4. Scientists predict that the world’s known oil resources will run out early in the next century. But long before then the world will have to decide on its priorities.
Can we afford to use so much of our limited petroleum¹ supplies for private motoring? Should airlines compete on similar routes
allowing planes to fly long distances with empty passenger seats? What alternative energy resources can be developed?
　　4、科学家预言世界上已探明的石油资源将在下个世纪初用尽。但远在那时候以前，世界就必须确定石油是优先考虑控制使用的物资。石油储量既然有限，我们还能把那么多的石油用于私人汽车吗？难道航空公司还应该为了在类似的航线上竞争而允许他们的客机有空座的长途飞行吗？能开发出什么样的替代能源呢？
　　5. There is an old English saying, "Necessity is the mother of invention," which means that when you are faced with a need you
will discover some way of fulfilling it. Already scientists are proposing some fascinating solutions. There is one suggestion that the
wheeled traffic and the footsteps of crowds walking the streets in major cities could generate energy. One company has presented
an idea in which metal strips inserted in pavements and roads operate fly wheels by means of a piston² action using hydraulic³ fluid.
They say the human and wheeled traffic in a busy city center could provide enough energy to light the streets of an entire town or
power the heating system for a hospital or school. Some people are developing sophisticated versions of the windmill. Engines can
run on alcohol, so surplus sugar cane⁴ could be used to produce energy. An air ship powered by energy from the sun has been suggested.
 Such "sun ship" would have a large enough surface area to carry the enormous number of solar cells necessary to move any appreciable
 load. Such "sun ship" might travel at over one hundred kilometers an hour. In such circumstances, of course, the tropical parts of the world
would have a head start in the race to find new energy sources.
　　5、英国有一句古话“需要是发明之母”。这意味着当你面对一种需要时，你将发现一种方法满足它。科学家们已经在提出一些迷人的解决方案。有一个建议提出，在大城市街道上，拥挤的人群走的脚步和路面上往来行使的车辆可以用来生产能量。一个公司提出这样想法：嵌在人行道和路面上的金属条用液压活塞的作用使飞轮转动。他们说，在繁华大城市的中心，人群和过往车辆可提供足够的能量为整个城镇的街道照明或者为一个医院或学校提供供暖系统的动力。某些人正在研制高级的风车技术。发动机可用乙醇作燃料开动，因此，过剩的甘蔗可用来产生能量。还有人建议用太阳能作动力来驱使飞艇。这种“太阳能飞艇”必须要很大的面积以携带大量的太阳能电池，这样才有可能运载可观的载荷。这种“太阳能飞艇”也许每小时能航行100多公里。当然倘若这样，世界的热带地区在寻找新能源的竞赛中将会领先一步。

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