2023届高考英语二轮复习外刊阅读训练学案：氢能真的清洁吗？

23年高考英语外刊阅读训练——阅读理解：氢能真的清洁吗？

本文节选自：The Guardian（卫报）

发布时间：2023.03.07

作者：Nina Lakhani

原文标题：Is hydrogen really a clean enough fuel to tackle the climate crisis?

 

Hydrogen is the smallest, lightest and most abundant molecule in the universe. On Earth, it does not occur by itself naturally, but can be separated from water (H2O) or hydrocarbon compounds (fossil fuels) like gas, coal and petroleum to be used as an energy source. It’s already used for rocket fuel, but it is now being pushed as a clean and safe alternative to oil and gas for heating and earthly modes of transport. Political support is mounting with almost $26bn of US taxpayer money available for hydrogen projects thanks to three recent laws – the Inflation Reduction Act, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act and the Chips Act. Hydrogen is politically hot, but is it the climate solution that its cheerleaders are claiming?

    What’s at stake? In addition to $26bn in direct financing for so-called hydrogen hubs and demo projects, another $100bn or so in uncapped tax credits could be paid out over the next few decades, so lots and lots of taxpayers’ money. Fossil fuel companies are also using hydrogen to justify building more pipelines, claiming that this infrastructure can be used for “clean hydrogen” in the future.

    But hydrogen is a highly flammable and corrosive element, and it would be costly to repurpose oil and gas infrastructure to make it safe for hydrogen. And while hydrogen is not a greenhouse gas, it is not harmless. It aggravates some greenhouse gases, for instance causing methane to stay in the atmosphere for longer.

Is there any role for hydrogen in a decarbonised future? Yes, but a limited one – given that it takes more energy to produce, store and transport hydrogenthan it provides when converted into useful energy, so using anything but new renewable sources (true green hydrogen) will require burning more fossil fuels.

    According to the hydrogen merit ladder devised by Michael Liebreich, host of the Cleaning Up podcast, swapping clean hydrogen for the fossil fuel-based grey and brown stuff

currently used for synthetic fertilisers, petrochemicals and steel is a no-brainer. The carbon footprint of global hydrogen production today is equivalent to Germany’s annual greenhouse gas emissions, so the sooner we swap to green hydrogen (created from new renewables) the better. But for most forms of transport (cars, bikes, buses and trains) and heating there are already safer, cleaner and cheaper technologies such as battery-run electric vehicles and heat pumps, so there’s little or no merit in investing time or money with hydrogen.

 

阅读理解：

1. What is hydrogen and where can it be found on Earth?

A. Hydrogen is the smallest and lightest molecule in the universe. It can be found by itself naturally on Earth.

B. Hydrogen is the heaviest molecule in the universe. It can be found in hydrocarbon compounds like gas, coal and petroleum on Earth.

C. Hydrogen is the smallest, lightest and most abundant molecule in the universe. It does not occur by itself naturally on Earth, but can be separated from water or hydrocarbon