为什么新加坡禁止嚼口香糖？ Why did Singapore ban gum?

Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English. I’m Rob...
大家好，欢迎收听六分钟英语。我是罗伯。
...and I’m Finn. Hello.
大家好，我是芬恩。
Hello, Finn! Are you chewing gum over there?
你好，芬恩。你是在那嚼口香糖吗？
Yeah. Oh hang on – I’ll just stick it under the desk for now.
哦，是的，等一下。我把它粘在桌子下面。
Yuck – that’s revolting! Why don’t you go and put it in the bin? Since when did you take up this antisocial habit? Antisocial means annoying to other people, by the way.
啐，那样很恶心。为什么不去扔到垃圾桶里呢？你什么时候养成了这么不道德的习惯呢？不道德的，是指让其他人反感的。
Yeah, well. OK, Rob. Fine. Since I heard that there was evidence that chewing gum can improve your brain.
好吧，罗伯。这是自从我听说嚼口香糖有利于增强大脑活力开始。
So how does it do that?
嚼口香糖怎么会增强大脑活力呢？
Well, some experts say that the chewing action can lead to an increase in blood flow to the brain.
一些专家表示咀嚼的动作会增强大脑的血液流动。
Interesting! And guess what, we’re taking about chewing gum on today’s programme!So here’s a question for you, Finn. When did the Singapore government outlaw chewing gum?Was it in...a) 1982?b) 1992?or c) 2002?
很有意思！我们今天的节目就是谈论嚼口香糖。要问你一个问题，芬恩。新加坡政府是什么时候从法律上禁止人们嚼口香糖的？a) 1982年?b) 1992年?还是 c) 2002年?
And just before I answer, to outlaw something means to make it illegal.Well, I think the answer is a) 1982.
回答之前提一句，从法律上禁止意思说使之不合法。我认为答案是a) 1982年。
Well, we’ll chew on it for a while, shall we, and find out if you’re right at the end of the programme.
好的，我们细想一会，节目的最后再看你回答的是否正确。
So, Rob, what’s the history of chewing gum?
罗伯，咀嚼口香糖的历史是怎么样的呢？
Well, people have been chewing gum for thousands of years. The Ancient Greeks chewed gum made from resin – a sticky substance produced by trees.But why do people like chewing gum?
人们嚼口香糖已经有几千年的历史了。古希腊人咀嚼用树脂做的口香糖，树脂是一种树木分泌的黏性物质。但是人们为什么喜欢咀嚼口香糖呢？
Well, for many people it’s just something to do. But you know, I like the idea that it’s good for my brain.Research has shown that people find gum chewers are also more approachable – that means they’re friendlier and easier to talk to.
对许多人来说，喜欢就是喜欢。但是我偏向于咀嚼口香糖对大脑有好处这种说法。调查显示人们发现喜欢咀嚼口香糖的人比较好接近，意思是他们更加友好，容易交流。
OK. Well, there might be some truth in that. The thing we’re here to discuss today, though, is how to dispose – or get rid – of gum responsibly.And you didn’t set a very good example earlier in the show, did you, Finn?
这也有一定的道理。我们今天谈论的是如何负责任地处理，或扔掉口香糖。节目开头你可没有做一个好的示范，不是吗？
Ah, well. Yeah, no, I didn’t. But lots of people dispose of gum irresponsibly – that means not responsibly.It’s often found stuck underneath tables, chairs, benches and escalators.And it’s really difficult and expensive to remove once it has dried.
好吧，确实没有。但是很多人都不负责任地处理口香糖，没有责任感。经常能在桌子、椅子、板凳下和电梯里发现黏住的口香糖。口香糖一旦干了，很难除掉，花费也不少。
Right – because gum actually creates a chemical bond – which means when one thing joins firmly to another. For example it bonds with tarmac roads, rubber shoe soles, and concrete paving.
没错，因为口香糖会分泌一种化学胶结，把一个物质与另一物质紧密的粘起来。例如口香糖会粘在柏油路上，橡胶鞋底和混凝土路面。
So how do we remove dried gum from roads and pavements? Rob, how would you do it?
我们怎么把干掉的口香糖从路面上移除呢？罗伯，你会怎么做呢？
Well, people do use high-pressure steam cleaners and then they scrape it off. But it’s a slow process that’s labour-intensive – which means it takes a lot of people to do it.
一般人们会用高压蒸汽清洁器，把口香糖刮去。但是这是一个缓慢的过程，也是一种劳动密集型的工作，需要很多人来完成。
I’m sure it does.So let’s hear someone telling a BBC reporter about why they threw their gum away in the street. Can you hear the reason she gives?
