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DeepikaKurup_2016W-_一位青年科学家的净水之旅_
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| Every summer, my family and I travel across the world, 3,000 miles away to the culturally diverse country of India. |
每年夏天我和我的家人都会横跨世界 人们在大太阳下排着长队, 文化多样的印度旅行。 |
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culturally:adv.从文化角度,文化意义上;在人文学方面; diverse:adj.不同的;多种多样的;变化多的;
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| Now, India is a country infamous for its scorching heat and humidity . |
印度是一个因炎热和潮湿而出名的国家。 |
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infamous:adj.声名狼藉的;无耻的;邪恶的;不名誉的; scorching:adj.灼热的; v.把…烧焦; humidity:n.[气象]湿度;湿气;
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| For me, the only relief from this heat is to drink plenty of water. |
对我来说,唯一能让我从这灼热中解脱的,就是喝水。 |
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relief:n.救济;减轻,解除;安慰;浮雕;
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| Now, while in India, my parents always remind me to only drink boiled or bottled water, because unlike here in America, where I can just turn on a tap and easily get clean, potable water, in India, the water is often contaminated . |
在印度的时候, 我父母总是提醒我只能喝烧过的水或瓶装水, 因为与美国这里不同, 这里水龙头流的都是干净的自来水, 但是在印度,水常常是被汙染的。 |
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remind:v.提醒;使想起; potable:n.饮料(常复数);adj.适于饮用的; contaminated:v.污染;玷污,毒害(人的思想或品德);(contaminate的过去分词和过去式)
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| So my parents have to make sure that the water we drink is safe. |
所以我父母必须确保 我们喝的水是安全的。 |
| However, I soon realized that not everyone is fortunate enough to enjoy the clean water we did. |
然而我很快就意识到 不是每个人都像我们一样幸运, 能喝到干净的水。 |
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fortunate:adj.幸运的;交好运的;吉利的;
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| Outside my grandparents' house in the busy streets of India, |
我看到在我祖父母的房子外, |
| I saw people standing in long lines under the hot sun filling buckets with water from a tap. |
在印度的大街小巷里,人们在大太阳下排着长队, 从水龙头往桶里接水。 |
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buckets:n.大桶状物; v.拼命划桨; (bucket的第三人称单数和复数)
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| I even saw children, who looked the same age as me, filling up these clear plastic bottles with dirty water from streams on the roadside . |
我甚至看到 一些看起来和我一样大的孩子, 装满整塑胶瓶 路边小河里的脏水。 |
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roadside:n.路边;路旁;adj.路边的;路旁的;
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| Watching these kids forced to drink water that I felt was too dirty to touch changed my perspective on the world. |
我看到这些孩子 不得不喝 我连碰都觉得脏的水, 我的世界观因此改变了。 |
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perspective:n.观点;远景;透视图;adj.透视的;
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| This unacceptable social injustice compelled me to want to find a solution to our world's clean water problem. |
这种令人不能接受的社会不公义 促使我想要找到 解决世界净水问题的方法。 |
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unacceptable:adj.不能接受(或允许、同意)的; injustice:n.不公正;不讲道义; compelled:v.强迫;迫使;使必须;引起(反应);(compel的过去分词和过去式) solution:n.解决方案;溶液;溶解;解答;
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| I wanted to know why these kids lacked water, a substance that is essential for life. |
我想要知道为什么这些孩子如此缺水, 它可是生命的必需品。 |
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substance:n.物质;实质;主旨;物品; essential:n.要点;要素;实质;必需品;adj.完全必要的;必不可少的;极其重要的;本质的;
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| And I learned that we are facing a global water crisis . |
我发现我们正面临着 全球水源危机。 |
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global:adj.全球的;总体的;球形的; crisis:n.危机;危险期;决定性时刻;adj.危机的;用于处理危机的;
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| Now, this may seem surprising, as 75 percent of our planet is covered in water, but only 2.5 percent of that is freshwater , and less than one percent of Earth's freshwater supply is available for human consumption . |
这可能令你惊讶, 因为地球表面的 75% 都是水, 但是只有 2.5% 是淡水, 而淡水中只有不到 1%, 可以供人类使用。 |
