时间:2018-12-16 作者:英语课 分类:VOA标准英语2012年(九月)


英语课

 



Oil Giants Eye Arctic Reserves


Last winter in the Arctic, the Russian tanker 1 ‘Renda’ carved its way to the remote Alaskan port of Nome.


Not long ago this voyage - made in December and January - would have been impossible. The warming climate means thinner ice. More and more vessels 2 are plying 3 these routes year-round. Many of them are involved in the search for oil and gas. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates there are 26 billion barrels of recoverable oil beneath the United States' Arctic waters alone.


Oil giants, including state-owned Russian firm Rosneft and Royal Dutch Shell, have already spent billions of dollars prospecting 4 for hydrocarbons 5.


But Glada Lahn from the policy institute Chatham House, says climate change can create problems as well as opportunities.


“With the warming temperatures in the Arctic, the frequency of ice breaking off, that speeds up and so you perhaps have more icebergs 6 in the way of operations," said Lahn. "The other problem is increasing severity of storms and as the ice retreats from the coastlines, there’s more chance of larger waves leading to coastal 7 erosion and damage to infrastructure 8.”


Corporate 9 video animations 10 posted on the Internet by Shell illustrate 11 the company’s drilling activities in the Arctic. Shell has abandoned its Arctic exploration until after the coming winter, citing the failure of a key piece of safety equipment.


According to analyst 12 Glada Lahn, safety will be the key to any successful oil exploration in the Arctic.


“It’s been more difficult in the U.S. and Canada. The memories of Deepwater Horizon, and even before that Exxon Valdez, are still fresh in people’s minds, and so there’s been a lot more public scrutiny 13 of the companies’ spill response plans, for instance,” said Lahn.


VOA did approach Shell for an interview but the company said no one was available.


After political problems appeared to have derailed the deal, it appears a joint 14 venture between Rosneft and BP to drill in the Arctic could be back on.


But not all oil giants are joining the rush. The CEO of the French firm Total recently said “a leak would do too much damage to the image of the company.”


In August activists 15 from the environmental group "Greenpeace" chained themselves to a Russian ship working from Gazprom’s Prirazlomnaya rig in the Barents Sea.


"This is a peaceful attempt by us as Greenpeace to try to bring some sanity 16 and some urgency, to get Gazprom, Shell, and other companies that are thinking about drilling in the Arctic to stop, to reconsider and understand the consequences of that action that will destroy our children's and grandchildren's future," said Greenpeace Executive Director Kumi Naidoo.


Scientists warn that a big oil spill in the Arctic would remain for decades in a kind of ‘ice-and-oil sandwich.’


Nevertheless oil companies like Shell say it will be necessary in the coming decades to look at unconventional resources such as the Arctic.


Environmental campaigners say that in such a pristine 17 environment, the risks are simply too high.




1 tanker
n.油轮
  • The tanker took on 200,000 barrels of crude oil.油轮装载了二十万桶原油。
  • Heavy seas had pounded the tanker into three parts.汹涌的巨浪把油轮撞成三载。
2 vessels
n.血管( vessel的名词复数 );船;容器;(具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的)人
  • The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
3 plying
v.使用(工具)( ply的现在分词 );经常供应(食物、饮料);固定往来;经营生意
  • All manner of hawkers and street sellers were plying their trade. 形形色色的沿街小贩都在做着自己的买卖。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • It was rather Mrs. Wang who led the conversation, plying Miss Liu with questions. 倒是汪太太谈锋甚健,向刘小姐问长问短。 来自汉英文学 - 围城
4 prospecting
n.探矿
  • The prospecting team ploughed their way through the snow. 探险队排雪前进。
  • The prospecting team has traversed the length and breadth of the land. 勘探队踏遍了祖国的山山水水。
5 hydrocarbons
n.碳氢化合物,烃( hydrocarbon的名词复数 )
  • Hydrocarbons (HC), like carbon monoxide, represent unburned and wasted fuel. 碳氢化合物(HC)像一氧化碳一样,为未燃尽的和被浪费掉的燃料。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
  • With this restricted frequency range it is not applicable to hydrocarbons. 这个较紧缩的频率范围不适用于烃类。 来自辞典例句
6 icebergs
n.冰山,流冰( iceberg的名词复数 )
  • The drift of the icebergs in the sea endangers the ships. 海上冰山的漂流危及船只的安全。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The icebergs towered above them. 冰山高耸于他们上方。 来自辞典例句
7 coastal
adj.海岸的,沿海的,沿岸的
  • The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
  • This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。
8 infrastructure
n.下部构造,下部组织,基础结构,基础设施
  • We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
  • We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设,发展各类群众文化。
9 corporate
adj.共同的,全体的;公司的,企业的
  • This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
  • His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。
10 animations
n.生气( animation的名词复数 );兴奋;动画片;(指电影、录像、电脑游戏的)动画制作
  • You'll see your team cheerleaders and mascot performing new animations as well. 你会看到啦啦队队长跟吉祥物也都会有全新的动作。 来自互联网
  • Ability to create simple movie and animations using graphic & multimedia software. 能够用平面和多媒体软件制作简单的电影及动画。 来自互联网
11 illustrate
v.举例说明,阐明;图解,加插图
  • The company's bank statements illustrate its success.这家公司的银行报表说明了它的成功。
  • This diagram will illustrate what I mean.这个图表可说明我的意思。
12 analyst
n.分析家,化验员;心理分析学家
  • What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务?
  • The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。
13 scrutiny
n.详细检查,仔细观察
  • His work looks all right,but it will not bear scrutiny.他的工作似乎很好,但是经不起仔细检查。
  • Few wives in their forties can weather such a scrutiny.很少年过四十的妻子经得起这么仔细的观察。
14 joint
adj.联合的,共同的;n.关节,接合处;v.连接,贴合
  • I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤,肩膀脫臼了。
  • We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。
15 activists
n.(政治活动的)积极分子,活动家( activist的名词复数 )
  • His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
  • Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》
16 sanity
n.心智健全,神智正常,判断正确
  • I doubt the sanity of such a plan.我怀疑这个计划是否明智。
  • She managed to keep her sanity throughout the ordeal.在那场磨难中她始终保持神志正常。
17 pristine
adj.原来的,古时的,原始的,纯净的,无垢的
  • He wiped his fingers on his pristine handkerchief.他用他那块洁净的手帕擦手指。
  • He wasn't about to blemish that pristine record.他本不想去玷污那清白的过去。
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