Renewable Energy Sources

Today petroleum provides around 40% of the world’s energy needs, mostly fuelling automobiles¹. Coal is still used, mostly in power stations, to cover one-quarter of our energy needs, but it is the least efficient, unhealthiest and most environmentally damaging fossil fuel². Natural gas reserves could plug some of the gap from oil³, but reserves of that will not last into the 22nd century either. Most experts predict we will exhaust easily accessible reserves within 50 years⁴. We could fast reach an energy crisis. We need to rapidly develop sustainable solutions to fuel our future⁵. Less-polluting renewable energy sources offer a more practical long-term energy solution. They may benefit the world’s poor too. “Renewable”, refers to the fact that these resources are not used faster than they can be replaced.

The Chinese and Romans used watermills over 2,000 years ago. But the first hydroelectric dam was built in England in 1870. Hydroelectric power is now the most common form of renewable energy, supplying around 20% of world electricity. China’s Three Gorges Dam⁶, which has just been completed, is the largest ever. At five times the size of the US’s Hoover Dam⁷, its 26 turbines will generate the equivalent energy of 18 coal-fired power stations⁸. It will satisfy 3% of China’s entire electricity demand. Surprisingly, some argue that hydroelectric dams significantly contrihute greenhouse gases.

In 2003, the first commercial power station to harness tidal currents⁹ in the open sea opened in Norway. It is designed like windmill, but others take the form of turbines.

As prices fall, wind power has become the fastest growing type of electricity generation — quadrupling¹⁰ worldwide between 1999 and 2005. Modern wind farms consist of turbines that generate electricity. Though it will be more expensive, there is more than enough wind to provide the world’s entire energy needs. Wind farms come in onshore and offshore forms. They can often end up at spots of natural beauty¹¹, and are often unpopular with residents. And turbines are not totally benign — they can interfere with radar and leave a significant ecological footprint¹², altering climate and killing sea birds. Migrating birds may have more luck avoiding them. Scotland is building Europe’s largest wind farm, which will power 200,000 homes. The UK’s goal is to generate one-fifth of power from renewable sources, mainly wind, by 2020. But this may cause problems, because wind is unreliable.

词汇：

watermill / ˈwɔ:təmɪl / n. 水力磨，水车 

gorge / ɡɔ:dʒ / n. 峡，峡谷
windmill / "wɪndmɪl / n. 风车；风力磨坊 

turbine / ˈtɜ:baɪn / n. 叶轮机，涡轮机
hydroelectric / ˌhaɪdrəʊɪˈlektrɪk / n.  水力发电的 

benign / bɪˈnaɪn / adj. 无害的
tidal / "taɪdl / adj. 潮汐的 

footprint / ˈfʊtprɪnt / n.脚印，足迹；接触面积
quadruple / "kwɒ"dru:pl / adj. 四倍；四倍的；使成四倍

1. …mostly fuelling automobiles:大多用来为汽车提供燃料。 fuel在此作及物动词。

2. fossil fuel: (煤、石油、天然气等 )矿物燃料

3. Natural gas reserves could plug some of the gap from oil:天然气的储量可能填补部分石油短缺。动词 plug原义

为“堵塞”在此作“填补”解。

4. …exhaust easily accessible reserves within 50 years:很容易在 50年内耗尽可采掘的燃料储备。 accessible：可得到的。

5. to fuel our future:为我们的未来提供燃料

6. Three Gorges Dam:三峡大坝

7. Hoover Dam: Hoover大坝是美国七大民用建筑奇迹之一，建于科罗拉多河 (the Colorado River)上，1931年开始建造， 5年后完工。

8. coal-fired power stations:烧煤的发电站

9. to harness tidal currents:利用潮汐来发电。 harness:利用（河流、瀑布等）产生动力 (尤指电力 )。

10. quadrupling:是动词 quadruple的现在分词形式，意思是 “（使）成四倍，翻两番”。如：Our profits have quadrupled in five years.五年里我们的利润翻了两番。

11. … often end up at spots of natural beauty:常常会出现在美丽的自然环境中。

What are the energy resources that are not renewable according to the article?

A:Petroleum and coal. B:Natural gas. C:Wind and water.  D:A and B.

Renewable Energy Sources

Today petroleum provides around 40% of the world’s energy needs, mostly fuelling automobiles¹. Coal is still used, mostly in power stations, to cover one-quarter of our energy needs, but it is the least efficient, unhealthiest and most environmentally damaging fossil fuel². Natural gas reserves could plug some of the gap from oil³, but reserves of that will not last into the 22nd century either. Most experts predict we will exhaust easily accessible reserves within 50 years⁴. We could fast reach an energy crisis. We need to rapidly develop sustainable solutions to fuel our future⁵. Less-polluting renewable energy sources offer a more practical long-term energy solution. They may benefit the world’s poor too. “Renewable”, refers to the fact that these resources are not used faster than they can be replaced.

