EZCNN 易英网

Why the Great Pacific Garbage Patch could be part of a bigger hidden problem    May 6, 2026

 

What's up, sunshine? I'm Coy Wire. Welcome to CNN 10, your fast pass to the facts served fresh in just 10 minutes. We give you the wet letting you decide what to think.

 

fast pass 快速通关

 

We begin with an update on the US and Israel's war with Iran. Tensions keep escalating in the Strait of Hormuz, the key waterway, aka oil superhighway, over which the US and Iran continue to fight for control. US President Donald Trump says the US military is now escorting cargo ships through the strait as part of an operation dubbed Project Freedom.

 

This has drawn a sharp rebuke from Iran, who also carried out strikes on cargo ships and key United Arab Emirates oil port this week. Iran has also signaled that it has ways to further complicate this war, and it has threatened to attack any foreign military ships entering the waterway. And a new CNN investigation shows that Iran's nuclear capabilities may not be as defunct as previously thought.

 

rebuke [rɪˈbjuk] n. 指责，非难；训斥

defunct [dɪˈfʌŋkt] adj. 已废止的

 

Arkady Poglaz has an in-depth look at how some key parts of the country's nuclear supply chain may still be intact even after a series of US and Israeli strikes.

 

Let's start at the beginning of the supply chain. Alongside the research, the process starts at places like these, Saghand uranium mine, where the raw material, uranium ore, is mined.

 

In recent years, Saghand mine has expanded significantly. You can see widening pits, growing piles of earth, and diggers. We looked at recent imagery since the latest strikes and found no evidence of damage.

 

digger [ˈdɪɡɚ] n. 挖掘者；挖掘机，掘凿器

 

In fact, from between the clouds, you can still see diggers operating at the site. So far, this indicates this stage of the nuclear supply chain may remain untouched. Next, the mined uranium ore is transported to production plants like this one in Ardakan.

 

Here, it's converted into yellowcake, which is a type of concentrated uranium. We found this plant was substantially damaged in recent strikes on March 27th. An image taken the following month shows little change, suggesting the Iranians have not rebuilt this site yet.

 

yellowcake [ˈjɛloˌkеk] n. 黄铀饼，粗制铀

 

After this, the yellowcake is taken here to sites like this one in Isfahan to be purified and converted into uranium hexafluoride. And it's this one, this stage of the supply chain, that has caused the biggest headache for the US and Israel. Back last June, French outlet Le Monde found this truck visible in imagery taken just days before the strikes.

 

These blue containers are likely carrying uranium into the tunnels, experts told CNN. Days later, these facilities were substantially damaged in Israeli attacks. You can see several buildings wiped out.

 

Then, in early 2026, Iran covered over several entrances to these underground tunnels with earth, preventing people from accessing them. Further measures were taken this April, when these roadblocks were put up in front of the entrances to the tunnels. It could suggest there still remains something valuable down there.

 

They were not, however, hit in the latest US-Israeli strikes. Even experts we spoke to are unsure why. David Albright is a world-leading expert on nuclear weapons.

 

How much of a risk in the future is that stores in Isfahan Mountain?

 

I think it's a big risk. That's quite a bit of money in the bank. I mean, the amount of enriched uranium they've produced was equivalent to a full year's of production of their entire enrichment complex, and is believed to be mostly, almost all of it, at Isfahan.

 

In fact, the US believes this too, and their demand to remove this uranium has been a key issue in the stalling peace negotiations. And finding out exactly how much is down there is central to determining whether Iran remains a nuclear threat.

 

Pop quiz, hot shot.

 

What is the painting technique featuring small, distinct dots which form an image?

 

Impressionism, Sfumato, Tenebrism, or Pointillism?

 

sfumato [sfuˈmɑto] n. 晕涂法

tenebrism [ˈtɛnəˌbrizəm] n. 暗色主义

pointillism [ˈpɔɪntəlɪzəm] n. 点描派

 

You're on point like decimals if you said pointillism. The technique developed by Georges Seurat and Paul Signac in the 1800s used thousands of tiny dots of unmixed color to form one cohesive image.

 

decimal [ˈdɛsɪmḷ] n. 小数

unmixed [ʌnˈmikst] adj. 未搀杂的，纯粹的

cohesive [koˈhisɪv] adj. 凝聚性的；有结合力的

 

Now to the Met Gala, the annual celebration of art, culture, and fashion turned all the way up. Held every first Monday of May, it's a fundraiser for the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. It attracts big donors and big-time stars from all walks of life. This year's theme, costume art.

 

fundraiser [ˈfʌndˌrеzɚ] n. 资金筹集活动

big-time [ˈbɪɡtaɪm] adj. 巨大成功，顶峰时期，高光时刻，大红大紫

 

Actor Ben Platt channeling a pointillist masterpiece inspired by Georges Seurat's A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. Some stars were almost entirely in disguise. Heidi Klum, frozen in time like a statue by Italian artist Raffaele Monti's Veiled Vestal.

