VOA慢速英語: 甲烷可能會(huì)變成盧旺達(dá)的一個(gè)主要能源（雙語）

Methane Gas may Become a Major Power in Rwanda

甲烷可能會(huì)變成盧旺達(dá)的一種主要能源

From VOA Learning English, this is the Economics Report.

這里是美國之音慢速英語經(jīng)濟(jì)報(bào)道。

Methane gas from a lake in Rwanda may soon become a major supply of electricity. Millions of people in that central African country could use the energy. An American company and the Rwandan government signed the power agreement in early August at the U.S.-Africa Summit in Washington. The company is Symbion Power. The deal will provide electricity, and lower the risk of an environmental disaster at Lake Kivu.

來自盧旺達(dá)一個(gè)湖泊里的甲烷氣體可能很快會(huì)成為一個(gè)主要的電力供應(yīng)源。在非洲中部國家的數(shù)百萬人可以使用到該能源。8月初，在華盛頓舉行的美國——非洲峰會(huì)上，美國的一家公司和盧旺達(dá)簽署了這一電力協(xié)議。該美國公司是Symbion Power，這份協(xié)議達(dá)成后，將會(huì)為提供電力，來降低基伍湖環(huán)境災(zāi)難的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)。

There are three lakes in Africa that contain such high levels of carbon dioxide and methane gas that they are at risk of exploding. Two of them, Lake Nyos and Lake Monoun, are in Cameroon. They exploded in the 1980s. Carbon dioxide released in the Lake Nyos explosion killed more than 1,700 people. Some victims were as far as 26 kilometers away.

在非洲有三個(gè)含有這樣高濃度二氧化碳和甲烷氣體的湖泊，而且它們都存在爆炸的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)。另外兩個(gè)湖泊是喀麥隆的尼奧斯湖和莫奴恩湖，這兩個(gè)湖在上世紀(jì)80年代發(fā)生了爆炸，其中尼奧斯湖爆炸后釋放出來的二氧化碳導(dǎo)致1700多人死亡，26公里以外都有一些人受傷。

Lake Kivu, in Rwanda, could have an even worse gas explosion. That is because more than two million people live near the shores of Lake Kivu, including in the large towns of Goma and Gisenyi.

而盧旺達(dá)的基伍湖可能會(huì)發(fā)生更嚴(yán)重的氣體爆炸，這是因?yàn)橛?00多萬人生活在基伍湖附近，其中還包括戈馬和吉塞尼兩個(gè)大城鎮(zhèn)的居民。

Paul Hinks is the chief of Symbion Power. Last month, the company agreed to build a power station at Lake Kivu. Mr. Hinks says it is important that the methane be removed from the lake before a disaster happens.

保羅·辛克思是Symbion Power公司的負(fù)責(zé)人，上個(gè)月，該公司同意在基伍湖建立一個(gè)發(fā)電站。辛克思先生稱，重要的是，要在災(zāi)難發(fā)生之前，除去湖中的甲烷。

"The buildup of methane in Lake Kivu is a serious problem for Rwanda, so the plan for Lake Kivu is to turn methane gas into power."

“基伍湖中甲烷的不斷積累，對(duì)盧旺達(dá)來說是一個(gè)非常嚴(yán)重的問題。所以我們?yōu)榛楹O(shè)定的計(jì)劃是將湖中的甲烷轉(zhuǎn)化為電力能源。”

Scientists agree that the methane level must be lowered in Lake Kivu. But, there are worries that the act of pumping out the gas could cause problems.

科學(xué)家們表示贊成，認(rèn)為必須降低基伍湖的甲烷濃度。但是，也有人擔(dān)心這個(gè)將氣體排出的行動(dòng)過程會(huì)產(chǎn)生其他問題。

"The problem is of course (if) you just put in a pipe and start sucking out the water and separating the methane and the CO2 from the water, there is a potential to create the very problem you're trying to avoid, which is escape of the methane gas into the atmosphere."

“其中的問題無疑是，如果你只是插入一根管道來抽水，并且將甲烷和二氧化碳從水中分離出來，這樣可能就會(huì)產(chǎn)生一個(gè)你極力想避免卻又可能發(fā)生的嚴(yán)重問題，那就是泄漏出的甲烷氣體進(jìn)入空氣之中。”

Symbion Power agrees that this is a risk. Mr. Hinks says his company will work to remove the gas safely.

Symbion Power公司認(rèn)同這是一個(gè)存在的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)。辛克思先生稱，他的公司將會(huì)努力的將氣體安全的消除。

"There's a set of rules, if you like. They're called lake management prescriptions, and they cover all the issues that companies like us have to follow when they extract methane gas from the lake."

“如果你想知道的話，這里是有一系列規(guī)定的，這些規(guī)定被稱為湖泊管理規(guī)定，這些規(guī)定中涵蓋了像我們這類公司從湖水中提取甲烷氣體時(shí)，需要遵循的所有注意事項(xiàng)。”

Kibuye Power company already operates a small power center that uses the lake's methane. Laurent Sibomana supervises the center in the town of Gisenyi. He told VOA it is not easy to remove methane gas from the lake.

Kibuye Power公司已經(jīng)利用該湖中甲烷氣體，運(yùn)營了一家小型發(fā)電站。Laurent Sibomana負(fù)責(zé)監(jiān)管吉塞尼鎮(zhèn)的電站中心，他對(duì)美國之音稱，要把甲烷氣體從湖中去除，并不是件容易的事。

Mr. Hinks says Symbion Power has experience working in difficult places, including Iraq and Afghanistan. He says it has the knowledge and money to succeed at Lake Kivu.

辛克思先生稱，Symbion Power公司又在伊拉克和阿富汗等條件艱難的地方工作的經(jīng)驗(yàn)，并稱，其公司具備在基伍湖取得成功的專業(yè)知識(shí)和雄厚的資金實(shí)力。

And that's the VOA Learning English Economics Report. I'm Mario Ritter.

這就是本期的美國之音慢速英語經(jīng)濟(jì)報(bào)道的全部內(nèi)容，我是馬里奧·里特。

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Words in the News

supply - v., to give; to provide; n., the amount of something that can be given or sold to others

environment - n., all surrounding things, conditions and influences that affect life; the natural world of land, sea, air, plants and animals

release - v., to free; to permit to go; to permit to be known or made public

problem - n., a difficult question or situation with an unknown or unclear answer

experience - v., to live through an event, situation or condition ("She experienced great pain."); n., something that one has done or lived through ("The experience caused her great pain.")