新视野大学英语第四册-unit7A-The-coming-energy-crisis.pdf

Unit7

Thecomingenergycrisis

日益逼近的能源危机

Twohundredyearsago,theworldexperiencedanenergyrevolution

thatlaunchedtheIndustrialAge.Eversincethen,withtherapidincrease

ofpopulationdensity,theindustrializedworldsthirstforenergyhas

morethantripled.Petroleumandnaturalgasareexploitedasversatile

andhighqualityenergyproducts.Uraniumisalsotappedtofuelnuclear

reactorsandprovideatomicenergy.

两百年前，全球经历了一场能源革命，由此引发了工业时代的到来。

从那时起，随着人口密度的迅速增加，工业国家对于能源的需求成倍成倍

增加。石油和天然气被看作是用途多、质量好的能源产品而得到开发，而

铀也得以开发，为核反应堆提供燃料并供应原子能源。

Cheapenergyisthelifebloodofhumansociety.Butthereisadark

sidetothenearmonopolyofnon-renewablefossilfuelslikecoal,oiland

naturalgas,alongwithcontroversialuranium,tosupplyourgrowing

energydemands.Thesupplyofthesefuelsisphysicallylimited,and

theirusethreatensourhealthandenvironment.Multipleinternational

treatieshavebeenproposedtolimittheuseoffossilfuelsforthisvery

reason.Fearsofglobalwarmingaside,burningfossilfuelsreleases

chemicalsandparticulatesthatcancausebreathingproblems,cancerchemicalsandparticulatesthatcancausebreathingproblems,cancerchemicalsandparticulatesthatcancausebreathingproblems,cancer

arefactoredin.Furthermore,publicopinionpollsshownuclearenergyis

toocloselyassociatedwithdisastersliketheChernobylreactor

meltdownandtheFukushimaexplosion,andwiththedangerthat:rebel

insurgentscoulddodamagewiththetoxicwaste.Inexpensiveand

seeminglyabundantnon-renewableenergyfromdeadplantsandextinct

animalsfueledthe20thcenturyeconomy,butgeologists,climatologists,

environmentalists,andmanyothersarewarningthatthehoneymoon

maysoonbeover.

廉价能源是人类社会的命脉。但是，对煤炭、石油、天然气这些不可

再生的矿物燃料及有争议的铀进行近乎垄断地使用以满足我们日益增长

的对能源的需求的做法有其危险的一面。这些燃料的供应实际上是有限的，

并且，使用这些燃料对我们的健康和环境都造成威胁。正因如此，人们制

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