字神帝國英語天地

今日主題：System Converts Solar Efficiently to Steam
可以將太陽能高效率轉化成水蒸氣的系統

洪欣老師推薦：托福聽力最好的課外教材：60-Second Science
康康精選托福會考的主題，堅持每天精聽一定會進步的哦!!

建議方法：
1. 先聽兩三遍 (不看文稿)
2. 再一句一句聽寫 (每句都要聽寫數遍，直到寫出85%以上的字)
3. 最後check文稿，看哪聽不出來，單字沒背過，還是發音不熟。
4. 堅持天天聽，就能每天進步哦。

MP3音檔 (按右鍵可下載聽)：喜歡的同學，幫忙推或按讚哦~~
http://online1.tingclass.net/voaspe/…/20140813sa_science.mp3

只有音檔怎夠，聽不懂地方，不用怕，康康幫你準備好中英文稿了：

中英文稿：
Not all solar energy capture devices make electricity directly. For example, steam generated from solar energy can turn turbines, which then produce electricity. And, in what could be especially useful in remote regions, solar steam can desalinate water and be used in sanitation and equipment sterilization.
並不是所有的太陽能吸收裝置都可以直接將太陽能轉換成電能。例如，太陽能所產生的水蒸氣可以轉動渦輪，這樣就可以產生電能。而且，這在偏遠地區可能非常有用，太陽能水蒸氣可以淡化海水，還可以對環境衛生設備進行消毒。

Now a new technique looks to be the most efficient way yet created to use solar energy to generate steam.
現在有一種新技術看起來是目前利用太陽能來產生水蒸氣的最有效方法。

To absorb sunlight, M.I.T. researchers created a porous disc of graphite flakes. Underneath the disk is a layer of insulating carbon foam that floats on water. The foam prevents heat from being lost to the water, and has a tangle of interconnected small pores. You can find more 60-Second Science on chinavoa.com.
為了吸收陽光，麻省理工學院的研究人員製造了一個多孔滲水的石墨薄片圓盤。圓盤下面有一層絕緣的泡沫碳漂浮在水面上。泡沫可以防止熱量流失到水中，也可避免這些互通的小氣孔處於混亂狀態。

As sun heats the graphite, it creates a pressure difference that pulls water up through the foam pores, like a sponge. When the water hits the graphite hot spot, it turns into steam.
隨著太陽不斷的加熱石墨，就會產生一個壓力差，這樣就可以像擠海綿一樣，把水從泡沫孔隙中擠壓出來。當水落在石墨的加熱點上就會轉化成水蒸氣。

The scientists report that this inexpensive system reaches 85 percent efficiency in converting the solar energy into steam. The study is in the journal Nature Communications. [Hadi Ghasemi et al, Solar steam generation by heat localization]
科學家們報告稱，這種廉價的系統在轉化太陽能為水蒸氣方面，其效率可以達到85%。這項研究被發表在《自然通訊》雜誌上。

The researchers hope to up the efficiency further with different materials or an improved design. All of which could cause steampunk fans to update their wardrobes.
—Cynthia Graber
研究人員希望可以通過利用不同的材料或者一種改進設計，來進一步加快其效率。所有這些都會使得蒸汽朋克粉絲去更新他們的行頭。—辛西亞‧格雷柏