Yael:Welcome to another episode of Lunch with Don and Yael.
雅埃尔:欢迎来到唐和雅埃尔的另一个午餐时光。
So, Don, what are you eating today?
那唐，你今天吃什么?
Don:Nothing.
唐:什么都不吃。
YAEL:Nothing!Are you on a diet or something?
雅埃尔:不吃? 你在节食还是要干什么?
DON:Not by choice. To be honest, I'm trying to save money by buying less food.
唐:这可不是出于自愿。老实说,我想少吃点省些钱。
YAEL:Why?
雅埃尔:为什么?
DON:Because I'm spending all my money on putting gas in my car and heating my home.
唐:因为我把所有钱花在汽车和给自家供暖上了。
The other day I filled up my tank and spent over fifty bucks!
前几天光加个油就花了我50块钱!
And you don't even want to know how high my heating bills have been.
你甚至不想知道我的取暖费有多高。
YAEL:I hear you. We're all in the same boat.
雅埃尔:我听到你的诉苦了。我们都差不多。
But check this out:scientists at Arizona State University are working on a fuel cell that uses bacteria to produce energy from waste material like sewage or pig manure.
但看看这个:亚利桑那州立大学的科学家们正在致力于一项细菌从污水或猪粪等废弃物中产生能量燃料的研究。
DON:You mean they can generate energy from garbage? Sounds like science fiction.
唐:你是说他们可以从垃圾中产生能源?听起来像科幻小说。
YAEL:I know, but this is for real.
雅埃尔:我知道,但确有其事。
It's kinda technical, but the basic idea is that bacteria are good at breaking down almost any kind of organic waste.
里面涉及很多技术环节,但基本的原理是细菌善于分解几乎任何种类的有机废物。
They eat stuff like sewage and manure, essentially.
它们本质上以污水和粪便等为食。
And when they do, the waste material releases electrons.
当它们进食的时候，废物材料释放电子。
The so-called "microbial fuel cell" uses the freed electrons to generate electricity.
所谓的“微生物燃料电池”使用自由电子产生电能。
DON:That sounds great. So where can I get one?
唐:听起来不错。我在哪里能得到一个?
YAEL:Nowhere, yet. Microbial fuel cells are still in the early prototype stage.
雅埃尔:还不行。微生物燃料电池仍在早期的原型阶段。
But one day they could make a huge difference.
但总有一天它们会带来翻天覆地的变革。
The researchers think that in time, the cells could produce around twenty-five percent of the world's energy demand and help reduce our use of fossil fuels.
研究人员认为假以时日,细菌可以产生世界上百分之二十五的能源需求,帮助减少化石燃料的使用。
DON:But meanwhile, I'm starving.
唐:但与此同时,我饿了。
YAEL:Wanna share my lunch?
雅埃尔:想分享我的午餐吗?
DON:That depends . . . what do you have?
唐:这个要看情况。你吃啥?
