2. Stephan Augustin. (German, born 1967) http://www.augustin.net/ BMW Designer Invents Watercone Augustin, an industrial designer, came up with the idea of the Watercone on holiday on the Canaries. As he looked across the sea, he brooded about how to convert the rich stocks of sea water in the oceans into a daily ration of drinking water.
3. The Watercone is a simple device that uses a combination of solar energy and condensation to produce potable, drinking water. WaterCone 該 Watercone 是一個簡單的裝置,使用太陽能的組合和冷凝產生飲用水。 1.device (n) 裝置 2. solar energy 太陽能 3. condensation (n) 凝結
4. The Watercone Watercone is a simple, functional , and innovative solution to one of the most basic needs in developing countries -the need for drinking water. 該 Watercone 是一種簡單,實用,並有創造性地在發展中國家解決一個最根本的需求 - 需要飲用水。 WaterCone 1.functional (a) 功能的,實用的 2.innovative (a) 創新的 3. developing countries 發展中國家
5. This simple product provides anyone an independent , inexpensive , and mobile solar means to create potable water by condensation in , what is quite simply, a solar still. WaterCone 這個簡單的產品提供任何人一個獨立的、價格低廉的、可以移動的太陽能工具,利用凝結法去創造飲用水,這個相當簡單,只要太陽能。 1.Independent (a) 獨立的 2. inexpensive (a) 價格低廉的 3.mobile (a) 可移動的 4.potable water 飲用水 (potable (a) 適於飲用的 ) 5.condensation in 凝結
6. WaterCone After making several trips around the world and becoming aware of the global water problem, Stephan Augustin, a designer at BMW AG, felt a social responsibility to create a simple, highly utilitarian , solar-powered seawater desalination apparatus that could be manufactured cheaply. 在幾次到世界各地旅行後,他開始意識到全球水的問題,斯特凡奧古斯丁是一個在寶馬汽車公司的設計師,他感受到社會的責任去創造一個簡單、高效能實用,太陽能海水淡化器,它可以便宜的被製造出來。 1.making several trips 做了幾次旅行 2. utilitarian (a) 功利的,實利的 3. solar-powered 太陽能 4. desalination (n) 去鹽作用 , 海水淡化 5.apparatus (n) 儀器 6. manufacture (v) 製造
7. WaterCone "For ecological, economical, geographical , and/or political reasons, 50 percent (2.5 billion) of the world's population has no access to clean, potable water and sanitation ," says Augustin, who set his mind to doing whatever he could to minimize this problem. 奧古斯丁說:「對於生態,經濟,地理,或政治原因,百分之五十( 2.5 億人 ) ,世界人口得不到清潔,飲用水 和衛生設施。 」,他決心去竭盡所能將這個問題極小化。 1.ecological (a) 生態 ( 學 ) 的 2. economical (a) 經濟的 3. geographical (a) 地理的 4. political (a) 政治上的 5. has no access to 無法獲得… 6. sanitation (n) 衛生 7. minimize (v) 最小化
8. WaterCone His primary challenge lay in how to go about producing such a product while keeping it inexpensive enough to produce through mass production. He knew it could comprise no more than two pieces and that there was no predecess or to follow; there was no comparable product on the market. 他的主要挑戰在於如何去生產這種產品,同時保持它足以廉價且通過大規模生產。他知道它可以包括不超過 2 件,沒有前者可以遵循,沒有任何類似 ( 可比較 ) 的產品在市場上。 1.primary (a) 主要的 2.mass (a) 大量的 3. comprise (v) 包括 4. predecessor (a) 前任,前輩 5. comparable (a) 可以比較的
