英语听力精选进阶版 7352

英国政府邀请能源公司参与争议性的液压破碎法在英国各地开采能源的竞标。液压破碎法的原理是在高压情况下将水、沙子和化学物质注入页岩岩石，迫使岩层开裂从而释放石油或天然气。反对者认为液压破碎法会对环境造成巨大破坏。

Around half of the area of the UK is being opened up for exploration. But there's expected to be particular interest in the north of England, which is thought to contain enough shale¹ gas to power Britain for decades.

The licensing² round is intended to accelerate the exploitation of shale, but it's only the first step. Firms also need a series of planning, environmental, and health and safety consents.

While the government hopes the industry will generate jobs and reduce our dependency on imported gas, it will not be at any cost. The government is tightening³ the rules around drilling in National Parks.

Fracking will not be banned, but it's likely to be permitted only in exceptional circumstances.

Glossary 词汇表

shale 页岩

accelerate 加快速度

consents 许可，允许

dependency 依赖

tightening the rules 加强条规限制

banned 被禁止

exceptional 特别的，例外的

1 shale   

n.页岩，泥板岩

参考例句：

• We can extract oil from shale.我们可以从页岩中提取石油。
• Most of the rock in this mountain is shale.这座山上大部分的岩石都是页岩。

2 licensing   

v.批准，许可，颁发执照( license的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• A large part of state regulation consists of occupational licensing. 大部分州的管理涉及行业的特许批准。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• That licensing procedures for projects would move faster. 这样的工程批准程序一定会加快。 来自辞典例句

3 tightening   

上紧，固定，紧密

参考例句：

• Make sure the washer is firmly seated before tightening the pipe. 旋紧水管之前，检查一下洗衣机是否已牢牢地固定在底座上了。
• It needs tightening up a little. 它还需要再收紧些。