The future in energy production is here. And some of the materials used to supply the energy may surprise you! Companies have developed a way to turn plant wastes and other garbage into fuel. It has been called one of the most promising technologies in energy. And the process is expected to become more common this year.
The American-based company Fiberight is taking the lead in this new form of energy production. Truck loads of garbage are sent to Fiberight’s test plant in southern Virginia. Old vegetables, cardboard boxes and other wastes become something much more valuable through the work done at the factory. 50% of this material is going to be processed for the change of biofuel such as ethanol（乙醇）.
Ethanol makes up about 10 percent of America’s fuel supply. Nearly all of it comes from corn, the food known as maize in some countries. Critics say this creates competition between food and fuel, and raises food prices. Environmentalists say farmers are using more land to plant corn crops. They also say farmers are using more fertilizers and products for killing insects. They say this creates more pollution.
This year, several other fuel production plants are expected to start making ethanol from the cellulose（纤维素） in corn stalks, wheat straw and other plant materials. However, making cellulosic ethanol turned out to be harder than expected. We know how to do that in a lab. The main problem is doing that in a continuous way, cost-effectively on a large scale. Besides, our cars may limit how much the industry can grow. Even if we can begin to produce this cost-effectively, we need to be able to consume it as well. Only a few models of automobiles can operate on high-ethanol fuel. Without more of them, there is only so much gas from garbage that will sell.
【小题1】What is the advantage of this energy production?| A．Using advanced technology. |
| B．Producing energy in large quantities. |
| C．Making energy from some waste. |
| D．Making energy easily and cheaply |
| A．oil | B．electricity | C．gas | D．biofuel |
| A．The need of growing corn for ethanol. |
| B．The amount of ethanol needed in America. |
| C．The disadvantages of ethanol made from corn |
| D．Pollution caused by making ethanol from corn. |
| A．It is impossible to make this energy on a large scale. |
| B．It is difficult to produce this energy out of laboratory. |
| C．Few fuel production plants are interested in making it. |
| D．There is a long way to go before it is widely produced. |
