【英语时差8,16】蓝细菌：未来的燃料（上）

When most people fill their gas tanks, they think of fossil fuels and pumping oil from the ground. But many scientists around the country think bacteria. Bacteria have a bad reputation because they are responsible for several human illnesses, but there are many thousands of species of bacteria. Some of the most interesting species are cyanobacteria which used to be called blue green algae¹ because of their color. These bacteria are naturally found in bodies of water, and like plants, use sunlight to convert carbon dioxide into energy. Currently, we are using plants like corn to produce ethanol. It is a time consuming, expensive process that involves growing plants, transporting them, fermenting² and processing them to get fuel. With bacteria, carbon dioxide can be converted directly into organic chemicals. The only problem has been the quantity and type of fuels bacteria can produce.

1 algae   

n.水藻，海藻

参考例句：

• Most algae live in water.多数藻类生长在水中。
• Algae grow and spread quickly in the lake.湖中水藻滋蔓。

2 fermenting   

v.（使）发酵( ferment的现在分词 )；（使）激动；骚动；骚扰

参考例句：

• The fermenting wine has bubbled up and over the top. 发酵的葡萄酒已经冒泡，溢了出来。 来自辞典例句
• It must be processed through methods like boiling, grinding or fermenting. 它必须通过煮沸、研磨、或者发酵等方法加工。 来自互联网