French company Airseas, has promised to help big goods ships reduce their fuel consumption (能源消耗), and cut their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (排放) by 20%. And they’re doing this with the Seawing — a 1,000 square meter kite that will fly 300 meters above the water’s surface. So the shipping industry is rediscovering the joy and efficiency of sails (帆).
The large, ship-sized kite is now being developed, and the company plans to open a factory to produce the Seawing in 2026. Once produced, Airseas has promised that launching and operating a Seawing on a goods ship will be automated (自动化), making it easy for crews (船员) to use. The crew can simply press some buttons and a large kite will rise into the sky. That’s not to say that the goods ships won’t use their engines at all, but the kite will take some pressure off of those engines and will reduce the need for fuel. The wind will move the ship, just like it did for hundreds of years in the old days before industrialization.
Lowering emissions by 20% may not seem like a big deal, but moving large amounts of goods back and forth on the high seas creates 3% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. That’s more than the airline industry, which produced about 2% of the world’s emissions in 2021, according to the International Energy Agency. Shipping is also a massive industry, and one worth focusing on for lowering emissions. About 90% of the world’s traded goods are moved around through ships, according to the International Chamber of Shipping.
Some companies are expecting this new version of sails. Japanese shipping company, “K” Line has placed orders for the Seawing kite, and the European Union has also invested more than $2 million in funding.
【小题1】What is French company Airseas trying to do?| A．Take part in kite-flying competitions. | B．Make sea exploration easy and joyful. |
| C．Produce big kites to be used for sailing. | D．Ship goods with low fuel consumption. |
| A．It will completely replace engines. | B．It will be light in weight. |
| C．It will follow the goods ship at sea. | D．It will be easily operated by crews. |
| A．To stress a problem. | B．To make a comparison. |
| C．To introduce a new topic. | D．To explore a possibility. |
| A．The sail ships are getting popular again. | B．The GHG emissions are a big problem. |
| C．Seawing will be produced in factories. | D．Kites will help cut shipping emissions. |
