美国天然气前景乐观一托福阅读机经背景.docxVIP

智课网TOEFL备考资料美国天然气前景乐观一托福阅读机经背景 While many Americans want to reduce both pollution and energy costs, the nations automobile-based transportation system undermines these goals by being largely dependent on petroleum. 美国人一方面想方设法减少污染和能源开支，可是另一方面，以汽车为主的交通系统却大量依靠石油，阻碍了实现节能排污的目标。 But in the western state of Oklahoma, Ethel Clayton drives a truck that can run on much cheaper and cleaner compressed natural gas (CNG). 不过在奥克拉荷马州，埃塞尔·克莱顿的卡车使用的是比较便宜和污染小的压缩天然气。 Not just because you save a whole lot of money, but it is also good for the environment and it also keeps your engine in better condition, Clayton said. 她说：“你不仅可以省很多钱，还有利于环境，对汽车的引擎也好。” Thanks to support from local natural gas producing companies, there are plenty of CNG filling sites around Oklahoma, and Clayton says online guides also show places to refuel when traveling out of state. 在当地天然气公司的支持下，奥克拉荷马州有很多压缩天然气加油站。可是克莱顿说，在网上也可以找到外州的天然气加油站。 They will actually route your destination where there will be CNG filling stations, she said. So it is getting better. 她说：“那些网站会根据你的目的地帮你设定有压缩天然气加油站的路线，更加方便。” The dramatic increase in U.S. natural gas production has made the fuel cheaper and driven projects that would use this resource to replace far dirtier fossil fuels. Companies are experimenting with various ways to use natural gas as a transportation fuel. Still, some experts remain wary. The American Petroleum Institutes chief economist says CNG cannot be viable as a transportation fuel without a nationwide expansion of infrastructure. 不过，还是有些专家持谨慎态度。美国石油研究所首席经济师约翰·费尔米说，如果没有一个全国性的设施，压缩天然气不能成为一种可行的运输燃料。 The problem is that, for example, if you look at the 170,000 service stations around the country, they are owned by small businessmen, who simply dont have the money... say, $200,000... to set up a natural gas fueling opportunity, said John Felmy. 费尔米说：“这里有个问题，比如，全国17万个加油站都属于小业主所有，他们没有20万美元来扩建天然气加油设备。” The use of liquid natural gas, or LNG, would provide great savings for long-haul trucking companies, but the up-fr