Fuel Cars
美音、自然拼读、分级阅读与词汇复习
Table of Contents Introduction.
导言表。
4 Solar-Powered Cars.
4太阳能动车组.
6 Hydrogen-Powered Cars.
6 氢能车.
12 Battery-Powered Cars.
12台电池动力车.
16 Ethanol-Powered Cars.
16辆伊桑诺动力汽车.
19 What’s in the Future?
第 19 条 未来是什么?
22 Glossary.
22 词汇表。
23 Index.
23 指数。
24 Introduction Every day, people around the world burn huge amounts of gasoline as they drive their cars and trucks.
导言 每天,世界各地的人们在驾驶汽车和卡车时会燃烧大量的汽油.
As a matter of fact, in 2005, more than 870 million gallons of gasoline were burned.
事实上,2005年有超过8.7亿加仑的汽油被烧毁.
In the United States alone, people burned more than 380 million gallons, or 44 percent, of the amount of gasoline burned in the world.
仅在美国,人们就燃烧了超过3.8亿加仑,占了全世界所燃烧汽油数量的44%.
Year after year, the amount of gasoline people consume just keeps increasing.
年复一年,人们消耗的汽油数量一直在增加。
But this gas-guzzling appetite can’t last forever.
但这种令人毛骨悚然的胃口不可能永远持续下去。
The world’s supply of gasoline is limited.
世界汽油供应有限.
Someday we will run out of the oil that is used to make gasoline.
总有一天我们会用光用来制造汽油的石油。
By some estimates, the world only has about 120 years of oil left.
据某些估计,世界只剩下120年的石油了。
Some oil-supply experts estimate that after about 2050, oil production will begin dropping, and by 2125 oil will be scarce.
一些石油供应专家估计,大约在2050年之后,石油生产将开始下降,到2125年石油将稀缺.
Think About It If you were 10 years old in 2006, by the time you are 60 and it is 2056, you will begin experiencing fuel shortages.
考虑 如果你在2006年10岁,到60岁,2056岁的时候,你将开始经历燃料短缺。
If you have children, by the time they are 60 years old, oil for making gasoline will be in short supply.
如果你有孩子,到他们60岁时, 制造汽油的石油将短缺。
Running out of gasoline is not the only problem our gas-guzzling appetites cause.
汽油用光了 并不是我们贪婪的胃口的唯一问题
The gasoline we burn to drive our cars and trucks releases pollutants into the air.
我们燃烧的汽油 驱动我们的汽车和卡车 释放污染物到空气中。
Most scientists believe these pollutants trap excess heat near Earth’s surface.
大多数科学家相信这些污染物会夹住地表附近的过热.
This heat is the major cause of global warming, which is slowly heating up Earth’s atmosphere, changing weather patterns and melting Earth’s ice sheets and glaciers.
这一热量是全球变暖的主要原因,全球变暖正在缓慢地使地球大气层暖化,天气模式正在发生变化并融化了地球的冰盖和冰川。
Solar-Powered Cars Most of the energy we use comes from the big star in our sky—the Sun.
太阳能动车 我们使用的能量大多来自我们天空中的大星——太阳.
Even coal and oil, because they formed from things that were once living, got their energy from the Sun.
甚至煤和石油,因为它们是由曾经活过的东西形成的,它们从太阳得到能量.
When we burn coal, oil, and gasoline made from oil, we are actually releasing energy from the Sun—energy that has been stored in these fuels for long periods of time.
当我们燃烧由石油所制造的煤炭、石油和汽油时,我们实际上是从这些燃料中储存了很长时间的太阳能源中释放出能量。
It is also important to know that it took millions of years for coal and oil to form.
同样重要的是,要知道煤和石油的形成需要数百万年的时间。
For this reason, once these fuels are used up, supplies cannot be replaced quickly.
因此,一旦这些燃料被用完,供应就不能被迅速更换.
Earth’s ice sheets and glaciers are slowly melting.