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freshwater:adj.淡水的;无经验的;n.淡水;内河;湖水; consumption:n.消费;消耗;肺痨;
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| With rising populations, industrial development and economic growth, our demand for clean water is increasing, yet our freshwater resources are rapidly depleting . |
随着人口的增长, 工業和经济的发展, 我们对干净水的需求越来越大, 但我们的淡水资源正被迅速地消耗。 |
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industrial:adj.工业的,产业的; n.工业股票; economic:adj.经济的,经济上的;经济学的; resources:n.[计][环境]资源; v.向…提供资金(resource的第三人称单数); depleting:v.用尽,耗尽;使减少(deplete的ing形式);
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| According to the World Health Organization , 660 million people in our world lack access to a clean water source. |
根据世界卫生组织的数据, 世界上有 6 亿 6 千万人 缺少净水资源。 |
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According to:根据,据说; Organization:n.组织;机构;体制;团体;
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| Lack of access to clean water is a leading cause of death in children under the age of five in developing countries, and UNICEF estimates that 3,000 children die every day from a water-related disease . |
缺少净水资源是发展中国家 五岁以下儿童死亡的主要原因。 联合国儿童基金会估计 每天有 3000 名儿童死于与水有关的疾病。 |
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under the age of:在年龄之下;16岁以下; estimates:n.估计;估价;估计的成本;v.估价;估算(estimate的第三人称单数和复数) disease:n.病,[医]疾病;弊病;vt.传染;使…有病;
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| So after returning home one summer in eighth grade, |
所以国中二年级的夏天我回家的时候, |
| I decided that I wanted to combine my passion for solving the global water crisis with my interest in science. |
我决定要把 我对解决全球水源危机的热情, 与我对科学的兴趣结合起来。 |
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passion:n.激情;热情;酷爱;盛怒;
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| So I decided that the best thing to do would be to convert my garage into a laboratory . |
于是我决定 把我的车庫改装成实验室。 |
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convert:v.转换; n.改变宗教(或信仰、观点)的人; garage:n.车库;汽车修理厂;飞机库;v.把…送入车库;把(汽车)开进车库; laboratory:n.实验室,研究室;
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| (Laughter) |
（笑声） |
| Actually, at first I converted my kitchen into a laboratory, but my parents didn't really approve and kicked me out. |
其实最开始我把家里厨房改成了实验室, 但我父母并不赞成,把我赶出去了。 |
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converted:adj.修改的;改变信仰的;v.转变;改变信仰(convert的过去式和过去分词形式); approve:v.批准;赞成;同意;核准;
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| I also read a lot of journal papers on water-related research, and I learned that currently in developing countries, something called solar disinfection , or SODIS, is used to purify water. |
我还读了许多关于水研究的学术论文, 我了解到现在在发展中国家, 一种叫太阳能消毒, 又叫阳光杀菌法的方法被用来净化水。 |
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journal:n.杂志;日记;日志;(用于报纸名)…报; currently:adv.当前;一般地; disinfection:n.消毒,杀菌; purify:v.使(某物)洁净;净化(心灵);提纯;精炼;
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| In SODIS, clear plastic bottles are filled with contaminated water and then exposed to sunlight for six to eight hours. |
阳光杀菌法就是把装着汙水的塑料瓶 放在阳光下曬 6 到 8 小时。 |
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exposed:adj.无遮蔽的; v.暴露; (expose的过去分词和过去式) sunlight:n.日光;
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| The UV radiation from the sun destroys the DNA of these harmful pathogens and decontaminates the water. |
太阳的紫外线 能够破坏有害病原体的 DNA, 从而净水。 |
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radiation:n.辐射;放射线;放射疗法; pathogens:n.[基医]病原体;病原菌;[基医]致病菌;
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| Now, while SODIS is really easy to use and energy-efficient , as it only uses solar energy, it's really slow, as it can take up to two days when it's cloudy. |
尽管阳光杀菌法很好用, 又因仅仅利用太阳能而节省能源, 这方法实在太慢了, 因为阴天的时候就要花两天, |
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energy-efficient:adj.节能的,节约能源的;高能效的;
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| So in order to make the SODIS process faster, this new method called photocatalysis has recently been used. |
