双语趣听精彩世界 第118期:清洁能源来之不易

 　　彭博商业周刊:如果全世界都能够使用页岩气,我们的清洁天然气供应量能够增加百分之四十七,既降低温室气体排放,也可降低能源价格.

　　清洁能源来之不易

　　If all the world's theoretically recoverable shale¹ gas could be developed, our supply of clean-burning natural gas would expand 47 percent—lowering both greenhouse gas emissions² and energy prices.

　　Bloomberg Businessweek says the hitch³ is that the process for extracting shale gas, called hydraulic⁴ fracking, sucks up as much as 25 million liters of water for each well.

　　A report from the Washington-based World Resources Institute shows that roughly 38 percent of the world's shale gas and oil lies buried beneath water-stressed regions. This means that extraction efforts will be difficult and expensive, as well as economically and environmentally risky⁵.

　　The situation is especially true in China.

1 shale   

n.页岩，泥板岩

参考例句：

• We can extract oil from shale.我们可以从页岩中提取石油。
• Most of the rock in this mountain is shale.这座山上大部分的岩石都是页岩。

2 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。

3 hitch   

v.免费搭(车旅行)；系住；急提；n.故障；急拉

参考例句：

• They had an eighty-mile journey and decided to hitch hike.他们要走80英里的路程，最后决定搭便车。
• All the candidates are able to answer the questions without any hitch.所有报考者都能对答如流。

4 hydraulic   

adj.水力的；水压的，液压的；水力学的

参考例句：

• The boat has no fewer than five hydraulic pumps.这艘船配有不少于5个液压泵。
• A group of apprentics were operating the hydraulic press.一群学徒正在开动水压机。

5 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。