2006年VOA标准英语-Iceland: Energy To Spare, Ideas to Share

By Paul Sisco
Washington, DC
04 August 2006
 
watch Energy Independence

Some Americans say fossil fuel dependency is a national addiction¹. But there is one nation that seems well on the way to kicking the habit. 

Iceland, as seen from space   
  
Iceland is a 103,000 square kilometer island nation that is home to about 300,000 people. And it has energy to spare. It is a volcanic² country. Molten rock heats huge underground lakes.  That geothermal energy is piped into cities and stored in giant tanks, providing heat for homes, businesses even swimming pools. 

Volcanoes formed rivers that run through turbines, providing virtually all the country's electricity.  Iceland is developing hydrogen fuel from water for its cars, buses, and trucks -- decreasing its dependency on oil.  It is still expensive, but hydrogen gets three times the kilometers per liter of gas powered engines. And there are no carbon emissions³, only water vapor⁴.

Marie Maack   
  
Marie Maack is a research consultant⁵ with the Hydrogen Research Project. "If we make hydrogen and use that as a fuel for transportation then we can run the whole society in our own local renewable energy resources."

"This country now has the sixth highest per capita income in the world and I think this is an indication that countries that start thinking smart in energy are going to do this" Maack added.

 
John Topping
  
John Topping of the non-profitClimate Institute recently returned from environmental talks there and says that Iceland is involved with helping⁶ other countries use energy more wisely. "Iceland is now involved, helping very much the Chinese build a very large geothermal facility in Seine province in China. A bank from Iceland is providing some of the financing and there are also a lot of people from India as well.  In the two most populated countries in the world are ultimately going to have a lot to do with any kind of success of any kind of a solution to climate change."

They were here in this small country," continued Topping, "a country of only 300,000 people -- Iceland. They're working to see what they could pick up and the Icelanders, who really are, right now, the most creative country in the world on the energy issue -- [they] were really helping to make this happen."

Iceland is doing away with gas powered cars by the middle of the century. It is committed to showing the world that it is possible to find viable⁷ energy alternatives to oil.  

1 addiction   

n.上瘾入迷，嗜好

参考例句：

• He stole money from his parents to feed his addiction.他从父母那儿偷钱以满足自己的嗜好。
• Areas of drug dealing are hellholes of addiction,poverty and murder.贩卖毒品的地区往往是吸毒上瘾、贫困和发生谋杀的地方。

2 volcanic   

adj.火山的；象火山的；由火山引起的

参考例句：

• There have been several volcanic eruptions this year.今年火山爆发了好几次。
• Volcanic activity has created thermal springs and boiling mud pools.火山活动产生了温泉和沸腾的泥浆池。

3 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

4 vapor   

n.蒸汽，雾气

参考例句：

• The cold wind condenses vapor into rain.冷风使水蒸气凝结成雨。
• This new machine sometimes transpires a lot of hot vapor.这部机器有时排出大量的热气。

5 consultant   

n.顾问；会诊医师，专科医生

参考例句：

• He is a consultant on law affairs to the mayor.他是市长的一个法律顾问。
• Originally,Gar had agreed to come up as a consultant.原来，加尔只答应来充当我们的顾问。

6 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

7 viable   

adj.可行的，切实可行的，能活下去的

参考例句：

• The scheme is economically viable.这个计划从经济效益来看是可行的。
• The economy of the country is not viable.这个国家经济是难以维持的。