外交部翻译口译笔记VOA20091023

VOA 20091023 外交部翻译口译笔记

Many people think the search for cleaner energy leads only to

renewable resources like sun, wind and water.

许多人认为寻找更清洁能源仅限于开采太阳，风和水等能源。

But it also leads to a fossil fuel.

但是，还有一种，矿物燃料。

Natural gas is considered the cleanest of the fossil fuels, the

fuels created by plant and animal remains over millions of

years.

天然气被认为最清洁的矿物燃料。矿物燃料由植物或动物遗体

经过数百万年转化而来。

Burning it releases fewer pollutants than oil or coal.

燃烧天然气释放的污染物少于石油或煤炭。

The gas is mainly methane.

天然气的主要成分是甲烷，

It produces half the carbon dioxide of other fossil fuels.

它释放出的二氧化碳气体是其他矿物燃料的一半。

So it may help cut the production of carbon gases linked to

climate change.

所以，天然气也能帮助减少与气候变化有关的二氧化碳排放量。

Russia is first in what are called "proved reserves" of natural

gas.

俄罗斯是首个拥有天然气“探明储备”的国家，

The United States is sixth.

美国是第六个。

Over the years, big oil and gas companies recovered much of the easily reached supplies of gas in America.

几年来，大型石油和天然气公司已经开采了美国比较容易获得的天然气储备。

They drilled straight down into formations where gas collects. 他们直接在地上钻井，到达天然气储备区。

As these supplies were used up, big drillers looked for similar formations in other countries.

这些储备被开采完之后，大型开采公司又到其他国家寻找类似的储备。

But now the industry is taking a new look.

但是，该行业出现了一番新的景象。

Companies are developing gas supplies trapped in shale rock two to three thousand meters underground.

天然气公司开始开采处于地下2000至3000米的页岩中的天然气储备。

They drill down to the shale, then go sideways and inject

high-pressure water, sand or other material into the rock.

他们钻孔一直钻到页岩，然后从旁边向岩石中注入高压的水，沙子和其他材料。

This causes the rock to break, or fracture, releasing the gas.这样会导致岩石断裂或破碎，然后释放出气体。

Huge fields of gas shale are believed to lie under the Appalachian Mountains, Michigan and the south-central states.

据称，在阿巴拉契亚山脉，密歇根和中南部各州地下蕴藏着大范围的天然气页岩。

Gas shale exploration is being done mainly by small to medium sized companies.

页岩天然气的勘测工作主要由小型或中等规模的公司进行。

Eric Potter is a program director in the Bureau of Economic Geology at the University of Texas at Austin.

Eric Potter是得克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校州经济地质局的项目主任。

ERIC POTTER: "The types of opportunities that are left for natural gas exploration in the U.S. have changed.

Eric Potter：“美国天然气勘测的可能方式已经发生改变。

So it's a different class of resource

所以这是不同级别的资源

--not as easy to develop, and not even recognized as something worth pursuing, say, twenty years ago."

——不是那么容易开采，甚至，20年前还被认为是不值得开采的资源。”