Scientists develop robotic fishto “eat” microplastics 一条“吃”微塑料的“鱼”

微塑料对人类和生态系统的健康构成了严重的威胁。为了清除水中的微塑料颗粒，中国科学家已经开发出一种机器鱼。

主题语境：人与社会 篇幅：347词 建议用时：7分钟

1 A group of Chinese scientists say that they have developed a robotic fish which can remove microplastic particles from water environments. Researchers who are working on the project say that these robots can help to clean up plastic pollution in oceans around the world.

2 Microplastics， pieces of plastic smaller than 5 millimeters， are large in quantity and widely distributed in the oceans. They are easily eaten by marine organisms and transmitted through the food chain， presenting a serious threat to human and ecosystem health.

3 The robotic swimmers， which are made of a soft chemical compound， are about 1.3 centimeters long. According to the researchers， such robots are designed to absorb microplastics while moving through the water.

4 The project was launched by a team at Sichuan University in southwestern China. The researchers said the robots had already performed well in shallow water and they

planned to carry out more tests in deeper waters.

5 The robotic fish were built to target microplastic particles， which are smaller than 5 millimeters. Studies have confirmed that microplastic pollution has been discovered in many natural environments. The material comes from the breakdown of manufactured plastic products and industrial waste.

6 The team said the robots can be controlled by light. Turning “a near⁃infrared light laser” on and off causes the fish's tail to move back and forth. The robotic fish can swim up to 2.76 body lengths per second. The researchers said this is faster than most similar soft robots.

7 Wang Yuyan was a member of Sichuan University's research team. She said that the small， lightweight robot is currently being used to collect microplastics for research

purposes. But Wang added that the team plans to expand that use so that the robot fish can remove larger amounts of microplastic waste from deep ocean areas.

8 “The fish can take in different kinds of microplastics and even repair itself when damaged，” the researchers said. “And if a robot fish is accidentally eaten by a real fish， the real fish could safely digest the material，” the team added. Wang said similar robots could be developed to be placed inside the human body to remove unwanted materials or diseases.

Reading Check

Detail

1. What was the robotic fish built for？

A. Breaking down chemical materials.

B. Protecting the water resource.

C. Removing plastics effectively.

D. Reducing plastic pollution in oceans.

Detail

2. What can we know about the robotic fish according to the text？

A. It has been used in deeper waters.

B. It is made from edible materials.

C. It has a length of 5 millimeters.

D. It cannot be repaired if breaking down.

Detail

3. How does the robot work？

A. It is controlled by light.

B. It is controlled by sound.

C. It is controlled by a sensor.

D. It is controlled by its tails.

Inference

4. What's the purpose of the text？

A. To introduce a product.

B. To advertise the robot fish.

C. To call on people to protect the ocean.

D. To stress the importance of technology.

Language Study

Ⅰ. Difficult sentence in the text

Researchers who are working on the project say that these robots can help to clean up plastic pollution in oceans around the world. 参与该项目的研究人员表示，这些机器鱼可以帮助清理世界各地海洋中的塑料污染。

【点石成金】本句中，主句的主语是Researchers，主句的谓语动词是say，who引导的是定语从句，在从句中作主语;that引导的是宾语从句。

Ⅱ. Text⁃centered chunks

remove...from 从……移除……

clean up 清理

in quantity 大量

be designed to do旨在做……

carry out 实行;执行

up to 多达

take in 吸收