地球冰盖和冰川正在缓慢融化。
Coal mining in Virginia This does not paint a very bright picture for people driving gasoline-powered cars.
弗吉尼亚的煤矿开采 这并不能为驾驶汽油动力汽车的人描绘出非常明亮的画面.
So inventors, with an eye toward solving the present- day problem of global warming and the future problem of running out of oil, are looking for new ways to power cars and trucks.
因此,发明家们着眼于解决当前全球变暖的问题和未来石油用完的问题,正在寻找新的汽车和卡车发电方式。
They are looking for alternative fuels and inventing cars that can run on these fuels.
他们正在寻找替代燃料,并发明能够运行在这些燃料上的汽车。
This book is about possible fuels of the future and vehicles that can use these fuels.
这本书是关于未来可能的燃料和可以使用这些燃料的车辆.
Scientists have found a way to change radiant energy from the Sun directly into electricity.
科学家们已经找到了一种方法,可以将太阳所发出的光能直接转化为电能.
That’s right—electricity can be made from sunlight.
电能来自阳光。
This electricity can then be used to light cities and power cars.
之后这种电力可以用来照明城市和动力车.
A group of solar cells placed together is a solar panel.
一组放在一起的太阳能电池是太阳能电池板.
Solar panels are placed on the roofs of buildings.
太阳能板被放置在建筑物的屋顶上.
They can also be attached to satellites and space stations.
它们也可以附属于卫星和空间站.
A solar-powered car is covered with solar panels.
太阳能动力车被太阳能板覆盖.
All these panels produce enough electricity to run a special motor in a solar car, light homes, and supply a space station with all its energy.
所有这些面板都产生足够的电力,在一款太阳能汽车上运行一款特殊的发动机,光能之家,并且向空间站提供其所有的能量.
And all of this energy comes without releasing pollutants into the air.
所有这些能量都是在不向空气中释放污染物的情况下产生的。
All of this is possible because of solar cells.
所有这些都是可能的,因为太阳能电池。
You have probably seen solar cells on calculators.
你可能已经看到太阳能电池在计算器上。
They are also used to supply electricity to spacecraft and to devices found where no source of electricity exists.
它们也被用来向航天器和没有电力来源的装置提供电力。
Solar cells do not get used up as batteries do.
太阳能电池不会像电池那样被耗尽。
Instead, they keep on supplying electricity as long as there is light energy for the cells to absorb.
相反,只要电池有轻能吸收,它们就继续供电。
Do You Know?
你知道吗?
The sunlight falling on just one square meter (10.
阳光落在一平方公尺上(10.
8 sq ft) of land can produce enough electricity each day to light ten 100-watt lightbulbs.
8 sq ft)的地能每天产生足够的电力来点燃10个100瓦的灯泡.
Solar cells collect energy from the Sun 1m 1m sunlight Do You Know?
太阳电池从太阳一米一的阳光下收集能量 你知道吗?
The most common solar cells are made from one of Earth’s natural elements.
最常见的太阳能电池由地球的自然元素之一制成.
The element, silicon, is the same element that makes up sand.
元素,硅是构成沙子的同一种元素.
Solar panels power the space station.
太阳能电池板为空间站提供动力。
So why aren’t we powering all of our cars with solar cells, you may ask?
为何我们不用太阳能电池发电?
The first reason is the cost of manufacturing solar cells.
第一个原因是制造太阳能电池的成本.
Scientists have not found a way to inexpensively manufacture solar cells that can produce adequate amounts of electricity.
科学家还没有找到一种方法来低廉地制造能够产生足够数量的电力的太阳能电池.
So while sunlight as a fuel is free, the cost of manufacturing the solar cells to convert this free energy to electricity offsets the savings.
因此,虽然作为燃料的阳光是免费的,但制造太阳能电池将这种自由能转化为电力的成本抵消了节省的费用.
Energy output is another issue.
能源产出是另一个问题。
While newer solar cells produce far more energy than the first models did, they still cannot equal the energy produced by burning gasoline in an engine.