9. WaterCone Dedicating himself to the job, Augustin started work on the project in 1998 by experimenting with solar desalination. All of his work on this project was done in the evenings, weekends, and holidays in addition to his regular job at BMW. 獻身於這個工作,奧古斯丁開始執行這個計畫在 1998 年,藉由試驗太陽能海水淡化技術。他所有的這方面的工作項目完成在晚上,週末,假日,除了他在寶馬的日常工作。 1.dedicate (v) 奉獻 2. experiment (v) 試驗 3. in addition to 除了
10. He began by experimenting with evaporation and condensation using a simple upside-down pyramid, a common device in desert survival. The problem here was that one-third of the condensation formed at the outer wall and ran into the sand. Moreover,the lightweight, plastic foil device wasn't wind resistant. 他開始嘗試蒸發和冷凝,用一個簡易的倒錐體,一個在 desert survival 常見的裝置。在這裡的問題是有三分之一的冷凝形成於外牆和跑進砂子裡,此外,量輕、可塑性的金屬薄片無法抵抗風。 1.evaporation (n) 蒸發 2. condensation (n) 冷凝 Initial experiments with evaporation and condensation were conducted in the desert. The desert tests had problems: The condensation that formed ran back into the sand, and the plastic foil device wasn't wind resistant.Nevertheless, the tests yielded important information that was used as the design evolved. WaterCone 3.pyramid(n) 金字塔,錐形物 4.Foil 金屬薄片,箔
11. In February 2001, Augustin had a breakthrough idea in terms of the shape of the Watercone. A simple wooden tool was used to test the idea of a cone outfitted with a screw -cap spout at the tip and an inward circular collecting trough at the base. This cone was made out of two pieces that were glued together. While promising , the piece burst and dirt collected at its inner edge, which wasn't satisfactory. 在 2001 年的二月, Augustin 有一個很突破性的想法在 Watercone 的外型上,一個簡單木製工具被使用去測試他的想法,一個在頂端有著螺旋形蓋子的壺嘴,且基底有一個在內部的圓形收集槽的錐體。此錐體是由兩片東西黏在一起製成,雖然這是令人開心的想法,但片材有可能會分離和黏著的地方會集結髒東西,這點是令人不滿意的。 WaterCone 1.Promising(a) 大有可為的 2.screw(n) 螺旋
12. In the fall of that year, Augustin contacted a company in Germany which was willing to develop the idea. "We began to think about several production methods that could be much cheaper than vacuum forming, which needs lots of manpower," he says. "We looked at different types of blow molding, especially for PET bottles, which already have a screw-cap spout at the tip, but all the manufacturers rejected [our proposal] because of geometrical and physical reasons. Then, we had the genius idea for a vacuum tool that allowed us to make the cone out of one piece." 在那年的秋天, Augustin 聯絡了一家在德國願意發展他的點子的公司,“我們開始思考一些可以比用真空成形更便宜的生產方法,而那需要大量的人力“他說,”我們研究不同類型的吹塑,特別是聚酯瓶,那已有一個螺旋形蓋子的壺嘴在頂端,但是所有的製造商都拒絕我們的計畫,因為幾何與物理上的因素,之後,我們有一個很棒的點子對於真空裝置,那可以讓我們將錐體一片成型。 1.vacuum(n) 真空 2.geometrical (n) 幾何 WaterCone
13. A prototype of the vacuum tool used to make the device. The first units were made-conical,self-supporting, and stable devices made from transparent, thermoformable polycarbonate outfitted with a screw-cap spout at the tip and an inward circular collecting trough at the base.
