世界节假日博览 第54期:全国生物柴油日

 　　National Biodiesel Day is a day the biodiesel industry celebrates the role of the vegetable-based fuel in helping² to tackle environmental problems. It takes place on March 18, which is the date of Rudolf Diesel¹’s birthday. He invented diesel in 1912. He designed the diesel engine in the late 1800s to run on peanut oil. He was a visionary who knew that biofuels would become very important. In 1912, he said: “The use of vegetable oils for engine fuels may seem insignificant³ today, but such oils may become, in the course of time, as important as petroleum⁴.” He died in 1913, well before any hint of damage to the environment by fossil fuels, and long before the green movement, which would embrace his thinking.

　　在全国生物柴油日这一天，生物柴油产业将庆祝植物燃料在解决环境问题上所作出的贡献。该节日会在每年的3月18日举行，这一天是鲁道夫·狄赛尔的诞辰。1912年，狄赛尔发明了柴油机。19世纪晚期，他设计了以花生油为能源的柴油发电机。他非常具有先见之明，并清楚地看到生物燃油的重要性。1912年，他写到：“在今天看来，将植物燃油应用到发动机上并无功效，但是在未来，它将和石油一样重要。他死于1913年，那时的化石燃料还没有对环境带来任何损害，而之后的绿色革命却采纳了他的思想。

　　The U.S. biodiesel industry is doing much to promote energy independence and reduce America’s thirst for oil. In 2007, manufacturers produced 500 million gallons of biofuels, which reduced the need for 12 million barrels of oil. The biofuels industry is very excited about the future of biofuels. They say biofuels greatly reduce CO2 emissions⁵ and therefore are an important part of helping countries reduce their carbon footprints. President George W Bush described bio-fuels as one of the most promising⁶ forms of renewable energy. Not everyone is so eager in their praise of biofuels. Many blame them for reducing the amount of land available for food production, which has led to food shortages and rising food prices.

　　美国的生物柴油产业致力于走能源独立道路，减少美国对石油的需求。2007年，制造产业生产了5亿加仑的生物柴油，这减少了美国对1200万桶石油的需求。生物燃料产业对其未来前景充满希望。他们称生物燃料大大降低了二氧化碳的排放量，从而也能够帮助其他国家减少碳足迹。总统乔治·沃克·布什将生物燃料看成是未来最有希望的可再生能源之一。并不是所有人都能够接受生物燃料。许多人将农耕用地的减少归罪于生物燃料，而这将导致食物短缺，物价上涨。

　　1.excited about 为…兴奋

　　例句：This is why we are so excited about this research, " he said.

　　这也是为什么我们对此项研究如此兴奋。” 他说道。

　　2.thirst for 渴望

　　例句：When everything is over, the thirst for life is gone.

　　一切都过去之后，对于生活的渴求也消散了。

　　3.biodiesel industry 生物柴油产业

　　例句：Developing microbial oils is a new way of improving biodiesel industry.

　　开发微生物油脂是未来发展生物柴油产业的新途径。

　　4.peanut oil 花生油

　　例句：Instead, use vegetable, safflower or peanut oil.

　　作为替代，可使用植物油、红花油或花生油。

1 diesel   

n.柴油发动机，内燃机

参考例句：

• We experimented with diesel engines to drive the pumps.我们试着用柴油机来带动水泵。
• My tractor operates on diesel oil.我的那台拖拉机用柴油开动。

2 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

3 insignificant   

adj.无关紧要的，可忽略的，无意义的

参考例句：

• In winter the effect was found to be insignificant.在冬季，这种作用是不明显的。
• This problem was insignificant compared to others she faced.这一问题与她面临的其他问题比较起来算不得什么。

4 petroleum   

n.原油，石油

参考例句：

• The Government of Iran advanced the price of petroleum last week.上星期伊朗政府提高了石油价格。
• The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。

5 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

6 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。