内容来源：分享美国 地址链接：http://go.usa.gov/37wR5

想学说英语吗？我们的学习美国英语日常对话在这里提供一个很好的练习机会。请点击以下声频链接，收听美国人的对话，并参照英文原文和相关中文解释。今天的对话是谈为环保采取缩减、再用、回收行动。

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/2015/06/9.-Reduce-Reuse-Recycle.mp3

Youjin: Did you know that April 22 is Mother Earth Day?

Amy: Yes, but we should think about the environment every day, not just one day a year.

Youjin: I agree! I try to do at least some small things that help the environment. Like, lately, I’ve tried to scale back my use of disposable products, such as paper napkins and paper plates.

Amy: That’s great. I wish I could do that, but I get takeout a lot, and that means a lot of disposable containers. Since my neighborhood doesn’t recycle, I throw them away. I feel guilty about that, but I still do it.

Youjin: Well, hopefully some of those containers are made from biodegradable material, so you can compost them. And if not, you can reuse them. That’s what I do. They make great containers to carry my lunch to work.

Amy: That’s a really good idea! I’ll start doing that.

词语解释

The environment：环境，即人类和动植物生存的自然世界。

Scale back：减少规模或数量。

Disposable：用后即可丢掉的，一次性的。

Takeout ：外卖（餐饮食品） 。

To recycle ：回收，即废物再利用。也指将旧东西送到翻新改造的地方。有时也可指再次使用。

Feel guilty 指人觉得自己做错了事的时候感到内疚或惭愧。

Biodegradable ：可生物递降分解的，即可自然而无害地分解成微小物质。

To compost ：将有机物，如树叶、蔬果剩余部分、咖啡渣等混合沤成肥料，即制成堆肥，用来滋养花园草地的土壤。

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。 

Youjin: Did you know that April 22 is Mother Earth Day?

Amy: Yes, but we should think about the environment every day, not just one day a year.

Youjin: I agree! I try to do at least some small things that help the environment. Like, lately, I’ve tried to scale back my use of disposable products, such as paper napkins and paper plates.

Amy: That’s great. I wish I could do that, but I get takeout a lot, and that means a lot of disposable containers. Since my neighborhood doesn’t recycle, I throw them away. I feel guilty about that, but I still do it.

Youjin: Well, hopefully some of those containers are made from biodegradable material, so you can compost them. And if not, you can reuse them. That’s what I do. They make great containers to carry my lunch to work.

Amy: That’s a really good idea! I’ll start doing that.

Now let’s review the vocabulary

The environment is the natural world in which people, animals and plants live.

Scale back is to reduce or make something smaller in size or amount than it was before.

Something disposable is intended to be thrown away after one use or a few uses.

Takeout is food that is prepared in a restaurant and taken by a customer to be eaten in another place, often at home.

To recycle is to make new things from old materials. It also means to send things to a place where they are made into something new. Another meaning is to reuse something.

When people feel guilty, they feel that they have done something wrong.

Biodegradable means that something is able to break down into very small parts naturally and harmlessly.

To compost means to change organic material, such as leaves, vegetable/fruit scraps, coffee grounds, etc., into a decayed mixture that is used to improve the soil in a lawn or garden.

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.