虽然较新的太阳能电池的能产量远比最初的型号多,但它们仍然无法与发动机中燃烧汽油产生的能产量相等.
The top speed of a typical solar-powered car is about 60 mph (96.
典型的太阳能动车的上行速度约为60 mph (96.
6 kph).
(原始内容存档于2016-03-26). 6 kph.
Even then, it takes hundreds of solar cells to generate enough electrical power to reach this speed.
即使这样,也需要数百个太阳能电池来产生足够的电能来达到这个速度.
Then, of course, there is the issue of night driving and low-sunlight days.
当然,还有夜行和日出日出的问题。
For cars to operate around the clock, there has to be a way of storing the energy produced during daylight hours for use when there is no sunlight.
汽车要全天候运行,必须有一种储存白天所生出能量的方法,以便在没有阳光时使用.
Or there has to be a backup power supply.
或者必须有备用电源
Math Minute The fuel used to power Car A is made up of 90% nonrenewable gasoline and 10% renewable ethanol.
数学分钟 用于为A车提供动力的燃料由90%的不可再生汽油和10%的可再生乙醇组成.
The car’s gas tank holds 20 gallons of fuel.
这辆汽车的油箱装有20加仑的燃料。
The fuel used to power Car B is 100% nonrenewable gasoline.
B号机车的动力燃料是100%的不可再生汽油.
It also has a 20-gallon tank.
它还有20加仑的坦克.
How much nonrenewable gasoline is saved with each tank of fuel in Car A when compared to Car B?
与B车相比,A车每箱燃料节省多少不可再生汽油?
Answer: 2 gallons Scientists are working on inexpensive ways to convert sunlight to electricity.
回答:2加仑科学家正在研究将阳光转化为电力的廉价方法。
Nighttime and cloudy days are times that solar panels wouldn’t work.
晚上和多云的日子是太阳能电池板无法工作的时间。
In time, all these problems may be solved, and with oil supplies diminishing, you can safely bet that an army of scientists is working on solving these problems.
随着时间的推移,所有这些问题都可能得到解决,随着石油供应的减少,你可以安全地打赌,一支科学家队伍正在致力于解决这些问题.
In fact, every year, teams of students from colleges in the United States and Canada compete in a North American race of solar-powered cars.
事实上,每年美国和加拿大各所学院的学生队伍都会参加北美太阳能汽车比赛.
It is events like these that continue to push advances in solar-cell technology.
正是这样的事件继续推动太阳电池技术的进步。
Hydrogen-Powered Cars Elements are simple substances from which all things on Earth are made.
氢能汽车 元素是地球上所有事物的简单物质。
There are just 92 natural elements, and they combine to make thousands of other substances such as water, plastic, and sugar.
自然元素只有92个,它们结合在一起,制造出上千种其他物质,如水,塑料和糖等.
Hydrogen is both the lightest and the most abundant of these 92 elements.
氢是这92个元素中最轻而最丰富的.
As a pure element, it exists as a gaseous state of matter.
作为一个纯元素,它作为气态物质存在.
You cannot see it, and it has no odor.
你看不到它, 它没有气味。
Hydrogen is one of two elements that make up water, and we all know how abundant water is, since it covers almost 75 percent of Earth’s surface.
氢是构成水的两个元素之一,我们都知道水有多丰富,因为它几乎覆盖了地球表面的75%。
It is also found in all living things, including plants and animals, as well as the remains of all living things.
它也存在于所有活物中,包括植物和动物,以及所有活物的遗迹.
Hydrogen reacts, or combines well, with other elements to make new substances.
氢反应,或与其它元素很好地结合来制取新物质.
When it combines with other elements, it releases energy.
当它与其他元素结合时,会释放出能量.
It is the energy that hydrogen reactions release that has scientists so excited.
氢反应释放的能量 使科学家们非常兴奋
Scientists imagine someday filling car gas tanks with hydrogen gas instead of liquid gasoline.
