評論
打印
Hi, Mike. How's it going?
麥克，你好，最近怎樣？
Actually, I was up last night with an assignment so-yeah, I'm tired, but I guess we'd better sort this presentation out.
事實上，我昨晚熬夜做作業了，所以，我覺得很累，但我想我們最好先把作品展示解決了。
Well, we've done enough background reading, but I think we need to organise exactly what we're going to say about bio-fuels during the presentation, and the order.
我們已經閱讀了足夠多的背景材料，但我認為我們需要組織一下，在作品展示時，到底要說哪些關于生物燃料的內容，還有展示順序。
I thought we could start by asking our audience what car engines were first designed to run on, fossil fuels or bio-fuels.
我本想以向觀眾提問開始：人們設計最初的汽車發動機是靠什么供能的，化石燃料還是生物燃料。
Nice idea.
好主意。
Yes, when most people think about cars and fuel, they think about all the carbon dioxide that's produced, but they don't realise that that wasn't always the case.
沒錯，當絕大多數人想到車和燃料時，他們都會想到產生的二氧化碳，但沒意識到，情況并不總是如此。
You're probably right. The earliest car engines ran on fuel made from corn and peanut oil, didn't they?
你說得對。最早的汽車發動機是靠由玉米和花生油制成的燃料供能的，不是嗎？
Yes. The manufacturers used the corn and peanut oil and turned them into a kind of very pure alcohol.
沒錯。制造商利用了玉米和花生油，把它們變成了一種純的很高的酒精。
You mean ethanol?
你是指乙醇？
Yes. In fact, most bio-fuels are still based on ethanol. Actually, I've got some notes here about the process of turning plant-matter into ethanol - the chemical reactions and the fermentation stages and...
對。事實上，大部分的生物燃料仍然以乙醇為基礎。其實我這兒有些筆記，記下了把植物體轉變成乙醇的過程——中間的化學反應和發酵步驟……
It's interesting, the other students would appreciate it, but different bio-fuels use different processes and if we give a general description, there's a risk we'll get it wrong.
這很有趣，其他學生會很欣賞的，但不同的生物燃料有不同的生產過程，如果我們只作概述，很有可能會弄錯。
And then the tutor might mark us down. I'd rather we focus on the environmental issues.
接著導師就會給我們打個低分。我寧愿集中講講環境問題。
Fair enough. So, um, the main plants that are used for bio-fuel production now are sugar cane, corn...
有道理。那么，主要用來生產生物燃料的植物有甘蔗，玉米……
And canola. Of all of them, canola is probably the least harmful because machines that use it don't produce as much carbon monoxide.
和菜籽。在這些植物之中，菜籽應該是最低害的一種，因為消耗菜籽的機器不會產生這么多一氧化碳。
Sugar cane seems to be controversial. It doesn't require as much fertilizer as corn does to grow, but when they burn the sugar cane fields, that releases loads of greenhouse gases.
甘蔗看上去很有爭議。它不如玉米生長需要那么多肥料，但在燒甘蔗田時，會放出大量溫室氣體。
Yes, but some critics have suggested that the production of corn ethanol uses up more fossil fuel energy than the bio-fuel energy it eventually produces.
沒錯，但一些批評家也表示，生產玉米乙醇，所消耗的化石燃料能源比所產生的生物燃料能源還多。
For that reason I'd say it was more harmful to the environment.
由于這個原因，我認為玉米乙醇對環境更有害。
I see what you mean. You're probably right. It's interesting how everyone saw the bio-fuel industry as the answer to our energy problems, but in some ways, bio-fuels have created new problems.
我明白你的意思。你說得對。有趣的是，每個人都認為生物燃料行業是能源問題的答案，但從某些角度來說，生物燃料也引發了新的問題。
Well, in the USA, I wouldn't say that farmers are having problems. The bio-fuel industry for them has turned out to be really profitable.
在滅國，我不會說農民會有意見。生物燃料行業對他們來說非常有利可圖。
I think, though, that even in the USA, ethanol is still only used as an additive to gasoline, or petrol.
但是，我認為，即使在美國，乙醇也只是作為汽油的添加物使用。
The problem is that it still has to be transported by trucks or rail because they haven't built any pipelines to move it.
問題在于，生物燃料仍需卡車或火車運輸，因為人們還沒建立運輸管道。
Once they do, it'll be cheaper and the industry might move forward.
一旦他們建了管道，費用就會降下來，整個行業也可能被帶動往前發展。
That'll have to happen one day. At least the government are in favour of bio-fuel development.
未來某天都得實現，至少政府是支持生物燃料發展的。
Yes. But Brazil's probably in the lead as far as bio-fuels are concerned-they've got to the point where they don't need to import any oil now.
對，但巴西在生物燃料方面當屬領先地位—他們已經到了不需要進口任何油產品的地步。
Which is great, and the industry in Brazil employs a huge number of people, but is it sustainable?
這太棒了， 巴西的（生物燃料）產業也讓一大批人實現就業，但這是可持續的嗎？
I mean, as the population grows and there are more vehicles on the roads and there's more machinery, surely they can't depend so much on sugar cane?
我是說，隨著人口增長，路上車輛更多了，機械也更多了，他們肯定不能只依賴于甘蔗吧？
At some point, there has to be a limit on how much land can be used for sugar cane production, certainly if you want to preserve natural habitats and native wildlife.
在某個時刻，總會限制能用作甘蔗生產的土地面積—這肯定會發生的，假如你想保護自然棲息地和本地野生動物。
I think that whatever problems Brazil's facing now, the same will be true for any country - you have to weigh up the pros and cons.
我想，巴西現在面臨的問題，不論是什么，其他國家也會遇到的—人們得衡量利弊。
Well, we probably won't see an increase in bio-fuel use.
可能生物燃料的使用率不會增加。
I mean, they won't replace fossil fuels until we can find ways to produce them cheaply and quickly and with less cost to the environment.
我的意思是，除非我們找到方法，能夠低成本地、迅速地生產生物燃料，且降低對環境的傷害，人們才會以生物燃料替換化石燃料。
making sure they require minimal energy to produce.
確保生產耗能最低。
Exactly! And in a way that means they have to cost less than fossil fuels, certainly when you're filling up your car.
沒錯！而且某種意義上，這意味著生物燃料得比化石燃料成本低，在給車加油的時候得是如此。
Yes, and whatever other kind of engines use fossil fuels at the moment.
對，以及目前任意消耗化石燃料的發動機。
