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Hi, Mike. How's it going?
麦克，你好，最近怎样？
Actually, I was up last night with an assignment so-yeah, I'm tired, but I guess we'd better sort this presentation out.
事实上，我昨晚熬夜做作业了，所以，我觉得很累，但我想我们最好先把作品展示解决了。
Well, we've done enough background reading, but I think we need to organise exactly what we're going to say about bio-fuels during the presentation, and the order.
我们已经阅读了足够多的背景材料，但我认为我们需要组织一下，在作品展示时，到底要说哪些关于生物燃料的内容，还有展示顺序。
I thought we could start by asking our audience what car engines were first designed to run on, fossil fuels or bio-fuels.
我本想以向观众提问开始：人们设计最初的汽车发动机是靠什么供能的，化石燃料还是生物燃料。
Nice idea.
好主意。
Yes, when most people think about cars and fuel, they think about all the carbon dioxide that's produced, but they don't realise that that wasn't always the case.
没错，当绝大多数人想到车和燃料时，他们都会想到产生的二氧化碳，但没意识到，情况并不总是如此。
You're probably right. The earliest car engines ran on fuel made from corn and peanut oil, didn't they?
你说得对。最早的汽车发动机是靠由玉米和花生油制成的燃料供能的，不是吗？
Yes. The manufacturers used the corn and peanut oil and turned them into a kind of very pure alcohol.
没错。制造商利用了玉米和花生油，把它们变成了一种纯的很高的酒精。
You mean ethanol?
你是指乙醇？
Yes. In fact, most bio-fuels are still based on ethanol. Actually, I've got some notes here about the process of turning plant-matter into ethanol - the chemical reactions and the fermentation stages and...
对。事实上，大部分的生物燃料仍然以乙醇为基础。其实我这儿有些笔记，记下了把植物体转变成乙醇的过程——中间的化学反应和发酵步骤……
It's interesting, the other students would appreciate it, but different bio-fuels use different processes and if we give a general description, there's a risk we'll get it wrong.
这很有趣，其他学生会很欣赏的，但不同的生物燃料有不同的生产过程，如果我们只作概述，很有可能会弄错。
And then the tutor might mark us down. I'd rather we focus on the environmental issues.
接着导师就会给我们打个低分。我宁愿集中讲讲环境问题。
Fair enough. So, um, the main plants that are used for bio-fuel production now are sugar cane, corn...
有道理。那么，主要用来生产生物燃料的植物有甘蔗，玉米……
And canola. Of all of them, canola is probably the least harmful because machines that use it don't produce as much carbon monoxide.
和菜籽。在这些植物之中，菜籽应该是最低害的一种，因为消耗菜籽的机器不会产生这么多一氧化碳。
Sugar cane seems to be controversial. It doesn't require as much fertilizer as corn does to grow, but when they burn the sugar cane fields, that releases loads of greenhouse gases.
甘蔗看上去很有争议。它不如玉米生长需要那么多肥料，但在烧甘蔗田时，会放出大量温室气体。
Yes, but some critics have suggested that the production of corn ethanol uses up more fossil fuel energy than the bio-fuel energy it eventually produces.
没错，但一些批评家也表示，生产玉米乙醇，所消耗的化石燃料能源比所产生的生物燃料能源还多。
For that reason I'd say it was more harmful to the environment.
由于这个原因，我认为玉米乙醇对环境更有害。
I see what you mean. You're probably right. It's interesting how everyone saw the bio-fuel industry as the answer to our energy problems, but in some ways, bio-fuels have created new problems.
我明白你的意思。你说得对。有趣的是，每个人都认为生物燃料行业是能源问题的答案，但从某些角度来说，生物燃料也引发了新的问题。
Well, in the USA, I wouldn't say that farmers are having problems. The bio-fuel industry for them has turned out to be really profitable.
在灭国，我不会说农民会有意见。生物燃料行业对他们来说非常有利可图。
I think, though, that even in the USA, ethanol is still only used as an additive to gasoline, or petrol.
但是，我认为，即使在美国，乙醇也只是作为汽油的添加物使用。
The problem is that it still has to be transported by trucks or rail because they haven't built any pipelines to move it.
问题在于，生物燃料仍需卡车或火车运输，因为人们还没建立运输管道。
Once they do, it'll be cheaper and the industry might move forward.
一旦他们建了管道，费用就会降下来，整个行业也可能被带动往前发展。
That'll have to happen one day. At least the government are in favour of bio-fuel development.
未来某天都得实现，至少政府是支持生物燃料发展的。
Yes. But Brazil's probably in the lead as far as bio-fuels are concerned-they've got to the point where they don't need to import any oil now.
对，但巴西在生物燃料方面当属领先地位—他们已经到了不需要进口任何油产品的地步。
Which is great, and the industry in Brazil employs a huge number of people, but is it sustainable?
这太棒了， 巴西的（生物燃料）产业也让一大批人实现就业，但这是可持续的吗？
I mean, as the population grows and there are more vehicles on the roads and there's more machinery, surely they can't depend so much on sugar cane?
我是说，随着人口增长，路上车辆更多了，机械也更多了，他们肯定不能只依赖于甘蔗吧？
At some point, there has to be a limit on how much land can be used for sugar cane production, certainly if you want to preserve natural habitats and native wildlife.
在某个时刻，总会限制能用作甘蔗生产的土地面积—这肯定会发生的，假如你想保护自然栖息地和本地野生动物。
I think that whatever problems Brazil's facing now, the same will be true for any country - you have to weigh up the pros and cons.
我想，巴西现在面临的问题，不论是什么，其他国家也会遇到的—人们得衡量利弊。
Well, we probably won't see an increase in bio-fuel use.
可能生物燃料的使用率不会增加。
I mean, they won't replace fossil fuels until we can find ways to produce them cheaply and quickly and with less cost to the environment.
我的意思是，除非我们找到方法，能够低成本地、迅速地生产生物燃料，且降低对环境的伤害，人们才会以生物燃料替换化石燃料。
making sure they require minimal energy to produce.
确保生产耗能最低。
Exactly! And in a way that means they have to cost less than fossil fuels, certainly when you're filling up your car.
没错！而且某种意义上，这意味着生物燃料得比化石燃料成本低，在给车加油的时候得是如此。
Yes, and whatever other kind of engines use fossil fuels at the moment.
对，以及目前任意消耗化石燃料的发动机。