科学家们想象有一天会用氢气而不是液态汽油填充汽车气缸.
But hydrogen is not found in a pure form on Earth.
但氢在地球上并不存在纯正的形式.
So where will we get this hydrogen?
氢气从哪里来?
Well, one of the most obvious places is from water.
嗯,一个最明显的地方是水。
Water is made up of two elements, oxygen and hydrogen.
水由氧和氢两个元素组成.
All elements are made of tiny particles called atoms.
所有元素都由叫做原子的微小颗粒所组成.
Atoms of hydrogen and oxygen are held together by a chemical bond that makes a new substance—water.
氢和氧的原子由一种制造出一种新物质-水的化学键相接而成。
Breaking these bonds produces pure hydrogen and oxygen.
打破这些债券产生纯氢和氧.
The hydrogen can then be used as a fuel.
然后氢能被作为燃料使用.
There are several ways to break the bond between hydrogen and oxygen atoms in water.
有几种方法可以打破水中氢原子和氧原子之间的结合.
One way is to use a charge of electrical energy to break the bond.
一种方法是用电能充电来打破联想.
Another way is to use extreme heat.
另一种方法是使用极热.
Other substances like methane, a natural gas, are made of hydrogen along with oxygen and another element called carbon.
其他物质如甲烷,是一种天然气,由氢与氧并用而成,另一个元素称为碳.
Heat from steam can break the bond between hydrogen atoms and the atoms of carbon and oxygen.
从蒸汽中取出热能打破氢原子与碳和氧原子的结合.
This also produces pure hydrogen.
这也会产生纯氢.
Once you have pure hydrogen, you can use it to power cars and trucks.
一旦有了纯氢,就可以用来为汽车和卡车提供动力.
Pure hydrogen is used in one of two ways.
纯氢是使用两种方式之一.
One way is to burn it in an engine in much the same way that cars burn gas.
一种方式是用汽车燃烧气体的方式在引擎中燃烧.
The other way is to use it to make electricity that can then power vehicles.
另一种方法是用它来制造电力,然后可以为车辆提供动力.
Electric cars that use hydrogen have fuel cells that make electricity.
使用氢气的电动车有能发电的燃料电池.
These fuel cells are somewhat like batteries.
这些燃料电池有点像电池.
In the future, we may fill up our cars with hydrogen gas instead of gasoline.
将来,我们可能会用氢气代替汽油来充车.
In a fuel cell, hydrogen is combined with oxygen to form water.
在燃料电池中,氢与氧结合形成水.
When the two elements join together, they release energy in the form of electricity.
当两个元素结合时,它们以电力的形式释放出能量.
This energy can then be used to power all kinds of vehicles.
然后这种能量可以用来为各种车辆提供动力.
No matter how hydrogen is used, it is combined with oxygen to release its energy and pure water is the only waste product.
无论氢是如何被使用,它与氧气结合释放出它的能量而纯水是唯一的废品.
Since water is not a pollutant, it does not harm the environment.
由于水不是污染物,因此不会损害环境。
This fact, along with the abundance of water on Earth, makes hydrogen a great alternative fuel, although a lot more research is needed to make it work well.
这一事实,加上地球上水量的充沛,使氢成为了巨大的替代燃料,不过还需要进行更多的研究才能使它运转良好.
Battery-Powered Cars Scientists are currently working on cars that are powered entirely by rechargeable chemical batteries.
电池功率 汽车科学家目前正在研究完全由可充电化学电池供电的汽车.
If you look under the hood of one of these cars, you will find an electric motor.
如果你看这些车的车盖下, 你会找到一个电动机。
Under the hood of a gasoline-powered car, you will find the hoses that carry water to cool an engine and exhaust pipes that carry away waste products.
在汽油动力车的引擎盖下,你会找到那些能携带水来冷却发动机和排气管的管子来运走废品.
By contrast, there is a mass of wires under the hood of an electric car.
相形之下,电动车引擎盖下有大批电线.
In an electric car, there is no need to cool the engine and there are no exhaust gases produced that pollute the air.
