Behold, the bus of the future
　　It looks rather like a futuristic stretch limousine, but its actual function is rather more populist: the Superbus is a novel public�瞭ransport system being developed in the Netherlands by the Delft University of Technology. It is an electric bus designed to be able to switch seamlessly between ordinary roads and dedicated "supertracks", on which it can reach speeds of 250kph (155mph). It could thus present an alternative to much more expensive magnetic�瞝evitation trains.
　　Though it is as wide and long as a standard city bus, the Superbus is only 1.7 meters high, or roughly the same height as a sports�瞮tility vehicle. Joris Melkert, the project’s manager, explains that the designers managed to keep the Superbus this small by doing away with the central aisle usually found in today’s buses, a vestigial design feature that allows passengers to stand upright, but also gives conventional buses the aerodynamic profile of a brick.
　　The low�瞨iding Superbus, in contrast, has a separate door for each of its 30�瞣dd seats. The low ceiling and the use of lightweight materials make for a far more streamlined vehicle, which in turn requires only a modest electric motor: though engineers have not yet decided whether the Superbus will be powered by fuel cells or batteries, they estimate that it will be able to accelerate from rest to 100kph in a leisurely 36 seconds.
　　The individual doors also allow for rapid loading and unloading of passengers, which will need to be fast if the Superbus is to live up to its promised door�瞭o�瞕oor mission: instead of making predetermined stops, the vehicle will pick up and drop off passengers based on their text�瞞essaged requests. This kind of flexibility is a central tenet of the project; the estimated three�瞴ear lifespan of a Superbus (as opposed to thirteen years for a standard European bus) will also allow the latest technologies to be phased in quickly as they become available.
　　To start with, that might include satellite�瞓ased tracking to keep the Superbus on course, sensors to scan the road for obstacles up to 300 meters ahead and a smart suspension system that remembers the rough spots in the road.
　　Some detractors have suggested that making so many stops would erode the Superbus’s speed advantage, and others question whether a new cog in the Netherlands’ already�瞚ntricate transport infrastructure is even needed. Furthermore, the Superbus does not yet exist, whereas maglev trains are already operating successfully in Shanghai.
　　The future of the project is uncertain. Its intended route, a new transport link connecting Amsterdam with the northern city of Groningen, was recently scrapped by the Dutch government (although the Superbus was deemed the most feasible of all the options considered, which also included a maglev train). In spite of the setback, the project has since received an extra 7m ($9m) in government funding, plus 1m from Connexxion, a local bus company. The Superbus team’s latest plan is to unveil a fully functional prototype at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. With its combination of low emissions, high speed and snazzy design, this might prove to be a bus that is.
　　alternative
　　a.兩者挑一的；n.可供選擇的事物，替換物，選擇對(duì)象
　�。壅骖}例句］ I have discovered, as perhaps Kelsey will after her much�瞤ublicized resignation from the editorship of She after a build�瞮p of stress, that abandoning the doctrine of "juggling your life", and making the alternative (a.) move into "downshifting" brings with it far greater rewards than financial 　　
　　success and social status.［2001年閱讀5］
　�。劾�句精譯］ 我已經(jīng)發(fā)現(xiàn)（由于壓力過大，凱爾茜已多次公開宣稱要辭去《她》雜志編輯的職務(wù)，在這之后她也許會(huì)有同樣發(fā)現(xiàn)）放棄"忙忙碌碌"的生活哲學(xué)，轉(zhuǎn)而過一種"放慢生活節(jié)奏"的生活所帶來的回報(bào)，比經(jīng)濟(jì)成功和社會(huì)地位更有價(jià)值。
　　magnetic
　　a.①磁的，有磁性的；②有吸引力的
　　conventional
　　a.慣例的，常規(guī)的
　�。壅骖}例句］ Reporters tend to be part of a broadly defined social and cultural elite, so their work tends to reflect the conventional values of this elite.
　�。�2001年閱讀3］
　　［例句精譯］ 記者們往往屬于廣義的社會(huì)文化精英的一個(gè)部分，因此他們的工作往往反映了這些精英傳統(tǒng)的價(jià)值觀。
　　flexibility
　　n.彈性，適應(yīng)性
　�。壅骖}例句］ Another line of thought assumes a memory storage system of limited capacity that provides adaptive flexibility specifically through forgetting.　　　　　　
　　［1995年閱讀5］
　�。劾�句精譯］ 另一種思路則假定人的記憶存儲(chǔ)系統(tǒng)儲(chǔ)量有限，這個(gè)系統(tǒng)專門通過遺忘提供適應(yīng)的靈活性。
　　available
　　a.①可用的，可得到的；②可以見到的，隨時(shí)可來的
　�。壅骖}例句］ However, there are still no forecasts for when faster�瞭han�瞝ight travel will be available (①), or when human cloning will be perfected, or when time travel will be possible.［2001年翻譯］
　�。劾�句精譯］ 然而，對(duì)于何時(shí)能夠進(jìn)行超光速旅行，何時(shí)人類克隆技術(shù)能夠完善，何時(shí)時(shí)間旅行成為可能，仍未作出預(yù)測(cè)。
　　scrap
　　n.①碎片；②廢料；v.廢棄，報(bào)廢
　　Little Tips:
　　荷蘭發(fā)明了兼具跨市列車速度和巴士行駛靈活度的21世紀(jì)環(huán)�！俺�級(jí)巴士”。它外表像蝙蝠俠的“蝙蝠車”，時(shí)速近250公里。研制它的荷蘭宇航科技教授奧克爾斯形容，它將是未來舉足輕重的大眾運(yùn)輸。
　　“超級(jí)巴士”跟普通巴士一樣長(zhǎng)。它兩邊各有8道門，其流線型車身僅高1.6米，以便盡量發(fā)揮空氣動(dòng)力學(xué)效用，既能在一般公路行駛，也可在專設(shè)的高速快線以250公里行駛。它靠司機(jī)用電腦系統(tǒng)輔助自動(dòng)駕駛，由電力驅(qū)動(dòng)。為使行車流暢，它將采用能適應(yīng)凹凸路面的先進(jìn)避震系統(tǒng)，及使用先進(jìn)雷達(dá)探測(cè)前面幾百米路面的阻礙物和意外。
　　看呀! 未來的巴士
