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Becoming No Impact Man 环保斗士：柯林．毕文

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课文讲解

繁體中文譯本

People often contemplate what must be done to help the environment, but when it comes to turning thoughts into actions, enthusiasm usually wanes and they eventually go back to their old, environmentally unfriendly ways. In 2007, Colin Beavan, a former electronic engineer living in New York City with his wife, young child, and dog, grew tired of watching the environment taking the brunt of humanity’s abuse time and again. He decided to make a year-long commitment to have no net impact on the environment, and take his family along on his journey. This is how ordinary Colin Beavan became No Impact Man – environmental activist.

人们常思索着要帮助环境必须做什么，但当说到要起而行时，人们的热情却常常消退，最终又做出那些跟以前一样对环境有害的行为。在2007年，曾是位电子工程师的柯林．毕文，和他的妻子、小孩及一条狗，一同住在纽约；他们对于眼见人类一次又一次地破坏自然环境感到厌烦，于是决定一起立下一个长达一年的承诺，也就是不对自然环境造成任何影响。这就是柯林．毕文成为「零污染人」─一位环保斗士的由来。

What does it mean to have absolutely zero impact on the environment? Beavan set himself and his family several strict standards. First of all, they were allowed to produce no trash whatsoever, except for compost. In addition, they could purchase no goods excepting food grown within a 250-mile radius of their home, and could use no carbon-based transportation. As if that wasn’t enough, they weren’t allowed to use any paper products, including toilet paper. It was, to say the least, a daunting challenge.

什么是绝对环境零污染呢？毕文对自己和他的家人定下了一些严格的标准；首先，他们只能制造出可造出可作为肥料的垃圾。另外，他们不能购买任何货品，除了离他们家方圆250哩内种植的食物；而且他们也不能搭乘任何会排放二氧化碳的交通工具。深怕这些标准还不够严格，他们还禁止使用任何纸类产品，包括卫生纸。这个承诺，至少可以说是一个令人怯步的挑战。

Instead of jumping headlong into the project, Beavan and his wife decided to try it on for size for a week in August of 2006, and it wasn’t smooth sailing by any stretch of the imagination. In summer, their tempers flared as they roasted in their home without air conditioning. They also argued about who would take their 18-month-old daughter to the babysitter’s place, as they now had to walk there instead of drive.

毕文和他的太太为了不要轻率地进行这个计划，他们决定先于2006年8月里试行一周，而超乎他们想象的是，这个计划进行的极不顺利。到了夏天，因家里没有冷气让他们要被高温烤焦了，而使他们的脾气变得暴躁。他们也会为了谁该带他十八个月大的女儿去保姆家而争吵──因为现在他们不能开车，必须用走的。

Vocabulary

单词发音

contemplate [ˋkɑntɛm͵plet]  v. 仔细考虑

wane [wen] v. 衰落；没落

compost [ˋkɑmpost] n. 堆肥

radius [ˋredɪəs] n. 半径距离；半径范围

daunting [ˋdɔntɪŋ] adj. 令人怯步的；使人气馁的

headlong [ˋhɛd͵lɔŋ] adv. 鲁莽地；轻率地

flare [flɛr]  v. 突然发怒（或激动）to erupt or intensify suddenly

roast [rost] v. 烤得使变热

Idiom

片语发音

take the brunt of 首当其冲  to receive the worst part of something unpleasant or harmful, such as an attack

time and (time) again 屡次，一再  very often

to say the least 起码；至少说   at the very least; without overemphasizing the subject; to put it mildly; used to show that what you are describing is in fact much more serious or important than you have suggested

jump headlong into 一头扎进; 轻率地做某事   to start doing something with a lot of enthusiasm but without thinking about it first

try something on for size 尝试做某事  to test something so you can form an opinion about it

smooth sailing 一帆风顺  a situation where progress is made without any difficulty

not by any stretch of the imagination 任凭怎么想也不是    used to say that something, often a description, is certainly not true

课文朗读

课文讲解 

There were many other issues to consider once the No Impact Project began in earnest. Milk for the baby had to be picked up from the one farmer in New York who used reusable glass bottles. Doing the dishes took on a retro feel as well, as using the dishwasher was not allowed. Watching TV was also not permitted as they strove to keep their use of electricity to an absolute minimum.

