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Standards To Limit Forever Chemicals; Stamp Prices Are Set To Increase.

COY WIRE, CNN 10 ANCHOR: Hello, sunshine. Welcome back to CNN 10. It`s April 11th, and a random thought Thursday.

Heat, pressure and time, the three things that make a diamond are also the three things that make a waffle.
 

waffle [ˋwɑf!] n. 松饼；奶蛋格子饼

I`m Coy Wire. Let`s eat.

The Biden administration has set the first ever national standard to limit forever chemicals in our drinking water. These chemicals are officially
 

forever chemicals 永远的化学品; 持久性有机污染物(Persistent organic pollutant)

known as PFAS, spelled out PFAS. A government study found they`re present in nearly half of the United States drinking water.
 

PFAS [ˈpifez] n. 含氟表面活性剂; Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances

These forever chemicals can stick around in our environment and in our bodies. They are linked to a variety of health problems that include
 

stick around 逗留；停留；待上一阵子

cancer, thyroid disease, reproductive problems, and heart and liver damage.
 

thyroid [ˋθaɪrɔɪd] adj. & n.【解】甲状腺的；甲状软骨的

The CDC says these chemicals can be found in the blood of nearly 97 percent of Americans. This regulation is designed to reduce exposure to these

chemicals for about 100 million people across the United States. The plan targets five specific types of chemicals and sets strict limits for them.

Water treatment facilities have three years to start testing, and another two years to implement technology to filter out these chemicals. The

federal government has set aside a billion dollars to do it. So what does this all mean for you and me?

CNN`s Dr. Sanjay Gupta has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: You may have never heard of PFAS, but you`re likely to have these potentially dangerous chemicals

inside your body. Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl are substances that are known as forever chemicals.
 

perfluoroalkyl [pɚˌfluərəˋælkɪl] n. 全氟烷基物质

polyfluoroalkyl [ˌpɑlɪˌfluərəˋælkɪl] n. 多氟烷基物质

These synthetic chemicals were developed in the 1940s that are used to repel oil and water. They make consumer items non-stick and waterproof, stain resistant,
 

repel [rɪˋpɛl] v. 抗，防

non-stick 不粘食物的; 东西不粘上的

stain [sten] n. 污点，污迹

and they`re found in many products you likely use. It`s not obvious, non-stick cookware, waterproof clothing, but also in things

you may not necessarily realize, dental floss, pizza boxes, microwave popcorn bags, even makeup and sunscreen.
 

dental floss（清洁牙缝的）牙线

floss [flɔs] n.（洁齿用的）牙线

Now over the last several decades, these chemicals have been developed at this breakneck pace with now more than a 9,000 PFAS related chemicals to
 

breakneck [ˋbrek͵nɛk] adj. 非常危险的；极快的

pace [pes] n. 步速；速度；进度

date. And again, they`re called forever chemicals because they don`t break down completely, meaning the same properties that make these chemicals so durable

durable [ˋdjʊrəb!] adj. 经久的，耐用的

also make them extremely hard to get rid of, meaning they accumulate in the environment, in animals, and yes, they accumulate in us, humans.

Thousands of communities across the United States have drinking water that is contaminated with PFAS and as a result, more than 200 million Americans

could have toxic PFAS in their drinking water, according to the Environmental Working Group.

And here`s the thing: nearly all people have measurable level of PFAS in their bodies. In fact, it`s estimated that 98 percent of the U.S.

population has some level of PFAS contamination and individuals exposed on a regular basis to chemicals build up cumulatively.
 

build up 積累; 積聚

cumulatively [ˋkjumjə͵letɪvlɪ] adv. 累积地；渐增地

I want to be clear. These are relatively early days, and we still don`t fully understand the extent of the threat posed by these chemicals. PFAS

have been linked to cancer and kidney and liver damage and other serious health problems and people with prolonged exposure.

As for reversing the damage that has already been done, water treatment is expensive at scale. It`s even harder, if not impossible, to remove PFAS
 

reverse [rɪˋvɝs] v. 翻转; 彻底改变

from soil or the environment.

But here`s what you can do until a cheaper, more effective solution is found. You can avoid stain and water resistant products and sprays. If you

order delivery or takeout from restaurants, remove your food for takeout containers before reheating. In cooking at home, steer clear of non-stick
 

takeout [ˋtek͵aʊt] adj. & n. 外賣(的)

steer clear of 避开

cookware and filter your drinking water with activated carbon or reverse osmosis, if possible.
 

reverse osmosis【化】逆渗透技术

osmosis [ɑzˋmosɪs] n.【物】渗透作用

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WIRE: Who`s going to get it? Which Founding Fathers appeared on the first U.S. postage stamps?

Washington and Jefferson, Washington and Franklin, Adams and Franklin, or Washington and Adams?

If you said George Washington and Benjamin Franklin, go ahead and put your hands up. The 5 cents stamp depicting Franklin and 10 cent depicting

Washington became valid for use in the U.S. in the year 1847.
 

valid [ˋvælɪd] adj. 合法的；有效的

We`ve got news in the world of snail mail. Stamp prices are set to rise, again. The U.S. Postal Service is bumping up the price of the first class forever stamp

snail mail 平信，传统信件

bump up 提高

forever stamp 永久邮票，又称无面值邮票

by a nickel. The cost is increasing from 68 cents to 73. If you`re thinking that`s a lot, you`re right. Since 2019, the cost has shot up
 

nickel [ˋnɪk!] n.【美】五分镍币

shoot up 迅速上升

by 36 percent. So if you paid a dollar to send something five years ago, you`d be paying $1.36 today.

