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1、Lesson 18Energy Crisis（能源危机）Host (Michael Parkhurst): Good evening, and welcome again to the Michael Parkhurst Talkabout. In tonights programme, were looking at the problem of energy. The worlds energy resources are limited. Nobody knows exactly how much fuel is left, but pessimistic forecasts say t
2、hat there is only enough coal for 450 years, enough natural gas for 50 years and that oil might run out in 30 years. Obviously we have to do something, and we have to do it soon! Id like to welcome our first guest, Professor Marvin Burnham of the New England Institute of Technology. Professor Burnha
3、m. Prof. Burnham: Well, we are in an energy crisis and we will have to do something quickly. Fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas) are rapidly running out. The tragedy is that fossil fuels are far too valuable to waste on the production of electricity. Just think of all the things you can make from oil!
4、If we dont start conserving these things now, it will be too late. And nuclear power is the only real alternative. We are getting some electricity from nuclear power stations already. If we invest in further research now, well be ready to face the future. Theres been a lot of protest lately against
5、nuclear powersome people will protest at anythingbut nuclear power stations are not as dangerous as some people say. Its far more dangerous to work down a coal mine or on a North Sea oil-rig. Safety regulations in power stations are very strict. If we spent money on research now, we could develop st
6、ations which create their own fuel and burn their own waste. In many parts of the world where there are no fossil fuels, nuclear power is the only alternative. If you accept that we need electricity, then we will need nuclear energy. Just imagine what the world would be like if we didnt have electri
7、cityno heating, no lighting, no transport, no radio or TV. Just think about the ways you use electricity every day. Surely we dont want to go back to the Stone Age. Thats what will happen if we turn our backs on nuclear research. Host: Thank you, Professor. Our next guest is a member of CANE, the Ca
8、mpaign Against Nuclear Energy, Jennifer Hughes. Jennifer Hughes: Right. I must disagree totally with Professor Burnham. Lets look at the facts. First, there is no perfect machine. I mean, why do aeroplanes crash? Machines fail. People make mistakes. What would happen if there were a serious nuclear
9、accident? And an accident must be inevitablesooner or later. Huge areas would be evacuated. And they could remain contaminated with radioactivity for years. If it happened in your area, you wouldnt get a penny in compensation. No insurance company covers nuclear risks. There are accidents. If the nu
10、clear industry didnt keep them quiet, there would be a public outcry. Radioactivity causes cancer and may affect future generations. Next, nuclear waste. There is no technology for absolutely safe disposal. Some of this waste will remain active for thousands of years. Is that what you want to leave
11、to your children? And their childrens children? A reactor only lasts about 25 years. By the year well have retired 26 reactors in the UK. Next, terrorism. Terrorists could hold the nation to ransom if they captured a reactor. In the USA the Savannah River plant, and Professor Burnham knows this very
12、 well, lost (yes, lost) enough plutonium between 1955 and 1978 to make 18 (18!) atom bombs. Where is it? Whos got it? I consider that nuclear energy is expensive, dangerous, and evil, and most of all, absolutely unnecessary. But Dr. Woodstock will be saying more about that. Host: Thank you Jennifer.
13、 Now Im very pleased to welcome Dr. Catherine Woodstock. She is the author of several books on alternative technology. Catherine Woodstock: Hello. Id like to begin by agreeing with Jennifer. We can develop alternative sources of power, and unless we try well never succeed. Instead of burning fossil
14、fuels we should be concentrating on more economic uses of electricity, because electricity can be produced from any source of energy. If we didnt waste so much energy, our resources would last longer. You can save more energy by conservation than you can produce for the same money. Unless we do rese
15、arch on solar energy, wind power, wave power, tidal power, hydroelectric schemes etc, our fossil fuels will run out, and well all freeze or starve to death. Other countries are spending much more than us on research, and dont forget that energy from the sun, the waves and the wind lasts for ever. We
16、 really wont survive unless we start working on cleaner, safer sources of energy. Host: Thank you very much, Dr. Woodstock. Our final speaker, before we open the discussion to the studio audience, is Charles Wicks, MP, the Minister for Energy. Charles Wicks: Ive been listening to the other speakers with great interest. By the way, I dont agree with some of the estimates of world energy reserves. More oil and g
