12月16日英语：12万美元天价香蕉被吃

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Plants can purify the air?

盆栽净化空气不如通风

New research suggests that potted plants' ability to improve air quality in the home or office is largely overstated and buries a more effective solution to keeping the air clean.

新研究表明，盆栽植物改善家庭或办公室空气质量的能力在很大程度上被夸大了，使人们忽视了一个保持空气清洁的更有效的办法。

Writing in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology, researchers found that natural ventilation of indoor environments dilutes concentrations of potentially harmful air pollutants much faster than a plant is capable of extracting them. 

研究人员在《暴露科学与环境流行病学》杂志上发表文章称，室内自然通风稀释有害空气污染物浓度的速度远远快于植物吸收这些污染物的速度。

"The best way to have a healthy home is to try to reduce indoor emissions, ventilate well (especially when doing high impact emissions like cooking), and using filtration for certain pollutants (e.g. particulate matter)," said study author Michael Waring of Drexel University.

该研究的作者、德雷塞尔大学的迈克尔·沃林说："拥有一个健康家庭的最佳方式是减少室内排放物、保持通风良好(尤其是在从事烹饪等排放量大的活动时)，并且对某些污染物(比如颗粒物)使用过滤器。"

重点词汇

1、Epidemiology

英 /ˌepɪˌdiːmiˈɒlədʒi/  美 /ˌepɪˌdiːmiˈɑːlədʒi/ 

n. 流行病学；传染病学

2、ventilation  

英 /ˌventɪˈleɪʃn/ 美 /ˌventɪˈleɪʃn/ 

n. 通风设备；空气流通

3、ventilate

英 /ˈventɪleɪt/  美 /ˈventɪleɪt/ 

vt. 使通风；给…装通风设备；宣布

4、pollutant

英 /pəˈluːtənt/  美 /pəˈluːtənt/ 

n. 污染物

5、filtration

英 /fɪlˈtreɪʃn/  美 /fɪlˈtreɪʃn/

n. 过滤；筛选

Time's Person of the Year

'时代'年度人物:环保少女

Swedish climate change activist Greta Thunberg has been named Time magazine's Person of the Year for 2019. 

瑞典环保活动人士格蕾塔·桑伯格获评《时代》杂志2019年度人物。

This year the 16-year-old has become famous as one of the world's most prominent voices on the topic of climate change, and has drawn attention for her initiative urging young people around the world to strike in support of the issue. 

这位16岁的少女今年走红，她是全球范围内在应对气候变化这个话题上最有力的声音之一，她发起倡议鼓励全球年轻人为支持环保事业罢工或停课，引发了各方关注。

The announcement came as Thunberg was speaking at the COP25 Climate Conference in Madrid, where she urged world leaders to stop using "clever accounting and creative PR" and instead to take the real action on climate change. 

《时代》周刊宣布这个消息时，桑伯格正在马德里出席联合国气候变化大会(COP25)，她在会上呼吁世界各国领导人停止"精明的算计和创意的公关"，对气候变化采取实际行动。

The Person of the Year title was first awarded in 1927, and this year US President Donald Trump and the Speaker of the US House of Representative Nancy Pelosi were also among the 10 candidates.

《时代》杂志1927年起开启其年度人物评选，今年入围的十大候选人中还包括美国总统特朗普和美国众议院议长佩洛西。

重点词汇

1、activist

英 /ˈæktɪvɪst/  美 /ˈæktɪvɪst/ 

n. 积极分子；激进主义分子

2、prominent

英 /ˈprɒmɪnənt/  美 /ˈprɑːmɪnənt/ 

adj. 突出的，显著的；杰出的；卓越的

Unicorn Cafe likes a dream

泰国独角兽主题咖啡馆

If you're ever in Bangkok, Thailand, and you're a fan of unicorns, ponies or just colors in general, there's a place you simply must visit - "Unicorn Cafe". 

如果你有机会去泰国曼谷，而且喜欢独角兽、小马或只是缤纷的颜色，那么有个地方你一定要去逛逛——"独角兽咖啡馆"。

To say Unicorn Cafe is a colorful place would be an understatement. There's colorful and there's this place where even the food, including a multi-layered cake and spaghetti, come in all shades of the rainbow. 

