英語趣味課堂：能源選擇-Energy Options

Matthew: Hey Kat, you were just telling me about all the pros and cons of different renewable energies and you just got me thinking we're going to run outof oil in the next couple of decades. There's reports that say we're going to run out of oil in the next twenty years, but I'm guessing that in fifty years or a hundred years we really will run out and we'll need some sort of other energy source. What do you think's going to happen?

Kat: I think it's going to be a combination of all the renewable energy sources we have right now, but there's a lot of development going on especially into solar energy. Solar panels are becoming more and more efficient. There's now solar panels that are flexible and you can actually bend them around objects and the newest ones are actually made by biodegradable materials and they start to be see-through so you can actually apply solar energy harvesting tools to windows and I think that might be the future of renewable energy.

Matthew: What about as far as cost performance goes and sustainability?

Kat: Well when it comes to sustainability, I think these new forms of solar panels that are made of biodegradable material, I think they are definitely going to be the future.

Matthew: It seems like it's a lot of resources. We use a lot of energy every day. Every person uses a lot of energy every day. Do you think that there's going to be a time where all houses are run by renewable energy? Do we have the space, the capacity on this planet to actually fit every household with solar panels or wind energies?

Kat: Well as far as the resources go as how much solar energy actually hits our planet, we can provide energy for the world a thousand times over. That is not a problem but I think financially it's going to be very difficult. At the situation we are at right now, I think it won't be possible.

Matthew: I'm sure that scientists are going to figure out something but I just think solar panels, wind turbines, everything, they actually use plastics and metals and in order to produce those you need oil. Now if you have zero oil, how are you going to produce these renewable energy resource products?

Kat: I have been trying to explain that earlier with biodegradable materials. There's actually solar panels being built from renewable materials themselves.

Matthew: You're in the industry, you've been working there for a while and I am just wanting to ask you do you think that it's going to be successful? Will there be renewable energy throughout the globe or are people going to be too stubborn?

Kat: Well as the situation stands right now, renewable energy will not be able to take care of our energy needs and I truly hope that there will be scientific discoveries in the next fifty years because as it is right now we will not be able to go on as we are just supported by renewable energy.

重點詞匯：

Learn Vocabulary from the lesson

run out

We're going to run out of oil in the next couple of decades.

When we run out of something that means there is nothing left. Notice the following:

If I don't find a job, I'll soon run out of money.

Time ran out before he finished the test.

more and more

Solar panels are becoming more and more efficient.

The term more and more is used to describe an amount that is slowly increasing. Notice the following:

More and more people are working from home.

Cars are becoming more and more fuel efficient.

sustainability

What about as far as cost performance goes and sustainability?

Sustainability means we are able to use something over a long period of time. Notice the following:

Sustainability was the main topic at the energy conference.

The current energy policy is not sustainable.

zero

Now if you have zero oil, how are you going to produce these renewable energy resource products?

Here, we use the number zero to express that there is nothing left of something. It's very informal. Notice the following:

There is zero time left.

He has zero support from the working class.

as the situation stands

Well, as the situation stands right now, renewable energy will not be able to take care of our energy needs

The phrase 'as the situation stands' is used to describe or give an update on a current situation. Notice the following:

As the situation stands, she's sure to win the election.

As the situation stands, we'll have to cancel the meeting.