所以为了加快阳光消毒法的进程, 一项名为光催化法的技术 最近开始兴起。 |
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process:v.处理;加工;列队行进;n.过程,进行;方法,adj.经过特殊加工(或处理)的; recently:adv.最近;新近;
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| So what exactly is this photocatalysis? |
光催化法到底是什么呢？ |
| Let's break it down: "photo" means from the sun, and a catalyst is something that speeds up a reaction . |
我来解释一下: 「光」指从太阳来, 催化剂是一种能使反应加速的物质。 |
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catalyst:n.[物化]催化剂;刺激因素; reaction:n.反应,感应;反动,复古;反作用;
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| So what photocatalysis is doing is it's just speeding up this solar disinfection process. |
所以光催化法 就是加速太阳能消毒的过程。 |
| When sunlight comes in and strikes a photocatalyst, like TiO2, or titanium dioxide , it creates these really reactive oxygen species , like superoxides, hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radicals . |
当阳光照射到光催化剂, 例如氧化钛,或二氧化钛, 会产生活性很强的氧化物, 比如超氧化物、过氧化氢和羥基。 |
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titanium:n.[化学]钛(金属元素); dioxide:n.二氧化物; reactive:adj.反应的;电抗的;反动的; species:n.[生物]物种;种类; hydrogen peroxide:na.过氧化氢; hydroxyl:n.羟基,氢氧基; radicals:n.自由基;激进分子;[数]根基(radical的复数);
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| These reactive oxygen species are able to remove bacteria and organics and a whole lot of contaminants from drinking water . |
这些活性氧类 可以消灭细菌和有机物 以及很多饮用水中的汙染物。 |
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bacteria:n.[微]细菌; organics:n.有机物(organic的复数); contaminants:n.[环境]污染物;污垢物(contaminant的复数); drinking water:n.饮用水;
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| But unfortunately , there are several disadvantages to the way photocatalytic SODIS is currently deployed . |
但不幸的是,目前光催化太阳能消毒法 有一些缺陷。 |
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unfortunately:adv.不幸地; disadvantages:n.不利因素;障碍;不便之处;(disadvantage的复数) photocatalytic:光催化(作用)的; deployed:v.部署(deploy的过去式);展开;
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| See, what they do is they take the clear plastic bottles and they coat the inside with this photocatalytic coating. |
比方说,现在大家的做法是, 把干净塑胶瓶的内壁涂上光催化剂。 |
| But photocatalysts like titanium dioxide are actually commonly used in sunscreens to block UV radiation. |
但是像二氧化钛一类的光催化剂, 其实常被用于防曬霜上 以抵挡紫外线。 |
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sunscreens:n.(防晒油中的)遮光剂;
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| So when they're coated on the inside of these bottles, they're actually blocking some of the UV radiation and diminishing the efficiency of the process. |
所以当瓶子的内壁被涂满二氧化钛, 它们实际上就阻挡了一些紫外线, 而净水的效率也就变低了。 |
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diminishing:v.减少; adj.逐渐缩小的; efficiency:n.效率;效能;功效;
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| Also, these photocatalytic coatings are not tightly bound to the plastic bottle, which means they wash off, and people end up drinking the catalyst. |
并且这些光催化剂涂层 不是与塑胶瓶密不可分, 这就意味着它们会被洗掉,而人们会喝掉一些催化剂。 |
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coatings:n.[涂料]涂料,[涂料]涂层;镀膜加工(coating的复数形式); tightly:adv.紧紧地;坚固地; bound:n.跳跃:v.跳跃着跑:形成…的边界(或界限)adj.一定会:很可能会:
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| While TiO2 is safe and inert , it's really inefficient if you keep drinking the catalyst, because then you have to continue to replenish it, even after a few uses. |
尽管二氧化钛对人体无害, 这还是会导致净水效率低下, 因为催化剂被喝掉后,总是需要补充。 |
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inert:adj.[化学]惰性的;呆滞的;迟缓的;无效的; inefficient:adj.无效率的,效率低的;无能的; replenish:vt.补充,再装满;把…装满;给…添加燃料;
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| So my goal was to overcome the disadvantages of these current treatment methods and create a safe, sustainable , cost-effective and eco-friendly method of purifying water. |
因此我的目标就是克服 目前净水方法的缺陷, 发明一种安全、永续、 成本效益高、环保的净水方法。 |
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overcome:vt.克服;胜过;vi.克服;得胜; treatment:n.治疗;疗法;对待;处理;讨论; sustainable:adj.可以忍受的;足可支撑的;养得起的;可持续的; cost-effective:adj.划算的;成本效益好的(等于cost-efficient); eco-friendly:adj.对生态环境友好的,不妨害生态环境的;不损坏生态环境的; purifying:n.净化;精制;v.使纯净;精炼(purify的ing形式);
