世界上第一艘零排放貨船

甘肅 田靜

主題語境：零排放貨船 篇幅：337詞 建議用時：6分鐘

1A Norwegian company has created what it calls the world's first zero-emission,autonomous cargo ship.Developed by chemical company Yara International,the ship was designed to reduce emissions of pollutants and greenhouse gases,and move freight（貨運）away from roads to the sea.

2The shipping industry accounts for between 2.5% and 3%of global greenhouse gas emissions,according to the International Maritime Organization.Nearly all of Norway's electricity is generated by hydroelectric power（水力發(fā)電）,which is generally considered to have much lower carbon emissions than burning fossil fuels,although it still produces greenhouse gases.

3Capable of carrying 103 containers and with a top speed of 13 knots,it will use a 7 MWh battery,with about a thousand times the capacity of one electrical car.The ship will be charged near the port before sailing to container harbors along the coast and then back again,replacing 40,000 truck journeys a year.

4As well as providing a greener option compared to conventional cargo ships,there is no crewman,which means it will be more cost-effective to operate.Initially,loading and unloading the ship will require humans,but gradually,all loading,discharging（卸貨）,and some other operations will also be eventually operated using autonomous technology.That will involve developing autonomous cranes and carriers,which are the vehicles that place containers onto ships.

5According to researchers,fully autonomous vessels are the future.But there are many challenges to overcome before autonomous ships can be used for commercial long sea journeys.Navigating traffic in large ports could be a major obstacle.

6Without a crew onboard to carry out maintenance checks,autonomous ships would need built-in self-diagnosing systems with the ability to detect and fix problems,or call for human assistance.

7Although Yara International has no plans to add more autonomous ships to its operations,we may see more elements of AI technology used on commercial ships in the future.Elements are already being used in shipping today when it comes to the voyage and we'll see more partly autonomous elements added.

Reading Check

Detail1.Why did the Norwegian company design the new ship?

A.To improve sea journeys.

B.To replace truck journeys.

C.To reduce air pollution.

D.To test autonomous technology.

Detail2.What do we know about the new ship?

A.It is only powered by water.

B.It is able to hold 103 containers.

C.It can save a great deal of time.

D.It only requires humans to operate.

Detail3.What is regarded as the most difficult thing for the new ship's application?

A.Navigating traffic in large ports.

B.Mending problems.

C.Applying AI technology.

D.Calling for human help.

Inference4.What's the purpose of the text?

A.To introduce a new ship.

B.To compare different ships.

C.To advertise a new ship.

D.To advocate autonomous technology.

Language Study

Ⅰ.Difficult sentences in the text

1.Developed by chemical company Yara International,the ship was designed to reduce emissions of pollutants and greenhouse gases,and move freight away from roads to the sea.該船由雅拉國際化工公司開發(fā)，旨在減少污染物和溫室氣體的排放，并將貨物從公路轉移到海上。

【點石成金】本句中，Developed by chemical company Yara International為過去分詞短語作狀語，邏輯主語the ship和develop之間是動賓關系。

2.That will involve developing autonomous cranes and carriers,which are the vehicles that place containers onto ships.那將涉及開發(fā)自動化的起重機和運載工具，它們是將集裝箱裝載到船上的運輸工具。

【點石成金】本句有兩個that，第一個that作代詞，指代前面提到的一件事情；第二個that引導的是定語從句，that在從句中作主語，從句修飾先行詞the vehicles；which引導的是一個非限制性定語從句，在從句中作主語。

Ⅱ.Text-centered chunks

be designed to do為做……而設計的

account for（數(shù)量上、比例上）占……

be generated by由……生產(chǎn)

compare to與……相比較

call for要求；需要

add...to把……加到……中去