近年来，科学研究发现，在自然环境中分布着大量的塑料微粒。其中，那些在河流和湖泊中的微粒，会通过饮水进入人体，所以很受关注。那么，淡水中的塑料微粒是从哪里来的呢？
The source of microplastics in fresh water
by Mary Jo DiLonardo
When you clean out your dryer lint（纤维屑） screen, you get a clump of fluff（纤维团） that comes from your clothes and other laundry. But that's not the only place these fibers are going. Sometimes they never even make it to the dryer.
clean out 把…打扫干净
dryer /ˈdraɪə(r)/ n. 烘干机、干衣机（由dry加上表示人或物的后缀-er）
screen /skriːn/ n. 过滤网
a clump /klʌmp/ of 一团、一簇
laundry /ˈlɔːndri/ n. 要洗的衣物
fiber /ˈfaɪbə(r)/ n. 纤维
make it 成功做到、成功到达
According to new research, 60% of the microplastics in our fresh water come from laundry fibers. When we wash our clothes, towels and sheets, microfibers break off and wash away. They make their way into waste water treatment facilities and from there, to lakes and other large bodies of water.
microplastic /ˈmaɪkrəʊˌplæstɪk/ n. 微塑料（由plastic加上表示微小的前缀micro-）
fresh water 淡水
microfiber /ˈmaɪkrəʊˌfaɪbə(r)/ n. 微纤维（由fiber加上表示微小的前缀micro-）
make one's way 去某处
treatment /ˈtriːtmənt/ n. 处理（由treat加后缀-ment变成名词）
facility /fəˈsɪləti/ n. 设施
Penn State Behrend chemist Sherri Mason analyzed 90 water samples taken from 17 different water treatment facilities across the U.S. In her report, which was published in American Scientist, Mason found that each facility was releasing an average of more than 4 million pieces of microplastic into waterways every day.
analyze /ˈæn(ə)laɪz/ v. 分析
sample /ˈsɑːmp(ə)l/ n. 样本
publish /ˈpʌblɪʃ/ v. 发表
release /rɪˈliːs/ v. 释放、放出
waterway /ˈwɔːtəweɪ/ n. 水道、河道（由water和way组成）
Of those microplastics, 60% are fibers from clothing and other fabrics. A little over a third are from microbeads（微珠） – tiny plastic specks（微粒） used in personal care products, that were banned in the U.S. in 2018. The remaining 6% are from films and foams.
fabric /ˈfæbrɪk/ n. 布料、织物
personal care product 个人护理用品
ban /bæn/ v. 明令禁止
remaining /rɪˈmeɪnɪŋ/ adj. 剩下的
film /fɪlm/ n. 薄膜
foam /fəʊm/ n. 泡沫、泡沫塑料
Natural materials also shed fibers in the washing machine and dryer, but Mason says microbes are able to digest them, but the same isn't true for fibers made from synthetic（人工合成的） textiles. Those are non-biodegradable and may linger in the ecosystem for centuries.
material /məˈtɪəriəl/ n. 原材料、材料
shed /ʃed/ v. 落下、使脱落
microbe /ˈmaɪkrəʊb/ n. 微生物
digest /daɪˈdʒest/ v. 消化
textile /ˈtekstaɪl/ n. 纺织品
non- 前缀，表示否定
biodegradable /ˌbaɪəʊdɪˈɡreɪdəb(ə)l/ adj. 可生物降解的
linger /ˈlɪŋɡə(r)/ v. 停留、逗留
ecosystem /ˈiːkəʊˌsɪstəm/ n. 生态系统（由system加上表示生态的前缀eco-）
Mason points out that there are 15,000 waste water treatment facilities in the U.S. They were designed to remove urine（尿液）, fecal（粪便的） matter and microbes that can negatively impact the environment. But they weren't built to remove plastics.
matter /ˈmætə(r)/ n. 物质
negatively /ˈneɡətɪvli/ adv. 不好地、负面地（由negative加后缀-ly变成副词）
impact /ɪmˈpækt/ v. 影响
Some studies show that treatment facilities can remove somewhere between 75% and 99% of microplastics. But billions of these microplastics still make their way into our fresh water. A study published earlier this year called Human Consumption of Microplastics found that Americans eat, drink and inhale（吸入） between 74,000 and 121,000 microplastic particles each year.
billion /ˈbɪljən/ n. 十亿
consumption /kənˈsʌmpʃ(ə)n/ n. 食用量、使用量
particle /ˈpɑːtɪk(ə)l/ n. 颗粒、微粒
Mason says information is power and consumers are taking action. Just like microbeads were banned, people are working to reduce plastic production and consumption. She suggests that each person can reduce plastic use while also lobbying businesses to use alternative materials and reusable containers.
consumer /kənˈsjuːmə(r)/ n. 消费者
take action 采取行动
production /prəˈdʌkʃ(ə)n/ n. 产量
lobby /ˈlɒbi/ v. 游说
alternative /ɒlˈtɜːnətɪv/ adj. 可替代的、可供选择的
reusable /ˌriːˈjuːzəb(ə)l/ adj. 可重复使用的（由use加上表示重复的前缀re-，再加后缀-able变成形容词）
container /kənˈteɪnə(r)/ n. 容器（由contain加上表示人或物的后缀-er）
"The plastic we use ultimately comes back to us in the food we eat and the water we drink," Mason says in her report. "Although this is scary and a bit distressing, it also means we can make positive changes."
ultimately /ˈʌltɪmətli/ adv. 最终
scary /ˈskeəri/ adj. 吓人的
distressing /dɪˈstresɪŋ/ adj. 令人苦恼的
positive /ˈpɒzətɪv/ adj. 好的、正面的
（如果您发现某些行的最后一个单词被分成两半了，请把您使用的浏览器升级到最新版本就能正常显示了。）
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