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托福听力短文 II-08-2

时间：2009-01-13 00:39:21

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(MA) Scientists are always on the lookout1 for alternative sources of energy. Today we're going to discuss one that's so plentiful2 they say it could supply more energy than all the coal and oil in the world. It's found in something called gas hydrate and, believe it or not, that's a kind of ice.

That's right. But the water in this ice was way down below the Earth's surface when it was frozen, so it was under a lot of pressure. And trapped inside the crystals of ice are individual molecules3 of methane4 --- that's what's in natural gas.

All this makes gas hydrate pretty strange stuff. If you touch a match to a piece of this ice, it'll burst into flame. And when geologists5 bring a chunk6 of it up to the surface to study at normal air pressure and temperature, gas hydrate begins to hiss7 and bubble --- and in less than half an hour, the ice melts and the methane inside escapes into the air.

Now, as you might guess, this can make gas hydrate kind of hard for miners to handle. And then there's the problem of where it's located --- in frozen arctic regions or in ocean waters off the Atlantic coast --- and up to a mile down.

Environmentalists warn that mining it could even be disastrous8. Offshore9 drilling could allow seawater to seep10 down into the huge icy deposits and release tons of methane up into the atmosphere. And methane, our listeners may recall, is a greenhouse gas that could really worsen the problem of global warming.

So, gas hydrate may offer some interesting possibilities. But, with all these drawbacks, I'm not going to hold my breath waiting for it to fuel my furnace.
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1 lookout w0sxT     
n.注意，前途，瞭望台
参考例句：
  • You can see everything around from the lookout.从了望台上你可以看清周围的一切。
  • It's a bad lookout for the company if interest rates don't come down.如果利率降不下来，公司的前景可就不妙了。
2 plentiful r2izH     
adj.富裕的，丰富的
参考例句：
  • Their family has a plentiful harvest this year.他们家今年又丰收了。
  • Rainfall is plentiful in the area.这个地区雨量充足。
3 molecules 187c25e49d45ad10b2f266c1fa7a8d49     
分子( molecule的名词复数 )
参考例句：
  • The structure of molecules can be seen under an electron microscope. 分子的结构可在电子显微镜下观察到。
  • Inside the reactor the large molecules are cracked into smaller molecules. 在反应堆里，大分子裂变为小分子。
4 methane t1Eyx     
n.甲烷，沼气
参考例句：
  • The blast was caused by pockets of methane gas that ignited.爆炸是由数袋甲烷气体着火引起的。
  • Methane may have extraterrestrial significance.甲烷具有星际意义。
5 geologists 1261592151f6aa40819f7687883760a2     
地质学家，地质学者( geologist的名词复数 )
参考例句：
  • Geologists uncovered the hidden riches. 地质学家发现了地下的宝藏。
  • Geologists study the structure of the rocks. 地质学家研究岩石结构。
6 chunk Kqwzz     
n.厚片，大块，相当大的部分（数量）
参考例句：
  • They had to be careful of floating chunks of ice.他们必须当心大块浮冰。
  • The company owns a chunk of farmland near Gatwick Airport.该公司拥有盖特威克机场周边的大片农田。
7 hiss 2yJy9     
v.发出嘶嘶声；发嘘声表示不满
参考例句：
  • We can hear the hiss of air escaping from a tire.我们能听到一只轮胎的嘶嘶漏气声。
  • Don't hiss at the speaker.不要嘘演讲人。
8 disastrous 2ujx0     
adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的
参考例句：
  • The heavy rainstorm caused a disastrous flood.暴雨成灾。
  • Her investment had disastrous consequences.She lost everything she owned.她的投资结果很惨，血本无归。
9 offshore FIux8     
adj.海面的，吹向海面的；adv.向海面
参考例句：
  • A big program of oil exploration has begun offshore.一个大规模的石油勘探计划正在近海展开。
  • A gentle current carried them slowly offshore.和缓的潮流慢慢地把他们带离了海岸。
10 seep rDSzK     
v.渗出，渗漏；n.渗漏，小泉，水（油）坑
参考例句：
  • My anger began to seep away.我的怒火开始消下去了。
  • If meteoric water does not evaporate or run overland,it may seep directly into the ground.如果雨水不从陆地蒸发和流走的话，就可能直接渗入地下。

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