阅读理解

　　In summer, millions of people will head for the beach．And while the ocean can be a great place to swim and play, it may also be useful in another way．Some scientists think that waves could help make electricity．

　　“Have you ever been on a surfboard or boat and felt yourself being lifted up by a wave?Or have you jumped in the water and felt the energy as waves crashed over you?” asked Jamie Taylor of the Wave Energy Group at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland．“There is certainly a lot of energy in waves．” Scientists are working on using that energy to make electricity．Most waves are created when winds blow across the ocean．“The winds start out by making little ripples (波纹)in the water, but if they keep on blowing, those ripples get bigger and bigger and turn into waves, ” Taylor said．“Waves are one of nature’s ways of picking up energy and then sending it off on a journey．”

　　When waves come towards the shore, people can set up dams or other barricades to block the water and send it through a large wheel called a turbine (涡轮)．The turbine can then power an electrical generator (发电机)．The United States and a few other countries have started doing research on wave energy, and it is already being used in Scotland．The resource is huge．We will never run out of wave power, besides, wave energy does not create the same pollution as other energy sources, such as oil and coal．

　　Oceans cover three quarters of the earth’s surface．That would make wave power seem perfect for creating energy around the world．There are some drawbacks, however．Jamie Taylor said that wave power still cost too much money．He said that its effects on animals in the sea were still unknown．Plus, wave power would get in the way of fishing and boat traffic．With more research, however, “many of these problems might be overcome, ” Taylor said．“Demand for energy to power our TVs and computers, drive our cars, and heat and cool our homes is growing quickly throughout the world．Finding more energy sources is very important, for traditional sources of energy like oil and gas may run out some day．”

　　In the future, when you turn on a light switch, an ocean wave could be providing the electricity!

阅读理解

　　With alarming regularity, we read about oil tankers having accidents near land and the terrible consequences of the oil spills(泄露)on people, nature, and the environment．

　　Millions of dollars have been used in developing special chemicals to help dismiss the spills and to clean up the animals, beaches, and land spoiled by the oil．Unfortunately, when many of these chemicals are used, more damage is caused to the environment, especially to lives in the sea．

　　Of all of today’s environmental disasters, an oil spill may actually be one of the least serious．Although oil is poisonous, it is a natural material．In the end, it breaks down naturally．There are, of course, long-term effects, but it is usually more serious in the short term．

　　Nature by itself works better than chemical materials, but when there is a spill we demand that governments act immediately with as much hi-tech knowledge as possible．In 1967 the tanker Torrey Canyon sank off the Sicily Isles near the coast of England and spilled 120,000 tones of oil into the ocean．If you go there today, you will find it hard to see any sign that it ever happened．

　　Governments seem to accept the risk of transporting millions of tons of oil by ship every day so that we can fill up our cars and drive around and cause even more environmental damage．Interestingly, the biggest companies in the world produce cars, and the next biggest supply the gasoline to make them run!

　　We should be thinking more about reducing our dependency on oil．Governments should be encouraging research into new technologies, such as cars run by solar power(太阳能), electricity, hydrogen, and so on．Much of this research has, in the past, been held back by the oil, gas, and coal．

　　If the world’s millions of cars were 10％ more efficient(高效的)－and the industry could easily produce cars at least twice as efficient－we would need many fewer tankers crossing the oceans each year．If this happened, the risks of oil spills would be reduced, and the air we breathe would be cleaner and fresher, too．