程度较高的读者也可以选择使用完全以英文解释的这段对话。

对话录音：
http://share.digital2.getusinfo.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/7.-Going-Green.mp3

Yuki: What’s with the green shirt, Mandy?

Mandy: I’ve decided to go green! And, yes, I know that to go green doesn’t mean to wear green. I bought a new eco-friendly car.

Yuki: A new car! That’s awesome. But what makes it eco-friendly?

Mandy: It’s a hybrid, so it uses less fuel, which produces lower emissions. Lowering emissions means there is less pollution in the air from the car.

Yuki: Cool. Now I want to get one.

词语解释

用what’s with 提问是一种比较随便的问话方式，往往是问一件比较特别的事，或想弄明白某事。

To go green指采用有利于环境的方式，包括尽量减少浪费、增加重复使用和回收。

Eco-friendly（有益环境的），用于形容不伤害环境的做法。

A hybrid（混合动力车），指以汽油和另一种能源（通常是电能）为动力的车。

Emissions（排放） ，常指释放到空中对人体或自然产生不良影响的东西。

Pollution （污染），使土壤、水资源或空气变得肮脏或不安全的现象。

American English 网站提供可供英语学生和教师免费使用的多种英语资源。American English Facebook网页提供每天更新的英语学习资料。

日常对话”由国务院教育与文化事务局英语语言项目处（Office of English Language Programs, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs）资深项目官员海蒂·豪兰（Heidi Howland）编写。


 

Everyday conversations for English learners: Going green [audio]

Learning to speak English? Our Everyday Conversations help you practice. Click the audio link to hear a native speaker pronounce each word while you read. Key terms are explained at the end. Today’s conversation is on going green.

 Audio:
 http://share.digital2.getusinfo.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/7.-Going-Green.mp3

Yuki: What’s with the green shirt, Mandy?

Mandy: I’ve decided to go green! And, yes, I know that to go green doesn’t mean to wear green. I bought a new eco-friendly car.

Yuki: A new car! That’s awesome. But what makes it eco-friendly?

Mandy: It’s a hybrid, so it uses less fuel, which produces lower emissions. Lowering emissions means there is less pollution in the air from the car.

Yuki: Cool. Now I want to get one.

Now let’s review the vocabulary

The question what’s with something is an informal way of asking about something unusual or asking what the meaning of something is.

To go green means to adopt an environmentally friendly lifestyle by doing things such as reducing, reusing and recycling whenever possible.

Eco-friendly means that something is not harmful to the environment.

A hybrid is a car with an engine that uses gasoline and another type of energy, usually electricity.

Emissions are things, such as gas, sent into the air. This word generally refers to things that can have a negative effect on humans or nature.

Pollution means substances that make land, water or air dirty and/or unsafe.

The American English website offers a variety of free resources for learners and teachers of English. The American English Facebook page posts learning materials for English-language learners daily.

Everyday Conversations are developed by the State Department’s Heidi Howland, a senior program officer in the Office of English Language Programs, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.