Exercise 15

Oil (Excerpt 2)油(摘录2)
What was the origin of the oil which now drives our motor-cars and aircraft? 用来开动我们
汽车和飞机的石油起源于什么?Scientists are confident about the formation of coal , 科学家们对于煤的成因是确信无疑的。but they do not seem so sure when asked about oil. 但是,当问到石油的起源时,他们似乎就不那么有把握了。They think that the oil under the surface of the earth originated in the distant past, 他们认为埋在地下的石油起源于远古时代,and was formed from living things in the sea. 它是由海洋生物形成的。in the sea. 它是由海洋生物形成的。Countless billions of minute sea creatures and plants lived and sank to the sea bed. 亿万万无数的微小海洋生物和植物生长在海里并沉入海底。They were covered with huge deposits of mud; 然后被大量沉积淤泥所覆盖,and by processes of chemistry,pressure and temperature were changed through long ages into what we know as oil. 经过很长时期的化学、压力和温度的作用,就变成了我们所熟悉的石油。For these creatures to becomeoil, 这些生物要变成石油, it was necessary that they should be imprisoned between layers of rock for an enormous length of time. 必须在岩层之间埋藏很久很久。The statement that oil originated in the sea is confirmed by a glance at a map showing the chief oilfields of the world; 只要看一看地图上表明的世界主要油田,就可以证实石油起源于海洋的论点。very few of them are far distant from the oceans of today. 大的油田都离现今的海洋较近。In some places gas and oil come up tp the surface of the sea from its bed. 有些地方的天然气和石油从海底升到了海面。The rocks in which oil is found are of marine origin too. 人们发现含油的岩石也源出于海洋,They are sedimentary rocks, 它们是沉积岩。rocks which were laid down by the action of water on the bed of the ocean. 由于水作用于洋底,这些岩
石才沉积到海底。Almost always the remains of shells,andother proofs of sea life,are found close to the oil. 人们发现,贝壳残骸以及其它一些海洋生物的实证总是在离石油不远的地方。Avery common sedimentary fock iscalled shale, 有一种很普通的沉积岩叫做页岩,which is a soft rock and was obviously formed by being deposited on the sea bed. 这是一种软岩石,显然是由于沉积在海底而形成的。And where there is shale there is likely to be oil.在有页岩的地方,就可能有石油。
Geologists,scientists who study rocks ,indicate the likely places to the oil drillers. 从事岩石研究工作的地质学家和科学家们向石油勘探者们指出可能有石油的地方。In some cases oil comes out of the ground without any drilling at all and has been used for hundreds of yesrs. 在有些情况下,石油根本不用钻探就从地下冒出来,并且被使用了好几百年。In the island of Trinidad the oil is in the form of asphalt, 在特立尼达岛,石油是以沥青asphalt, 在特立尼达岛,石油是以沥青的形式出现的。a substance used for making roads. 沥青是用来铺路的材料。Sir Walter Raleigh visited the famous pitch lake of Trinidad in 1595; 沃尔特·雷利爵士曾在1595年参观过著名的特立尼达沥青湖。it is said to contain nine thousand million tons of asphalt. 据说湖中贮有九亿吨沥青,There are probably huge quantities of crude oil beneath the surface.地下可能还有大量的原油。There is a lot of luck in drilling for oil. 钻探油井也要靠运气。The drill may just miss the oil although it is near; 尽管石油就在附近,钻头却有可能恰好找不到它;on the other hand, 另一方面,it may strike oil at a fairly high level. 钻头有可能在离地面不远的地方就碰到了油。When the drill goes down,it brings up soil. 下钻时,钻头把土壤提上来。The samples of soil from various depths are examined for traces of oil. 要对各种不同深度的土壤样点进行检查来寻找石油的踪迹。If they are disappointed at one place, 如果钻探者对一个地方失望了,the drillers go to another. 他们就转移到另一个地方去。Great sums of money have been spent,for exampl