一、今日导读
冰川融化、海平面上升、极端天气频发……对于这些新闻里的高频词,大家恐怕已是"耳熟能详”。随着全球变暖问题变得日益严峻,怎样处理大气中不断增加的二氧化碳是一个世界性难题。对此,除了践行低碳生活、用绿色能源替换石油和煤炭这些"传统途径",科学家们还提出了一种新思路一一把空气中的二氧化碳直接"捉"回来。这是一种怎样的"黑科技”?它对于缓解全球变暖又有着怎样的特殊意义?让我们跟着 Eein 老师一起来看。
带着问题听讲解
- 如何理解 capture 这个词?短语 dispose of 是什么意思?
- 根据文章,有哪些处理二氧化碳的方法?
二、原文讲解
The world's biggest plant to capture CO2 just opened in Iceland
世界最大的二氧化碳捕集工厂不久前在冰岛启用
A major new facility to pull carbon dioxde out of the atmosphere started operating in Iceland on Wednesday , a boost to an emerging technology that experts say could eventually play an important role in reducing the greenhouse gases .
本周三(9月8日),一套新的大型设施开始在冰岛运营,该设施用于从大气中吸收二氧化碳。这推动了一项新兴技术的发展;专家称,这项技术最终可能会在减少温室气体方面扮演重要角色。
The plant , perched on a barren lava plateau in southwest Iceland , is the biggest of its kind , its builder says . Human - sized fans are built into a series of boxes . They sip carbon dioxide out of the air , catching it in spongelike flters . The filters are blasted with heat , freeing the gas . Then it is mixed with water and pumped deep into underground basalt caverns , where over time it turns into dark - gray stone .
这座工厂坐落于冰岛西南部的一片荒芜的熔岩高原之上。其建造者称,它目前是同类型工厂中最大的一个。和人一般大小的风扇被安装在一系列的箱子里。它们把二氧化碳从空气中吸出来,并把它们"捕捉"到一个类似海绵的过滤器中。(接着,)这些过滤器会被热流喷射,从而将(二氧化碳)气体释放出来。之后,这些气体将与水混合,并被泵入地下的玄武岩洞穴深处。在那里,这些二氧化碳会渐渐变为深灰色的石头。
Pumping CO2 into the ground is just one way to dispose of it . It can also go to other uses . Energy companies can mix the carbon dioxide with hydrogen to make fuel . Farmers can feed their plants with it .
将二氧化碳泵入地下只是对它们的处理办法之一。它们也可以用于其他方面。能源公司可以将二氧化碳与氢气混合来制造燃料。农民则可以用它们"饲养”作物。
By 2050, humanity wil need to pul nearly a billion metric tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere every year through direct air capture technology to achieve carbon neutral goals , according to International Energy Agency recommendations .
根据国际能源署的建议,到2050年,人类将需要通过"直接空气捕获"技术,每年从大气中吸收将近十亿公吨的二氧化碳,方可实现"碳中和"目标。
The plant in Iceland will be able to capture 4,000 metric tons annually - just a tiny fraction of what will be necessary , but one that Climeworks , the company that built it , says can grow rapidly as efficiency improves and costs decrease .
冰岛的这家工厂每年将能捕获4000公吨(二氧化碳)——(这个数字)仅仅是所需数量的极小一部分,但工厂的建造公司 Climeworks 表示,随着效率的提升和成本的下降,这一数字将会迅速增长。
"This is a market that does not yet exist , but a market that urgently needs to be built ,"said Christoph Gebald , a Swiss engineer who co - founded and co - directs Climeworks . "This plant that we have here is really the blueprint to further scale up and really industrialize ."
瑞士工程师克里斯托弗.格巴尔德是 Climeworks 公司的共同创始人及董事之一,他说:“这是一个尚不存在,但急需建设的市场。我们在这里的这家工厂,真可以说是未来进一步扩大规模和真正实现产业化的范本。”
三、重点词汇
capture
v .捕捉,捕获;俘获,俘虏
词义辨析: capture , catch
两词基本词义相近,但 capture 更带有强制的意味,接近“夺得,俘获"之意。
搭配短语: capture sb .(俘虏某人)
搭配短语: capture sb's attention (吸引某人的注意力)
搭配短语: capture sb's heart (让某人爱上自
facility
n .设施,设备
搭配短语: cooking facilities
搭配短语: leisure facilities
boost
n .推动,改善
英文释义: a source of help leading to increase or improvement
例句: It is often a big boost for the economy .
emerging
adj .新兴的
相关词汇: emerge ( v .出现)
近义词: appear
搭配短语: emerge from (从….中显露出来
例句: The sun emerged from behind the clouds .
搭配短语: emerging markets
perch
v .坐落在……的上面
搭配短语: be perched on / above sth .
例句: The house is perched on a cliff .
barren
adj .贫瘠的,缺少植被的
搭配短语: a barren desert
sip
v .小口地喝.
词性拓展: sip ( n .一小口)
搭配短语: take a sip of the wine
flter
n .过滤器
搭配短语: water filters (净水器)
词性拓展: filter ( v .把……过滤掉)
搭配短语: filter out sth ./ filter sth . out
例句: It can filter out unwanted emails .
blast
v .(用气流等)喷射
词性拓展: blast ( n .强大的气流)
英文释义: a strong current of air
pump
v .抽送,泵入
词性拓展: pump ( n .(抽水用的)
搭配短语: pump sth . into sth .
搭配短语: to pump money into an industry
dispose of 处理
英文释义: to get rid of something , especialy something that is difficult to get rid of
搭配短语: to dispose of plastic wrappers
词义辨析: dispose of , deal with
两个词都可以指“处理抽象的问题”,但 dispose of 相对更正式。
搭配短语: dispose of a complaint from the customer
humanity
n .人类;人性
词根词缀: human ( n .人)
词根词缀:— ity (表"性质")
搭配短语: a murderer who has lost his humanity
搭配短语: a crime against humanity
fraction
n .微量;一点儿
英文释义: a very smal amount of something
搭配短语: a fraction of a second
例句: The building colapsed within a fraction of a second .
blueprint
n .规划,模型;蓝图
英文释义: something which acts as a plan or model
例句: The president has offered the citizens his blueprint for the country's future .
scale up
扩大规模
搭配短语: to scale up production
industrialize
v .使.…工业化
词根词缀: industry ( n .工业)
词根词缀:— ial (形容词后缀)
相关词汇: industrial ( adj .工业的,工业化的)
- 搭配短语: industrial pollution
- 搭配短语: an advanced industrial nation
词根词缀:— ize (动词后缀)
例句: Britain was the first nation to be industrialized .