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VOA新闻杂志2022--欧洲为面临能源危机的冬季做好准备

时间:2022-10-02 16:46:23

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(单词翻译)

Europe Prepares for Winter Facing an Energy Crisis1

As cold weather comes to Europe this autumn, energy prices are rising. A main reason for the cost increase is Russia's war with Ukraine.

Russia has been a main supplier of oil and natural gas for many European countries. Supplies have been limited because of the war and financial restrictions2 meant to punish Russia. As a result, home and business owners from Bulgaria to Spain are worried about the cost of energy in the coming months.

German leader Olaf Scholz said his country prepared during the summer so that it can go "bravely and courageously3 into this winter."

Scholz said no one could have made the same statement earlier this year.

In Paris, a decision to reduce energy use means the lights on the Eiffel Tower will turn off one hour earlier than normal. Also, businesses and restaurants that kept their lights on even when they were closed will now turn off their lights at night.

Here are some other measures concerned business owners around Europe are taking to save money:

A Hamburger seller in Hungary

In Hungary, Richard Kovacs manages business for a group of hamburger restaurants called Zing Burger. He said the restaurants are already heating their cooking surfaces, or grills4, less often and making sure lights are off in little-used storage areas. Some of the restaurants have seen a 750 percent increase in electricity costs since the beginning of the year.

He said the restaurants cannot do much more to lower their costs.

"We can't turn off the lights and make our guests sit in the dark," he said.

A fruit grower in the Netherlands

In the Netherlands, some businesses are "in survival5 mode." They are doing everything they can because they do not want to lose the customers they have worked so hard for.

Wouter van den6 Bosch helps run Bosch Growers, a company that has been in his family for generations. They grow peppers and blackberries. Already, he has reduced costs by lowering temperatures in his indoor growing spaces. But the lower costs also mean fewer peppers and blackberries for sale.

He said he needs to keep selling his produce because he does not want to "ruin the reputation" his family made over so many years.

A baker7 in Germany

Andreas Schmitt is a baker who owns 25 stores in Frankfurt, Germany. He said he is not heating as many ovens as before and not making as many different products. He said he is reducing his energy use between five and 10 percent. However, his energy costs will still rise from about $300,000 this year to over $1 million next year.

A small change to his energy use, he said "is not going to shift the world."

Schmitt leads the local baker's industry group. He said some smaller business owners are thinking about giving up.

He hopes the German government will give small bakers8 some money so they can stay in business this winter. Over the long term, he said, energy markets need to be changed.

Bruegel, a research business in Belgium, is looking at both short-term and long-term solutions. In the coming months, the company said, some European governments plan to help pay for people's energy costs. They also plan to help energy companies buy more gas so they can meet demand.

Some nations are changing their gas suppliers. Instead of buying gas from Russia, they are getting gas from Norway, Azerbaijan and buying liquefied gas that comes by boat from the United States.

They also are considering raising taxes on energy companies that are making money from higher energy prices. And they are thinking of ways to control electricity markets so natural gas prices do not affect them so much.

However, European Union officials believe the way to get out of the current situation is to increase the use of renewable energy. That is power that comes from wind, water and the sun.

In Madrid, Spain, some people are installing solar panels9. Manuel Ruiz said he and the other people who live close to him are now reducing their use of gas by 40 percent.

A political problem

While European governments are going away from Russia as an energy provider, it is not easy to give it up completely.

One energy policy expert who looks at Eastern Europe is Agata Loskot-Strachota. She is based in Warsaw, Poland.

Because Russia is still supplying some gas, Loskot-Strachota said, the country's leader, Vladimir Putin, still has power over Europe. The threat of Russia completely cutting off its supply has some people worried that those currently10 supporting Ukraine will change their minds. There have already been energy-related protests in Belgium and the Czech Republic.

"Every molecule11 counts," Loskot-Strachota said. She called the flow of gas "leverage12," and noted13 that an energy crisis could send some European countries into poverty.

Bulgaria is one of those countries. It is the poorest member of the European Union. Right now, the cost of fuel, such as firewood, is going up. People are reducing their spending now to be sure they have money to pay for heat and medicine over the winter.

Gregor Iliev is 68 and retired14. He lives in a small apartment in Sofia, Bulgaria with his wife. When price increases were announced for their old heating system, the two decided15 to buy a new one. The new system provides heat in the winter and cools their home in the summer. It is costly16, but Iliev said they will make their money back "in the long run."

In Budapest and Prague, people who own restaurants and bakeries say they have done everything possible to cut costs. The next thing is to raise prices.

Eszter Roboz runs a bakery in Budapest. She raised prices by 10 percent and said if prices remain stable from now on, she can stay in business. But she is worried about what will happen if they continue to go up.