　　乍看之下超級(jí)巴士更像一輛未來派風(fēng)格的加長(zhǎng)型豪華轎車，但是它實(shí)際的作用卻更加平易近人：這輛超級(jí)巴士是荷蘭代夫特理工大學(xué)開發(fā)的新一代公共交通系統(tǒng)。這是一種能夠在普通路面和專用“超級(jí)車道”間平穩(wěn)過渡的電動(dòng)巴士，在“超級(jí)車道”上時(shí)速可達(dá)250公里（相當(dāng)于155英里）。這樣，它或許能夠成為替代價(jià)格昂貴的磁懸浮列車的另一種選擇途徑。
　　盡管超級(jí)巴士車身的長(zhǎng)與寬同標(biāo)準(zhǔn)的城市巴士沒什么兩樣，但是它的高度只有1.7米，差不多是一輛運(yùn)動(dòng)型多功能車的高度。項(xiàng)目負(fù)責(zé)人Joris Melkert解釋說，設(shè)計(jì)者們?nèi)サ袅爽F(xiàn)有巴士里常有的中間過道的設(shè)計(jì)，從而使得超級(jí)巴士體積非常小巧。盡管中間過道的設(shè)計(jì)給乘客提供了站立的空間，但是因?yàn)榇u類外形上也同樣給普通巴士帶來了空氣動(dòng)力學(xué)的包袱。
　　相比之下，低底盤的超級(jí)巴士為車上30個(gè)單人座各配備了一個(gè)車門。低車頂和輕質(zhì)材料令車身更符合流線型，這樣的汽車對(duì)電力發(fā)動(dòng)機(jī)的要求不高：雖然工程師們還沒有決定是讓超級(jí)巴士采用燃料電池還是蓄電池，但他們估計(jì)該汽車靜止加速到時(shí)速100公里僅僅需要36秒。
　　單獨(dú)的車門設(shè)計(jì)便于快速上下客，因?yàn)檫@對(duì)于實(shí)現(xiàn)許諾的“門對(duì)門”服務(wù)是必不可少的：汽車會(huì)根據(jù)乘客提供的文本消息的命令決定上下客，而不需要事先設(shè)定車站。這種靈活性體現(xiàn)了這一項(xiàng)目的主要原則；據(jù)估計(jì)一輛超級(jí)巴士的使用壽命是3年（與此相對(duì)應(yīng)，一輛標(biāo)準(zhǔn)的歐洲巴士的使用壽命達(dá)13年），這使得各種比較新的技術(shù)一旦成型便可以迅速投入使用。
　　超級(jí)巴士在啟動(dòng)加速前會(huì)采用一系列技術(shù)手段：衛(wèi)星跟蹤技術(shù)追蹤行駛中的超級(jí)巴士、傳感器掃描巴士前方300米內(nèi)的障礙物以及智能懸浮減震系統(tǒng)記錄路面上起伏顛簸的地點(diǎn)。
　　一些批評(píng)者認(rèn)為，�？康恼军c(diǎn)過多會(huì)抵消超級(jí)巴士高速度的優(yōu)勢(shì)，另一些反對(duì)者質(zhì)疑荷蘭本已錯(cuò)綜復(fù)雜的基礎(chǔ)交通系統(tǒng)是否需要這個(gè)新“玩意”。此外，超級(jí)巴士還未存在，而磁懸浮列車已在上海成功服役了。
　　該項(xiàng)目的前景還難以預(yù)料。比較近，荷蘭政府駁回了該項(xiàng)目計(jì)劃建設(shè)的一條連接阿姆斯特丹同北部城市格羅寧根的交通線（雖然人們認(rèn)為超級(jí)巴士是包括磁懸浮列車在內(nèi)的所有備選方案中比較具可行性的）。盡管遭受挫敗，但那之后該項(xiàng)目同時(shí)獲得了政府提供的700萬歐元（900萬美元）的額外資助和一家當(dāng)?shù)匕褪抗�司Connexxion提供的100萬歐元。超級(jí)巴士研究小組的近期打算是在2008年北京奧運(yùn)會(huì)上向公眾展示一款功能完備的原型。由于超級(jí)巴士集低排放、高速度和超時(shí)尚設(shè)計(jì)于一身，它或許能夠被證明是一款值得人們翹首以待的巴士。

　Biometrics gets down to business
　　For many people, "biometrics" conjures up images of a Big Brotherish surveillance society. But tell them they could save a few precious seconds at the supermarket checkout just by waving their fingers over a scanner, and they will sign up in their millions.
　　After more than a decade of hype, biometrics-the use of body measurements such as eye scans or fingerprints to determine or verify identity-is finally taking off. And all it took to convince the public of its merits, it seems, was the promise of shorter queues or a few extra loyalty points. In the past year there has been an explosion in the commercial use of biometrics, utterly eclipsing the uphill efforts of various governments to introduce identity cards and passports that store electronic signatures derived from facial images, fingerprints or eye scans.
　　For a long time it was assumed that biometrics would be a government�瞝ed technology, says Sapna Capoor, an analyst at Frost and Sullivan, a consultancy. But in the past couple of years this has quietly started to change. "There has been a group of biometrics vendors who have shifted away from working with governments and focused instead on commercial products," she says.
　　One reason for this shift is that the technology has matured, says Michael Thieme of the International Biometric Group, an industry body based in New York. In the past many biometric technologies would not work on a broad section of the population. Some types of biometric scanners worked well in the laboratory, but ran into problems in real�瞱orld environments when scanning children, old people, people with small or sweaty hands, bricklayers or subjects with eye conditions. But the technology has since improved and is considerably more inclusive, says Mr Thieme.
　　New regulations in the financial sector have also boosted adoption, says Mark Upson, the boss of BioPassword in Issaquah, Washington, whose company has more than 400,000 online�瞓anking users enrolled in its keystroke�瞕ynamics security scheme. In a bid to tighten security and reduce online fraud and identity theft in online banking, America’s Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council is pressing banks to adopt "two factor" authentication, says Mr Upson. Previously, account holders had to provide only a single means of identity verification, such as an account number and password. Two�瞗actor systems rely not just on something you know, however, but also on something you have, such as an electronic token, or something you are, in the form of a biometric.
　　Those in the industry believe the banking and retail approaches to biometrics-one of which puts security above convenience, the other convenience above security-will eventually converge, opening up new applications in the process.
　　As governments grapple with schemes to introduce biometric passports and identity cards, companies are pushing ahead with biometrics on their own. And what is perhaps even more surprising than the commercial adoption of the technology is the speed and willingness with which the public is embracing it. This is unlikely to be because people trust big companies more than they trust governments. Instead, it is because the commercial applications of biometrics tend to place a greater emphasis on the benefits to the customer, so providing incentives for adoption. As governments start to foist biometrics on their citizens, they would do well to bear this in mind.
　　A recent survey found that air passengers would welcome biometric check�瞚n procedures at airports if it meant less queuing. People will embrace biometrics, it seems, provided there’s something in it for them.
