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职称英语理工类考试考前每日一练 Thirst for Oil Worldwide every day，we devour the energy equivalent of about 200 million barrels of oil.Most of the energy on Earth comes from the Sun.in fact enough energy from the Sun hits the planets surface each minute to cover our needs for the entire year，we just need to find an efficient way to use it.So far the energy in oil has been cheaper and easier to get at.But as supplies dwindle，this will change，and We will need to cure our addition to oil. Burning wood satisfied most energy needs until the Steamdriven industrial revolution，when energydense coal became the fuel of choice.Coal is still used，mostly in power stations，to cover one quarter of our energy needs，but its use has been declining since we started pumping up oil.Coal is the least efficient,unheahhiest and most environmentally damaging fossil fuel，but could make a comeback，as supplies are still plentiful：its reserves are five times largerthan oils. Today petroleum，a mineral oil obtained from below the surface of the Earth and used to produce petrol，diesel oil and various other chemical substances，provides around 40%of the worlds energy needs，mostly fuelling automobiles.The US consumes a quarter of all oil，and generates a similar proportion of greenhouse gas emissions. The majority of oil comes from the Middle East，which has half of known reserves.But other significant sources include Russia，North America，Norway，Venezuela and the North Sea.Alaskas Arctic National Wildlife Refuge could be a major new US sources，to reduce reliance on foreign imports. | 
