheric /ˌætməsˈferɪk/ adj. 大氣的（由atmosphere加後綴-ic變成形容詞）
conclude /kənˈkluːd/ v. 下結論
article /ˈɑːtɪk(ə)l/ n. 文章
publish /ˈpʌblɪʃ/ v. 發表
journal /ˈdʒɜːn(ə)l/ n. 期刊
The fact that microplastics can be found in large concentrations even in remote places is an indication that this has become a global pollution pandemic. It's a humbling reminder that human pollution has no boundaries or borders. In fact, some geologists suspect that layers of geological strata（巖層） which contain plastics might one day be the marker of our time.
concentration /ˌkɒns(ə)nˈtreɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 濃度
indication /ˌɪndɪˈkeɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 表徵、標誌（由indicate加後綴-ion變成名詞）
global /ˈɡləʊb(ə)l/ adj. 全球的
pandemic /pænˈdemɪk/ n. 大流行病
humbling /ˈhʌmb(ə)lɪŋ/ adj. 令人謙卑的
reminder /rɪˈmaɪndə(r)/ n. 起提醒作用的事物（由remind加上表示人或物的後綴-er）
boundary /ˈbaʊnd(ə)ri/ n. 分界線
geologist /dʒiˈɒlədʒɪst/ n. 地質學家
suspect /səˈspekt/ v. 推測、猜想
layer /ˈleɪə(r)/ n. 一層
geological /ˌdʒiəˈlɒdʒɪk(ə)l/ adj. 地質的
marker /ˈmɑːkə(r)/ n. 標誌、標識（由mark加上表示人或物的後綴-er）
英文原文節選自Mother Nature Network
https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/wilderness-resources/stories/wind-carrying-huge-amounts-microplastic-dust-around-world
聲明：目前我們沒有任何收費的課程或服務，也沒有創建任何微信群。如果您看到有人以我們的名義，或者自稱跟我們合作，售賣課程或者拉您進群交流的，都是冒名頂替，請您不要上當受騙。