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| What started off as an eighth grade science fair project is now my photocatalytic composite for water purification . |
本来只是我国中二年级科展计画, 现在变成我水源净化的光催化复合配方。 |
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composite:n.复合材料;合成物;菊科;adj.复合的;合成的;菊科的;vt.使合成;使混合; purification:n.净化;提纯;涤罪;
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| The composite combines titanium dioxide with cement . |
这个复合物包含二氧化钛和水泥。 |
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cement:n.水泥;(干燥后硬化的)水泥;胶合剂;胶接剂;v.加强;胶合;
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| The cement-like composite can be formed into several different shapes, which results in an extremely versatile range of deployment methods. |
水泥使化合物可以塑形, 这就使运用方法很灵活。 |
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extremely:adv.非常,极其;极端地; versatile:adj.多才多艺的;通用的,万能的;多面手的; deployment:n.调度,部署;
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| For example, you could create a rod that can easily be placed inside water bottles for individual use or you could create a porous filter that can filter water for families. |
例如,可以做成杆状, 很容易放在瓶子里供个人使用, 或者用多孔过滤网为家庭滤水。 |
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rod:n.杆;竿;棒;(责打人用的)棍棒;手枪; individual:n.个人;有个性的人;adj.单独的;个别的; porous:adj.多孔渗水的;能渗透的;有气孔的; filter:n.滤波器;过滤器;滤光器;滤声器;v.过滤;渗入;(用程序)筛选;缓行;
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| You can even coat the inside of an existing water tank to purify larger amounts of water for communities over a longer period of time. |
你甚至可以把水箱内壁涂上催化剂, 在较长的时间内 为整个社区净化大量水。 |
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communities:n.社区;社会;团体;共有(community的复数)
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| Now, over the course of this, my journey hasn't really been easy. |
在整个过程中, 我的工作并不简单。 |
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journey:n.旅行;行程;vi.旅行;
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| You know, I didn't have access to a sophisticated laboratory. |
我没有精密的实验室, |
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sophisticated:adj.复杂的;老练的;见多识广的;水平高的;
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| I was 14 years old when I started, but I didn't let my age deter me in my interest in pursuing scientific research and wanting to solve the global water crisis. |
我当时只有 14 岁, 但我没有让年龄成为 我的兴趣和科研追求的阻力。 我希望解决全球水资源危机。 |
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deter:v.阻止;制止;威慑;使不敢; pursuing:v.追求;致力于;贯彻;跟踪;追赶;(pursue的现在分词) scientific:adj.科学的,系统的;
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| See, water isn't just the universal solvent . |
水不只是通用的溶剂, |
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universal:adj.普遍的;全体的;全世界的;共同的; solvent:adj.有偿付能力的;有溶解力的;n.溶剂;解决方法;
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| Water is a universal human right . |
水是通用的人权。 |
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human right:n.人权;
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| And for that reason, to bring it from the laboratory into the real world. |
正因如此, 把它们从实验室带入现实世界。 |
| And this summer, I founded Catalyst for World Water, a social enterprise aimed at catalyzing solutions to the global water crisis. |
这个夏天,我成立了「世界水的催化剂」, 一个致力于催化全球水源危机解决方案的社会企業。 |
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catalyzing:n.催化(作用);
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| (Applause) |
（掌声） |
| Alone, a single drop of water can't do much, but when many drops come together, they can sustain life on our planet. |
一滴水不能做什么, 但当许多滴水汇于一处, 就可以供养地球上的生命。 |
| Just as water drops come together to form oceans, |
就像水滴汇成大海, |
| I believe that we all must come together when tackling this global problem. |
我相信我们必须合力 来解决这个全球问题。 |
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tackling:n.装备,用具;扭住;v.处理;抓住;(tackle的现在分词);
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| Thank you. |
谢谢。 |
| (Applause) |
（掌声） |
| Thank you. |
谢谢。 |
| (Applause) |
（掌声） |