【英语时差8,16】草也能作燃料？

 I keep hearing a lot about the potential for turning grasses into ethanol fuel. Is this happening? So first, it’s true that there’s a lot of interest in cellulosic ethanol–that is, fuel made from plants not used for food. And it’s also true that scientists have been experimenting with different grasses as potential fuel crops. We’re not talking about the kind of grass in your average lawn¹. Scientists are mainly interested in tall grasses that grow quickly–like Miscanthus gianteus. It’s a large perennial² grass native to Japan that grows to about thirteen feet. What’s interesting about Miscanthus is that you can grow a lot of it on a relatively³ small parcel of land. For example, a typical acre of corn produces around 750 gallons of ethanol. But an acre of Miscanthus produces more than 3200 gallons.

1 lawn   

n.草地，草坪，上等细麻布

参考例句：

• The lawn was crawling with ants.草坪上爬满了蚂蚁。
• They are lying on a grassy lawn.他们躺在绿草如茵的草坪上。

2 perennial   

adj.终年的；长久的

参考例句：

• I wonder at her perennial youthfulness.我对她青春常驻感到惊讶。
• There's a perennial shortage of teachers with science qualifications.有理科教学资格的老师一直都很短缺。

3 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。