中英對照讀新聞》Scientists make ’disturbing’ find on remote island: plastic rock科學家在偏僻的島上找到令人擔憂的塑膠石頭

地質學家在巴西特林達德島上發現含有塑膠的岩石。（法新社）

◎林雨萱

There are few places on Earth as isolated as Trindade island, a volcanic outcrop a three- to four-day boat trip off the coast of Brazil.

地球上很少有地方像特林達德島般與世隔絕，這是一座露出地面的火山岩，從巴西海岸搭船3至4天才能抵達。

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Geologist Fernanda Avelar Santos was startled to find an unsettling sign of human impact on the otherwise untouched landscape: rocks formed from the glut of plastic pollution floating in the ocean.

地質學家費爾南達．阿韋拉爾．桑托斯吃驚地發現，在這片原本未開發的土地上，出現一個令人不安的人類影響跡象：在海上漂浮的大量塑膠汙染形成了岩石。

Intrigued, she took some back to her lab after her two-month expedition.

備感興趣之下，她在2個月的考察之後，把部分岩石帶回實驗室。

Analyzing them, she and her team identified the specimens as a new kind of geological formation, merging the materials and processes the Earth has used to form rocks for billions of years with a new ingredient: plastic trash.

分析岩石之後，她和她的研究團隊認定，這些標本是一種新的地質結構，將地球數十億年來用以形成岩石的材料和過程併入一種新成分：塑膠垃圾。

新聞辭典

startled：形容詞，吃驚的。例句：Peggy was startled when a dog showed up at her bedroom.（當一隻狗出現在珮琪的辦公室裡，她嚇了一跳。）

glut：名詞，過量；供過於求。例句：The glut of egg set the price down.（雞蛋供應過盛，造成價格下跌。）

intrigue：動詞，激起…的興趣。例句：Duffy was intrigued by mythology.（達菲對神話感興趣。）

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