　　surveillance
　　n.監(jiān)視，監(jiān)督
　　［真題例句］ A boom in neighborhood surveillance cameras will, for example, cause problems in 2010, while the arrival of synthetic lifelike robots will mean people may not be able to distinguish between their human friends and the droids.［2001年翻譯］
　�。劾�句精譯］ 比如，住宅區(qū)附近監(jiān)視器的猛增在2010年會(huì)引發(fā)問題；逼真的機(jī)器人將意味著人們可能無法區(qū)分人類朋友和仿真機(jī)器人。
　　identity
　　n.同一性，身份，一致，特性，恒等式
　　［真題例句］ The Europe that is now forming cannot be anything other than its peoples, their cultures and national identities.［2005年翻譯］
　�。劾�句精譯］ 現(xiàn)今的歐洲只能是不同的民族、文化和傳統(tǒng)所形成的歐洲。
　　explosion
　　n.爆炸，爆發(fā)
　�。壅骖}例句］ (75) Additional social stresses may also occur because of the population explosion or problems arising from mass migration movements-　　themselves made relatively easy nowadays by modern means of transport.［2000年翻譯］
　�。劾�句精譯］ （75）由于人口的猛增或人口大量流動(dòng)（現(xiàn)代交通工具使這種流動(dòng)相對(duì)容易）造成的種種問題也會(huì)對(duì)社會(huì)造成新的壓力。
　　signature
　　n.簽名，署名，簽字
　　enroll(l)
　　v.招收，登記，入學(xué)
　�。壅骖}例句］ The journalist advocating participatory democracy in all phases of life, whose own children are enrolled in private schools.［2000年閱讀5］
　　［例句精譯］ 倡導(dǎo)終生參與民主制的新聞?dòng)浾邊s把自己的子女送進(jìn)私立學(xué)校。
　　incentive
　　n.①動(dòng)機(jī)；②激勵(lì)，鼓勵(lì)；a.激勵(lì)的
　�。壅骖}例句］ A bill by Democratic Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia, which would offer financial incentives (n.②) for private industry, is a promising start.［2005年閱讀2］
　　［例句精譯］ 西弗吉尼亞議員Robert Byrd提出議案，用資金去推動(dòng)私有企業(yè)進(jìn)行環(huán)保，這是一個(gè)良好的開端。
　　Little Tips：
　　生物識(shí)別技術(shù)是依靠人體的身體特征來進(jìn)行身份驗(yàn)證的一種解決方案。人體的生物特征包括指紋、聲音、臉孔、視網(wǎng)膜、掌紋、骨架等等。所謂的生物識(shí)別的核心在于如何獲取這些生物特征，并將之轉(zhuǎn)換為數(shù)字信息，存儲(chǔ)于計(jì)算機(jī)中，利用可靠的匹配算法來完成驗(yàn)證與識(shí)別個(gè)人身份的過程。由于人體特征具有人體所固有的不可復(fù)制的唯一性，這一生物密鑰無法復(fù)制，失竊或被遺忘。而常見的口令、IC卡、條形碼、磁卡或鑰匙則存在著丟失、遺忘、復(fù)制及被盜用諸多不利因素。人類追尋文檔、交易及物品的安全保護(hù)的有效性與方便性經(jīng)歷了三個(gè)階段的發(fā)展。第一階段也就是比較初始的方法，是采用大家早已熟悉的各種機(jī)械鑰匙。第二階段是由機(jī)械鑰匙發(fā)展到數(shù)字密鑰如密碼或條形碼等。第三階段是利用人體所固有的生物特征來辨識(shí)與驗(yàn)證身份。生物識(shí)別是當(dāng)今數(shù)字化生活中比較高級(jí)別的安全密鑰系統(tǒng)。
　　生物識(shí)別技術(shù)開始應(yīng)用于商業(yè)領(lǐng)域
　　“生物識(shí)別技術(shù)”會(huì)讓許多人想起一個(gè)“老大哥式”的監(jiān)控社會(huì)。然而，如果他們得知只要在超市收銀臺(tái)前向掃描器揮揮手指就能完事，可以節(jié)省寶貴的幾秒鐘，他們也會(huì)加入到已經(jīng)接受“生物識(shí)別”的數(shù)百萬人群中來的。
　　生物識(shí)別是指通過檢測(cè)人體的某部分（例如眼睛、指紋）來檢測(cè)或驗(yàn)證身份，經(jīng)過十幾年的大量宣傳，此技術(shù)應(yīng)用終于推廣開來。然而這項(xiàng)技術(shù)能給大眾帶來什么好處呢？大眾感受到的似乎只是能少排些隊(duì)、安全性更高一點(diǎn)。去年生物識(shí)別在商業(yè)領(lǐng)域的運(yùn)用出現(xiàn)了爆炸性的增長(zhǎng)，讓各國(guó)政府在這方面的舉措顯得黯然失色，各國(guó)政府也在竭力引入新型身份證與護(hù)照，這些新型證件可以存儲(chǔ)根據(jù)臉部圖像、指紋、眼睛制作的“電子標(biāo)識(shí)”。
　　在咨詢公司Frost&Sullivan工作的分析師Sapna Capoor說，大家一直以為生物識(shí)別技術(shù)是個(gè)由政府主導(dǎo)的技術(shù)。但近兩年情況已悄然改變。她說，“以前售賣生物識(shí)別產(chǎn)品的公司都主要做政府生意，但現(xiàn)在已有不少公司轉(zhuǎn)而把重點(diǎn)放在商用產(chǎn)品上了�！�
　　這種轉(zhuǎn)變的其中一個(gè)原因是此技術(shù)已經(jīng)成熟了，設(shè)于紐約的行業(yè)協(xié)會(huì)國(guó)際生物識(shí)別組織的Michael Thieme這樣宣稱。過去生物識(shí)別技術(shù)從未廣泛應(yīng)用于大眾。有幾種生物識(shí)別掃描設(shè)備在實(shí)驗(yàn)室表現(xiàn)很好，但面對(duì)各種各樣的真實(shí)情況就會(huì)出現(xiàn)許多問題，比如應(yīng)用于兒童、老年人、手特別小的人、多汗的手、磚匠的手、還有一些患眼病的人群。Thieme說但后來此技術(shù)得到了很大改進(jìn)，因此應(yīng)用的人群也廣得多。生物識(shí)別技術(shù)的可靠性因此大大提高，能夠應(yīng)用于超市與筆記本電腦。
　　金融領(lǐng)域的新規(guī)則也推動(dòng)了此項(xiàng)技術(shù)的應(yīng)用，位于華盛頓的Issaquah的BioPassword公司的總裁Mark Upson說，該公司已有超過40萬的網(wǎng)上銀行用戶采用了該公司的“擊鍵力學(xué)”身份驗(yàn)證項(xiàng)目。Upson說，為了增強(qiáng)網(wǎng)上銀行服務(wù)的安全性、減少服務(wù)過程中的詐騙與身份盜竊行為，美國(guó)聯(lián)邦金融機(jī)構(gòu)檢查委員會(huì)竭力要求銀行采用“雙重認(rèn)證”。以前，帳號(hào)持有者只需通過一重身份驗(yàn)證，比如帳號(hào)與密碼。要通過“雙重認(rèn)證系統(tǒng)”，不僅需要你提供你所知道的信息，而且還需要你攜帶的東西——比如某種電子信物，或者你身體的某部分：以生物識(shí)別形式。
　　這說明什么呢？這說明雖然生物識(shí)別技術(shù)能使系統(tǒng)獲得極高的安全性，但在實(shí)際應(yīng)用中并不一定要達(dá)到這么高的安全性。Thieme說，在某些方面的應(yīng)用中較低的安全性完全可以容忍。
　　各國(guó)政府還在想盡辦法引入生物識(shí)別護(hù)照與身份證，各家公司卻已經(jīng)靠自己的力量推動(dòng)該技術(shù)的應(yīng)用了，這種情況十分出人意料，但比這更讓人吃驚的是公眾對(duì)其愿意接受，而且速度很快。其原因并不見得是公眾更相信大公司而不相信政府，而是因?yàn)樯虡I(yè)應(yīng)用過程中更強(qiáng)調(diào)生物識(shí)別技術(shù)能給顧客帶來的好處，為顧客提供了某種“激勵(lì)”。各國(guó)政府想要讓民眾接受此技術(shù)在公共領(lǐng)域的應(yīng)用的話，記住這一點(diǎn)才能成功。
　　比較近的一個(gè)調(diào)查發(fā)現(xiàn)，如果在登機(jī)手續(xù)中應(yīng)用生物識(shí)別技術(shù)能讓乘客少排些隊(duì)，乘客還是歡迎此項(xiàng)技術(shù)應(yīng)用在機(jī)場(chǎng)的�？雌饋砬闆r似乎是這樣，如果在生物識(shí)別技術(shù)的推廣過程中能給大家?guī)�來好處，大家還是會(huì)接收此項(xiàng)技術(shù)的。

　Bluetooth’s quiet success 
　　It was born amid a blaze of hype at the height of the dotcom boom, but initially failed to thrive. Indeed, Bluetooth, a short�瞨ange wireless technology used to interconnect portable devices, has been declared dead on many occasions. Early versions of the technology suffered from compatibility problems; an ambitious demonstration of the technology at a trade show in 2001 failed to work. And while Bluetooth struggled despite all the hype from its backers, another wireless technology, Wi�睩i, took off on its own. Obituaries of Bluetooth have appeared many times in the technology press, usually attributing its demise to the success of Wi�睩i. "Bluetooth is in full retreat," declared Sean Maloney, an Intel executive, in 2001. Other analysts issued similar verdicts. 
