VOA常速英语2016--热核反应堆仍在建设中（在线收听）

Fusion Reactor Still in Works 热核反应堆仍在建设中

All today’s nuclear power plants make energy by thge splitting of uranium atoms -- which creates a lot of useful heat but also a lot of dangerous and deadly nuclear waste. The opposite process -- fusion -- also creates heat but with hardly any pesky radiation. The problem is that fusion is way more difficult to achieve. Scientists from 35 nations, including United States, Russia and China, are painstakingly trying to solve the problem -- to create technology that could power the world for thousands of years.

Scientists have long known that fusing atoms of two isotopes of hydrogen, deuterium and tritium, releases huge amounts of energy and very little radiation.  But doing so requires the kind of heat and pressure found in our sun, though focused on a much, much smaller point, -- about the size of a person's smaller pocket change.

很久以前，科学家已经知道，将两个氢，氘和氚的同位素原子融合会释放出大量的能量和非常少量的辐射。但是这样做需要太阳中发现的热量和压力，但是必须集中在小的多的一个点，大概是一个人口袋里的零钱那么大。

Modern technology says it is very difficult but not impossible to achieve.  Powerful lasers would provide pressure and heat while huge magnets would keep the little sun levitating in the middle of a special chamber.

现代技术认为，要做到这一点非常困难，但并非不可能。强激光可以提供压力和热量，而巨大的磁铁可以让少量的阳光悬浮在特定的空间中央。

Fusion, It is projected, will yield up to 10 times more energy than it uses.

按照预定方案，核聚变产生的能量比所消耗的能量多10倍。

Started in 1985, a project in Southern France called ITER is slowly plodding along with plans for a working fusion reactor.  It's been plagued by politics, and by organizational and funding difficulties.

从1985年开始，法国南部一个叫做ITER的项目艰难地执行着热核反应堆的计划。该计划面临着政策阻挠，以及组织和资金方面的困难。

But its new director general, French physicist and chemist Dr. Bernard Bigot, said the reactor is finally on its way to being built.

但是该项目新任总干事，法国物理学家和化学家Bernard Bigot博士表示，该反应堆终于即将建成。

“For example the first delivery of what we call the cryostat piece is coming from India, okay. In the U.S., General Atomics has been able for example to deliver the first set of the central solenoid,” said Bigot.

“比如，第一批低温恒温器片正在从印度运往这里。在美国，通用原子航空系统公司已经能够交付第一批中央螺线管。”

The Congressional committee that approves U.S. participation in the project has seesawed on its support. In 1998 it withdrew from the project, only to rejoin the effort in 2005 and then drastically reduce the funding in 2008. Bigot came to the U.S. to try to persuade it to stay on.

批准美国参与该项目的国会委员会的态度不断摇摆。1998年，该委员会撤出该项目，2005年又重新加入，2008年又突然大幅减少资金。Bigot博士亲自前往美国，说服他们继续留在该项目。

“The U.S. is now wondering if it is worth to move on, okay, forward with project for the next coming years or maybe to step down. And so it was quite important to show them that despite the fact they just have the sharing of 9%, okay, project is moving on and it’s worth for them to stay in,” said Bigot.

“美国现在正在考虑未来几年是否值得继续该项目，还是退出。所以，我们必须向他们表明，即使他们只享有9%的份额，项目仍在继续，所以他们留在该项目是值得的，这一点非常重要。”

Bigot added that if the new schedule is endorsed by seven core members, including the U.S., China and Russia, the assembly of the reactor could be finished by 2025, with first experiments starting in 2028.

Bigot博士补充说，如果包括美国，中国和俄罗斯在内的七个核心成员支持新的日程表，反应堆的装配将在2025年之前完成，首次试验将于2028年开始。

Ultimately the reactor will cost billions of dollars to build, but if it works, the results will be literally priceless.

最终反应堆将耗费数十亿美元来建造，但是一旦投入使用，其带来的效益将是无价的。