要说独角兽咖啡馆只是个色彩缤纷的地方，那可就太轻描淡写了。这里不仅装饰得色彩缤纷，即使连食物，包括多层蛋糕和意大利面也都拥有彩虹的各种颜色。

There are plastic chandeliers and plush unicorns hanging from the ceilings, multi-colored couches, and tiny My Little Pony Toys decorating the tables. Did I mention you can put on a unicorn onesie to really get into a magical mood? 

这里的天花板上悬挂着塑料枝形吊灯和毛绒独角兽,沙发也是彩色的，桌子上摆放了迷你小马宝莉玩具作为装饰。你甚至还可以穿上独角兽连体衣，让自己真正融入这个梦幻般的场景。

From the rainbow crepes, waffles and cake, to the pastel-colored Galaxy Frappe, everything is brimming with color, and even if it's not, you can bet it comes with an edible unicorn horn stuck on top of it.

从彩虹可丽饼、华夫饼和蛋糕，到色彩柔和的星河刨冰，这里的食物都色彩缤纷，即使有非彩色的食物，上面也必然插有可食用的独角兽角。

重点词汇

1、understatement

英 /ˈʌndəsteɪtmənt/  美 /ˈʌndərsteɪtmənt/

n. 保守的陈述；不充分的陈述；有保留的陈述

2、chandelier

英 /ˌʃændəˈlɪə(r)/  美 /ˌʃændəˈlɪr/ 

n. 枝形吊灯

3、brimming

美 /'brɪmɪŋ/ 

adj. 盈满的；满溢的

v. 满溢；注满（brim的ing形式）

$120K banana artwork eaten

12万美元天价香蕉被吃

A banana duct-taped to a wall has caused quite the stir at Art Basel Miami Beach. Entitled "Comedian," the artwork created by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan comprises a banana and a single piece of duct tape, and it was offered for $120,000. 

近日，巴塞尔迈阿密艺术博览会上出现了一件轰动的展品：一根用胶带粘在墙上的香蕉。这件名为《喜剧家》的作品出自意大利艺术家毛里齐奥·卡特兰之手，由一根香蕉和一段胶带组成，标价12万美元。

Gallery founder Emmanuel Perrotin said the banana is "a symbol of global trade, a double entendre, as well as a classic device for humor," adding that the artist turns mundane objects into "vehicles of both delight and critique." 

艺廊创始人埃马纽埃尔·佩罗廷表示，香蕉是"全球贸易的象征，是双关语，也是幽默的经典手法"，他补充说，艺术家把平凡的物品变成了"喜悦和批判的载体"。

Three buyers bought the limited-edition pieces of the banana art. But a New York performance artist on Saturday devoured the banana and slipped away before the gallery reported the incident to security. "

已有三位买主买走了这款限量版香蕉艺术品。然而7日，来自纽约的一名行为艺术家吃掉了这根香蕉，并在艺廊报告安保人员之前逃之夭夭。

He did not destroy the art work. The banana is the idea," said a spokesperson for the gallery.

但艺廊发言人说，此人并未破坏艺术品，因为香蕉只是一种概念。

重点词汇

1、mundane

英 /mʌnˈdeɪn/  美 /mʌnˈdeɪn/

adj. 世俗的，平凡的；世界的，宇宙的

2、critique

英 /krɪˈtiːk/  美 /krɪˈtiːk/

n. 批评；评论文章  vt. 批判；评论

Some words you should know from today's news

No.1   epidemiology

No.2   pollutant

Writing in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology, researchers found that natural ventilation of indoor environments dilutes concentrations of potentially harmful air pollutants much faster than a plant is capable of extracting them. 

No.3   prominent

This year the 16-year-old has become famous as one of the world's most prominent voices on the topic of climate change, and has drawn attention for her initiative urging young people around the world to strike in support of the issue.

No.4   understatement

To say Unicorn Cafe is a colorful place would be an understatement. There's colorful and there's this place where even the food, including a multi-layered cake and spaghetti, come in all shades of the rainbow. 

No.5   chandelier

There are plastic chandeliers and plush unicorns hanging from the ceilings, multi-colored couches, and tiny My Little Pony Toys decorating the tables.

NO.6   mundane

Gallery founder Emmanuel Perrotin said the banana is "a symbol of global trade, a double entendre, as well as a classic device for humor," adding that the artist turns mundane objects into "vehicles of both delight and critique." 

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总策划：韩鹤

主播：ANNE MARIE RUISI

剪辑：马芮

编辑：韩鹤

文稿来源：中国日报网英语点津