　　But reports of the death of Bluetooth proved to be premature: today it is in rude health. Sales of Bluetooth devices more than doubled in 2005 to reach 320m units, and the figure is expected to exceed 520m this year-equivalent to more than 10m units a week and far outstripping sales of Wi�睩i chips. Around one in four mobile phones sold now support Bluetooth. 
　　And after years of insisting that Bluetooth was more than just a way to link a wireless headset to a mobile phone, its backers seem to have been vindicated, as other uses for Bluetooth have at last begun to emerge. Last year 60% of Bluetooth chips went into mobile handsets and 15% into wireless headsets, says Scott Smyser of iSuppli, a market�瞨esearch firm, but the other 25% went into other devices, from laptop computers, keyboards and mice to Bluetooth�瞖nabled clothing. 
　　This success, after its rocky start, is due to a combination of factors, says Stuart Carlaw, an analyst at ABI Research. In many countries Bluetooth’s fortunes were boosted by new legislation banning the use of mobile phones without a hands�瞗ree kit while driving. This prompted many people to buy Bluetooth headsets. Several carmakers, led by Audi, also began to incorporate microphones and speakers, capable of connecting to a handset via Bluetooth, into their vehicles. 
　　As consumers became more aware of Bluetooth and began to ask for it, handset�瞞akers started to include it as a means of differentiating their products and increasing their margins. Adding a Bluetooth chip to a phone now costs very little�瞐round $2, says Mr Carlaw, down from $20 in 2001-but allows the manufacturer to increase the price of the handset by far more, and opens up a new market for high�瞞argin accessories. Finally, operators began offering Bluetooth headsets as incentives to new customers. Again, the perceived value of the headset is far higher than its cost to the operator, so this increases margins. 
　　Greater adoption has, in turn, cleared the way for the inclusion of Bluetooth in all kinds of new products. In addition to Bluetooth�瞖nabled jackets, motorcycle helmets and sunglasses with built�瞚n wireless headsets, the controllers for two next�瞘eneration video�瞘ames consoles due to be launched later this year, Sony’s PlayStation 3 and Nintendo’s Wii, will use Bluetooth. Because Bluetooth is an industry standard, both console�瞞akers can buy chips and software off the shelf, which is quicker and cheaper than developing their own proprietary technologies, says Mr Carlaw. 
amid  
　　prep.在......中 
　�。壅骖}例句］ Amid the outcry, many conservative leaders are seeking a return to the prewar emphasis on moral education.［2000年閱讀4］ 
　　［例句精譯］ 在一片抗議聲中，許多保守黨領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人正在力圖回復(fù)到戰(zhàn)前，強(qiáng)調(diào)道德教育。 
　　thrive 
　　v.興旺，繁榮 
　　［真題例句］But one insidious form continues to thrive: alphabetism.［2004年閱讀2］ 
　�。劾�句精譯］但是有一種隱蔽的（歧視）形式還在蔓延：按字母表順序排名。 
　　attribute 
　　n.屬性，品質(zhì)，特征；v.①（to）把......歸于；②認(rèn)為......是......所為 
　�。壅骖}例句］ Not all that shift can be attributed (v.①) to the movement out of the snow belt, census officials say.［1998年閱讀4］ 
　�。劾�句精譯］ 人口普查官員說，所有這些人口遷移并非都是為了離開寒冷地帶。 
　　verdict 
　　n.①裁決，判決；②定論；③判斷；④意見 
　�。壅骖}例句］ Concerns were raised (49：that) witnesses might be encouraged to exaggerate their stories in court to (50：ensure) guilty verdicts (①).　�。�2001年完形］ 
　�。劾�句精譯］ 人們開始擔(dān)心：(接受報(bào)酬)可能會(huì)鼓勵(lì)證人在法庭上夸大他們經(jīng)歷的事情，以保證(陪審團(tuán)對(duì)被告)作出有罪的判決。 
　　exceed 
　　v.①超過，勝過；②越出 
　�。壅骖}例句］ 66. The change in Japanese life�瞫tyle is revealed in the fact that［2000年閱讀4］ 
　�。跙］ the divorce rate in Japan exceeds (①) that in the US 
　�。劾�句精譯］ 66�笔聦�(shí)顯示：日本人的生活方式發(fā)生了改變 
　�。跙］ 離婚率超過了美國(guó) 
　　incorporate 
　　v.合并，納入，結(jié)合；a.合并的 
　�。壅骖}例句］ Thus, in the nineteenth century, local geological studies represented worthwhile research in their own right; but, in the twentieth century, local studies have increasingly become acceptable to professionals only if they incorporate (v.), and reflect on, the wider geological picture.［2001年閱讀1］ 
　�。劾�句精譯］ 因此，在19世紀(jì)，局部的地質(zhì)研究本身就可形成一種有價(jià)值的研究；而到了20世紀(jì)，如果局部的研究能夠被專業(yè)人員接受，那么它越來越傾向于必須體現(xiàn)或思考更廣闊的地質(zhì)面貌。 
　　Little Tips： 