The Chinese and Romans used watermills over 2,000 years ago. But the first hydroelectric dam was built in England in 1870. Hydroelectric power is now the most common form of renewable energy, supplying around 20% of world electricity. China’s Three Gorges Dam⁶, which has just been completed, is the largest ever. At five times the size of the US’s Hoover Dam⁷, its 26 turbines will generate the equivalent energy of 18 coal-fired power stations⁸. It will satisfy 3% of China’s entire electricity demand. Surprisingly, some argue that hydroelectric dams significantly contrihute greenhouse gases.

In 2003, the first commercial power station to harness tidal currents⁹ in the open sea opened in Norway. It is designed like windmill, but others take the form of turbines.

As prices fall, wind power has become the fastest growing type of electricity generation — quadrupling¹⁰ worldwide between 1999 and 2005. Modern wind farms consist of turbines that generate electricity. Though it will be more expensive, there is more than enough wind to provide the world’s entire energy needs. Wind farms come in onshore and offshore forms. They can often end up at spots of natural beauty¹¹, and are often unpopular with residents. And turbines are not totally benign — they can interfere with radar and leave a significant ecological footprint¹², altering climate and killing sea birds. Migrating birds may have more luck avoiding them. Scotland is building Europe’s largest wind farm, which will power 200,000 homes. The UK’s goal is to generate one-fifth of power from renewable sources, mainly wind, by 2020. But this may cause problems, because wind is unreliable.

词汇：

watermill / ˈwɔ:təmɪl / n. 水力磨，水车 

gorge / ɡɔ:dʒ / n. 峡，峡谷
windmill / "wɪndmɪl / n. 风车；风力磨坊 

turbine / ˈtɜ:baɪn / n. 叶轮机，涡轮机
hydroelectric / ˌhaɪdrəʊɪˈlektrɪk / n.  水力发电的 

benign / bɪˈnaɪn / adj. 无害的
tidal / "taɪdl / adj. 潮汐的 

footprint / ˈfʊtprɪnt / n.脚印，足迹；接触面积
quadruple / "kwɒ"dru:pl / adj. 四倍；四倍的；使成四倍

1. …mostly fuelling automobiles:大多用来为汽车提供燃料。 fuel在此作及物动词。

2. fossil fuel: (煤、石油、天然气等 )矿物燃料

3. Natural gas reserves could plug some of the gap from oil:天然气的储量可能填补部分石油短缺。动词 plug原义

为“堵塞”在此作“填补”解。

4. …exhaust easily accessible reserves within 50 years:很容易在 50年内耗尽可采掘的燃料储备。 accessible：可得到的。

5. to fuel our future:为我们的未来提供燃料

6. Three Gorges Dam:三峡大坝

7. Hoover Dam: Hoover大坝是美国七大民用建筑奇迹之一，建于科罗拉多河 (the Colorado River)上，1931年开始建造， 5年后完工。

8. coal-fired power stations:烧煤的发电站

9. to harness tidal currents:利用潮汐来发电。 harness:利用（河流、瀑布等）产生动力 (尤指电力 )。

10. quadrupling:是动词 quadruple的现在分词形式，意思是 “（使）成四倍，翻两番”。如：Our profits have quadrupled in five years.五年里我们的利润翻了两番。

11. … often end up at spots of natural beauty:常常会出现在美丽的自然环境中。

According to the article, resources such as wind

A:are sustainable but not replaceable. B:are renewable so sustainable. C:are sustainable so renewable. D:are irreplaceable.

种质资源（germplasm resources）

Nonrenewable resources 不可更新资源

水利计算（analysis of irrigation water resources）

It's important for us to ______ our forest resources.

A:conserve B:reserve C:prevent D:store

The main goals of Network are sharing computer resources .The resources include hardware, data and

A:gateway B:router C:software D:server

The main goals of network are sharing computer resources. Which resources it includes ( )

A:hardware, data and gateway B:software, gateway and router C:hardware, data and software D:data, gateway and server

"In the event of an emergency RCC will ______ appropriate resources in the vicinity to provide immediate assistance．

A:arrange appropriate resources in the vicinity to provide assistance B:try to prohibit ships in the vicinity from providing any assistance C:investigate the case to see if it is necessary to provide assistance D:communicate to the ship in distress all Navigational WarningsMeteorologicalWarnings Meteorological ForecastsInitial Distress Alerts and other urgent information"