在电动汽车中,不需要冷却发动机,也没有产生污染空气的废气.
Instead of driving your car up to a gas pump to fill the tank with gasoline, you simply plug your battery-powered car into an outlet to recharge the car’s batteries.
而不是开车去加油站装满汽油,
And instead of a fuel bill, you pay an electric bill.
而不是燃料账单, 你支付电费。
Under the hood of a hybrid gasoline-electric Chevrolet Volt The engine of a standard gasoline-powered car A model of a water molecule showing two hydrogen atoms joined to one oxygen atom Do You Know?
在混合汽油电源罩下 雪佛兰伏特 标准汽油动力车的引擎 一个水分子模型 显示两个氢原子与一个氧原子结合,你知道吗?
Some tiny invisible organisms, called bacteria, can produce pure hydrogen.
一些被称作细菌的微小隐形生物可以产生纯氢.
Chemicals inside the organisms absorb energy from the Sun, which the organisms then use to split the bond between hydrogen and oxygen in water.
生物体内的化学物质吸收了来自太阳的能量,然后被生物利用来分解水中氢和氧的结合.
Hybrid cars have an electric motor and a small gasoline engine.
混合车厢有电动机和小型汽油发动机.
They both provide kinds of power to run a car.
两者都提供了一种运行汽车的动力.
The electric motor runs on batteries, but the motor has the ability to draw electricity from the batteries as well as to put electricity back into the batteries.
电动机运行在电池上,但电动机具有从电池中取出电力以及将电力放回电池的能力.
This means the batteries do not have to be plugged into an electrical source for recharging.
这意味着电池不需要被插入电源进行充电.
The electric motor, when not powering the car, is putting energy back into the batteries.
电动机在不为汽车供电时,正在将能量放回电池中.
Math Minute Gasoline costs $2.
数学分钟汽油费用 2块
75 a gallon.
75一加仑。
Connor drives an SUV that gets 12 miles per gallon.
Connor开一辆每加仑12英里的SUV
Each week he drives 120 miles.
他每周开120英里
Sara drives a hybrid car that gets 40 miles per gallon of gasoline.
Sara开着一辆混合动力车 每加仑汽油可达40英里
She also drives 120 miles each week.
她每周还开120英里
How much more does Connor spend for gas each week than Sara does?
康纳每星期花多少汽油 比莎拉多多少?
Do You Know?
你知道吗?
Alternative-fuel vehicles are nothing new.
替代燃料车辆并非新鲜事。
Starting in the 1830s, the first battery-powered vehicles were being produced alongside steam-powered vehicles and gas-electric hybrids.
从1830年代开始,第一辆电池动力车与蒸汽动力车和燃气-电力混合动力车一起被生产.
According to a poll from 1900, electric cars were actually preferred by drivers because they ran more cleanly and more safely than their gasoline-powered counterparts.
根据1900年的民意调查,电动汽车实际上被司机所偏爱,因为电动汽车比起汽油动力的对应车厢跑得更干净和安全.
However, technological innovations with gasoline-powered cars, which could be made more cheaply than their electric or hybrid counterparts, made these cars the cars of choice for drivers by the 1920s.
然而,使用汽油动力汽车的技术革新使得这些汽车在20世纪20年代成为了司机们所选择的汽车,而汽油动力汽车可以比他们的电动或混合动力汽车更便宜.
Many companies stopped producing alternative-fuel vehicles until a gas shortage in the 1970s brought renewed interest in them.
许多公司停止生产替代燃料车辆,直到1970年代燃气短缺再次引起人们对这些车辆的兴趣。
The BMW i8 Concept Spider could go over 62 miles (100 km) on less than one gallon (3.
BMW i8 Concept Spider能以不到一加仑(3)的速度走过62英里(100公里).
7 l) of fuel.
(单位:千美元)
Ethanol-Powered Cars Ethanol is an alternative fuel that is gaining popularity in many places around the world.
