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The French have been credited with inventing the bidet① and popularising pissoirs or public urinals②, and now they can add the biodegradable③ and portable toilet to their name.
Frenchman Laurent Helewa designed the lightweight④, easy to construct and carry toilet after Hurricane Katrina, when thousands of displaced people were crammed into a stadium for a week, with hardly any access to facilities.
“Its a taboo⑤ subject, but necessary in case of natural disasters,” he told the reporters at the annual International Exhibition of Inventions in Geneva, pointing to the earthquakes in Japan and Haiti that displaced tens of thousands of people.
“The first problem is to have access to a toilet. Because if not, people will do their business wherever, and you end up with epidemics such as cholera⑥.” said Helewa, who is a doctor.
Weighing about two kilogrammes (4.4 pounds), his invention is essentially a piece of cardboard that folds into a boxed seat in a minute, and comes with plastic bags that each contain an absorbent pad to soak up liquids.
Helewa, who gamely climbed atop a sample, claimed that the heavyduty version is able to withstand a weight of200 kg and usage of 20 hours a day, after it was tested by four armies.
The French invention is among more than 1,000 creations showcased by inventorsfrom 45 countries at inventions fair in Geneva.
Q&A
1. Which country inventedpublic urinals?____
A. AmericaB. France
C. Germany D. Switzerland
Key:B
注释：①bidet：坐浴盆；
②urinal：小便池；
③biodegradable：生物所能分解的；
④lightweight：轻量的、薄型的；
⑤taboo：忌讳；
⑥cholera：霍乱；
资料来源 中国日报
注释编辑 桑 实
责任编辑 张丹凤
Frenchman Laurent Helewa designed the lightweight④, easy to construct and carry toilet after Hurricane Katrina, when thousands of displaced people were crammed into a stadium for a week, with hardly any access to facilities.
“Its a taboo⑤ subject, but necessary in case of natural disasters,” he told the reporters at the annual International Exhibition of Inventions in Geneva, pointing to the earthquakes in Japan and Haiti that displaced tens of thousands of people.
“The first problem is to have access to a toilet. Because if not, people will do their business wherever, and you end up with epidemics such as cholera⑥.” said Helewa, who is a doctor.
Weighing about two kilogrammes (4.4 pounds), his invention is essentially a piece of cardboard that folds into a boxed seat in a minute, and comes with plastic bags that each contain an absorbent pad to soak up liquids.
Helewa, who gamely climbed atop a sample, claimed that the heavyduty version is able to withstand a weight of200 kg and usage of 20 hours a day, after it was tested by four armies.
The French invention is among more than 1,000 creations showcased by inventorsfrom 45 countries at inventions fair in Geneva.
Q&A
1. Which country inventedpublic urinals?____
A. AmericaB. France
C. Germany D. Switzerland
Key:B
注释：①bidet：坐浴盆；
②urinal：小便池；
③biodegradable：生物所能分解的；
④lightweight：轻量的、薄型的；
⑤taboo：忌讳；
⑥cholera：霍乱；
资料来源 中国日报
注释编辑 桑 实
责任编辑 张丹凤