VOA慢速英语2013 California Seeks China's Help in Going Green

 

California Seeks China's Help in Going Green

From VOA Learning English, this is the Technology Report.

California Governor Jerry Brown wants to increase partnerships² between his state and China. The governor traveled to China last week to seek Chinese investment in things like high-speed rail, renewable energy and electric vehicles.

The California governor spoke³ at China’s Tsinghua University. He called for a partnership¹ between the United States and China to develop technologies to reduce greenhouse gases.  

“China has been instrumental in driving down the costs, and making available that technology. So there is a real connection.”

Mr. Brown met with Prime Minister Li Keqiang and China’s minister of environmental protection, Zhou Shengxian. Mr. Brown and Mr. Zhou signed a nonbinding agreement to share information about policies to reduce pollution. Pollution is a leading concern in Beijing, where officials advise people to stay indoors when air pollution levels peak.

California's biggest city, Los Angeles, has successfully reduced its smog problem. Its efforts included improving its vehicle emission⁴ standards, and offering special incentives⁵ or rewards for clean energy policies.

Last year California held its first auction⁶ of carbon credits under the state’s greenhouse gas reduction law. The law forces big polluting industries to buy credits to release carbon dioxide, methane⁷ and related gases.

Governor Brown also hopes to create 20,000 new megawatts of renewable electricity by 2020.

 Mike Hart is CEO of Sierra Energy, a green energy company.

“Electric vehicles, we’re looking at fuel cell vehicles. And also biofuels. And a lot of those areas where the technology needs to be advanced but we need a whole new infrastructure⁸.”   

 To achieve those goals California is seeking help from China. State-backed industries in the country have made gains in reducing the cost of green technologies such as solar panels and electric buses.

Governor Brown says his trip was an appeal for increased trade with China. Green technology is just one of the industries the California governor is interested in working on.

“We are looking for investments into California of any kind. And we’re looking for sales from California into China of any kind. So we’re looking for partnerships.”

California-based environmental scientists and representatives from environmental consulting firms also attended Governor Brown’s speech in Beijing. They say their work is increasingly directed at China. That is because rising air pollution levels in that country have created a market for solutions to the problems.

Former Chinese vice⁹ president -- now president -- Xi Jinping visited Los Angeles in February. He also called for an increase in economic and cultural ties between the United States and China.

And that's the Technology Report from VOA Learning English. I'm June Simms. 

1 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

2 partnerships   

n.伙伴关系( partnership的名词复数 )；合伙人身份；合作关系

参考例句：

• Partnerships suffer another major disadvantage: decision-making is shared. 合伙企业的另一主要缺点是决定要由大家来作。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• It involved selling off limited partnerships. 它涉及到售出有限的合伙权。 来自辞典例句

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 emission   

n.发出物，散发物；发出，散发

参考例句：

• Rigorous measures will be taken to reduce the total pollutant emission.采取严格有力措施，降低污染物排放总量。
• Finally,the way to effectively control particulate emission is pointed out.最后，指出有效降低颗粒排放的方向。

5 incentives   

激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机

参考例句：

• tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
• Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

6 auction   

n.拍卖；拍卖会；vt.拍卖

参考例句：

• They've put the contents of their house up for auction.他们把房子里的东西全都拿去拍卖了。
• They bought a new minibus with the proceeds from the auction.他们用拍卖得来的钱买了一辆新面包车。

7 methane   

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。

8 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

9 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。