VOA常速英語：小小泡沫將普通水變成強(qiáng)力清潔劑

While a stream of ordinary cold water may clean some dirt it is not considered an effective cleaning agent. But when two inventors at the University of Southampton added a little ultrasound the water became highly effective for removing germs from tiny cracks and crevices.

雖然普通的水流可以洗掉某些污垢，然而人們并不認(rèn)為水是有效的清潔劑。不過，南安普頓大學(xué)的兩位發(fā)明人給水里添加了一點(diǎn)超聲波，大大加強(qiáng)了清潔效力，可以除去細(xì)縫中的細(xì)菌。

Under ultraviolet light greasy residue on human hands becomes visible, but trying to rinse it off with ordinary cold water is next to impossible.

紫外線的照射把人手上殘留的油脂顯現(xiàn)出來，不過，用普通的涼水洗掉它幾乎是不可能的。

Infusing the water stream with a bit of ultrasound turns it into an effective scrubber that quickly and harmlessly rinses the skin to spotless clean.

給水流中加入一點(diǎn)點(diǎn)超聲波，就能把水變成高效清潔劑了。不僅很快洗得干干凈凈，而且對皮膚無害。

The simplicity of ‘Starstream,’ invented by two researchers from the University of Southampton, England, promises to change the way we clean our bodies as well as objects we use, from kitchen tools to medical instruments.

“星流”(Starstream)由英格蘭南安普頓大學(xué)的兩名研究人員發(fā)明。它的簡單性使其前景看好，有可能改變?nèi)藗兊牧?xí)慣，包括洗浴身體，也包括清洗物體，比如清洗廚房用具和醫(yī)療設(shè)備。

“We wanted to build some kind of micro-scrubber that can clean without bleach and detergents, and can get into the crevices and the cracks. And so what we did, what we found is the bubble," said Tom Leighton from the University of Southampton.

南安普頓大學(xué)的蒂姆·萊頓說：“我們希望制造某種微清洗器，可以不用漂白液和洗滌劑就能清洗，還能進(jìn)入縫隙中。于是，我們就發(fā)現(xiàn)了這種泡沫。”

Normally, bubbles of gas contained in ordinary water have smooth surfaces. But the infusion of ultrasound makes their surfaces ripple, almost like the surface of sand paper. Flowing with water over contaminated surfaces the bubbles effectively take dirt away.

一般情況下，普通水中含有的氣泡表面是平滑的。不過，向水中發(fā)出超聲波，會使泡沫表面起皺，幾乎同砂紙一樣。當(dāng)水流過不潔物體表面時(shí)，泡沫有效地去除了污垢。

“One of the key factors of Starstream is that it takes any liquid that you are using and makes it several thousand times more effective. So if you are using soapy water or bleach, something like that, it will make it more effective," said Leighton.

萊頓說：“‘星流’的一個(gè)關(guān)鍵要素是，不管你用什么液體，它都可以使其效力增加幾千倍。如果你用肥皂水或漂白液等等，它會使其效力更強(qiáng)。”

Starstream is especially effective for removing bacteria where it hides, like in this piece of glass smeared with lipstick and mascara, or for cleaning rust spots from kitchen sinks.

“星流”對去除深藏的細(xì)菌尤為有效，比如藏在這片抹有口紅和睫毛膏的玻璃里的細(xì)菌，也善于清除廚房水池的銹斑。

Researchers say their invention could easily replace the recommended 20-seconds washing of hands with soap and warm water, with only a six-second wash with water infused with ultrasound.

研究人員說，他們的發(fā)明有可能取代用肥皂和溫水洗手20秒的建議。有了注入超聲波的水，洗手六秒鐘就夠了。