2022-08-22 Paper-saving ‘de-printer’ invented 新发明：省纸节能的 “去墨打印机”

科学家们发明了一种名为 “去墨打印机” 的特殊装置，它可以吸走打印纸上的墨水，这样每张纸就可以使用十次。他们希望通过减少对办公用纸的需求来降低制浆造纸业的二氧化碳排放量。

Making paper takes lots of energy, and the pulp and paper industry is a huge emitter of greenhouse gases. So, welcome to the de-printer, a machine that allows you to re-use a sheet of A4 ten times over.

造纸需要消耗大量的能源，制浆造纸业是一个温室气体的巨大排放源。因此，欢迎使用 “去墨打印机”，一种可以让你把一张 A4 纸重复使用十次的机器。

The secret’s in a special, ultra-thin coating that’s applied to the paper to stop the ink sinking in. To return the sheet to pristine white, you zap it with a high-powered laser and vaporise the ink, which can be trapped and used again.

秘诀就在于纸上涂了一种特殊的超薄涂层，以防止墨水渗入。要还以纸张的洁白本色，就用高功率激光击打纸面，使墨迹汽化，汽化后的墨水可存好并再次使用。

It’s said to use a fraction of the energy taken to make new paper, but there’s no guarantee it will be commercially viable.

据说，这一循环用纸的过程所需能量只是制造新纸张所需能量的一小部分，但不能保证它具有商业可行性。

词汇表

pulp 纸浆
emitter 排放源
coating 涂层
pristine 崭新的
vaporise 使汽化
guarantee 保证
commercially viable 在商业上行得通的

阅读理解：请在读完上文后，回答下列问题。

1. How many times will the de-printer enable a sheet of A4 paper to be re-used?

2. What is it about the paper that allows it to be re-used?

3. How is the ink on the original piece of paper removed?

4. Why could this invention help the environment, compared with making new paper?

答案 

1. How many times will the de-printer enable a sheet of A4 paper to be re-used?
The de-printer allows you to re-use a sheet of A4 paper ten times over.

2. What is it about the paper that allows it to be re-used?
A special, ultra-thin coating that’s applied to the paper stops the ink sinking in.

3. How is the ink on the original piece of paper removed?
It is zapped with a high-powered laser which vaporises the ink.

4. Why could this invention help the environment, compared with making new paper?
The process of making the paper re-usable is said to use a fraction of the energy taken to make new paper.