Level 5 Reading 12B

Reading 12B

阅读12B

THE RUSH FOR WHITE GOLD ONE EARLY SATURDAY MORNING IN LA PAZ, Alvaro Garcia Linera— the silver-haired vice president of Bolivia—greets me in the spacious salon outside his office overlooking Plaza Murillo. The politician is known in his country as a Marxist ideologue, but today he presents himself as a capitalist pitchman. The pitch in question involves lithium. Garcia Lincra speaks of his countrys natural resource in a simultaneously factual and awestruck way. Lithium, essential to our battery-fueled world, is also the key to Bolivia's future, the vice president assures me. A mere four years from now, he predicts, it will be "the engine of our economy." All Bolivians will benefit, he continues, "taking them out of poverty, guaranteeing their stability in the middle class, and training them in scientific and technological fields so that they become part of the intelligentsia in the global economy." But as the vice president knows, no pitch about lithium as Bolivia's economic salvation is complete without addressing the source of that lithium: the Salar de Uyuni. The 10,000-square-kilometer salt flat, one of the countrys most magnificent landscapes, will almost certainly be altered—if not forever damaged— by mining the resource underneath it. "Have you been to the Salar de Uyuni?" Garcia Linera asks. When I reply that I'll be heading there soon, the vice president loses his air of detachment and seems full of nostalgia. "When you go to the Salar," he instructs me, "go there one night. Spread a blanket in the center of the Salar, and turn on some music." It takes a day to drive from the world's highest capital city to the world's largest salt flat. The route passes steadily downhill through small villages, until leveling out, at about 3,600 meters, into a mostly vacant stretch of land occasionally animated by llamas. By late afternoon, the salt flat can be seen across the plain. I reach the Salar—Spanish for "salt flat"—just before sunset, and for over a kilometer I drive along its smooth and firm surface until it becomes evident that this is the middle of nowhere. The spectacle seems unreal: kilometers of whitewashed level terrain, its starkness perfected by the cloudless blue sky and the Andean peaks in the distance. Motorcycles and 4x4s drive across the roadless surface, destinations unknown. Here and there solitary people wander about, gazing into what the Bolivian vice president calls "the infinite table of snowy white." Somewhere out of sight on infinity's edge, bulldozers are plowing evaporation pools in the Salar— long and precise excavations, like a grid of enormous swimming pools. The bulldozers will be moving this way soon—how soon, no one can say with any certainty. Here is what we do know. First, that underneath the world's biggest salt flat lies another wonder: one of the world's greatest lithium deposits—perhaps 17 percent of the planet's total. Second, that by exploiting its lithium reserves, the government of Bolivia—where 40 percent of the people live in poverty— envisions a pathway out of its economic misfortune. The salt flat had long been regarded by Bolivians as little more than a geographical anomaly. While surrounding mountains are celebrated in indigenous stories, "the Salar has never had cultural significance," says Uyuni's mayor, Patricio Mendoza. "People were afraid that if they took a walk on it, they might get lost and die of thirst or their llamas would damage their hooves on the salt." The Salar's fortunes changed in the 1980s, when a La Paz tour operator named Juan Quesada Valda laid eyes on it. Quesada was searching for a tourist destination to rival Lake Titicaca. When he beheld the Salar, he experienced a revelation, recalls his daughter Lucia: "You can find lakes anywhere," she says, "but you cannot find a salt flat like this anywhere else in the world. He knew he could sell this place." An architect by training, Quesada proceeded to build the first of several hotels made almost entirely out of blocks of salt in Colchani, a village at the eastern edge of the Salar. Adventurous foreigners began to show up to bask in the great pale desert. Weddings, yoga lessons, and automobile races would eventually be staged on it. Today the salt hotels are typically full and Uyuni has become a vacationland bustling with college-age backpackers. "Maybe 90 percent of our economy is tourism," Mendoza says. All of which is to say that in Bolivia's morose history of economic disappointments, the Salar provides a happy if modest exception. But now comes Bolivia's future, in the form of lithium. What gold meant to earlier eras, and petroleum to the previous century, lithium may eclipse in the coming years. Long used in medication to treat bipolar disorders— and in items as varied as ceramics and nuclear weapons— it has emerged as an essential component for the batteries in computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices. The global market's annual consumption of lithium in 2017 was approximately 40,000 metric tons, representing a roughly 10 percent increase year by year since 2015. Meanwhile, in the same period, lithium prices nearly tripled—a clear reflection of how fast demand has been rising. That will likely intensify as electric cars become more popular. One version of the Tesla Model S runs on a battery pack with about 65 kilograms of lithium compounds— the equivalent of what's in 10,000 cell phones. The investment firm also projects that every time electric-vehicle sales replace a percentage of all vehicles sold, the demand for lithium increases by 70,000 metric tons a year. Given that France and the United Kingdom have already announced that they'll ban the sale of cars running on gas or diesel by 2040, it would seem evident that a country abounding with lithium need never fear poverty. However, Bolivia first faces several hurdles, and the most daunting is a scientific one. Producing battery-grade lithium from brine involves separating out sodium chloride, potassium chloride, and magnesium chloride. This last is particularly expensive to remove.