Ethanol-Powered Cards Ethanol是一种替代燃料,在世界许多地方正得到人们的欢迎.
What makes ethanol so popular is that it is a renewable resource.
乙醇之所以如此受欢迎,是因为乙醇是一种可再生资源。
Fuels like coal and oil cannot be renewed.
煤炭和石油等燃料不能更新。
Once they are used up, they are gone forever.
一旦它们被用光,它们就永远消失。
Ethanol can be made from plant and animal material.
伊桑醇可以由植物和动物材料制取.
Most ethanol is made from grain crops like corn, barley, and sorghum.
大部分乙醇由玉米,大麦,高粱等谷物作物所制取.
Ethanol is also made from potatoes and sugar cane.
伊桑醇也由马铃薯和甘蔗制成.
But it can also be made from ground-up wood and other plant and animal materials.
但也可以由地上木料等动植物材料制成.
So, if we want to produce more ethanol, we just have to plant more crops like corn and sugar cane.
所以,如果我们想要生产更多的乙醇,我们只需要种植更多的作物,比如玉米和甘蔗.
In a matter of months, the crop has grown, can be harvested, and then used to make ethanol.
在一个月内,作物已经生长了,可以收割,然后用来做乙醇.
To make ethanol from biomass means changing the plant matter into sugar.
从生物质中制取乙醇意味着将植物物质转化为糖.
The sugar is then changed to alcohol in a process called fermentation.
糖在被称作发酵的过程中被改为了酒精.
The diagram below shows the steps of one way of making ethanol from corn.
下面的图显示了一种从玉米中制取乙醇的方法的步骤.
Ethanol can be made from grain crops.
乙醇可以由谷物作物来制取.
fine powder.
细粉.
to make a wet mash.
做个湿泥浆
to change it to sugar.
把它改为糖。
fermentation.
发酵.
gas.
气体。
mash.
马什。
from the ethanol.
从乙醇。
it is ready to burn.
准备烧了
as feed for livestock.
用作牲畜的饲料。
Pure ethanol can be burned in vehicles with special engines designed to burn it, or it can be mixed with gasoline and then burned in a regular engine.
纯乙醇可以被用特制发动机来燃烧,也可以被与汽油相混合后被放入普通发动机中燃烧.
When ethanol is mixed with gasoline, it reduces the consumption of fossil fuels and reduces pollution.
乙醇与汽油相混合后会减少化石燃料的消耗并减少污染.
What’s in the Future?
未来是什么?
One thing you will have concluded by now is that the supply of oil to make gasoline won’t last forever.
汽油供应不会永远持续下去。
We can look at ways to make the current oil supply last longer by conserving gasoline.
我们可以研究如何通过节约汽油使目前的石油供应持续更长。
This can be done by driving cars with greater fuel efficiency, car-pooling, or simply driving less.
这可以通过驾驶燃油效率更高的汽车,拼车,或者简单地驾驶更少来完成.
Whatever we do to conserve, we still have to plan for the day when there will be no oil for making gasoline.
无论我们如何保护,我们仍必须计划有一天没有石油来制造汽油。
Scientists are hard at work seeking alternative means for powering our cars and trucks.
科学家们正在努力寻找其他方式 为我们汽车和卡车提供动力
Will the popular choice be ethanol, hydrogen, solar energy, or chemical batteries?
热门选择是乙醇、氢能、太阳能还是化学电池?
The alternative that wins out likely will depend on economic factors.
胜出的可能性取决于经济因素。
Two important economic factors will be the cost to produce the alternative power supply and the eventual cost of the alternative fuel to the driver.
两个重要的经济因素将是生产替代电源的成本和司机的替代燃料的最终成本。
What do you think you will be using to power your car when you are 70 years old?
你以为你70岁时 会用什么来为你的车提供动力?
Word Wise The combination of ethanol and gasoline is called gasohol.
语出智慧 乙醇和汽油的结合称为"汽油".
More places need to adopt this type of technology.
更多的地方需要采用这种技术。