使海水可以飲用的裝置

甘肅 孫 靜

馬來西亞的三名學生發明了一種可以使海水變成飲用水的裝置。 這個裝置名叫“水吊艙”（WaterPod），它的模塊化設計為創建WaterPod網絡提供了便利，該網絡可以為整個社區提供飲用水。

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Humans have flown to the moon and may even make it to Mars. But providing clean water to all remains a challenge. The World Health Organization estimates that one in three people globally still do not have easy access to clean water. While desalinating (淡化) ocean water is an obvious solution, the current process is both expensive and harmful to the environment. Now, some Malaysian students may have found a cheaper and more sustainable way to transform sea water into drinkable water.

Bennie Beh Hue May, Loo Xin Yang, and Yap Chun Yoon of the Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation came up with the idea of WaterPod after observing the hardships of ethnic groups like the Sama-Bajau. They live in the shallow waters off the coast of the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia. While the ocean provides the legendary divers with plenty of food, they often have to exchange goods with nearby communities to obtain fresh water.

Made of recycled plastic waste, WaterPod is designed to draw water from the sea with minimal salt intake. The salt that remains is filtered (過濾) through a process in the clear plastic-covered, dome-shaped container at the top. The sustainable, self-cleaning device can work as an individual unit of sea water desalination. However, its modular design also allows for the creation of a network of WaterPod that could provide water for entire communities.

The clever device beat 120 entries to win the national James Dyson Award in Malaysia on August 25, 2021. The team then competed with 84 finalists worldwide for the international 2021 James Dyson Award. The annual contest aims to encourage students to develop unconventional ideas to solve real-world problems. The winners, announced by the end of 2021, had received a cash prize of $38,167 and an additional$6,440 for their university.

Reading Check

1. What's the disadvantage of the current solution to transforming sea water?

A. It wastes too much time.

B. It needs a permit from locals.

C. It's bad for protecting the environment.

D. It meets the needs of a small population.

2. Why did the students think of the idea of WaterPod?

A. To help people living by the sea.

B. To compete in an annual contest.

C. To earn much money for further study.

D. To exchange goods with nearby communities.

3. According to paragraph 3, what do we know about WaterPod?

A. The salt in it is filtered at the bottom. B. It cannot clean by itself.

C. It can't work individually. D. Its materials are recyclable.

4. Which word can best replace the underlined word “unconventional” in the last paragraph?

A. International. B. Unique.

C. Responsible. D. Familiar.

Language Study

Ⅰ. Difficult sentence in the text

While desalinating ocean water is an obvious solution, the current process is both expensive and harmful to the environment. 雖然淡化海水是一個顯而易見的解決方案，但當前的海水淡化過程既昂貴又對環境有害。

【點石成金】本句是一個主從復合句。 While引導讓步狀語從句，both...and...意為“既……又……”。

Ⅱ. Text-centered chunks

make it 獲得成功

have access to 可以使用；可以接近；可以利用

be harmful to 對……有害

transform...into... 把……轉變成……

come up with 想出；提出（計劃、想法等）

off the coast 在海岸附近

plenty of 很多；大量

exchange sth with sb 和某人交換某物

allow for 考慮到；把……計算在內