5分钟看懂水力压裂技术：是机遇还是危险？：英语精读讲义

What is hydraulic fracturing or fracking? 用詞

什么是水力压裂（hydraulic fracturing/fracking）？

Since the Industrial Revolution, 文化背景

自工业革命以来，

our energy consumption has risen unceasingly.

我们的能源消耗不断攀升。

The majority of this energy consumption is supplied by fossil fuels like coal or natural gas.

大部分能源消耗由煤炭或天然气等化石燃料提供。

Recently, there's been a lot of talk about a controversial method of extracting natural gas, 短語搭配

最近，关于一种备受争议的天然气开采方法的讨论很多，

hydraulic fracturing or fracking.

即水力压裂法。

Put simply, fracking describes the recovery of natural gas from deep layers inside the Earth. 講解

简单来说，水力压裂法就是从地球深层开采天然气。

In this method, porous rock is fractured by the use of water, sand, and chemicals

在这种方法中，多孔岩石被水、沙子和化学物质压裂，

in order to release the enclosed natural gas.

以释放其中封闭的天然气。

The technique of fracking has been known since the 1940s. 語法

水力压裂技术自20世纪40年代就已为人所知。

Nonetheless, only in the last 10 years has there been quite a fracking boom, 講解

然而，直到最近十年才出现了水力压裂的热潮，

especially in the USA.

尤其是在美国。

This is because most conventional natural gas sources in America and on the European continent have been exhausted. 用詞

这是因为美洲和欧洲大陆的大部分常规天然气气源已经枯竭。

Thus, prices for natural gas and other fuels are rising steadily.

因此，天然气和其他燃料的价格正在稳步上涨。

Significantly more complicated and expensive methods like fracking have now become attractive and profitable.

像水力压裂这种更为复杂和昂贵的方法现在变得极具吸引力且有利可图。

In the meantime, fracking has already been used more than a million times in the USA alone.

与此同时，仅在美国，水力压裂法就已经使用了超过一百万次。

Over 60% of all new oil and gas wells are drilled by using fracking.

超过60%的新油气井是使用水力压裂法钻探的。

Now, let's take a look at how fracking actually works. 表達脈絡

现在，让我们来看看水力压裂法实际上是如何运作的。

First, a shaft is drilled several 100 m into the Earth.

首先，在地下钻一个几百米深的竖井。

From there, a horizontal hole is drilled into the gas-bearing layer of rock. 用詞

从那里，向含气岩层钻一个水平孔。

Next, the fracking fluid is pumped into the ground using high-performance pumps.

接下来，使用高性能泵将压裂液注入地下。

On average, the fluid consists of 8 million L of water,

平均而言，压裂液包含800万升水，

which amounts to about the daily consumption of 65,000 people, 短語動詞

约等于6.5万人的日用水量，

plus several thousand tons of sand,

加上几千吨沙子，

and about 200,000 L of chemicals.

以及约20万升化学物质。

The mixture penetrates into the rock layer and produces innumerable tiny cracks.

混合物渗透进岩层，产生无数微小的裂缝。

The sand prevents the cracks from closing again. 語法

沙子可以防止裂缝再次闭合。

The chemicals perform various tasks.

化学物质起着各种作用。

Among other things, they condense the water, 短語搭配

其中包括浓缩水分、

kill off bacteria, or dissolve minerals. 短語動詞

杀灭细菌，或溶解矿物质。

Next, the majority of the fracking fluid is pumped out again. 短語動詞

接下来，大部分压裂液再次被抽出。

And now, the natural gas can be recovered.

然后就可以回收天然气了。

As soon as the gas source is exhausted,

一旦气源枯竭，

the drill hole is sealed.

钻孔就会被密封。

As a rule, the fracking fluid is pumped back into deep underground layers 短語搭配

通常，压裂液会被泵回地下深层，

and sealed in there.

并密封在那里。

However, fracking is also associated with several considerable risks. 短語搭配

然而，水力压裂法也伴随着几个相当大的风险。

The primary risk consists in the contamination of drinking water sources. 短語搭配

首要风险在于污染饮用水源。

Fracking not only consumes large quantities of fresh water, 語法

水力压裂不仅消耗大量淡水，

but in addition, the water is subsequently contaminated and is highly toxic.

而且水在随后会被污染并具有剧毒。

The contamination is so severe that the water cannot even be cleaned in a treatment plant. 語法

污染如此严重，甚至连污水处理厂都无法净化。

Even though the danger is known and theoretically could be managed,

尽管这种危险是已知的，理论上也是可以控制的，

in the USA already, sources have been contaminated due to negligence. 短語搭配

但在美国，由于疏忽，已有水源遭到污染。

No one yet knows how the enclosed water will behave in the future, 語法

还没有人知道那些被封存的水在未来会发生什么，

since there have not yet been any long-term studies on the subject. 語法

因为目前还没有关于这个主题的长期研究。

The chemicals used in fracking vary from the hazardous to the extremely toxic and carcinogenic, 語法

水力压裂中使用的化学物质从有害到剧毒和致癌都有，

such as benzol or formic acid.

例如苯或甲酸。

The companies using fracking say nothing about the precise composition of the chemical mixture.

使用水力压裂法的公司对化学混合物的准确成分守口如瓶。

But it is known that there are about 700 different chemical agents 語法

但已知大约有700种不同的化学制剂，

which can be used in the process.

可能在这个过程中被使用。

Another risk is the release of greenhouse gases.

另一个风险是温室气体的排放。

The natural gas recovered by fracking consists largely of methane, 短語搭配

水力压裂法回收的天然气主要由甲烷组成，

a greenhouse gas which is 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide. 語法

这是一种比二氧化碳强25倍的温室气体。

Natural gas is less harmful than coal when burned, 語法

天然气在燃烧时比煤炭危害小，

but nonetheless, the negative effects of fracking on the climate balance are overall greater.

但尽管如此，水力压裂对气候平衡的整体负面影响更大。

Firstly, the fracking process requires a very large consumption of energy. 表達脈絡

首先，水力压裂过程需要消耗大量能源。

Secondly, the drill holes are quickly exhausted,

其次，钻孔很快就会枯竭，

and it's necessary to drill fracking holes much more frequently than for classical natural gas wells. 語法

这使得钻取水力压裂孔的频率必须远高于传统的天然气井。

In addition, about 3% of the recovered gas is lost in the extraction and escapes into the atmosphere.

此外，大约3%的回收气体在开采过程中流失并逃逸到大气中。

So, how is fracking and its expected benefits to be assessed 語法

那么，在权衡利弊时，

when the advantages are balanced against the disadvantages? 短語搭配

我们应该如何评估水力压裂及其预期收益呢？

When properly employed, 語法

如果使用得当，

this technique offers one way in the short-to-medium-term to meet our demand for lower-cost energy. 短語搭配

这项技术为我们在中短期内满足低成本能源需求提供了一种途径。

But the long-term consequences of fracking are unforeseeable,

但水力压裂的长期后果是不可预见的，

and the risk to our drinking water thus should not be underestimated. 表達脈絡

因此，它对我们饮用水造成的风险不容小觑。