For instance, how many of you play a brass instrument, like a trumpet or a trombone?

　　舉個(gè)例子來說，你們中玩銅管樂器的人多不多，比如喇叭或者長號(hào)?

　　Well, brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, if your trombone was made of pure copper or pure zinc, it wouldn’t sound nearly as beautiful as a brass trombone.

　　銅管樂器是銅和鋅的合金，如果你的長號(hào)是用純銅或者純鋅制作的，它演奏起來就不如銅鋅合金的聽起來美妙。

　　Another alloy, a combination of copper and nickel, resists corrosion.

　　另一種合金是銅鎳合金，抗腐蝕性很強(qiáng)。

　　It does not rust, even with prolonged exposure to water.

　　即使長時(shí)間浸在水中，它也不會(huì)生銹。

　　But what about the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor?

　　但是紐約港的自由女神像呢?

　　It’s made of pure copper, but it turned green, isn’t that a sign of corrosion?

　　它是由純銅制作的，但是卻變成了綠色，那不是腐蝕的跡象嗎?

　　Indirectly. If copper’s exposed to damp air, its color changes from reddish orange to reddish brown.

　　間接地。如果銅暴露在濕潤的空氣中，它的顏色會(huì)從紅褐色變成紅棕色。

　　But in time, a green film, called a patina, forms and the patina actually serves to halt any further corrosion.

　　但是后來會(huì)形成一層叫做銅綠的綠色薄膜，銅綠實(shí)際上起著阻止進(jìn)一步腐蝕的作用。

　　It is one reason that ship hulls are made of copper-nickel alloys, these alloys are also hard for the barnacles to stick to.

　　船體用通鎳合金制作的原因之一就是這個(gè)，甲殼動(dòng)物還很難粘附在這些合金上。

　　If these little shellfish adhere to the hull of a ship, it produces drag, slowing the vessel down.

　　如果這些小型甲殼動(dòng)物粘在了船體上，就會(huì)產(chǎn)生拖力，減慢船速。

　　Copper’s also a key material used in solar heating units and in water desalination plants, which will play increasingly important roles in society.

　　銅還是太陽能加熱裝置和水體淡化工廠使用的一種關(guān)鍵材料，它在社會(huì)中的作用將越來越重要。

　　Bottom line: if you are a copper miner, you won’t lose any sleep should the penny get...if you’ll excuse the expression, pinched out of existence.

　　概括來說：如果你是銅礦工人，萬一便士被......請(qǐng)?jiān)�諒我的用語，被斬殺了，你也不會(huì)擔(dān)心得睡不著覺。