"We will really need to think about whether we can continue this," she said.

Words in This Story

courageously –adv. done in a brave way that shows courage

guest –n. people who are invited to stay with someone; customers

mode –n. a way of doing things or of behaving

reputation –n. the common opinion that people have about someone

install –v. to make a machine ready for use

leverage –n. influence or power that can be used to get a result

stable –adj. not changing sharply; in a good state that is not easily changed


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 crisis pzJxT     
n.危机,危急关头,决定性时刻,关键阶段
参考例句:
  • He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明,在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
  • The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。
2 restrictions 81e12dac658cfd4c590486dd6f7523cf     
约束( restriction的名词复数 ); 管制; 制约因素; 带限制性的条件(或规则)
参考例句:
  • I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
  • a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制
3 courageously wvzz8b     
ad.勇敢地,无畏地
参考例句:
  • Under the correct leadership of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, the army and civilians in flooded areas fought the floods courageously, reducing the losses to the minimum. 在中共中央、国务院的正确领导下,灾区广大军民奋勇抗洪,把灾害的损失减少到了最低限度。
  • He fought death courageously though his life was draining away. 他虽然生命垂危,但仍然勇敢地与死亡作斗争。
4 grills 9d5be5605118251ddee0c25cd1da00e8     
n.烤架( grill的名词复数 );(一盘)烤肉;格板;烧烤餐馆v.烧烤( grill的第三人称单数 );拷问,盘问
参考例句:
  • Backyard barbecue grills could be proscribed. 里弄烤肉店会被勒令停业的。 来自辞典例句
  • Both side inlets have horizontal grills and incorporate impressive fog lamps. 两侧进气口的水平烤架并纳入令人印象深刻的雾灯。 来自互联网
5 survival lrJw9     
n.留住生命,生存,残存,幸存者
参考例句:
  • The doctor told my wife I had a fifty-fifty chance of survival.医生告诉我的妻子,说我活下去的可能性只有50%。
  • The old man was a survival of a past age.这位老人是上一代的遗老。
6 den 5w9xk     
n.兽穴;秘密地方;安静的小房间,私室
参考例句:
  • There is a big fox den on the back hill.后山有一个很大的狐狸窝。
  • The only way to catch tiger cubs is to go into tiger's den.不入虎穴焉得虎子。
7 baker wyTz62     
n.面包师
参考例句:
  • The baker bakes his bread in the bakery.面包师在面包房内烤面包。
  • The baker frosted the cake with a mixture of sugar and whites of eggs.面包师在蛋糕上撒了一层白糖和蛋清的混合料。
8 bakers 1c4217f2cc6c8afa6532f13475e17ed2     
n.面包师( baker的名词复数 );面包店;面包店店主;十三
参考例句:
  • The Bakers have invited us out for a meal tonight. 贝克一家今晚请我们到外面去吃饭。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The bakers specialize in catering for large parties. 那些面包师专门负责为大型宴会提供食品。 来自《简明英汉词典》
9 panels 43e98c51bf989c94bea2f73f4eda1028     
镶板( panel的名词复数 ); 面; (门、墙等上面的)嵌板; 控制板
参考例句:
  • One of the glass panels in the front door was cracked. 前门的一块方玻璃破裂了。
  • Make sure the panels are treated with a wood preservative. 确保镶板用木材防腐剂处理过。
10 currently SvMzI2     
adv.通常地,普遍地,当前
参考例句:
  • Currently it is not possible to reconcile this conflicting evidence.当前还未有可能去解释这一矛盾的例证。
  • Our contracts are currently under review.我们的合同正在复查。
11 molecule Y6Tzn     
n.分子,克分子
参考例句:
  • A molecule of water is made up of two atoms of hygrogen and one atom of oxygen.一个水分子是由P妈̬f婘̬ 妈̬成的。
  • This gives us the structural formula of the molecule.这种方式给出了分子的结构式。
12 leverage 03gyC     
n.力量,影响;杠杆作用,杠杆的力量
参考例句:
  • We'll have to use leverage to move this huge rock.我们不得不借助杠杆之力来移动这块巨石。
  • He failed in the project because he could gain no leverage. 因为他没有影响力,他的计划失败了。
13 noted 5n4zXc     
adj.著名的,知名的
参考例句:
  • The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
  • Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。
14 retired Njhzyv     
adj.隐退的,退休的,退役的
参考例句:
  • The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
  • Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。
15 decided lvqzZd     
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
参考例句:
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
16 costly 7zXxh     
adj.昂贵的,价值高的,豪华的
参考例句:
  • It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
  • This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用,左不过贵了些。

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