对白金的抢购 阿尔瓦罗·加西亚·利内拉在洛杉矶的一个星期六清晨-- 这位银发的玻利维亚副总统在他办公室外俯瞰穆里略广场的宽敞沙龙里迎接我。 这位政治家在他的国家被称为马克思主义理论家，但今天他把自己定位为资本主义代言人。 所讨论的沥青涉及锂。 Garcia Lincra以一种既真实又令人敬畏的方式谈到了他的国家的自然资源。 锂对我们的电池驱动世界至关重要， 副总统向我保证，这也是玻利维亚未来的关键。 他预测，仅仅四年后，它将成为“我们经济的引擎” 他继续说道，所有玻利维亚人都将受益， “让他们摆脱贫困，保证他们在中产阶级中的稳定， 在科技领域对他们进行培训，使他们成为全球经济中知识分子的一部分。" 但正如副总统所知，锂作为玻利维亚经济救赎的宣传并不完整 而没有提到锂的来源：乌尤尼盐沼。 1万平方公里的盐滩是中国最壮丽的景观之一， 通过开采其下方的资源，几乎可以肯定会被改变——如果不是永远被破坏的话。 加西亚·莱内拉问：“你去过乌尤尼盐沼吗？”。 当我回复说我很快就会去那里时， 副总统失去了超然的态度，似乎充满了怀旧之情。 “你去撒拉族的时候，”他吩咐我， “一天晚上去那里。在撒拉族中心铺一条毯子，打开一些音乐。” 从世界上最高的首都开车到世界上最大的盐滩需要一天的时间。 这条路线稳步下坡，穿过小村庄， 直到大约3600米的平地，变成了一片空地，偶尔会有美洲驼出没。 傍晚时分，平原上可以看到盐滩。 日落前，我到达了萨拉尔——西班牙语中的“盐滩”——， 我沿着它光滑而坚固的表面行驶了一公里多，直到很明显这是荒郊野外。 这一景象似乎不真实：数公里的白色平地， 万里无云的蓝天和远处安第斯山脉的山峰使其更加荒凉。 摩托车和四驱车在无路的路面上行驶，目的地未知。 孤独的人四处游荡， 凝视着玻利维亚副总统所说的“雪白的无限餐桌” 在无边的某个看不见的地方，推土机正在萨拉尔地区犁出蒸发池-- 长而精确的挖掘，就像一排巨大的游泳池。 推土机很快就会朝这个方向移动——没人能确定多久。 以下是我们所知道的。 首先，在世界上最大的盐滩下面还有另一个奇迹： 世界上最大的锂矿床之一，可能占地球总量的17%。 其次，通过开采其锂储量， 玻利维亚政府——40%的人口生活在贫困中-- 设想了一条摆脱经济困境的道路。 长期以来，玻利维亚人一直认为盐滩只不过是一个地理异常。 虽然周围的山脉在土著故事中得到了庆祝， 乌尤尼市长帕特里西奥·门多萨说：“撒拉族从来没有文化意义。”。 “人们担心，如果他们在上面散步， 它们可能会迷路，渴死，或者它们的骆驼会在盐上损坏蹄子。" 萨拉尔的命运在20世纪80年代发生了变化，当时一位名叫Juan Quesada Valda的拉巴斯旅行社看到了它。 克萨达正在寻找一个可以与喀喀湖相媲美的旅游目的地。 他的女儿露西亚回忆道，当他看到撒拉时，他经历了一个启示： “你可以在任何地方找到湖泊，”她说， “但在世界其他任何地方都找不到这样的盐滩。 他知道他可以卖掉这个地方。" 作为一名训练有素的建筑师，克萨达着手建造了几家酒店中的第一家 几乎完全由萨尔东部边缘的科尔查尼村的盐块制成。 敢于冒险的外国人开始出现在这片苍白的大沙漠中晒太阳。 婚礼、瑜伽课和汽车比赛最终都会在这里上演。 如今，盐酒店通常已经客满，乌尤尼已经成为一个度假胜地，挤满了大学时代的背包客。 门多萨说：“也许我们经济的90%是旅游业。”。 所有这些都表明，在玻利维亚经济令人失望的阴郁历史中， 撒拉族提供了一个快乐但适度的例外。 但现在玻利维亚的未来以锂的形式出现了。 黄金对早期时代的意义，以及石油对上个世纪的意义，锂可能会在未来几年内黯然失色。 长期用于治疗双相情感障碍的药物-- 以及陶瓷和核武器等各种物品-- 它已成为电脑、手机和其他电子设备电池的重要组成部分。 2017年全球市场锂的年消费量约为40000公吨， 自2015年以来，同比增长约10%。 与此同时，同期锂价格几乎翻了两番，这清楚地反映了需求的增长速度。 随着电动汽车越来越受欢迎，这种情况可能会加剧。 特斯拉Model S的一个版本在含有约65公斤锂化合物的电池组上运行-- 相当于10000部手机的电量。 这家投资公司还预测，每当电动汽车销量取代所有销量的一部分时， 锂的需求每年增加7万吨。 鉴于法国和英国已经宣布，到2040年将禁止销售汽油或柴油汽车， 很明显，一个锂资源丰富的国家永远不必担心贫困。 然而，玻利维亚首先面临几个障碍，其中最艰巨的是科学障碍。 从盐水中生产电池级锂需要分离出氯化钠、氯化钾和氯化镁。 最后一个移除起来特别昂贵。