　　所謂藍(lán)牙（Bluetooth）技術(shù)，實(shí)際上是一種短距離無線通信技術(shù)，利用"藍(lán)牙"技術(shù)，能夠有效地簡(jiǎn)化掌上電腦、筆記本電腦和移動(dòng)電話手機(jī)等移動(dòng)通信終端設(shè)備之間的通信，也能夠成功地簡(jiǎn)化以上這些設(shè)備與Internet之間的通信，從而使這些現(xiàn)代通信設(shè)備與因特網(wǎng)之間的數(shù)據(jù)傳輸變得更加迅速高效，為無線通信拓寬道路。 
　　經(jīng)歷了數(shù)年的默默無聞，藍(lán)牙技術(shù)終于走出了Wi�睩i無線局域網(wǎng)技術(shù)的陰影，找到了自己的用武之地--手機(jī)和無線耳機(jī)市場(chǎng)，并開始成熟。摩托羅拉公司認(rèn)為，目前藍(lán)牙功能已經(jīng)成為高檔手機(jī)的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)配置，不久之后所有的手機(jī)產(chǎn)品都將添加這一功能。就全球來看，還沒有哪個(gè)國(guó)家能夠容忍司機(jī)一只手把方向盤開車，另一只手拿著手機(jī)打電話。在紐約和美國(guó)其他州，如果不戴耳機(jī)或者沒有采用免提方式打電話是違法的。而藍(lán)牙技術(shù)無疑就解決了人們的這種后顧之憂。 
藍(lán)牙技術(shù)悄悄取勝 
　　在互聯(lián)網(wǎng)熱潮巔峰時(shí)期的天花亂墜之中，它耀眼地產(chǎn)生，但是一開始沒有成功。事實(shí)上，藍(lán)牙技術(shù)--一種用于連接便攜式設(shè)備的近距離無線技術(shù)，在很多場(chǎng)合下都被宣告已經(jīng)廢棄。這個(gè)技術(shù)的早期版本遭受了兼容性問題；2001年的技術(shù)交易會(huì)上這個(gè)技術(shù)一個(gè)雄心勃勃的示范沒能成功。藍(lán)牙技術(shù)在其支持者的宣傳下苦苦掙扎的時(shí)候，另一種無線技術(shù)Wi�睩i，取代了它的地位。技術(shù)出版物上出現(xiàn)了很多次宣告藍(lán)牙技術(shù)廢棄的訃告，通常將它的失敗歸結(jié)于Wi�睩i的勝利。"藍(lán)牙技術(shù)正在全面敗退"，英特爾的管理人員Sean Maloney這樣宣稱。在2001年，其他分析家得出類似的結(jié)論。 
　　但事實(shí)證明藍(lán)牙技術(shù)已經(jīng)死亡這個(gè)結(jié)論下得太早了：現(xiàn)在它正在健康發(fā)展。藍(lán)牙設(shè)備的銷售量已經(jīng)比2005年翻了一番，達(dá)到了3.2億臺(tái)，而且今年的銷售量有望突破5.2億臺(tái)--平均每周銷售超過1000萬臺(tái)，遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)超出了Wi�睩i芯片的銷售數(shù)量。如今銷售的手機(jī)中大概有四分之一支持藍(lán)牙技術(shù)。 
　　在連續(xù)數(shù)年強(qiáng)調(diào)藍(lán)牙技術(shù)不僅僅只是用來連接無線耳機(jī)和手機(jī)的手段之后，藍(lán)牙的支持者們似乎表明藍(lán)牙技術(shù)的其他用途至少已經(jīng)出現(xiàn)了。根據(jù)市場(chǎng)調(diào)查公司iSuppli的Scott Smyser所言，去年60%的藍(lán)牙芯片植入了手機(jī)，15%的芯片植入了無線耳機(jī)，但是剩下的25%則植入了其他設(shè)備，從膝上型電腦、無線鍵盤和鼠標(biāo)到支持藍(lán)牙技術(shù)的衣服。 
　　ABI調(diào)查公司的分析家Stuart Carlaw表示，在其艱難的開端之后，藍(lán)牙取得的勝利應(yīng)歸于多種因素的綜合作用。在許多國(guó)家，藍(lán)牙的好運(yùn)是由新的立法推動(dòng)的，該立法規(guī)定在駕駛時(shí)禁止使用手握式手機(jī)設(shè)備。這促使許多人購(gòu)買藍(lán)牙耳機(jī)。而以?shī)W迪為首的汽車制造商也開始在它們的汽車內(nèi)裝上能通過藍(lán)牙連接手機(jī)的一體式麥克風(fēng)與揚(yáng)聲器。 
　　當(dāng)消費(fèi)者變得更加關(guān)注藍(lán)牙技術(shù)并且開始需求它的時(shí)候，手機(jī)制造商開始將它當(dāng)作一種區(qū)分他們的產(chǎn)品以及提高他們的利潤(rùn)的手段。在手機(jī)里添加一個(gè)藍(lán)牙芯片的成本很低--Carlaw先生說大概只需要2美元左右，低于2001年時(shí)的20美元--但是可以允許制造者提高遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)比這個(gè)高的價(jià)格，并且打開了一個(gè)高利潤(rùn)附件的市場(chǎng)。比較后，經(jīng)銷商開始提供藍(lán)牙耳機(jī)以激勵(lì)新的消費(fèi)者。此外，耳機(jī)的估價(jià)遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)比經(jīng)銷商的成本高，所以這個(gè)也擴(kuò)大了利潤(rùn)。 
　　藍(lán)牙技術(shù)被更大規(guī)模的采用為其適用在所有種類的新產(chǎn)品上開辟了道路。除了支持藍(lán)牙技術(shù)的夾克、摩托車頭盔以及內(nèi)置無線耳機(jī)的太陽(yáng)眼鏡，今年晚些時(shí)候即將發(fā)售的兩款下一代電子游戲控制臺(tái)的控制器，Sony的PlayStation3和任天堂的Wii，將會(huì)使用藍(lán)牙。Carlaw先生稱，因?yàn)樗{(lán)牙是一個(gè)行業(yè)標(biāo)準(zhǔn)，所有的控制臺(tái)制造商都可以現(xiàn)貨購(gòu)買芯片和軟件，所以要遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)比制造商開發(fā)他們自己擁有產(chǎn)權(quán)的技術(shù)來得便捷與便宜。

　Buildings with minds of their own
　　What if architects could build living systems rather than static buildings-dynamic structures that modify their internal and external forms in response to changes in their environment? This provocative idea is making waves in the field of architecture. Houses, for example, might shrink in the winter to reduce surface area and volume, thus cutting heating costs. They could cover themselves to escape the heat of the summer sun or shake snow off the roof in winter. Skyscrapers could alter their aerodynamic profiles, swaying slightly to distribute increased loads during hurricanes. Office buildings could reconfigure themselves to improve ventilation.
　　Such "responsive architecture" would depend on two sorts of technology: control systems capable of deciding what to do, and structural components able to change the building’s shape as required. Architects have been working to improve the control systems in buildings for many years, but shape shifting technology is at a much earlier stage of development.
　　One approach being pursued by researchers is to imitate nature. Many natural constructions, including spiders’ webs and cell membranes, are "tensegrity systems"-robust structures made up of many interconnected elements which can be manipulated to change shape without losing their structural integrity. "These structures can bend and twist, but no element in the structure bends and twists," says Robert Skelton of the Structural Systems and Control Laboratory at the University of California in San Diego. "It’s the architecture of life."
