5分鐘看懂水力壓裂技術：是機遇還是危險？：英語精讀講義

What is hydraulic fracturing or fracking? 用詞

什麼是水力壓裂（hydraulic fracturing/fracking）？

Since the Industrial Revolution, 文化背景

自工業革命以來，

our energy consumption has risen unceasingly.

我們的能源消耗不斷攀升。

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氣等化石燃料提供。

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

最近，關於一種備受爭議的天然氣開採方法的討論很多，

hydraulic fracturing or fracking.

即水力壓裂法。

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

簡單來說，水力壓裂法就是從地球深層開採天然氣。

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

在這種方法中，多孔岩石被水、沙子和化學物質壓裂，

in order to release the enclosed natural gas.

以釋放其中封閉的天然氣。

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

水力壓裂技術自20世紀40年代就已為人所知。

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

然而，直到最近十年才出現了水力壓裂的熱潮，

especially in the USA.

尤其是在美國。

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

這是因為美洲和歐洲大陸的大部分常規天然氣氣源已經枯竭。

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

因此，天然氣和其他燃料的價格正在穩步上漲。

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

像水力壓裂這種更為複雜和昂貴的方法現在變得極具吸引力且有利可圖。

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

與此同時，僅在美國，水力壓裂法就已經使用了超過一百萬次。

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

超過60%的新油氣井是使用水力壓裂法鑽探的。

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

現在，讓我們來看看水力壓裂法實際上是如何運作的。

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

首先，在地下鑽一個幾百米深的豎井。

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

從那裡，向含氣岩層鑽一個水平孔。

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

接下來，使用高性能泵將壓裂液注入地下。

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

平均而言，壓裂液包含800萬升水，

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

約等於6.5萬人的日用水量，

plus several thousand tons of sand,

加上幾千噸沙子，

and about 200,000 L of chemicals.

以及約20萬升化學物質。

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

混合物滲透進岩層，產生無數微小的裂縫。

The sand prevents the cracks from closing again. 文法

沙子可以防止裂縫再次閉合。

The chemicals perform various tasks.

化學物質起著各種作用。

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

其中包括濃縮水分、

kill off bacteria, or dissolve minerals. 片語動詞

殺滅細菌，或溶解礦物質。

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

接下來，大部分壓裂液再次被抽出。

And now, the natural gas can be recovered.

然後就可以回收天然氣了。

As soon as the gas source is exhausted,

一旦氣源枯竭，

the drill hole is sealed.

鑽孔就會被密封。

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

通常，壓裂液會被泵回地下深層，

and sealed in there.

並密封在那裡。

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

然而，水力壓裂法也伴隨著幾個相當大的風險。

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

首要風險在於污染飲用水源。

Fracking not only consumes large quantities of fresh water, 文法

水力壓裂不僅消耗大量淡水，

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

而且水在隨後會被污染並具有劇毒。

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

污染如此嚴重，甚至連污水處理廠都無法淨化。

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

儘管這種危險是已知的，理論上也是可以控制的，

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

但在美國，由於疏忽，已有水源遭到污染。

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

還沒有人知道那些被封存的水在未來會發生什麼，

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

因為目前還沒有關於這個主題的長期研究。

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

水力壓裂中使用的化學物質從有害到劇毒和致癌都有，

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.

使用水力壓裂法的公司對化學混合物的準確成分守口如瓶。

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

但已知大約有700種不同的化學製劑，

which can be used in the process.

可能在這個過程中被使用。

Another risk is the release of greenhouse gases.

另一個風險是溫室氣體的排放。

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

水力壓裂法回收的天然氣主要由甲烷組成，

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

這是一種比二氧化碳強25倍的溫室氣體。

Natural gas is less harmful than coal when burned, 文法

天然氣在燃燒時比煤炭危害小，

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

但儘管如此，水力壓裂對氣候平衡的整體負面影響更大。

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

首先，水力壓裂過程需要消耗大量能源。

Secondly, the drill holes are quickly exhausted,

其次，鑽孔很快就會枯竭，

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

這使得鑽取水力壓裂孔的頻率必須遠高於傳統的天然氣井。

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

此外，大約3%的回收氣體在開採過程中流失並逃逸到大氣中。

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

那麼，在權衡利弊時，

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

我們應該如何評估水力壓裂及其預期收益呢？

When properly employed, 文法

如果使用得當，

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

這項技術為我們在中短期內滿足低成本能源需求提供了一種途徑。

But the long-term consequences of fracking are unforeseeable,

但水力壓裂的長期後果是不可預見的，

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

因此，它對我們飲用水造成的風險不容小覷。