Bolivia's lithium deposits have a relatively high magnesium content. "While the ratio of magnesium in Chile is 5 to 1, in Uyuni it's 21 to 1," says Bolivian chemical engineer Miguel Parra, "four times the concentration. So it's a much simpler operation for them. For us, separating magnesium from lithium is the biggest challenge." There are other issues, such as: What does Bolivia intend to do with the heaps of magnesium waste? The Bolivian government claims that it has a unique processing method that will somehow reduce waste, but just how much is speculative. "The environmental impact in Chile and Argentina is low," claims Bolivian geologist Juan Benavides, "but we're not able to extrapolate, really, because the magnesium content in Bolivian lithium is very high. All we know is... that the lithium regulations and laws in Argentina and Chile are more stringent than in Bolivia." Among the greatest concerns is how much water will be required to extract the lithium. Two rivers flow into the salt flat. One is thin enough to be a creek; the other, shallow enough to wade across. Both are crucial to the local growers of quinoa, of which Bolivia is the world's second largest supplier, after Peru. Though the Bolivian government insists that 90 percent of the water it uses will come from salt water rather than underground, some experts are skeptical. "Year after year, the water is going to be the major resource that is needed," says Oscar Ballivian Chavez, a Bolivian geologist. "They'lI need vast quantities, more than any other mine in Bolivia." And finally, there's the unspoiled natural wonder of the Salar itself. Though revered by human visitors for its boundless austerity, it is also a breeding ground for several animal species such as the Chilean flamingo. "Our plant is located far away from these sanctuaries," Garcia Linera says, adding, "This demonstrates our commitment to the environment." l thought about these unanswered questions as I headed once again through the colorless daydream of the Salar— an illusion of simplicity that apparently goes on forever, but in fact, cannot.

玻利维亚的锂矿床镁含量相对较高。 玻利维亚化学工程师Miguel Parra说：“智利的镁含量为5:1，而乌尤尼的镁含量则为21:1。”， “四倍的浓度。所以对他们来说，这是一个更简单的操作。 对我们来说，从锂中分离镁是最大的挑战。" 还有其他问题，例如： 玻利维亚打算如何处理成堆的镁废料？ 玻利维亚政府声称其拥有独特的加工方法 这将以某种方式减少浪费，但具体减少多少是推测性的。 “智利和阿根廷的环境影响很低，” 玻利维亚地质学家Juan Benavides声称， “但我们真的无法推断，因为玻利维亚锂中的镁含量非常高。 我们所知道的是……阿根廷和智利的锂法规和法律比玻利维亚更严格。" 最大的担忧之一是提取锂需要多少水。 两条河流入盐滩。 一条细得像条小溪；另一个，足够浅，可以涉水而过。 两者对当地藜麦种植者都至关重要，玻利维亚是仅次于秘鲁的世界第二大藜麦供应商。 尽管玻利维亚政府坚称其使用的90%的水将来自盐水 一些专家持怀疑态度，而不是地下。 玻利维亚地质学家奥斯卡·巴利维亚·查韦斯说：“年复一年，水将成为所需的主要资源。”。 “他们需要大量的矿石，比玻利维亚任何其他矿山都多。” 最后，还有撒拉族本身未受破坏的自然奇观。 尽管因其无尽的简朴而受到人类游客的尊敬， 它也是智利火烈鸟等几种动物的繁殖地。 Garcia Linera说：“我们的工厂离这些避难所很远。”， 补充道：“这表明了我们对环境的承诺。” 当我再次穿越撒拉族无色的白日梦时，我想起了这些悬而未决的问题-- 一种简单的幻觉，显然会永远持续下去，但事实上却不能。

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