2007年VOA标准英语-US Government Gives Big Boost to Ethanol Indust

By Paul Sisco
Washington, DC
26 January 2007
 
watch Ethanol Alernative report

In his State of the Union address, President Bush set an ambitious goal for the United States -- to reduce oil imports from the Middle East by 75 percent. He said this can be accomplished¹ by increasing the supply of alternative fuels and reducing projected gasoline usage in the United States by 20 percent in the next ten years. Tthat could give the ethanol industry a big boost.

 
President Bush smiles while being applauded by Vice² President Dick Cheney, left, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
President George Bush said in his State of the Union address, "It is in our vital interest to diversify³ America's energy supply.  The way forward is through technology."

Tied to the President's initiative, the U.S. Department of Energy is asking Congress for $17 million to improve automobile⁴ efficiency, and the Department of Agriculture is seeking $1.6 billion in new funding for renewable energy development -- all in an effort to support the president's goal of reducing gasoline usage by 20 percent.

"We need to press on with better research for plug-in and hybrid⁵ vehicles and expand the use of clean diesel⁶ vehicles and bio-diesel fuel. We must continue investing in new methods of producing ethanol" the president said.

There are now 110 ethanol plants in the United States with another 73 under construction.

 
Harvesting corn for ethanol fuel
Ethanol is an alcohol-based fuel that is produced by fermenting⁷ and distilling⁸ starch⁹ crops, usually corn.  Mixed with gasoline, ethanol increases fuel efficiency and reduces dangerous vehicle emissions¹⁰.  But there are obvious negatives involved in using food for fuel. Food prices could go up. Exports could suffer. And many also believe that the ethanol refining process is not as energy efficient as it can be.

Gassa Asram, with the United States Department of Agriculture, shares the goal. "The challenge that is in front of us is to develop the next generation of bio-refineries, the ones that can take the leaves, the branch and agricultural wastes to turn it into energy and fuel for the future."

The latest research centers on the production of cellulose ethanol. In the case of corn, cellulose ethanol is made not from the edible¹¹ ear, but from the stock, stem and other usually discarded parts. 

“The excitement about cellulose ethanol is that it helps you avoid the conflicts with food provision and it also allows you to use inputs¹² that are more environmentally friendly” says Susan Hunt, who specializes in bio-fuels at the Worldwatch Institute in Washington.  “So you can use waste stream, you can use switch grass, which the president mentioned in his speech, which is much more environmentally benign¹³. This appears to be the future of ethanol."

And if that is the case, scientists have a much better chance of meeting the President's energy goals. "America is on the verge¹⁴ of technological¹⁵ breakthroughs that will enable us to live our lives less dependent on foreign oil and these technologies will help up be better stewards¹⁶ of the environment and they will help us to confront the serious challenge of global climate change."

1 accomplished   

adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的

参考例句：

• Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
• Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。

2 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。

3 diversify   

v.（使）不同，（使）变得多样化

参考例句：

• Our company is trying to diversify.我们公司正力图往多样化方面发展。
• Hills and woods diversify the landscape.山陵和树木点缀景色。

4 automobile   

n.汽车，机动车

参考例句：

• He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile.他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。
• The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road.汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。

5 hybrid   

n.(动，植）杂种，混合物

参考例句：

• That is a hybrid perpetual rose.那是一株杂交的四季开花的蔷薇。
• The hybrid was tall,handsome,and intelligent.那混血儿高大、英俊、又聪明。

6 diesel   

n.柴油发动机，内燃机

参考例句：

• We experimented with diesel engines to drive the pumps.我们试着用柴油机来带动水泵。
• My tractor operates on diesel oil.我的那台拖拉机用柴油开动。

7 fermenting   

v.（使）发酵( ferment的现在分词 )；（使）激动；骚动；骚扰

参考例句：

• The fermenting wine has bubbled up and over the top. 发酵的葡萄酒已经冒泡，溢了出来。 来自辞典例句
• It must be processed through methods like boiling, grinding or fermenting. 它必须通过煮沸、研磨、或者发酵等方法加工。 来自互联网

8 distilling   

n.蒸馏（作用）v.蒸馏( distil的过去式和过去分词 )( distilled的过去分词 )；从…提取精华

参考例句：

• Water can be made pure by distilling it. 水经蒸馏可变得纯净。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• More ammonium sulphate solution is being recovered in the process of distilling oil shale. 在提炼油页岩的过程中回收的硫酸铵液比过去多了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 starch   

n.淀粉；vt.给...上浆

参考例句：

• Corn starch is used as a thickener in stews.玉米淀粉在炖煮菜肴中被用作增稠剂。
• I think there's too much starch in their diet.我看是他们的饮食里淀粉太多了。

10 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。

11 edible   

n.食品，食物；adj.可食用的

参考例句：

• Edible wild herbs kept us from dying of starvation.我们靠着野菜才没被饿死。
• This kind of mushroom is edible,but that kind is not.这种蘑菇吃得，那种吃不得。

12 inputs   

n.输入( input的名词复数 )；投入；输入端；输入的数据v.把…输入电脑( input的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Uncheck the inputs checked for optimization in the previous stage. 不测试那些已经测试过的优化了的以前步骤的inputs.（变量参数）。 来自互联网
• Just in case, save in a file the inputs obtained at the previous stage. 以防万一，保存以前步骤获得的inputs（变量参数值）到一个文件中去。 来自互联网

13 benign   

adj.善良的，慈祥的；良性的，无危险的

参考例句：

• The benign weather brought North America a bumper crop.温和的气候给北美带来大丰收。
• Martha is a benign old lady.玛莎是个仁慈的老妇人。

14 verge   

n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• She was on the verge of bursting into tears.她快要哭出来了。

15 technological   

adj.技术的；工艺的

参考例句：

• A successful company must keep up with the pace of technological change.一家成功的公司必须得跟上技术变革的步伐。
• Today,the pace of life is increasing with technological advancements.当今， 随着科技进步，生活节奏不断增快。

16 stewards   

（轮船、飞机等的）乘务员( steward的名词复数 )； （俱乐部、旅馆、工会等的）管理员； （大型活动的）组织者； （私人家中的）管家

参考例句：

• The stewards all wore armbands. 乘务员都戴了臂章。
• The stewards will inspect the course to see if racing is possible. 那些干事将检视赛马场看是否适宜比赛。