 

Hunter Schaefer, Euphoria actor, wore a look inspired by Gustav Klimt's painting Mada Primavesi. People on the red carpet said she looked like she walked straight out of the early 1900s painting. But you have to see this.

 

Olympic phenom Aileen Gu resplendent. Floating in a dress made of 15,000 glass bubbles. It took more than 2,500 hours to make, and yes, real bubbles included.

 

phenom [fɪˈnɑm] n.【美】【俚】特出优异的人或物

resplendent [rɪˈsplɛndǝnt] adj. 灿烂的；光辉的；华丽的

 

She says fashion, like sports, is about pushing limits and expressing your truest self.

 

Now to the floating garbage patch.Roughly twice the size of Texas, a new study finds the Great Pacific garbage patch may be doing more harm than initially thought.

 

Airborne microplastics appear to be absorbing sunlight, potentially adding to global heating. Why does this matter? Rising temperatures can fuel extreme weather, disrupt ecosystems, impact life on land and sea. Who better to break it down than our chief climate correspondent, Bill Weir. Hi, Bill.

 

Coy, yeah, I remember the first time I heard about the Great Pacific garbage patch 20 years ago. I imagined a floating dump you could walk around on, but actually it's more like a plastic soup, thin plastic soup where you could take a siphon and go through and get little pieces of plastic bottles and old fishing nets that are breaking down packaging from around the world.

 

siphon [ˈsaɪfǝn] n. 虹吸管

 

And it's all contained thanks to these circular currents called gyres there. And we've always cared about the impact of this monstrosity, both on the fish and the bird life, the whales and sea turtles that actually have to swim through and eat from that pollution.

 

gyre [ˈdʒaɪr] n.（海洋）环流

monstrosity [mɑnsˈtrɑsǝtɪ] n. 怪物；巨人；可怕的东西; 巨大而丑陋的东西

 

But this new research looks at the effects on global warming because as that plastic breaks down and atomizes, it gets into the air and even a tiny little piece, a dark piece of plastic absorbs 75 times as much solar energy as a clear piece of pollution floating out there as well.

 

atomize [ˈætǝmˌaɪz] v. 使分裂成原子

 

And because this patch is twice the size of Texas or three times the size of France, that's a lot of tiny particles floating in the air and contributing to overall overheating.

 

Now, it's a small percentage relative to what's happening because right now, Coy, I don't know if you know, ocean temperatures are off the charts, likerecord-shattering highs, and it's not even springtime and El Nino hasn't even kicked in yet. So the weather created by these overheating seas is a more pressing concern.

 

But as for the plastic, it's also worth noting, last year, over 100 countries came to the table, ready to negotiate a global plastics treaty to get countries to reduce and reuse and recycle best they can.

 

But it was blocked in the end by countries that produce a lot of oil, gas and petrochemicals like the United States, Saudi Arabia and Russia. Coy?

 

Today's story getting a 10 out of 10,turning graves into gardens of gratitude.

 

In Florida, eighth grader and Girl Scout, Cassandra Selden, saw something she could not ignore. The Miami City Cemetery, which she walks by every day on her way to school, is an historic resting place for hundreds of war veterans. But Cassandra noticed they needed some TLC.

 

TLC 温暖的爱护和关怀（tender loving care 的缩写）

 

So she stepped up and cleaned their graves as a part of her Girl Scout Silver Award.

 

Just think that it's so wrong that these veterans, they served our country and they helped us gain our freedom. So I think that they should be respected.

 

Over a year-long mission, Cassandra rallied volunteers and veterans, cleaning more than 1,700 graves. And she didn't stop there. She built a digital library for each restored veteran's grave so families can locate their loved ones.

 

Her project may be complete, but Cassandra's impact and the veterans, they're etched into history. That is awesome stuff.

 

etch [ɛtʃ] v. 深印；鲜明地描述

 

All right, congrats to our Your Word Wednesday winners.

 

Mr. Sherman and friends at Woodward Academy in the ATL, Georgia, submitting resplendent, an adjective describing someone or something shining brilliantly, dazzling, or richly colorful. Way to work, squad. Thank you for making us smarter today.

 

We have some shout outs as well. Mrs. Blondin at Beacon Middle School in Lewis, Delaware, thank you for commenting and subscribing on our CNN10 YouTube channel and making us a part of your day. Finally, going above and beyond from Lake Zurich, Illinois, listen to this.

 

Jonathan James Mason, Mr. Nicky at Lake Zurich Middle School, South, we did not know you had game like this. And Mr. Nicky, your world history songs on YouTube are the stuff of legend. Keep rocking, y'all.

 

Stay creative. Stay kind. I'm Coy Wire, and I will see you tomorrow right here on CNN10.