英语听力精选进阶版 13793

India's eco-friendly innovations

Summary

12 June 2012

Last year, India had faster growth in clean technology than any other major world economy, with more than $10 billion of investment. Many say environmentally-friendly technology can help solve some of the country's energy problems - but can it make money too?

Reporter:

Rajini Vaidyanathan

Report

In her small mud hut in a village a few hours from Mumbai, Bali Bhalla is cooking rice on an open stove. As flames dance from the fire, acrid¹ smoke circles around the room. More than two-thirds of Indians live in rural areas and cook like this. But there are environmental concerns about the stoves - one study estimated they're responsible for four per cent of the country's greenhouse gas emissions². 

And that's something Neha Juneja wants to change. She's started a company which produces eco-friendly cooking stoves - she says they emit 80% less smoke and use less wood. For her, green technology isn't just about saving the planet, but also about making money. 

Neha Juneja: "I and my co-founder, we quit good paying jobs to start this, but we did not start this with a purely³ social or charitable mission. We saw it as a business and we still see it as a very good opportunity for us to fulfil our dream of bringing a good product to the market and also being financially comfortable." 

In a factory on the outskirts⁴ of Mumbai, Nitin Bhodale shows me his innovation - a machine which can turn plastic into petrol. At one end of a five metre high cylinder⁵ workers drop bags of rubbish; an hour later, crude oil starts to drip out at the other end. 

And there is big money to be made - more than $10 billion of funds was pumped into green energy last year, making India the country with the fastest rate of growth. With a rising population, the need for more power in the country is increasing. The belief is that green tech won't just help improve the environment but also the business climate too.

1 acrid   

adj.辛辣的，尖刻的，刻薄的

参考例句：

• There is an acrid tone to your remarks.你说这些话的口气带有讥刺意味。
• The room was filled with acrid smoke.房里充满刺鼻的烟。

2 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

3 purely   

adv.纯粹地，完全地

参考例句：

• I helped him purely and simply out of friendship.我帮他纯粹是出于友情。
• This disproves the theory that children are purely imitative.这证明认为儿童只会单纯地模仿的理论是站不住脚的。

4 outskirts   

n.郊外，郊区

参考例句：

• Our car broke down on the outskirts of the city.我们的汽车在市郊出了故障。
• They mostly live on the outskirts of a town.他们大多住在近郊。

5 cylinder   

n.圆筒，柱(面)，汽缸

参考例句：

• What's the volume of this cylinder?这个圆筒的体积有多少？
• The cylinder is getting too much gas and not enough air.汽缸里汽油太多而空气不足。