英语听力精选进阶版 14476

Britain goes ahead with fracking

The UK government hopes fracking will reduce the country's need to import gas

Energy companies are being invited to bid for licences to extract oil and gas from large areas of Britain using the controversial process known as fracking. Under the process, water, sand and chemicals are pumped into shale¹ rock under high pressure, cracking it to release the oil or gas. Opponents say fracking damages the environment.

Reporter:

John Moylan

Report

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 shale 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.

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。