The Postal Service says this price hike is designed to get the post office on better financial footing. They added that the prices though remain among
 

financial footing 财政基础

the most affordable in the world. The 5 cent increase doesn`t kick in until July and still requires regulatory approval.
 

kick in 开始生效

With today`s story getting a 10 out of 10, we`re shining some light on all the animals that were suddenly in the dark during Monday`s eclipse. They

didn`t know what was going on.

Our Ed Lavandera reports from the Dallas Zoo.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was like momentarily walking into the classic comedy "Night at the Museum," a glimpse into the
 

momentarily [ˋmomən͵tɛrəlɪ] adv. 短暂地，临时地

secret lives of animals at the Dallas Zoo when humans aren`t around to watch.

Zebra started chasing him and then the ostriches got into the mix as well.
 

into the mix: actively involved in some activity, pursuit, process, etc.

Just as the zoo slipped into total darkness, a jolt of, well, animal energy seemed to shoot through the grounds.
 

jolt [dʒolt] n. 少量[（+of）]

The moment mesmerized Lisa Van Slett, a curator of mammals at the Dallas Zoo.
 

mesmerize [ˋmɛsmə͵raɪz] v. 迷住；迷惑

curator [kjʊˋretɚ] n. 馆长；管理者

So did the total eclipse today meet your expectations?

LISA VAN SLETT, ASSOCIATE CURATOR, DALLAS ZOO: It exceeded my expectations today. There was a lot more activity than I expected to see out of the

animals.

Just before total darkness, an ostrich laid an egg and hovered over it for a time, protecting it. Zoo officials say it`s not clear if the moment was

caused by the eclipse, but that the timing was certainly curious, they said.

Guinea fowl suddenly crowed wildly.
 

guinea fowl【鸟】珠鸡

crow [kro] n. （雄鸡）啼

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can hear the - I hear the birds are starting, yes.

LAVANDERA: The birds are getting louder.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah.

LAVANDERA: Just before the moon covered the sun for almost four minutes, a young giraffe and its mother galloped around the enclosure. The zebras

joined in the chase as well.

Here and around the country, elephants grouped together and appeared to head back to the area where they sleep. Flamingos packed together in the

middle of a pond in their habitat. Primates apparently also thought it was bedtime.

Animal experts say the sudden darkness triggered a natural reaction among many of the animals.

VAN SLETT: At nighttime, predators go out a lot more, and so they have to kind of huddle together to be safety in numbers and in case something`s

coming, so they went into that instinct pretty quickly.

LAVANDERA: At this doggy daycare in the Dallas area, this group of dogs seemed to stop, confused by the sudden darkness. When the sun returned, the
 

doggy [ˋdɔgɪ] adj. 狗的

dogs started playing around again.

Another video captured a cat wanting to come inside its home when darkness struck. At the Toledo Zoo, a polar bear didn`t seem to care about all the fuss, nonchalantly dove into the water before the sun disappeared.

 

fuss [fʌs] n. 忙亂；大驚小怪；小題大作

nonchalantly [ˋnɑnʃələntlɪ] adv. 漠不关心地；冷淡地；满不在乎地

Texas Parks and Wildlife officials teamed up with NASA to set up these acoustic recording devices to monitor the sounds of animals in the wild.
 

acoustic [əˋkustɪk] adj. 声音的; 音响的; 听觉的; 原声的

But not all animals were flustered or impressed by the total eclipse. Tebogo, the giraffe mostly walked around, unfazed, ready to start
 

flustered [ˋflʌstɚd] adj. 激动不安的；慌张的

unfazed [ʌnˈfezd] adj. 不受干扰的；不担忧的；不为所动的

chewing on the lettuce the humans feed him when the sun came back.
 

lettuce [ˋlɛtɪs] n. 莴苣

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAVANDERA (on camera): Because a total eclipse is so rare, there`s very little documentation, very few studies that have been done on animal

behavior during a total eclipse. Because of that, zoo officials say they plan on sharing their observations and the data they gather, not just with

other zoos that were in the path of this eclipse, but as well as with other zoos across the country.

Ed Lavandera, CNN, Dallas.

WIRE: Apparently, the eclipse didn`t meet Tebogo`s expectations. He spotted the sun`s leaf of absence, but he`s used to long stretches of
 

leave of absence 准假；假期；休假；请假

darkness. So he was unfazed because he knew it`d come back lunar than later.

Today`s shout-out is going to Mililani Middle School in Mililani, Hawaii. Aloha, Blazers, and thank you for watching the show.

 

aloha [ɑˋlohɑ] int.（夏威夷人的招呼语）你好，欢迎；珍重，再见

 

And how about Andrew Zionsville West Middle in Indianapolis, and Nick Avon Middle School South Avon, Indiana also to meet you both at the final four.

Rise up. Happy Friday eve, everyone. Shine bright today and going out and make someone smile. I dare you.

I`m Coy Wire. And we are CNN 10.

END