双语新闻：中国美国开采天然气任重道远

2014-08-26 15:49:43来源：可可英语

　　SHOUYANG, China — Jin Peisheng, a drilling rigforeman, knows the challenges of trying to extractnatural gas from a coal seam under the cornfieldshere in north-central China.

　　中国寿阳——钻井队长金培盛(音译)深知，从华北地区玉米地下的煤层中开采天然气是多么难的一件事。

　　Cracks in the subterranean coal are flooded withwater that needs to be pumped out before the gaswill emerge. The coal seams are so cold that gelsinjected into the well, which are meant to helprelease the gas, sometimes become gummy andblock the flow instead. And there is constant concern about hitting the labyrinths of active coalmines that honeycomb the area.

　　地下煤层的裂缝里注满了水，需要都抽出来，才能让天然气得以释放。注入矿井的胶体本来是为了促进天然气的释放，但煤层实在是过于冰冷，使得胶体有时会变得太粘稠，反而挡住了天然气的流动。此外，人们常常会担心，这种做法会伤及这片区域里正在开采的迷宫般的地下煤矿。

　　“The big uncertainty is what’s underground — if there’s a tunnel, that’s a big danger. It wouldbe dangerous for the miners,” Mr. Jin said.

　　“最不能确定的是地下有什么——如果有隧道，风险就大了。那对矿工来说是很危险的，”金培盛说。

　　Faced with severe air pollution from coal and a rising dependence on energy imports, Chinahas been eager to follow the United States by rapidly increasing natural gas output. Replacingcoal with natural gas has also been central to Beijing’s hopes to limit emissions of globalwarming gases in China, the world’s largest producer of carbon dioxide by a wide margin.

　　面对煤炭造成的严重大气污染，以及越来越依赖进口能源的现状，中国一直迫切希望效仿美国，迅速提高天然气产量。用天然气取代煤炭，也是中国控制温室气体排放的希望所在。中国是全球最大的二氧化碳排放国，排放量远高于其他国家。

　　But China’s ability to extract sufficient natural gas is in serious doubt. Despite heavyinvestment and strong government support, China’s natural gas production is growing at aslower pace than its decelerating economy. China’s production of natural gas increased just 6percent last year and 4.4 percent in 2012.

　　然而，中国开采天然气的能力却深受质疑。尽管获得了大量投资，并得到了政府的大力扶持，中国天然气产量的增速仍然比不上不断放缓的经济增速。中国的天然气产量去年仅提高了6%，而2012年的增幅为2.2%。

　　China’s main problem is that shale gas production has fallen far short of expectations. That hasleft the country relying on alternative methods considered also-rans by American standards,like pumping natural gas from coal fields.

　　中国的主要问题是，页岩气产量与期望值相去甚远。于是，中国不得不依靠其他方法，比如从煤田中开采天然气，而这些方法以美国的标准来看都颇为落后。

本文关键字: 双语新闻：中国美国开采天然气任重道远