VOA慢速英语:Research Breakthrough for Biodegradable Tires?(翻译)

Researchers say they have created a new synthetic rubber that could be used to make biodegradable tires.
研究人员表示他们已经创造了一种新的合成橡胶，它可以用于制造可生物降解的轮胎。
A team at Texas A&M University's campus in the Gulf nation of Qatar is testing the synthetic rubber.
德州农工大学卡塔尔分校的一个研究小组正在测试这种合成橡胶。

One of the researchers, Robert Tuba, said the goal is to find a way to make fully recyclable tires.
研究人员之一的罗伯特·图拔（Robert Tuba）称他们的目标是找到一种办法制造可完全回收的轮胎。

Rubber tires thrown into landfills decompose very slowly. They are a and can release chemicals into the soil. If they collect water, they can also become a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
扔进垃圾填埋场的橡胶轮胎分解非常慢。它们存在失火风险，还会向土壤中释放化学物质。如果轮胎积了水还会成为蚊虫滋生的温床。

The research team discovered a by-product of the oil refining process called cyclopentene. This was combined with a polymer to make a substance very similar to natural rubber.
该研究小组发现石油炼制过程中有一种名为环戊烯的副产品，它和某种聚合物结合后能生成一种非常类似于天然橡胶的物质。

The new synthetic rubber is being tested to see if it can be mixed with metal and other materials now used in making tires. The goal is to produce a new kind of synthetic that is just as strong as the rubber now used, but is biodegradable.
这种新的合成橡胶正在接受测试看是否能和金属以及目前制造轮胎的其它物质混合。其目标是造出一种新型合成物，它和目前使用的橡胶同样坚固，但是可生物降解。

The team said they found other benefits of the synthetic rubber. For one thing, they were able to recover 100 percent of the original materials when the rubber decomposed.
该小组表示，他们发现了这种合成橡胶的其它优点。举例来说，当这种橡胶分解时，它们能够回收100%的原始材料。

The researchers say they already have a partner in the rubber industry. If future tests go well, Robert Tuba said his team would be ready to "bring the material to market."
研究人员表示他们在橡胶行业已经有合作伙伴。图拔表示，如果未来测试进展顺利，他的团队将会做好“把这种材料推向市场”的准备。

This would eventually make biodegradable rubber tires widely available.
这最终将使得可生物降解橡胶轮胎被广泛应用。