Lesson 43 - Our Developing World
Faith in controlled nuclear fission is now being shown by the construction of atomic power stations. In Britain, Calder Hall on the coast of Cumberland first made its contribution to the National Electricity grid in 1957. Subsequently a chain of nuclear power stations was planned. Of necessity they are sited near the coasts or tidal water because of the need of much water for cooling and a certain discharge of possible radioactive effluent. Atomic power is associated in the public mind with the destructive force of atom bombs and partly for this reason, though it is claimed that there is no danger to be associated with atomic power stations, they are being sited away from populous centres.
The present position is that the three main sources of power are coal, oil and water power. We sometimes refer to electricity, gas or petrol as if they were the actual source of power, forgetting that electricity must be generated by the consumption of coal or oil or by the utilization of water power, whilst coke, gas and petrol are examples of secondary fuels by which coal and oil may be more effectively used.
Where alternative sources of power are available there are some marked contrasts in handling. The bulk and weight of coal required in the majority of manufacturing industries is large in comparison with the bulk and weight of other raw materials. This is not always true--was with the manufacture of pig iron and steel from low-grade iron ores-- but it did lead to the concentration of industrial developments on the coal-fields, a phenomenon well seen in such countries as Britain where the Industrial Revolution came before the days of oil or electricity. Coal being a solid must be distributed mainly by rail or water.
By way of contrast oil can be transported large distances by pipeline but overseas movement has involved building of large numbers of tankers, including now some of the largest vessels afloat. Unless suitable on other grounds oilfields have not become industrial regions; on the contrary the oil industry is marked by a certain amount of smell and an element of danger, hence the siting of refineries at a distance from population centres. It is not always realized that the owners of pipelines can handle the oil of different customers, sending it through at different, periods. Natural gas can also be transported large distances by pipe. Early in 1959 Britain received the first ship cargo of natural gas----liquefied for the purpose of transport.
参考译文——我们发展中的世界
核电站的建设表明了人们对受控核裂变的信心。位于英国坎伯兰海岸的考尔德豪尔核电站于1957年首次向英国国家电网供电。随后，一系列核电站被规划。由于需要大量水进行冷却，且可能需要排放一定量的放射性废料，核电站必须位于海岸或潮水附近。在公众心目中，核能与核弹的破坏力联系在一起，部分出于此种原因，核电站的位置远离人口稠密的中心区域，尽管有人声称核电站并没有危险。
目前的情况是，三大能源分别是煤炭、石油和水力。我们有时把电力、燃气或汽油当作实际的能源，而忘记了电力必须通过消耗煤炭、石油或利用水力来产生，而焦炭、燃气和汽油则是二次燃料的例子，可以更有效地利用煤炭和石油。
不同能源在处理方式上存在明显不同。大多数制造业所需煤炭在体积和重量上相比其他原材料都更多（从低品质铁矿石生产生铁和钢铁的情况并非总是如此），工业发展集中出现在煤田。这一现象在英国等工业革命发生在石油或电力时代之前的国家很常见。煤是固体，主要通过铁路或水路来运输和分配。
相比之下，石油可以通过管道长距离运输，但海外运输涉及建造大量油轮，包括现在一些最大的船舶。除非有其他理由，油田尚未成为工业区；相反，石油工业的特点是有一定的气味和危险因素，因此炼油厂的选址远离人口中心。人们并不总是意识到，管道所有者可以处理不同客户的石油，在不同的时间输送。天然气也可以通过管道远距离输送。早在1959年，英国就收到了第一批船载天然气货物——用于运输的液化天然气。
注：博主基于百度翻译校译而成
参考资料：
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