　　While Dr Skelton is working on solving the engineering equations associated with tensegrity systems, Tristan d’Estrée Sterk at the Office for Robotic Architectural Media & the Bureau for Responsive Architecture, an architectural practice based in Vancouver, Canada, has begun to construct prototypes of shape�瞔hanging "building envelopes" based on tensegrity structures. Lightweight skeletal frameworks, composed of rods and wires and controlled by pneumatic "muscles", serve as the walls of a building; adjusting their configuration changes the building’s shape. Mr Sterk is also developing the "brain" needed to control such a building based on information from internal and external sensors.
　　Cars are already capable of monitoring their own performance and acting with a certain degree of autonomy, from cruise�瞔ontrol systems to airbag sensors. Such responsive behaviour is considered normal for a car; architects argue that the same sort of ideas should be incorporated into buildings, too.
　　And just as the performance of a car can be simulated in advance to choose the best design for a range of driving conditions, the same should be done for buildings, argues Gian Carlo Magnoli, an architect and the co�瞕irector of the Kinetic Design Group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is devising blueprints for responsive houses. "We need to evolve designs for the best performing responsive�瞓uilding models," he says.
　　So will we end up with cities of skyscrapers that wave in the breeze? It sounds crazy. But, says Mr Sterk, many ideas that were once considered crazy are now commonplace. "Electricity was a batty idea, but now it’s universal," he says. The same was true of suspension bridges and elevators. Dynamic, intelligent, adaptable buildings are "the logical next step", he claims.
　　Static(al）
　　a.靜態(tài)的，靜力的
　　component
　　n.①組成部分；②成分；③部件；a.組成的，合成的
　�。壅骖}例句］ Of all the components (n.①) of a good night�餾 sleep, dreams seem to be least within our control.［2005年閱讀3］
　　［例句精譯］ 在晚上睡一個(gè)好覺的組成要素中，夢(mèng)是我們比較無法控制的因素。
　　robust
　　a.精力充沛的
　　manipulate
　　v.①操作，控制；②應(yīng)付，處理
　�。壅骖}例句］ As Eugene Ferguson has pointed out, "A technologist thinks about objects that cannot be reduced to unambiguous verbal descriptions; they are dealt with in his mind by a visual, nonverbal process...The designer and the inventor... are able to assemble and manipulate (①) in their minds devices that as yet do not exist."［1996年閱讀4］
　�。劾�句精譯］ 正如尤金?弗格森曾指出的："技術(shù)人員思考那些不能被簡(jiǎn)化成用明確的語言進(jìn)行描述的物體；這些物體在他的頭腦中以視覺性的、非語言性的方式被處理加工......設(shè)計(jì)者和發(fā)明者......能把那些尚不存在的機(jī)械在頭腦中組裝和操作。"
　�。壅骖}例句］ Intelligence seeks to grasp, manipulate (②), re�瞣rder, and adjust, while intellect examines, ponders, wonders, theorizes, criticizes and imagines.［2004年閱讀4］
　�。劾�句精譯］ 智力尋求的是理解、運(yùn)用、整合和調(diào)節(jié)，而才學(xué)是審視、思考、探究、形成理論、批判和想象。
　　Evolve
　　v.（使）發(fā)展，（使）進(jìn)化
　�。壅骖}例句］ We did not evolve, because machines and society did it for us.［2000年閱讀2］
　　［例句精譯］ 我們沒有進(jìn)化，因?yàn)闄C(jī)器和社會(huì)替我們辦了這一切。
　　LIttle Tips：智能建筑
　　智能建筑的概念，在本世紀(jì)末誕生于美國(guó)。第一幢智能大廈于1984年在美國(guó)哈特福德（Hartford）市建成。我國(guó)于90年代才起步，但迅猛發(fā)展勢(shì)頭令世人矚目。
　　智能建筑是信息時(shí)代的必然產(chǎn)物，建筑物智能化程度隨科學(xué)技術(shù)的發(fā)展而逐步提高。當(dāng)今世界科學(xué)技術(shù)發(fā)展的主要標(biāo)志是4C技術(shù)（即Computer計(jì)算機(jī)技術(shù)、Control控制技術(shù)、Communication通信技術(shù)、CRT圖形顯示技術(shù)）。將4C技術(shù)綜合應(yīng)用于建筑物之中，在建筑物內(nèi)建立一個(gè)計(jì)算機(jī)綜合網(wǎng)絡(luò)，使建筑物智能化。
　　智能建筑是"通過對(duì)建筑物的4個(gè)基本要素，即結(jié)構(gòu)、系統(tǒng)、服務(wù)和管理，以及它們之間的內(nèi)在聯(lián)系，以比較優(yōu)化的設(shè)計(jì)，提供一個(gè)投資合理又擁有高效率的幽雅舒適、便利快捷、高度安全的環(huán)境空間。智能建筑物能夠幫助大廈的主人，財(cái)產(chǎn)的管理者和擁有者等意識(shí)到， 他們?cè)谥T如費(fèi)用開支、生活舒適、商務(wù)活動(dòng)和人身安全等方面得到比較大利益的回報(bào)。"
　　有頭腦的房子
　　如果建筑師能建造"活的"居住體系，而不僅是靜止不動(dòng)的建筑物，世界將會(huì)變成什么樣子？這種居住體系擁有動(dòng)態(tài)結(jié)構(gòu)，能按環(huán)境變化更改外部與內(nèi)部形態(tài)。這個(gè)引人爭(zhēng)議的想法在建筑界掀起了不小的波瀾。設(shè)想一下這樣的房子，冬天能收縮，減少表面積與體積，以節(jié)約供暖成本；夏天能把自己遮蓋起來，避免日曬；下雪后能把積雪抖落屋頂；颶風(fēng)季節(jié)摩天大樓能作輕微搖晃，改變其空氣動(dòng)力形態(tài),以分散增加的壓力；辦公樓則能夠重新裝配，以加強(qiáng)通風(fēng)。
　　建造這樣"有反應(yīng)的建筑物"有賴于兩種技術(shù)，一是能決定"做什么"的控制系統(tǒng)，二是能按要求改變建筑物形態(tài)的構(gòu)件。建筑師們努力發(fā)展前者已經(jīng)好多年了，但后者卻要相對(duì)落后許多。
　　研發(fā)可變形構(gòu)件的研究人員采取的途徑之一是模仿自然。許多天然結(jié)構(gòu)是"無一定尺寸限制結(jié)構(gòu)體系"，比如蜘蛛網(wǎng)與細(xì)胞膜，這種由許多相聯(lián)單元組成的結(jié)構(gòu)相當(dāng)牢固，能夠隨意改變形狀，各單元卻不會(huì)失去自己的結(jié)構(gòu)完整性。"這種結(jié)構(gòu)能彎折扭曲，但構(gòu)成結(jié)構(gòu)的單元卻不發(fā)生變化，那是生命的構(gòu)造。"Robert Skelton說，他在圣地亞哥的加州大學(xué)結(jié)構(gòu)體系與控制實(shí)驗(yàn)室工作。
　　當(dāng)Skelton還在努力求解無尺寸限制結(jié)構(gòu)體系的工程學(xué)方程式時(shí)，Tristan d’Estrée Sterk已開始用這種結(jié)構(gòu)的原理搭建"可變形的建筑物骨架"的原型了，斯德克服務(wù)于一家建筑公司的自動(dòng)結(jié)構(gòu)媒介與可反應(yīng)建筑研究所，地處加拿大的溫哥華。這個(gè)原型的輕型骨架是由金屬桿與金屬線組成的，由汽動(dòng)裝置控制，用它來作建筑物的墻壁，調(diào)整骨架布置就可以改變建筑物外形。Sterk先生還在研發(fā)控制建筑物的"大腦"，它能根據(jù)建筑物內(nèi)、外部的傳感器采集的信息作出相應(yīng)決定。
