TED演讲:恐惧核能是怎样伤害环境的(7)

 So what about the other reactors²? There's a reactor¹ that's coming online now, they're starting to sell it. 换作反应堆呢？现在有一款即将完成的反应堆，它即将开始售卖。

It's a high-temperature gas reactor. It can't melt³ down. 这是一个高温气体反应堆。它不会融化。

But it's really big and bulky, that's part of the safety,  但是为了安全性考虑，它的体积巨大且笨重。

and nobody thinks it's going to ever get cheaper than the reactors that we have.  而且没有人认为它会变得比其他反应堆更便宜。

The ones that use waste as fuel are really cool ideas, but the truth is, we don't actually know how to do that yet. 那个把废物当燃料的反应堆是挺炫酷的，但真相是，我们还不确定要怎样实现。

There's some risk that you'll actually make more waste,  有风险还会产生更多的废料，

and most people think that if you're including that waste part of the process,  大多数人认为，如果算上反应过程中的废物的话，

it's just going to make the whole machine a lot more expensive, it's just adding another complicated⁴ step. 这台机器其实相当昂贵，过程反而变得更加复杂。

And the truth is, there's real questions about how much of that we're going to do. 事实上，真正的问题是我们应该在核能问题上走多远。

I mean, we went to India and asked about the nuclear program.  我的意思是，我们去了印度，并问了他们核电项目的相关问题。

The government said before the Paris climate talks that they were going to do something like 30 new nuclear plants. 政府说在巴黎气候会议之前，他们打算建造30个新的核电站。

But when we got there and interviewed people and even looked at the internal⁵ documents, they're now saying they're going to do about five. 但是当我们到印度采访当地人，甚至查看了内部文件，他们说现在只建造了5个。

And in most of the world, especially the rich world, they're not talking about building new reactors. 而且世界上绝大部分，特别是那些富裕国家，他们没有建造新核电站的想法，

We're actually talking about taking reactors down before their lifetimes⁶ are over. 反而在谈论拆毁那些还未达到使用年限的核电站。

Germany's actually pressuring its neighbors to do that.  德国正在给邻国施压，让他们拆毁核电站。

I mentioned the United⁷ States -- we could lose half of our reactors over the next 15 years,  当我们谈到美国，我们可能在未来15年间失去一半的核反应堆，

which would wipe out 40 percent of the emissions⁸ reductions⁹ we're supposed to get under the Clean Power Plan.  这可能增加40%的排放量，那些本应由清洁能源计划承担的减排量。

Of course, in Japan, they took all their nuclear plants offline, replaced them with coal, natural gas, oil burning,  当然，在日本，它们把所有的核电站都报废了，并全部由煤炭，天然气和石油代替，

and they're only expected to bring online about a third to two-thirds. 而且他们只计划重新使用其中的三分之一到三分之二。

1 reactor   

n.反应器；反应堆

参考例句：

• The atomic reactor generates enormous amounts of thermal energy.原子反应堆发出大量的热能。
• Inside the reactor the large molecules are cracked into smaller molecules.在反应堆里，大分子裂变为小分子。

2 reactors   

起反应的人( reactor的名词复数 )； 反应装置； 原子炉； 核反应堆

参考例句：

• The TMI nuclear facility has two reactors. 三哩岛核设施有两个反应堆。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• The earliest production reactors necessarily used normal uranium as fuel. 最早为生产用的反应堆，必须使用普通铀作为燃料。

3 melt   

v.（使）融化，（使）熔化，使软化，使感动

参考例句：

• If you warm ice,it will melt into water.如果你给冰加热它会融化成水。
• It is easy to melt ice.融化冰很容易。

4 complicated   

adj.错综复杂的，麻烦的，结构复杂的

参考例句：

• The poem is so complicated that I cannot make out its meaning.这首诗太复杂，我理解不了它的意思。
• This is the most complicated case I have ever handled.这是我所处理过的最为复杂的案子。

5 internal   

adj.内的，内部的；国内的，内政的

参考例句：

• He is talking to Tom on the internal telephone.他正在内线电话上与汤姆交谈。
• We do not intend to be drawn into the internal strife.我们不想卷入内乱之中。

6 lifetimes   

n.一生，寿命( lifetime的名词复数 )；有生之年

参考例句：

• Wealth always passed by these scholars who were all treated unfairly in their lifetimes. 在济宁，意外地得知，李白竟也是在济宁住过了二十余年咧！ 来自中国文学部分
• And hence the mean lifetimes of the two brands of engines, are equal. 也就是说，两种牌号引擎的平均寿命是相等的。 来自辞典例句

7 united   

adj.和谐的；团结的；联合的，统一的

参考例句：

• The whole nation is closely united.全国人民紧密团结。
• The two men were united by community of interests.共同的利益使两个人结合在一起。

8 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

9 reductions   

减少( reduction的名词复数 )； 降低； [数学]约简； [摄影术]减薄

参考例句：

• Many companies have announced dramatic reductions in staff. 许多公司已经宣布大幅裁员。
• The forthcoming talks hold out the hope of real arms reductions. 即将举行的会谈给实现真正的裁军带来了希望。