征服六级讲座听力：讲座篇工程技术之 Lecture 3 新兴能源
Word tips
alternative adj. 可替代的
virtually adv. 几乎，差不多
tap v. 开发
diffused adj. 分散的
spur v. 刺激，促进
reverse v. 颠倒；彻底转变
absorb v. 吸收
convert v. 转化
tank n. （贮放液体或气体的）箱，槽，罐
mechanical adj. 机械的
plumbing system 管道系统
Listen to the following recording and answer questions 1-4.
1) A. an efficient solution to the problem of storing solar energy
B. energy policies in the twentieth century
C. reasons that solar energy is not more widely used
D. the superiority of solar energy to oil and natural gas
2) A. It is a potentially dangerous source.
B. It is difficult to concentrate.
C. It is scientifically unsound.
D. It is too expensive.
3) A. new solar energy technologies
B. advertising campaigns by solar energy companies
C. an increase in the price of oil and natural gas
D. the depletion of Earth’s reserves of oil and natural gas
4) A. Passive systems are less reliable.
B. Passive systems are difficult to install.
C. Passive systems can be used at any location.
D. Passive systems work without mechanical support.
听力原文：
Professor:
All right folks, let’s continue our discussion of alternative energy sources and move on to what’s probably the most well-known alternative energy source, solar energy. The sun basically provides earth with a virtually unlimited source of energy every day, but the problem has always been how do we tap this source of energy. Solar energy is everywhere, but it’s also quite diffused. And the thing is the dream of solar energy is not a new one.
Humanity has been trying to use the sun’s light as a reliable source of energy for centuries. And around the beginning of the 20th century there were actually some primitive solar water heaters on the consumer market. But they didn’t sell very well. When you consider economic factors, it’s easy to see why. But then in the 1970s, there was an interest in solar energy again. Why do you think that happened?
Student：
Because oil and natural gas were..er..became scarce?
Professor:
Well, not exactly. The amount of oil and natural gas in the earth was still plentiful, but there were other reasons. It’s a political thing really and I’m not gonna get into that now. So what happened in the 1970s was oil and natural gas became very expensive very quickly, and that spurred people to start looking into alternative forms of energy, solar energy probably being the most popular. But then in the 80s, this trend reversed itself when the price of oil and natural gas went down.
Alright let’s shift our focus now to some of the technologies that have been invented to overcome the problem of gathering diffused solar energy. The most basic solution is simply to carefully place windows in a building, so that the sun shines into the building and then it’s absorbed and converted into heat. But we do also have more complex systems that are used for space heating and they fall into two categories, passive and active heating systems. Passive systems take advantage of the location or design of a house.
For example, solar energy is gathered through large glass panels facing the sun. The heat is then stored in water-filled tanks or concrete. No mechanical devices are used in passive heating systems. They operate with little or no mechanical assistance. With active systems, on the other hand, you collect the solar energy at one location, and then you use pumps and fans to move heat from the collectors through a plumbing system to a tank, where can be used to heat a home or to just provide hot water.
Questions:
1. What is the lecture mainly about?
2. What is the main problem solar power presents as an energy source?
3. According to the professor, what led to the popularity of solar energy in the 1970's?
4. What is the difference between passive and active heating systems?
参考译文：
教授：
好了，我们继续讨论可再生能源。这次来讲讲大概是最众所周知的再生能源——太阳能。太阳能每天都为地球提供实实在在的可再生能源，问题就是我们如何有效地利用它。太阳能到处都是，但同时它很分散。而且利用太阳能的梦想并不是新鲜事。
人类试图利用太阳能作为可信赖的能源已经好几个世纪了。而且在 20 世纪初期，市面上出现了一些太阳能热水器，但销量不好。当你考虑经济因素的时候理由就显而易见了。但是在20世纪70年代的时候，对太阳能的热情又回来了。有人能猜到原因吗？
学生：
因为石油和天然气，嗯..变得稀缺了？
教授：
也不尽然。地球上的石油和天然气资源还很充足。但另有原因。这其实是个政治问题，我现在不打算解释。20 世纪 70 年代的时候，石油和天然气的价格飙升，使得人们开始寻找别的能源，太阳能是最受推崇的。但在 80 年代，这股潮流被逆转了，因为石油和天然气的价格回落了。
好了，现在我们转而看看为了克服收集分散太阳能这个困难而发明的一些技术。最基本的办法很简单，就是往楼里放窗户，这样太阳光就可以被吸收然后转化成热量。但我们也有更加复杂的空间供热供热系统，它分为被动和主动供热系统。 被动供热系统主要利用的是房子的位置和设计。
比如说，太阳能被面对太阳的巨大的玻璃板所吸收。热量就被存储在了装满水的容器或者混凝土中。在被动供热系统中，没有机械装置，涉及到很少或几乎没有机械辅助。 然而，对于主动供热系统，你可以先在一个地点收集太阳能，然后利用泵和风扇通过管道系统转移到容器中，它可以为家庭供热或提供热水。
参考答案：
1. C 2. B 3. C 4. D