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上期划线句答案
As there are more herds that test positive, there are more workers who are exposed, and where there are more workers who are exposed, the chances of human infection increase.
随着更多牛群检测呈阳性，接触到的工人也会增加，而有更多接触到的工人，人类感染的机会也会增加。
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本期内容
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双语阅读
Para.1
A placenta is, by definition, new tissue: It grows from scratch over nine months of pregnancy. So when a team of researchers found microplastics in every human placenta they sampled, they were a little bit shocked, Matthew Campen, a professor at the University of New Mexico and a researcher on the team, told me. But in hindsight, he thinks perhaps they shouldn’t have been. Microplastics are in the air we breathe, the water we drink, the rain and snow falling from the sky, the food we eat. A robust body of research now links chemical compounds (such as phthalates and bisphenols) that are shed from plastic to a wide array of human health impacts, including hormone disruption, developmental abnormalities, and cancer.
Para.2
I recently went through the painstaking process of finding a couch that wasn’t covered in some kind of polymer “performance” material, eventually settling on a leather option. It was already far more expensive than standard microfiber or polyester-twill options, and I only later realized that the foam cushions within the leather were, like most couches, made of polyurethane foam that, for all I knew, was releasing plumes of microplastic dust each time I plopped down.
Para.3
You can repeat this type of reasoning with any manner of home good. Purity is impossible, and half measures feel better than nothing but also like failure. And it’s all expensive. If a family is expecting a baby and wants, reasonably, to buy plastic-free baby products—given everything humanity is learning about the possible impact of plastic on fetal and child development—they would have to be relatively rich. You can get an organic, plastic-free crib mattress for $1,379; one made of polyester fiber and wrapped in vinyl costs $35.
Para.4
When Sathyanarayana talks with the families she sees as a pediatrician, she tells them to avoid the big things: Don’t use plastic in your kitchen, if you can help it, because ingestion is a major route for microplastics into the body. She suggests that they not eat food out of plastic containers. And especially don’t heat food in plastic, to avoid ingesting plasticizers—chemicals added to plastic to make them soft and flexible.
Para.5
But another big one to avoid is heavily processed food, which may be contaminated with more microplastic simply by undergoing more manufacturing steps in modern, plastic-heavy factories. It’s good advice, but it also requires money and time: Wooden utensils are more expensive than plastic utensils, glass containers are more expensive than plastic containers, and so on. Avoiding processed food means making food, which also takes time, a luxury that some families simply don’t have.
本文节选自：The Atlantic（大西洋月刊）
发布时间：2024.9.19
作者：planet
原文标题：The Cost of Avoiding Microplastics
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写作句总结
原句：Purity is impossible, and half measures feel better than nothing but also like failure.
结构：X is impossible, and Y feels better than nothing but also like Z.
例句：Success is impossible, and hard work feels better than nothing but also like an endless struggle.
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阅读理解题
What is the main reason the author suggests families find it challenging to avoid plastic products?
A) Lack of awareness about the effects of microplastics
B) The complexity of the manufacturing process
C) The high cost of alternative products
D) The abundance of plastic in everyday items
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打卡作业
翻译文章中的划线句，文末留言打卡，下期推送会在文章开头处公布参考翻译答案，大家一起来学习英语吧~
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