Watermelons may fuel the future - Brian Foden
What do petroleum and watermelons have in common? It’s probably a lot more than you think. In the near future, people may use this juicy fruit to power their vehicles. It may seem strange, but scientists in the United States are actively studying the possibility.
Don’t get the idea that drivers will stuff watermelons into their gas tanks. Instead, the flesh and skin from the fruit will be used to make a fuel called ethanol. Ethanol is a type of alcohol that is created by fermenting the sugar in fruits or vegetables. Currently, corn is most often used to make ethanol.
Since watermelons have a lot of natural sugar in them, they are ideal for making ethanol. In fact, it is more efficient and cheaper to use watermelons than corm. What’s more, about twenty percent of watermelons grown in the US can’t be sold because they are damaged. The ethanol could be made from these watermelons that would otherwise be thrown away. By using watermelons as a green fuel, life on earth could be a lot sweeter.
這篇是很有趣的一篇文章，真的無想過昨日食過的西瓜可以在不久的將來用來做燃油。用西瓜做燃油唔單止可以解決石油的問題，仲可以解決對粟米需求的問題。根據之前報紙的報導，粟米已經在破壞生態的農作物上榜上有名，因為很多農民由於粟米在全球的需求量大增而將很多樹林都砍伐去開墾作為粟米田; 而其中因為失去大片林木的保護同供給氧氣，還有農地本身的影響，都對環境做成極大的傷害，如果真的可以用被遺棄的西瓜作為新生能源，確實可以對環境保護作出一大的貢獻。最怕一些農民用西瓜取代粟米，大量種植，令西瓜成為下一種破壞生態的農作物。 Kay
By Kay
Reference:
Live 互動英語5月號