「零污染人」计划进行后还有很多伴随而来的严重问题；给婴儿喝的牛奶必须向纽约市里使用再生玻璃罐的一个农场购买，因为不能使用洗碗机，所以洗碗也回到以前复古的方式手洗。因为他们努力将用电量降到最低，看电视也不被允许。

It took some getting used to, but the Beavan family gradually grew to love their new routine. Instead of wasting hours in front of the TV, they played with their daughter more often. They also began walking and riding bicycles, as opposed to driving, and soon the Beavan discovered that they no longer needed to make time for going to the gym. By simply finding more active modes of transportation, they were able to lose weight and get back in shape.

这些过程花了些时间适应，但毕文一家慢慢的爱上这种新的生活方式。不像以前一样在电视机前浪费时间，毕文和太太更常陪女儿玩了。他们也开始以走路和骑脚踏车代替汽车，且不久后毕文一家人发现他们再也不用花时间去健身房了，因为只需借着这些更耗体力的通勤方式，他们能减轻体重，还回到以前匀称的身材。

Beavan documented the entire process on his blog, which drew in over two thousand people per day. In the first year and a half of the blog’s existence, it was visited by nearly two million people. The blog was eventually made into a book, and a documentary on the family and their unique journey was also filmed. By making a simple decision to make a difference on their own, the Beavan family turned a personal passion project into a far-reaching movement that has inspired countless others to do their part for the plant.

毕文在他的部落格记录了整个过程，吸引了一天超过两千人的浏览人次。在他部落格刚设立的一年半里，就有超过两百万的访客。最后这个部落格的故事被出成一本书，而有关他家人与他们奇特经历也被拍成一部纪录片。由于一个改变自己的小小决定，毕文一家人已将他们自身致力于环保的计划，化成无远弗届、鼓舞无数人为地球尽一份心的运动。

－by Joe Henley

Vocabulary

单词发音

retro [ˋrɛtro] n. 复古; 怀旧,  adj. 复古的   a fashion reminiscent of the past    

strive [straɪv] v. 努力，苦干，奋斗 [（+for/after）][+to-v]

routine [ruˋtin] n. 日常工作；惯例

document [ˋdɑkjəmənt] v.〔通过记述﹑拍电影或拍照片的方式来〕记载

existence [ɪgˋzɪstəns] n. 存在

far-reaching [ˋfɑrˋritʃɪŋ] adj. 深远的；广泛的

Idiom

片语发音

in earnest [ˋɝnɪst] 认真(地); 并非开玩笑(地)  with sincerity

take on v. 呈现

retro feel 复古味道

get used to 习惯于 accept that a particular state of affairs is inevitable

as opposed to 和…相反  in comparison with

in shape 健康; 处于良好状态  in good health; strong and healthy; fit

draw in 吸引  to attract someone or something in

Reading Questions

1.    Why did Beavan start the No Impact Project?

(A)  He wanted to help put a stop to the harming of the environment.

(B)  He wanted to provide himself with a tough physical challenge.

(C)  He wanted to push his family to their mental limits.

(D)  He wanted to do something crazy for a change.

2.    Which of the following statements about the No Impact Project is NOT true?

(A)  The Beavan family had to get around without the use of vehicles.

(B)  The Beavan family could not turn on their air conditioner in the summer.

(C)  The Beavan family could not produce any trash, only composted materials.

(D)  The Beavan family was allowed to use as much paper as they wanted.

3.    What is implied about the Beavan family’s new routine?

(A)  They warmed up to it quickly.

(B)  They enjoyed it from the outset.

(C)  They didn’t love it at first.

(D)  They took to it right away.

4.    What has the project accomplished, according to the article?

(A)  It has forced people to recycle more often.

(B)  It has shown people that saving the world is a hopeless cause.

(C)  It has actually made people care less about the environment.

(D)  It has caused others to follow in the family’s footsteps.

get around 可以四处走动﹐ 旅行 to travel from place to place

outset [ˋaʊt͵sɛt] n. 开始，开端

No Impact Experiment - Welcome!

The No Impact Man: A Lifestyle Experiment 

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