14. WaterCone In spring 2002, construction began on a prototype vacuum tool. Later that summer, the first working products came out of thistool "after lots of failures because the material was stretched so much at the outer trough areas that it came out as a thin foil,"Augustin says. "After about 100 tests, we found the right temperatureand airspeed to get a perfect result." 2002 年春天,開始建造一個原型真空工具。後來那年夏天,第一個運作的產品產生於這個工具 “之後大量的失敗是因為材料在外部的槽伸縮的太多以致於呈現薄片狀,”奧古斯丁說。“經過約 100 次的測試,我們發現了適當的溫度和空速而獲得完美的結果。“ 1.prototype vacuum tool 原型真空工具 2. stretch (v) 伸縮 3. airspeed (v) 空速
15. Winter 2002 brought a license agreement with that same company to produce and distribute the product, and in spring 2003, Bayer AG, Leverkusen became the supplier and partner for the polycarbonate , Makrolon , which was the primary material. 2002 年冬天帶來了與其他相同公司的許可證去生產和銷售該產品,並在 2003 年春天,拜耳股份公司,勒沃庫森成為主要的材料 - 聚碳酸酯塑料的供應商和合作夥伴。 1.polycarbonate=PC (n) 聚碳酸酯 2. makrolon (n) 聚碳酸酯製成之熱塑性工程塑膠 WaterCone
16. "As we had no PR and headcount budget, the company we were working with and I were using international awards and press reports about this product resourcefully and abundantly to increase public awareness about the global water situation and our innovative product to get manufacturing and distribution started-and it worked!" says Augustin. "There is a big potential for innovations that fulfill humanitarian , ecological , and economical aspects in one product ... and I hope concern for humanity is the next new trend." “ 由於我們工作的公司沒有公關及人數預算,我就用關於此產品的機智和豐富性的國際獎項和新聞報告,以增加公眾對全球水資源形勢和我們的創新產品的注意來獲得生產和銷售的開始 - 而這成功了 ! “ 奧古斯丁說。“有一個很大的潛力的創新是實現人道主義的, 生態的和經濟方面的一個產品,而我希望人性關懷是下一個新的趨勢。“ 1.PR (public relations ) (n) 公共關係 2. resourcefully (adv.) 機智地 3. abundantly (adv.) 豐富地 4.humanitarian (n) 人道主義 5. ecological (a) 生態 ( 學 ) 的 WaterCone
17. The revised device was tested again under desert conditions. The evaporated water condenses in the form of droplets on the inner wall of the cone. These droplets trickle down the inner wall into a circular trough at the inner base of the cone. 修正後的裝置在沙漠的條件下再次測試 蒸發的水以液滴的形式凝結在圓錐體的內壁上。這些液滴在內璧滴下進入圓錐體底部的圓形槽內。 1.evaporate (v) 蒸發 2.condense (v) 凝結 3. droplets (n) 液滴 4. trickle down 滴下 WaterCone
18. The Watercone works by a combination of solar activity, condensation , and evaporation. In short, it is a solar still. 這個淨水器是靠結合太陽活動,冷凝和蒸發來運作,總之,他還是源自太陽的 . 1.condensation (n) 凝結 WaterCone
19. Tests were run to ensure that the device would be wind resistant. Here it is withstanding winds of 34 miles (55 km) per hour. By unscrewing the cap at the tip of the cone and turning the cone upside down , one can empty the potable water gathered in the trough directly into a drinking device. 測試運行以確保此設備是防風的,它能禁得起每小時 34 英里 (55 公里 ) 的風。 旋開錐形體頂部的蓋子並將他倒轉過來,倒出聚集在底槽的飲用水直接進入喝水的裝置裡。 1.resistant (a) 抵抗的 2. withstand (v) 抵擋 ; 禁得起 3.unscrew (v) 旋開 ( 瓶子等的 ) 蓋子 4. upside down 上下顛倒 5. empty (v) 倒空 6. potable (a) 適於飲用的 WaterCone
20. To use the Watercone, simply pour salty or brackish water into the pan. Float the Watercone on top. The black pan absorbs the sunlight and heats the water to support evaporation. The Watercone has proven to be tremendously successful at creating drinking water from condensation and solar energy, and in fact, can produce as much as 1.5 liters of water a day. 使用這個淨水器,只需將鹽水或鹹水倒入平底盤,讓淨水器浮在上面,黑平底盤吸收陽光並加熱水使它蒸發。 已經證明該淨水器是非常成功的在從冷凝和太陽能產生飲用水,而事實上,一天可以產生多達 1.5 升的水。 1.brackish (a) 有鹹味的 2.absorb (v) 吸收 WaterCone