2018年考研英语二阅读 Text 2 原文翻译及答案解析

While fossil fuels - coal, oil, gas - still generate roughly 85 percent of the world's energy supply, it's clearer than ever that the future belongs to renewable sources such as wind and solar. The move to renewables is picking up momentum around the world: They now account for more than half of new power sources going on line.

虽然化石燃料——煤炭、石油、天然气——仍占全球能源供应的大约85%，但未来属于风能和太阳能等可再生能源，这一点比以往任何时候都更加清楚。全球向可再生能源的转型正在加速：它们现在占新上线电源的一半以上。

Some growth stems from a commitment by governments and farsighted businesses to fund cleaner energy sources. But increasingly the story is about the plummeting prices of renewables, especially wind and solar. The cost of solar panels has dropped by 80 percent and the cost of wind turbines by close to one-third in the past eight years.

部分增长源于政府和具有远见的企业对清洁能源投资的承诺。但越来越多的情况是，可再生能源价格暴跌，尤其是风能和太阳能。在过去八年里，太阳能电池板的成本下降了80%，风力涡轮机的成本下降了近三分之一。

In many parts of the world renewable energy is already a principal energy source. In Scotland, for example, wind turbines provide enough electricity to power 95 percent of homes. While the rest of the world takes the lead, notably China and Europe, the United States is also seeing a remarkable shift. In March, for the first time, wind and solar power accounted for more than 10 percent of the power generated in the U.S., reported the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

在世界许多地区，可再生能源已成为主要能源。例如，在苏格兰，风力涡轮机提供的电力足以供应95%的家庭。当世界其他地区，尤其是中国和欧洲，处于领先地位时，美国也看到了显著的转变。据美国能源信息管理局报告，3月份，风能和太阳能首次占美国发电量的10%以上。

President Trump has underlined fossil fuels — especially coal — as the path to economic growth. In a recent speech in Iowa, he dismissed wind power as an unreliable energy source. But that message did not play well with many in Iowa, where wind turbines dot the fields and provide 36 percent of the state's electricity generation - and where tech giants like Microsoft are being attracted by the availability of clean energy to power their data centers.

特朗普总统强调化石燃料——尤其是煤炭——是经济增长的途径。在爱荷华州最近的一次演讲中，他贬低风能是不可靠的能源。但这一信息在爱荷华州并不受许多人欢迎，那里风力涡轮机点缀田野，提供该州36%的发电量——而且像微软这样的科技巨头也被吸引来利用清洁能源为他们的数据中心供电。

The question "what happens when the wind doesn't blow or the sun doesn't shine?" has provided a quick put-down for skeptics. But a boost in the storage capacity of batteries is making their ability to keep power flowing around the clock more likely.

问题“当风不吹或太阳不亮时会怎样？”一直是怀疑论者用来快速反驳的论据。但电池存储容量的提升正使得全天候保持电力流动的可能性越来越大。

The advance is driven in part by vehicle manufacturers, who are placing big bets on battery-powered electric vehicles. Although electric cars are still a rarity on roads now, this massive investment could change the picture rapidly in coming years.

这一进展部分由汽车制造商推动，他们正在电池驱动的电动汽车上下大注。尽管电动汽车目前在路上还很少见，但这种大规模投资可能在未来几年迅速改变局面。

While there's a long way to go, the trend lines for renewables are spiking. The pace of change in energy sources appears to be speeding up — perhaps just in time to have a meaningful effect in slowing climate change. What Washington does — or doesn't do — to promote alternative energy may mean less and less at a time of a global shift in thought.

虽然还有很长的路要走，但可再生能源的趋势线正在飙升。能源变化的步伐似乎正在加快——或许正好能对减缓气候变化产生有意义的影响。在思想全球转变的时代，华盛顿为推动替代能源所做的——或未做的——可能越来越不重要。