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1. We talk about energyall the time-"Zilch, the energy food," "energy crisis,"and so on. Ifaskedto define it, however, we'd probably respond withsomething like"Well, it's-uh-well, youknow-electricity."
1、我们时时刻刻（all the time）讨论着能：“能量食物”，“能源危机”，等等。如果要我们去给能下个定义，答案很可能是一些模棱两可的话：“哦，能量是，嗯，你知道，电。”
2. True; electricity is one kind of energy. However,energy comesinmany forms. You cannot see or smell or taste energy, butit's always there, andone of themost fascinating things aboutit is its abilityto change from one form to another-likemagic. This principle of change iswhatkeeps everything-and everyone-going in this world of ours.
2、确实，电是能量中的一种。但是，能量可以来自多种形式(energy comes in many forms)。你看不见、闻不到、也品尝不了能，但是，它始终存在着，关于能量，最吸引人的就是，它具有从一种形式转换成另外一种形式的能力，简直如同魔术(like magic)。这些转化的原理是维持我们这个世界每一样事物、每一个人的运动(keepgoing)。
HeatEnergy 热能
3. When a fuel uniteswith oxygen, we say the fuel burns;whatis reallyhappeningisthatchemical energy (fuel andoxygen) is changing to heat energy. When the fuel (food)we eatunites with the oxygenwe breathe, we then have heatenergytorun our bodies.
3、当燃料与氧气结合时，我们就说燃料开始燃烧了，实际发生的是化学能（燃料与氧气）转化成热能。当燃料（我们吃的食物）与我们呼吸的氧气结合，我们获得我们身体运动所需的(to run our bodies)热能。
4. When you pop afrozenwaffle into the toaster, electricalenergy turns into heat energy.
4、当你取出(pop)一块冷冻饼放进(into)烤面包机时，电能转化成了热能。
5. Intheinternal-combustion engineof a car, an electric spark explodes gassesin the cylinder; the heat energymoves the pistons,becomingmechanical energytomove the car.
5、在汽车的内燃机引擎里，电火花引爆气缸里的燃料气体，然后热能推动活塞，成为机械能推动汽车行驶。
6. Inasteam engine, the chemical energy of fuel is changed to heat energy; theheatedwater, now steam, forces the pistons to move. Ina steam turbine, the steam pushesagainst blades. In both cases, mechanical energyresults.
6、在蒸汽机里(in a steam engine)，燃料里的化学能转化成热能，加热水，成为水蒸汽，推动活塞运动。在燃气轮机里(in a steam turbine)，水蒸汽推动的是叶片。在这两种情况中，都是机械能起的作用。
7. This changingfromone form of energytoanothercan continue almost indefinitely. If, for instance, the steam engine or turbineis connected toa generator, the mechanical energy can become electrical energy,whichcan become heatenergy (for the electric stove), mechanical energy (for the washer), etc.
7、能量从一种形式转化为另一种形式的变化几乎能够平稳连续进行。比如说，如果蒸汽机或者蒸汽轮机和一个发电机联接起来，那么机械能就可以转化成电能，然后转化成热能（比如电炉）、机械能（如洗衣机）等等。
8. Thus, energy readily changes back and forth fromone formtoanother.Whatstartsoutasone form of energymay beatotallydifferent formwhenit reaches its final use.
8、因此，能量可以轻易地(readily)从一种形式到另一种形式来回转换。从最初的能量形式到最后的使用形式，能的形态可能已经完全改变了。
RadiantEnergy 辐射能
9. Radiant energy is also calledlight energy. Our most importantsource of radiant energy is, of course, the sun. Without itthere would be no life,forplant life dependsupon radiantenergy-and wedepend uponplant life.
9、辐射能也称作光能。当然，我们人类最重要的光能的来源就是太阳。没有太阳，就没有生命，(因为for)植物的生命依赖辐射能，而我们依赖植物的生命。
10.Otherforms of radiant energy familiar to us areradio waves, infrared rays, ultra-violet rays, X rays, and gamma rays.
10、我们熟悉的另外一些形式的辐射能是电磁波、红外线、紫外线、X射线和伽玛射线。
Mechanical Energy 机械能
11. In simplest terms, this is the energy of amoving object. Your heartbeat, thepushingof a lawn mower, a baseballspeedingthrough the air, waterfallingonto a waterwheel, the prying up of a rock with a crowbar-allaremechanical energy,which,of course, was another form of energyearlier.
11、用最简单的术语来描述，机械能就是移动着的物体拥有的能量。你的心脏跳动、推进割草机、棒球在空中高速飞过、水落入水轮机、用撬杠撬开石头等等，所有这些都是机械能，当然，在转化之前它是另一种能量形式。
ElectricalEnergy 电能
12. Electrical energy usuallyhas to be changed toanother formbeforeit actually doeswhatwe want it to do. In the toaster, it changes to heat; ina tiny wrist watchor a subwaytrain ora 75,000 horse-powerindustrial motor, it changes to mechanical energy. In an industrialprocesscalledelectrolysis, it changes to chemical energy.
12、通常情况下，电能必须先转化为另一种形式的能，才能为我们所用。对烤面包机来说，电能转化成热能，在一个小小的手表里或者地铁列车里或者一台75000马力的工业电动机里，电能转化成机械能。在所谓的电解工业的过程中，它转化成化学能。
ChemicalEnergy 化学能
13.Variousfuelssuch ascoal, gas, oil and foodarecommonexamples of chemical energy. These fuels give off heatwhentheyburn. The process is called combustion or oxidation, and the heat itself is a form of energy. Man usesthe energy from some kind of fuelfor everythingfromflying to the moontothinking about it.
13、最常见的化学能包括煤、天然气、石油、和食物等各种各样的燃料。当这些燃料燃烧时释放出热能。这个过程我们称之为燃烧或者氧化反应(oxidation)，同时热本身也是能量的一种形式。人们从不同燃料中得到能量，并用这些能量做任何事情，大到飞上月球，小到头脑的思考。
14. A special kind of chemical energy is nuclear energy, sometimes called atomic energy. These namescomefromthe factthatthe source of energy thenucleus, or core, of the atom.Nuclear fuelssuch asplutoniumand uranium give off heat energywhen fission (the splitting of atoms in these fuels) occurs. Alreadywe have seen tremendous advances inthe use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, and many people see nuclearenergyasthe future answertoalmost all of our energy need.
14、核能(nuclear energy)是一种特殊的化学能，有时候我们称之为原子能(atomic energy)。这个名称来自于能量来源于原子核这样的事实。当核燃料，例如钚和铀，发生核裂变（fission）时释放出（give off）热能（在这些燃料中原子发生分裂）。我们已经看到和平利用核能所带来的巨大好处（tremendous advances），并且很多人认为核能可以看作解决未来人类能源需求问题的答案。
15. Energy-the kind of magic we can't live without.
15、能，是与人类生存息息相关的一种魔力。(我们生活中不能缺少能量，它是一种神奇的物质。)
