74 Energy Resources-Mid

Energy Resources Written by David Dreier

《能源》大卫·德雷尔著

Introduction Prehistoric people used very little energy. All they needed was food to fuel their bodies. Then they learned how to control fire, and they began to use it for light, heat, and cooking. Today, we use large amounts of energy. We use it to fuel our cars and to make electricity to light our homes and run our appliances. We use energy to make the products that we use each day. Our needs are far greater than ever, and they are still growing. To meet these demands we need new energy resources. This book will look at energy resources in the past, present, and future.

史前人类使用的能源很少。 他们所需要的只是食物来补充能量。 然后他们学会了如何控制火，并开始用它来照明、取暖和做饭。 今天，我们使用大量的能源。 我们用它来为我们的汽车加油，为我们的家庭照明和运行我们的电器发电。 我们使用能源来生产我们每天使用的产品。 我们的需求比以往任何时候都大，而且还在增长。 为了满足这些需求，我们需要新能源。 这本书将着眼于能源的过去、现在和未来。

Electrical Energy It's important to know that energy can change from one form to another. For example, light can change to heat, and heat and light can be used to make electricity. Electricity can be changed to many other kinds of energy, including heat, light, sound, and motion. In fact, electricity is our most important form of energy. Take a moment to think of all the ways you have used electricity today. As you read about energy sources, you will learn that most of them are used to make electricity.

重要的是要知道能量可以从一种形式转变为另一种形式。 例如，光可以转化为热，热和光可以用来发电。 电可以转化为许多其他种类的能量，包括热、光、声和运动。 事实上，电是我们最重要的能源形式。 花点时间想想你今天用电的所有方式。 当你阅读有关能源的文章时，你会了解到大多数能源是用来发电的。

Generators Electricity is a flow of tiny particles called electrons. All matter is made of atoms. Atoms contain electrons whirling around a center, called the nucleus. Most of the electricity we use is made by large machines called generators. In a generator, magnets spin inside coils of wire, or coils of wire spin between magnets. Energy from the magnets makes electrons flow through the coils of wire. The flow of electrons creates an electric current.

发电机电是一种叫做电子的微小粒子的流动。 一切物质都是由原子构成的。 原子含有围绕一个中心旋转的电子，这个中心被称为原子核。 我们使用的大部分电力是由称为发电机的大型机器产生的。 在发电机中，磁铁在线圈内旋转，或者线圈在磁铁之间旋转。 来自磁铁的能量使电子在线圈中流动。 电子流产生电流。

So what makes the magnets or wire coils spin? In most electrical power plants, a fuel is used to boil water to produce steam. The steam rushes through a device called a turbine, which has blades that spin when steam hits them. The turbine is attached to a generator and makes it spin. This makes electrons flow in the wire coils and produces an electric current.

那么是什么让磁铁或线圈旋转呢? 在大多数发电厂，燃料被用来烧水产生蒸汽。 蒸汽通过一种叫做涡轮的装置，当蒸汽击中涡轮时，涡轮叶片就会旋转。 涡轮机连接在发电机上，使其旋转。 这使得电子在线圈中流动并产生电流。

We use many sources of energy to power our generators, to fuel our cars and trucks, and to keep all of our power-hungry gadgets working. These energy sources are either renewable or nonrenewable. Nonrenewable resources are fuels such as oil that, once used, cannot be replaced within a person's lifetime. Renewable resources, which include energy from the Sun and wind, never run out.

我们使用多种能源来驱动发电机，为汽车和卡车提供燃料，并保持我们所有耗电的小工具正常工作。 这些能源要么是可再生的要么是不可再生的。 不可再生资源是指像石油这样的燃料，一旦使用，在人的一生中就无法替代。 可再生资源，包括太阳能和风能，永远不会枯竭。