【原】20180713 长难句

＃长难句每日一句＃是一道配菜，建议你首先消化课程所讲内容之后，再每天来一个长难句来填满碎片时间。切不可不听，每天只练一个长难句，那就本末倒置了。

【昨日回顾】

But there are some serious flaws in that argument, many scientists suggest. One of the biggest issues is the matter of timing. Burning biomass for energy releases large amounts of carbon into the atmosphere all at once. But depending on the type of tree, forests may take decades or even a century to draw the same amount of carbon back out of the air.

但许多科学家认为，这一论点存在一些严重缺陷。最大的问题之一是时间问题。燃烧生物质的能量会瞬间向大气中释放大量的碳。但是，由于树木种类的不同，森林可能需要几十年甚至一个世纪才能将同样数量的碳从空气中提取出来。

【今日长难句】

One could argue that the process has the potential to be carbon neutral over very long time scales but not in the short term. And that means it’s not a useful strategy when world leaders are working to reduce global carbon emissions immediately.

【难点词汇】

argue /ˈɑ:ɡju:/ v. 说理，论证；讨论

potential /pəˈtenʃl/ n. 可能性，潜在性；潜能

over long time scales 在较长时间内

in the short term 在短期内

mean /mi:n/ v. 意思是；意味着

strategy /ˈstrætədʒi/ n. 策略；规划

carbon emission 碳排放

【结构解析】

1. One could argue that the process has the potential to be carbon neutral over very long time scales but not in the short term.

该句主干为“主谓宾从”结构，即：one /could argue/ that …;

that从句主干为“主谓宾”结构，即：the process/ has / the potential …; to be carbon neutral为后置定语修饰the potential; over very long time scales but not in the short term 为时间状语。

2. And that means it’s not a useful strategy when world leaders are working to reduce global carbon emissions immediately.

该句主干为“主谓宾从”结构，即：that/ means/ (that) ….; 从句主干为“主系表”结构，即：it / is not / a useful strategy;  when从句为时间状语从句

【参考译文】

One could argue that the process has the potential to be carbon neutral over very long time scales but not in the short term. And that means it’s not a useful strategy when world leaders are working to reduce global carbon emissions immediately.

人们可以认为，在较长的时间跨度内来看，这个过程有可能碳中性的，但短期内它不是。这就意味着，当世界各国领导人想要立即减少全球碳排放量时，这并不是一个有效的策略。

【明日预告】

Even for the process to be considered carbon neutral on long time scales, Schlesinger noted, forest managers would have to be certain that replacement trees were given enough time to store the same amount of carbon that their predecessors contained when they were harvested. Especially if older, more carbon-rich forests are cleared to make room for faster-growing, easier-to-harvest trees, then even more carbon must be stored away to make up the difference.