From VOA Learning English, this is the Economics Report.
这里是美国之音慢速英语经济报道。
Methane gas from a lake in Rwanda may soon become a major supply of electricity. Millions of people in that central African country could use the energy. An American company and the Rwandan government signed the power agreement in early August at the U.S.-Africa Summit in Washington. The company is Symbion Power. The deal will provide electricity, and lower the risk of an environmental disaster at Lake Kivu.
来自卢旺达一座湖中的甲烷气可能很快会成为电力的主要来源。这一中部非洲国家的数百万人能够用上这种能源。一家美国公司和卢旺达政府于8月初在华盛顿举行的美国-非洲首脑会议上签署了这一电力协议。这家公司就是美国Symbion Power公司。该协议将供应电力，并降低基伍湖环境灾难的风险。
There are three lakes in Africa that contain such high levels of carbon dioxide and methane gas that they are at risk of exploding. Two of them, Lake Nyos and Lake Monoun, are in Cameroon. They exploded in the 1980s. Carbon dioxide released in the Lake Nyos explosion killed more than 1,700 people. Some victims were as far as 26 kilometers away.
在非洲有三座湖含有如此高浓度的二氧化碳和甲烷气，它们存在爆炸的风险。其中两座是喀麦隆的尼奥斯湖和莫奴恩湖，它们于上世纪80年代发生了爆炸。尼奥斯湖爆炸释放出来的二氧化碳导致1700多人遇难，有些受害者远至26公里以外。
Lake Kivu, in Rwanda, could have an even worse gas explosion. That is because more than two million people live near the shores of Lake Kivu, including in the large towns of Goma and Gisenyi.
卢旺达的基伍湖可能会发生更为严重的气体爆炸事故。这是因为在基伍湖两岸附近居住着200多万人，其中包括戈马和吉塞尼两个大城镇的居民。
Paul Hinks is the chief of Symbion Power. Last month, the company agreed to build a power station at Lake Kivu. Mr. Hinks says it is important that the methane be removed from the lake before a disaster happens.
保罗·辛克斯（Paul Hinks）是美国Symbion Power公司的负责人。上个月，该公司同意在基伍湖建设一座电站。辛克斯先生表示，在灾难发生之前去除该湖的甲烷非常重要。
"The buildup of methane in Lake Kivu is a serious problem for Rwanda, so the plan for Lake Kivu is to turn methane gas into power."
辛克斯说，“基伍湖中的甲烷累积对卢旺达来说是一个严重的问题。所以为基伍湖设计的方案是将甲烷气转换为电力。”
Scientists agree that the methane level must be lowered in Lake Kivu. But, there are worries that the act of pumping out the gas could cause problems.
科学家们认同必须降低基伍湖的甲烷浓度。但也有人担心，提取气体的动作可能会引发问题。
"The problem is of course (if) you just put in a pipe and start sucking out the water and separating the methane and the CO2 from the water, there is a potential to create the very problem you're trying to avoid, which is escape of the methane gas into the atmosphere."
有人说，“问题是，如果你只是插入管道抽水，并将甲烷和二氧化碳从水中分离出来，可能会产生一个潜在的严重问题，你需要避免甲烷气泄漏到大气中。”
Symbion Power agrees that this is a risk. Mr. Hinks says his company will work to remove the gas safely.
美国Symbion Power公司认同这是一大风险。辛克斯先生表示，该公司会致力于安全地去除该气体。
"There's a set of rules, if you like. They're called lake management prescriptions, and they cover all the issues that companies like us have to follow when they extract methane gas from the lake."
辛克斯说，“目前有一些规定，它们被称为湖泊经营规定，这些规定涵盖了我们这类公司从湖中提取甲烷气时需要遵循的所有事项。”
Kibuye Power company already operates a small power center that uses the lake's methane. Laurent Sibomana supervises the center in the town of Gisenyi. He told VOA it is not easy to remove methane gas from the lake.
基布耶电力公司已经利用该湖的甲烷运营一座小型电站。洛朗·西博玛龙（Laurent Sibomana）负责监管这座位于吉塞尼镇的电站。他对美国之音表示，从湖中去除甲烷并不容易。
Mr. Hinks says Symbion Power has experience working in difficult places, including Iraq and Afghanistan. He says it has the knowledge and money to succeed at Lake Kivu.
辛克斯先生表示，Symbion Power公司有在伊拉克和阿富汗等艰苦地区工作的经验。他说该公司具备在基伍湖取得成功的专业知识和资金。
And that's the VOA Learning English Economics Report. I'm Mario Ritter.
以上就是本期美国之音慢速英语经济报道的全部内容。我是马里奥·理特(Mario Ritter)。(51VOA.COM对本文翻译保留全部权利，未经授权请勿转载，违者必究！)