节目资讯
刊物:空中英語教室
日期:2012-04-21
难易度:Low
关键字:polluted, ATM [automated teller machine], container, solar, filter, swipe
Hi, everybody.
Welcome to Studio Classroom Worldwide.
Thanks for joining us today.
My name is Steve.
Getting clean water to people who need it most is a topic Studio Classroom has
covered in the past.
It's just that we think the shortage of clean water is so severe that any new
idea or technological breakthrough to help solve the problem is exciting and
newsworthy.
Well, today, there's a new development in the land of India.
There, a company called Sarvajal has created something new so people can have
safe drinking water.
It's called the water ATM.
Let's learn more about it on page 42.
(Music).
Sarvajal: Water For All.
Getting clean water to those who need it most.
People in developed countries usually get their drinking water from a faucet or
a bottle.
But finding safe drinking water can be challenging in developing countries.
People in India, for example, often drink polluted water, which can lead to
illness or death.
But one Indian company, Sarvajal, has come up with a unique solution: the "water
ATM.".
Sarvajal's water-filtering network already provides clean water in more than 130
locations, many of them small villages.
But the water ATM is a new and important part of Sarvajal's business.
Hello, everyone.
My name is Brandon.
And my name is Kaylah.
Thank you for joining us today.
Now Brandon, I don't often like talking about the TECHNOLOGY articles.
They're not my favorite thing to talk about.
I'm much more of a TRAVEL person.
But this TECHNOLOGY article I find very cool.
Well, I totally understand that, Kaylah.
I'm not much on technology.
I don't think of myself as someone who knows a lot about technology.
But I really like it when technology is used to help other people.
And we are going to talk about that today in our article.
Exactly. I'm not very up-to-date in my technology.
But it's always interesting to learn about new things, especially ones, as you
said Brandon, that help other people.
And today we're talking about one called Sarvajal.
And our title says "Sarvajal: Water For All." And so that tells us what we're
talking about today.
We're talking about getting water out to people who need it.
That's right.
But more than that, it's getting clean water to those who need it most.
Now Sarvajal is the name of the company, so don't worry too much about what the
word means.
It is in reference to this specific company.
And they are indeed getting water out to those who need it most.
We begin our article with: People in developed countries usually get their
drinking water from a faucet.
And so if you live in a developed country, that means you live in a wealthier
country.
A wealthier country as well as very up-to-date and modern, using the most recent
technologies, medicine, building, government.
So it's... running a very successful company... uh, country.
Maybe the biggest example would obviously be the United States.
But most countries around the world are considered developed countries.
Now it said that you could get your water from a faucet or from a bottle.
That's right. And so you have two options there.
You can see a faucet right there on page 42 in your article.
And of course, you know what a bottle is.
So if you live in one of these developed countries, that is very common for you
to do that.
But this isn't the case for everyone.
That's right.
The whole world is not developed countries.
But finding safe drinking water can be a challenge for people in developing
countries.
So that's the opposite.
A developed country is very modern, up-to-date technology, usually wealthier.
And a developing country is poor, and the people there do not have the
convenience of developed countries.
For example, India would be a developing country.
That's right.
And sometimes there the water is polluted.
We see often people drink polluted water.
And if something is "polluted," it just simply means it's not clean; it's dirty.
Oftentimes if you live in a big city, there's a lot of pollution.
And so that means the air is polluted.
It is very dirty.
That's right.
"Polluted" is the adjective form of the word pollution.
So we know that it is not good for you.
So in developed countries, we get our water from faucets or bottles.
In developing countries, often you get it from lakes, rivers and streams.
And that's how this water can be so polluted, Brandon.
If it's in a poor community where there's really not much convenience, there's
not very many health concerns, they're not going to have very clean water.
That's right.
And this causes all sorts of problems.
It can lead to illness or even death.
So it's very important, Kaylah, that people get clean water.
You know, Brandon, I think this is something that we take... we take for
advantage.
You know, we don't think about not having clean water.
We think that it's just common, we should have it.
But this is a problem for many.
But one company is making a difference.
And this is actually an Indian company.
That's right.
And it's the company that we're talking about today in the opening, or actually
in the title of our article.
It's called Sarvajal.
It is an Indian company.
And they have come up with a unique solution.
If something is unique, it's special.
And this solution is the water ATM.
Now "ATM" we usually think is a where you get money.
It just comes out.
Here, it's the same kind of machine, but you get water instead.
Well, that's our Grammar on the Go sentence, so let's check in with Liz.
Hello, friends.
Greetings from India.
My name is Liz.
And it's time for Grammar on the Go.
Our article today talks about how people in various parts of India get their
water thanks to Sarvajal.
We read: Sarvajal's wanted-filtering network already provides clean water in
more than 130 locations, many of them small villages.
That's our Grammar Tip sentence.
And today our focus is on the phrase at the end of the sentence, many of them
small villages.
This phrase is describing the locations - many of them are small villages.
When you have two sentences and the first one ends with a plural object, and the
second sentence describes this plural object in the first sentence,
you can combine the two and drop the "be" verb in the second sentence.
For example, check out these two sentences.
Sentece one: The rescue team brought food and blankets to refugees.
Sentence two: Many of these refugees are too tired and hungry to even stand.
You can combine these two and get:
The rescue team brought food and blankets to the refugees - many of them too
tired and hungry to stand.
Or here's another example.
Sentece one: The billionaire likes to show off his collection of cars.
Sentence two: Many of these cars are rare models.
Put these two together and we have:
The billionaire likes to show off his collection of cars, many of them rare
models.
Well, friends, that's all the time we have for today.
Thanks again for joining me here.
I'll see you again next time.
Until then, this is Liz with Grammar on the Go, signing off, in India. Bye-bye.
Thank you, Liz.
Well, Sarvajal's water-filtering network already provides clean water in more
than 130 locations, many of them small villages.
That's right.
And "filtering" means they are cleaning the water, it's good to use.
But the water ATM is a new and important part of Sarvajal's business.
We're going to talk about how that is important and what it's doing after the
skit.
Excuse me, but I need to use the ATM.
Oh. Out of money?
Oh, no... Out of water.
Out of water?
You use an ATM for water?
Of course! Don't you?
No. My water at home comes from a faucet or a bottle.
Well, finding safe drinking water in developing countries can be a challenge.
So what do people here drink?
Often they drink polluted water.
Oh! Drinking polluted water isn't safe.
You're right.
It can lead to illness or even death.
Yes. And that's not good.
What's the solution?
Oh. The water ATM.
The water ATM? Now that is a very unique solution.
Who came up with that?
An Indian company.
They call themselves Sarvajal.
Oh. And how does the water ATM work?
Sarvajal has a water-filtering network.
It provides clean water to more than 120 locations, many are in small villages.
Oh. So the water is filtered and delivered to the ATM locations.
That's right.
Workers deliver the water, and then sell prepaid cards.
Oh, so all you have to do is swipe the card?
Yes! I just swipe my card and select the amount of water.
The water fills my container, and there it is, clean drinking water.
That's amazing!
And convenient.
Clean water is available 24/7.
Thanks to... Sarvajal.
Sarvajal, yes, which means water for all.
Water for all!