2007年VOA标准英语-Indy Racers Go Green

By Paul Sisco
Washington
28 March 2007
 
watch Ethanol Racing¹ report

If it works for one, the rest usually follow suit.  That's the way it is in motor racing.  This year all 33 race cars in the Indianapolis 500 are running on ethanol, not gasoline, not methanol, not natural gas.  They will use 100% ethanol, made from corn.  Paul Sisco reports.

 
Race car driver
“Lady and gentlemen, start your engines,” the announcer said at the start of the 2006 race.

At this year's Indianapolis 500, all 33 cars will be running on high-powered ethanol, made from corn.

Indy is going green.  Race car driver Jeff Simmons, of Team Ethanol, says "Hey, we should be getting our fuel from the Midwest, not the Middle East."

President Bush agrees.

"I like the idea that farmers are growing energy that power our cars,” Mr. Bush says.  “I'd rather be paying American farmers than people overseas for the energy that fuels this economy."

President Bush wants Americans to cut gasoline consumption by 20% over the next decade, and says ethanol will play a big part in that.

But many say producing ethanol from corn is inefficient².  It takes too much cropland, water and energy.  This has an impact on food production and supplies, affecting food prices and U.S. exports.

 
Lester Brown, Director of the Earth Policy Institute
Lester Brown, who directs the Earth Policy Institute, says much more research is needed to produce ethanol more efficiently³ from sources other than corn.

"If we can get the cost of producing ethanol from woodchips, or switchgrass, down to a level where it is competitive with ethanol from corn, then I think we have a chance of making some substantial progress in producing fuel for cars without disrupting the world food economy,” he says.  “But short of that, I don't see how we are going to be able to do it."

Biofuel crops, like corn, used to produce most of America's ethanol absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere while growing.  That offsets⁴ the greenhouse gases released when conventional fuel such as gasoline is burned. When ethanol and other biofuels are used instead of petroleum⁵, the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere is reduced even further.

 
Race car driver Danika Patrick
Besides making race cars run even faster, ethanol's green reputation appeals to race car drivers like Danika Patrick.  "We really all need to do something about this earth, and about the world and take better care of it and so I'm glad we are going with ethanol," she says.

Research is underway to make ethanol production more efficient. In the meantime, if the fastest race cars in the world can run on ethanol, it is safe to say more drivers will want their cars to do the same.

1 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

2 inefficient   

adj.效率低的，无效的

参考例句：

• The inefficient operation cost the firm a lot of money.低效率的运作使该公司损失了许多钱。
• Their communication systems are inefficient in the extreme.他们的通讯系统效率非常差。

3 efficiently   

adv.高效率地，有能力地

参考例句：

• The worker oils the machine to operate it more efficiently.工人给机器上油以使机器运转更有效。
• Local authorities have to learn to allocate resources efficiently.地方政府必须学会有效地分配资源。

4 offsets   

n.开端( offset的名词复数 )；出发v.抵消( offset的第三人称单数 )；补偿；（为了比较的目的而）把…并列（或并置）；为（管道等）装支管

参考例句：

• The following paragraphs deal with intra-source offsets and the so-called \"bubble\" concept. 下面讨论污染源内部的补偿和所谓的“泡泡”概念。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• The preceding paragraphs were concerned with inter-source offsets. 前文牵涉到污染源之间的补偿。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

5 petroleum   

n.原油，石油

参考例句：

• The Government of Iran advanced the price of petroleum last week.上星期伊朗政府提高了石油价格。
• The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。