　　汽車已經(jīng)能監(jiān)察自身狀況并相應(yīng)的作出一定程度的自動(dòng)行為，比如行車控制系統(tǒng)與安全氣囊感知設(shè)備。大家對(duì)汽車的有反應(yīng)行為都已習(xí)以為常，而建筑師們認(rèn)為類似的功能也應(yīng)被整合進(jìn)建筑物。
　　而且在設(shè)計(jì)汽車時(shí)，設(shè)計(jì)師會(huì)根據(jù)不同駕駛情況模擬出汽車的表現(xiàn)，以選擇比較適合的設(shè)計(jì)方案，建筑師Gian Carlo Magnoli認(rèn)為設(shè)計(jì)建筑物時(shí)也應(yīng)當(dāng)這樣做，他還是麻省理工學(xué)院Kinetic設(shè)計(jì)集團(tuán)的聯(lián)席總監(jiān)。Magnoli正為"有反應(yīng)的房子"設(shè)計(jì)藍(lán)圖。他說，"要設(shè)計(jì)出比較出色的有反應(yīng)建筑，我們的設(shè)計(jì)方式也需要進(jìn)化。"
　　那么將來會(huì)出現(xiàn)滿城在微風(fēng)中輕擺的摩天大樓嗎？聽起來很瘋狂是嗎？不過Sterk說，以前大家覺得很瘋狂的許多想法現(xiàn)在卻變成司空見慣的事。比如，"以前大家覺得用電是個(gè)很古怪的想法，但現(xiàn)在電無處不在。"相同的例子還有懸索橋與電梯。Sterk稱："能靈活適應(yīng)環(huán)境變化的智能型動(dòng)態(tài)建筑是建筑業(yè)發(fā)展的下一個(gè)合理目標(biāo)。"

　Can coal be clean?
　　Coal has several advantages as a fuel. It is abundant. It is widely distributed: countries that are short of other fossil fuels, such as Germany and South Africa, have mountains of it. As a result, it is cheap. Even though the price has risen in the past few years, it is still less expensive to run a power plant on coal than on almost anything else.
　　But coal is also dirty. It releases lots of soot and various noxious chemicals as it burns, and so has fallen out of favour in many Western countries. Worse, coal�瞗ired plants produce roughly twice as much carbon dioxide per unit of electricity generated than those that run on natural gas.
　　The obvious solution is to make coal�瞗ired generation cleaner. And that’s what utilities in Western countries have been doing for years, to comply with ever stiffer air�瞤ollution standards. Reducing emissions of carbon dioxide, however, is another matter. In Britain, as in most rich countries, the average efficiency of coal�瞗ired power stations is about 35%. But Mitsui Babcock, an engineering firm, says its most recent designs can achieve efficiencies as high as 46%. It reckons that switching from an old design to a new one can cut fuel consumption and emissions by 23%.
　　Many methods can reduce the various emissions produced by coal�瞗ired power stations, so that they are at least no worse than gas�瞗ired stations. But technologies also exist to make coal cleaner still, by filtering out carbon dioxide from the flue gas and storing it somehow. This is theoretically possible, but expensive. Moreover, unlike modifications that improve efficiency, there are no savings to be had by adding carbon�瞔apture technology to a power plant. As a result, no such plants have been built.
　　How does carbon capture work? Most utilities are eyeing one of three basic designs. The simplest, and easiest to bolt on to existing plants, treats carbon dioxide like any other pollutant, and extracts it from the flue gas. Many firms already use this "amine scrubbing" approach to remove carbon dioxide from natural gas, for example. But it is not so practical for large�瞫cale uses, since the amines are expensive, as is heating them to release the captured carbon dioxide.
　　"Oxy fuel" plants sidestep the difficulties of separating oxygen and nitrogen in the flue gas by burning coal in pure oxygen rather than air. The resulting flue gas is almost pure carbon dioxide. But the energy used to separate oxygen from air before burning is almost as great as that needed to filter out nitrogen afterwards, leading to a similar loss of efficiency.
　　The third approach, called "integrated gasification combined cycle" (IGCC), also requires oxygen, but for use in a chemical reaction rather than for burning. When heated in oxygen, coal reacts to form carbon dioxide and hydrogen. An amine solution then absorbs the carbon dioxide, while the hydrogen is burnt in a modified furnace. The amine scrubbing is cheaper than usual, since the reaction generates carbon dioxide in a more concentrated form. Engineers are also experimenting with membranes that would allow hydrogen to pass, but not carbon dioxide. There are four IGCC demonstration plants operating in America and Europe, although none currently captures carbon dioxide permanently; instead, it is simply released into the atmosphere. AEP’s planned new plants will follow a similar design.
　　George Bush is a believer, at any rate. In 2003 he unveiled a subsidised scheme to build a zero�瞖missions IGCC plant called "Future Gen" by 2013. The European Union, for its part, is giving money to utilities dabbling in oxy fuel, among other schemes. Handouts from the taxpayer are needed, power firms argue, since the technology in question is still young. But it is hard to believe that it will ever grow up unless subsidies give way to stronger measures, such as long�瞭erm caps or taxes on carbon�瞕ioxide emissions. The technology to eliminate such emissions from coal�瞗ired plants exists, but it will not be adopted without regulatory incentives from governments.
