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  • 不可再生资源

    A gas pump nozzle inserted into a car's fuel tank during refueling.

    Could we all run out of gasoline?
    ::汽油能用光吗?

    Yes, we will use up all our gasoline eventually. Gasoline is derived from oil. Oil deposits were formed over hundreds of millions of years. They cannot be quickly replenished. Oil is an example of a nonrenewable resource.
    ::是的,我们最终会耗尽我们所有的汽油,汽油来自石油,石油储量已经形成数亿年,无法迅速补充,石油是不可再生资源的例子。

    Nonrenewable Resources
    ::不可再生资源

    A nonrenewable resource is a natural resource that is consumed or used up faster than it can be made by nature. Two main types of nonrenewable resources are fossil fuels and nuclear power . Fossil fuels , such as petroleum, coal , and natural gas, formed from plant and remains over periods from 50 to 350 million years ago. They took millions of years to form. Humans have been consuming fossil fuels for less than 200 years, yet remaining reserves of oil can supply our needs only until around the year 2055. Natural gas can only supply us until around 2085. Coal will last longer, until around the year 2250. That is why it is so important to develop alternate forms of energy , especially for our cars. Today, electric cars are becoming more and more common. Considering the year 2055 is not that far away, what would happen if we ran out of gasoline? Alternative use of energy, especially in transportation, must become a standard feature of all cars and trucks and planes by the middle of the century.
    ::不可再生资源是一种自然资源,其消耗或消耗速度比自然所创造的要快。两种不可再生资源主要类型是化石燃料和核能。化石燃料、煤炭和天然气等化石燃料由植物形成,在5 000万到3.5亿年前的时期内仍停留在5 000万年前。它们花了数百万年才形成。人类消费化石燃料的时间不到200年,而剩余的石油储备只能满足我们的需求,直到2055年左右。天然气只能供应到2085年左右。煤炭将持续到2085年左右。因此,开发替代能源,特别是汽车的替代能源非常重要。今天,电动汽车越来越普遍。考虑到2055年不是那么遥远,如果我们用完汽油,会发生什么情况?替代能源的使用,特别是在运输方面,必须到本世纪中期成为所有汽车、卡车和飞机的标准特征。

    Nuclear power is the use of nuclear energy ( nuclear fission ) to create energy inside of a nuclear reactor ( Figure ). Nuclear power is developed from atoms in certain elements , such as uranium. Currently, there are limited uranium fuel supplies, which will last to about the year 2100 (or longer) at current rates of use. However, new technologies could make some uranium fuel reserves more useful.
    ::核能是指利用核能(核裂变)在核反应堆(图)内创造能源(图 ) 。 核能是由铀等某些元素的原子发展而来。 目前,铀燃料供应有限,按目前使用速度将持续到大约2100年(或更长 ) 。 但是,新技术可以使某些铀燃料储备更有用。

    Aerial photo of the Bruce Nuclear Generating Station in Ontario, Canada, showing facilities and surroundings.

    Aerial photo of the Bruce Nuclear Generating Station near Kincardine, Ontario.
    ::安大略金卡丁附近布鲁斯核发电站的空中照片。

    growth, especially in developing countries, should make people think about how fast they are consuming resources. Governments around the world should seriously consider these issues. Developing nations will also increase demands on natural resources as they build more factories ( Figure ). Improvements in technology, of resources, and controls in population growth could all help to decrease the demand on natural resources.
    ::特别是在发展中国家,增长应该使人们思考它们消耗资源的速度有多快,世界各国政府应该认真考虑这些问题,发展中国家随着建设更多的工厂(图 ) , 对自然资源的需求也会增加。 技术、资源和控制人口增长的改善都有助于减少对自然资源的需求。

    World map illustrating per capita energy consumption disparities in 2003 by country.

    Per capita energy consumption (2003) shows the unequal distribution of wealth, technology, and energy use.
    ::人均能源消费(2003年)显示财富、技术和能源使用分配不均。

    Summary
    ::摘要

    • Nonrenewable resources are being used up faster than they can be made by nature.
      ::使用不可再生资源的速度快于大自然所能创造的速度。
    • Nonrenewable resources include fossil fuels and nuclear power.
      ::不可再生资源包括化石燃料和核能。

    Explore More
    ::探索更多

    Use the resource below to answer the questions that follow.
    ::利用以下资源回答以下问题。

    • Formation of Fossil Fuels at (2:26)
      ::形成化石燃料(2:26)
    1. How does the formation of coal differ from the formation of oil? How are these processes the same?
      ::煤的形成与石油的形成有何不同?这些过程如何相同?
    2. Why are researchers looking for ways to speed up the production of fuel from plant matter?
      ::为什么研究人员在寻找加快从植物物质中生产燃料的方法?
    3. Where does natural gas come from?
      ::天然气从哪里来?
    4. When you burn fossil fuels, they release CO 2 into the atmosphere. Based on how long it takes fossil fuels to form, when was the last time that the carbon molecule in the CO 2 was in the atmosphere? How does this situation differ from someone cutting down a ten-year-old tree and burning it in his/her fireplace? What are the consequences for the atmosphere.
      ::当你燃烧化石燃料时,它们会释放二氧化碳到大气中。根据化石燃料的形成需要多长时间,这是最后一次二氧化碳中的碳分子在大气中?这种情况与砍伐10年之久的树并将之烧在壁炉里的人有什么不同?对大气有什么影响?

    Review
    ::回顾

    1. What is a nonrenewable resource? What are two main types?
      ::什么是不可再生资源?什么是两种主要类型?
    2. When did fossil fuels form?
      ::化石燃料何时形成?
    3. Why is nuclear power considered a nonrenewable resource?
      ::为什么核能被视为不可再生资源?