2007年VOA标准英语-Bush Champions Ethanol to Cut Foreign Oil Depen

By Scott Stearns
White House
22 February 2007

U.S. President George Bush wants to cut America's dependence¹ on foreign oil by increasing the domestic production of alternative fuels. VOA White House Correspondent Scott Stearns has the story.

President Bush speaks to reporters about how cellulosic ethanol can be produced from bio mass such as spruce wood chips

President Bush wants Americans to cut their use of gasoline by 20 percent over the next 10 years. On Thursday, Mr. Bush met with scientists working on enzymes² to produce ethanol from wood chips and agricultural waste.

"It's an interesting time, isn't it, when you are able to say, we are on the verge³ of some breakthroughs that will enable a pile of wood chips to become the raw materials for fuels that will run your car," he said.

The president spoke⁴ during a meeting with officials from the Novozymes Corporation in the state of North Carolina. Novozymes scientists used a federal grant to cut the cost of producing cellulosic ethanol.

Mr. Bush says that is just the sort of federal assistance needed to break America's dependence on foreign oil.

"We're all connected, and so when a Chinese economy grows, and their demand for oil goes up, it affects the price that you pay for gasoline," he added.  "People got to know that. And, therefore, it is important for us to continue to advance these kinds of research projects."

The president's energy plan also includes improving fuel economy standards for automobiles⁵ and boosting investments in clean-coal technology, hybrid⁶ vehicles, and hydrogen fuel cells.

The United States currently imports about 60 percent of its oil. President Bush wants to step up domestic production in what he calls environmentally sensitive ways in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska and in the Gulf⁷ of Mexico.

1 dependence   

n.依靠，依赖；信任，信赖；隶属

参考例句：

• Doctors keep trying to break her dependence of the drug.医生们尽力使她戒除毒瘾。
• He was freed from financial dependence on his parents.他在经济上摆脱了对父母的依赖。

2 enzymes   

n. 酶，酵素

参考例句：

• It was said that washing powders containing enzymes remove stains more efficiently. 据说加酶洗衣粉除污更有效。
• Among the enzymes which are particularly effective are pepsin, papain. 在酶当中特别有效的是胃朊酶、木瓜酶。

3 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。

4 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。

5 automobiles   

n.汽车( automobile的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• When automobiles become popular,the use of the horse and buggy passed away. 汽车普及后，就不再使用马和马车了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Automobiles speed in an endless stream along the boulevard. 宽阔的林荫道上，汽车川流不息。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 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。

7 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。