　　distribute
　　v.①分發(fā)，分配；②分布；③配（電）；④（over）散布
　�。壅骖}例句］ For example, a grandmotherly woman staffing an animal rights booth at a recent street fair was distributing (①) a brochure that encouraged readers not to use anything that comes from or is tested in animals-no meat, no fur, no medicines.［2003年閱讀2］
　�。劾�句精譯］ 例如，在近期的一次集市上，一位老奶奶站在動(dòng)物權(quán)利宣傳點(diǎn)前散發(fā)小冊(cè)子，規(guī)勸人們不要使用動(dòng)物制品和動(dòng)物實(shí)驗(yàn)制品--肉類，毛皮，藥物。
　　utility
　　n.效用，有用
　　［真題例句］ Decisions based on utility as opposed to lack of utility are straightforward.［1996年翻譯］
　�。劾�句精譯］ 根據(jù)項(xiàng)目是否有效來做決策簡(jiǎn)單明了。
　　capture
　　n.捕獲，俘虜；v.①吸引（注意）；②記錄；③俘虜
　　真題例句］ Few creations of big technology capture (v.①) the imagination like giant dams.［1998年閱讀1］
　�。劾�句精譯］ 重大科技創(chuàng)造中很少能像大型水壩這樣讓人癡迷的。
　�。壅骖}例句］ While even the modestly educated sought an elevated tone when they put pen to paper before the 1960s, even the most well regarded writing since then has sought to capture (v.②) spoken English on the page.［2005年閱讀4］
　�。劾�句精譯］ 在60年代以前，甚至僅受過一般教育的人在下筆時(shí)都要尋求一種更高雅的腔調(diào)，但在那之后，即使是比較受關(guān)注的文章也開始把口語用于寫作。
　　absorb
　　v.①吸收；②吸收，使專心
　　eliminate
　　v.消除
　�。壅骖}例句］ If the products is in short supply relative to the demand, the price will be bid up and some consumers will be eliminated from the market.［1994年閱讀1］
　�。劾�句精譯］ 如果商品供不應(yīng)求，價(jià)格就上升，有些消費(fèi)者就會(huì)被排擠出市場(chǎng)。
　　Little Tips:
　　由于世界石油和天然氣價(jià)格居高不下，全球發(fā)電能源構(gòu)成正出現(xiàn)重大轉(zhuǎn)變，煤炭將重新成為新建電廠的首選燃料。當(dāng)前世界發(fā)電燃料再度轉(zhuǎn)為以煤為主決非偶然，而是由多種因素促成的。其中比較重要的是清潔煤技術(shù)的研究發(fā)明，使煤炭利用更加環(huán)保、更為經(jīng)濟(jì)。這不僅是產(chǎn)業(yè)界的重大轉(zhuǎn)變，更證明了科學(xué)技術(shù)對(duì)于世界能源利用的推進(jìn)作用。
煤炭可能干凈嗎？
　　作為燃料，煤炭兼?zhèn)涠囗?xiàng)優(yōu)勢(shì)。首先，它的儲(chǔ)量豐富、分布廣泛：缺乏其他化石燃料的國(guó)家，如德國(guó)和南非，卻擁有堆積如山的煤炭。因此，煤炭的價(jià)格也很低廉。盡管煤炭的價(jià)格在過去幾年里有所上浮，但燃煤發(fā)電站的運(yùn)營(yíng)成本仍低于幾乎任何一種其他類型的發(fā)電站。
　　但煤炭也是種污濁不堪的燃料。它會(huì)隨著燃燒釋放大量煤煙和有害化學(xué)物質(zhì)，因此許多西方國(guó)家已經(jīng)不再鐘情于它了。更糟的是，燃煤發(fā)電站的單位發(fā)電產(chǎn)生的二氧化碳量幾乎是天然氣發(fā)電站的兩倍。
直接的解決之道是令燃煤發(fā)電變得更加清潔，而且這正是西方國(guó)家里的那些公用事業(yè)公司們多年來為達(dá)日漸苛刻的空氣污染的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)所不斷努力的方向。
　　然而，減少二氧化碳的排放量則需另辟蹊徑。同大多數(shù)富國(guó)一樣，英國(guó)燃煤發(fā)電站的平均燃燒效率在35%左右。但是三井巴布科克（Mitsui Babcock）能源有限公司（一家工程公司）宣稱其比較新設(shè)計(jì)的發(fā)電站可以將燃燒效率提升到46%。該公司預(yù)計(jì)新設(shè)計(jì)比起舊設(shè)計(jì)可以令燃料消耗和污染物排放減少23%。
　　許多方法均能減少燃煤發(fā)電站制造的各類排放物，所以這類燃煤發(fā)電站對(duì)環(huán)境的污染至少不會(huì)超出燃?xì)獍l(fā)電站的水平。但是借由濾除煙道氣體中的二氧化碳并將其儲(chǔ)存起來從而令煤炭更加清潔的各類技術(shù)已然出世。雖理論可行，但代價(jià)高昂。另外，不同于提升燃燒效率的各種改進(jìn)，給電站追加捕碳技術(shù)根本無利可圖。結(jié)果，人們至今沒有建造一座此類電站。
　　捕碳究竟如何進(jìn)行呢？大多數(shù)公用事業(yè)公司都將目光聚焦在三種基本設(shè)計(jì)上。同其他污染物一樣對(duì)待二氧化碳并將其從煙道氣體中分離出來是改造現(xiàn)有發(fā)電站的設(shè)計(jì)中比較簡(jiǎn)單易行的方案。許多企業(yè)已經(jīng)采用這種"氨凈化"途徑，例如從天然氣中去除二氧化碳。但是，該法還不適于大規(guī)模使用，因?yàn)橛靡晕�收并加熱后釋放溶解的二氧化碳的氨溶液較昂貴。
　　"燃料增氧（Oxy�瞗uel）"電站則通過其他途徑避開了將氧和氮從煙道氣體中分離的難題，即用純氧而非空氣燃燒煤炭，產(chǎn)生的管道氣體幾乎僅僅是二氧化碳。但是燃燒前將氧氣從空氣中分離所需的能源幾乎不亞于上述將氮?dú)膺^濾所需的耗費(fèi)，這就使得兩者在效率損失上不相上下。
　　第三種途徑稱為"結(jié)合氣化的綜合循環(huán)途徑（IGCC）"。該途徑同樣需要氧氣，但這是作為化學(xué)反應(yīng)之用而不是燃料。當(dāng)煤炭在氧氣中加熱時(shí)經(jīng)化學(xué)反應(yīng)會(huì)形成二氧化碳和氫氣。二氧化碳經(jīng)氨溶液吸收，而氫氣則送往改進(jìn)型熔爐燃燒。如此，氨凈化的成本將低于普通方法，因?yàn)橹�前化學(xué)反應(yīng)產(chǎn)生的二氧化碳是高濃度的。工程師們也正在用允許氫氣而不允許二氧化碳通過的半透膜做實(shí)驗(yàn)。在美國(guó)和歐洲，現(xiàn)有四座IGCC示范電站，盡管目前為止任何一家都無法將碳永久性地封存起來；相反，很容易釋放而進(jìn)入大氣。AEP計(jì)劃的新電站將采用類似的設(shè)計(jì)。
　　喬治?布什是一個(gè)忠實(shí)的信徒。2003年他公布了一項(xiàng)補(bǔ)貼計(jì)劃用以建造一座零排放的IGCC電站，該電站名為"Future Gen"，該計(jì)劃將歷時(shí)十年。就其他方案而言，歐盟正在給予涉足燃料增氧的公用事業(yè)公司財(cái)力支持，這是方案中的一部分。電力公司們強(qiáng)調(diào)政府的宣傳報(bào)道也是必須的，因?yàn)檫@種存在疏漏的技術(shù)還很不成熟。但是，很難相信沒有強(qiáng)有力的措施，如制定長(zhǎng)期減排目標(biāo)或?qū)Χ�氧化碳排放征稅等，而僅憑蒼白無力的宣傳就能夠促使該技術(shù)不斷成長(zhǎng)和發(fā)展。除去燃煤電廠產(chǎn)生的排放物的技術(shù)已經(jīng)出現(xiàn)，但是離開政府的監(jiān)管和激勵(lì)后將無人問津。