英语听力：自然百科 太阳能

The most powerful source of energy on the planet is actually out in space. It's our sun. More energy falls as sunlight on the US in a single day than it uses in a year. But it's been difficult to turn that sunlight into electricity. Many of us already use some solar energy, but the world has a big appetite for power, and solar power has to be competitively priced and reliable.

 

One good role model is in California. Sacramento, the state capital, is one of the nation's leaders in solar power. Many new homes are equipped with solar cells, and solar panels shade parking lots and city buildings. But most importantly, Sacramento has shown that buying in bulk can dramatically reduce the price per unit, and that people can actually save money using solar power, or make money.

 

California, along with many other states, has started net metering. It lets citizens sell their extra solar power back to the utility, for exactly the price they would otherwise be paying for. If they use less power than they produce, the utility sends them a check.

 

Deep in California's Mojave Desert, there is a solar generating plant that dwarfs¹ all others. The Kramer Solar Junction² power facility, covering more than one thousand acres, creates more energy from solar power than every other solar panel in America combined--one hundred fifty megawatts in all.

“…which add that full capacity is enough power for the residential³ needs of about half a million people.”

 

Unlike photovoltaic systems which capture the energy in the sunlight directly, these mirrors reflect the light onto a tube filled with synthetic⁴ oil. The seven hundred degree oil then goes into a boiler⁵ that runs an electric turbine. Each segment also has a backup natural gas generator⁶, so rain or shine, they can always supply the power Los Angles expects while creating very little carbon dioxide or smog.

 

1 dwarfs   

n.侏儒，矮子（dwarf的复数形式）vt.（使）显得矮小（dwarf的第三人称单数形式）

参考例句：

• Shakespeare dwarfs other dramatists. 莎士比亚使其他剧作家相形见绌。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The new building dwarfs all the other buildings in the town. 新大楼使城里所有其他建筑物都显得矮小了。 来自辞典例句

2 junction   

n.连接，接合；交叉点，接合处，枢纽站

参考例句：

• There's a bridge at the junction of the two rivers.两河的汇合处有座桥。
• You must give way when you come to this junction.你到了这个路口必须让路。

3 residential   

adj.提供住宿的；居住的；住宅的

参考例句：

• The mayor inspected the residential section of the city.市长视察了该市的住宅区。
• The residential blocks were integrated with the rest of the college.住宿区与学院其他部分结合在了一起。

4 synthetic   

adj.合成的，人工的；综合的；n.人工制品

参考例句：

• We felt the salesman's synthetic friendliness.我们感觉到那位销售员的虚情假意。
• It's a synthetic diamond.这是人造钻石。

5 boiler   

n.锅炉；煮器(壶，锅等)

参考例句：

• That boiler will not hold up under pressure.那种锅炉受不住压力。
• This new boiler generates more heat than the old one.这个新锅炉产生的热量比旧锅炉多。

6 generator   

n.发电机，发生器

参考例句：

• All the while the giant generator poured out its power.巨大的发电机一刻不停地发出电力。
• This is an alternating current generator.这是一台交流发电机。