确实如此。我们来听听BBC记者对一位路人的采访，讲述为什么人们会把口香糖扔在路上。她给出了什么原因呢？
Not that often. I often put it in the bin.
不经常，我通常把口香糖扔到垃圾箱里。
But you do it sometimes?
但是你有时也会吐在路上是吗？
Yeah, sometimes.
是的，有时会。
Why do you do it sometimes?
为什么呢？
I don’t know. Because there’s no bins around.
我不知道，可能因为附近没有垃圾箱。
Now, she says she throws her gum in the street when she can’t find a bin.
她说她把口香糖扔在路上是因为找不到垃圾桶。
So, why doesn’t she put it in her pocket and wait until she finds a bin?
那么，为什么她不把口香糖放在口袋里，直到找到垃圾桶再扔掉呢？
Ah, no. No way, man!That’s – that would make her pocket sticky!
当然不会这么做。这会使她的口袋非常黏。
Oh dear – it sounds like you and her are two of a kind – and that means very similar.OK, well, let’s find out what another gum chewer does.
天啊，你和她真是同一类型，指两个人非常相似。好吧，我们看看其他嚼口香糖的人是怎么做的。
If you’re walking along the street, and you had some other, a packet of crisps, when you’d finished it, would you throw that away?
如果你走在大街上，你有一包薯片，你吃完之后，会随手扔掉吗？
Not really.
不会。
So why do you sometimes throw the chewing gum away?What’s the difference?
那为什么有时候你会随处吐掉口香糖呢？这有什么区别呢？
It’s not like a wrapper.
口香糖就像是一种食物，而不是包装纸。
So, this guy says gum is like food, so it’s OK to drop it on the ground. Do you agree, Rob?
这个人说口香糖类似于一种食物，所以扔到地上没有问题。你同意吗，罗伯？
No, I don’t.Food, such as a discarded apple core or banana skin, quickly and naturally degrades – or breaks down. And other types of litter, for example, a crisp packet or a sweet wrapper, can be picked up easily.
我不同意。食物，像废弃的苹果核、香蕉片，会迅速地自然分解。其他类型的垃圾，像薯片袋、糖纸能轻易得捡起来。
That’s right. Whereas chewing gum is a bit like glue once it dries and it’s extremely difficult to remove.So, in this way, of course, it can also be environmentally damaging.
没错。然而口香糖有点像胶，很难清除。从这个方面来说，这对环境有害。
In 2000 a study of a busy London shopping street showed that a quarter of a million pellets of chewing gum were stuck to the pavement. And a pellet is a small round ball of something that has become hard.
2000年，一项针对伦敦繁华商业街的调查显示，街道上黏着25万小团口香糖。小团是指变硬的小圆团。
That’s a lot of pellets, isn’t it!The amount of discarded gum in Singapore was considered to be such a problem that the government banned the sale and consumption of gum altogether.They said it was because people were sticking their gum in the sliding doors of subway trains, stopping the doors from opening and closing.
黏着的口香糖真多啊。新加坡丢弃的口香糖已经成为政府的困扰，因此新加坡政府禁止销售以及食用口香糖。他们说人们把口香糖粘在地铁的滑动门上，影响了门的开闭。
Yes, it’s a sticky subject isn’t it?
没错，这是个棘手的问题，不是吗？
It is indeed. A sticky situation, Rob.
确实。这个情形很棘手。
And that brings us on to today’s quiz question!I asked you earlier: when did the Singapore government outlaw chewing gum? Was it in… a) 1982? b) 1992? or c) 2002?
我们回到节目开头的问题。我之前问你，新加坡政府是什么时候从法律上禁止人们嚼口香糖的？a) 1982年?b) 1992年?还是 c) 2002年?
I said a) 1982.
我选的是a) 1982年。
You are wrong, Finn, just for today. The answer is actually b) 1992.
今天你答错了。正确答案是b) 1992年。
Which means the people of Singapore could chew gum for ten more years than I said.That’s good. Now, how about those words again, Rob?
这意味着新加坡人比我认为的多嚼了十年口香糖。不错。我们再看看今天的单词？
OK, well, the words we heard today were:
好的，我们今天听到的单词有：
Antisocial
违背社会公德的
to outlaw something
宣布为不合法
Resin
树脂
Approachable
可接近的
chemical bond
化学胶结
labour-intensive
劳动密集型的
two of a kind
同一类型的
Degrades
分解
pellet
小团
Well, that brings us to the end of today’s 6 Minute English.We hope you’ve had plenty to chew on in today’s programme.And you can hear more programmes at bbclearningenglish.com.Join us again soon.
我们今天的节目就到这里。希望你在今天的节目中有所收获。登陆bbclearningenglish.com可以获取更多节目。下次节目再会。
Bye.
再见。