來源：莊繹傳《英漢翻譯簡明教程》
Oil （Excerpt 2）
by G．C．Thornley
油 （摘錄2）
G．C．索恩利
What was the origin of the oil which now drives our motor-cars and aircraft？Scientists are confident about the formation of coal，but they do not seem so sure when asked about oil．
我們現在開汽車、開飛機使用的油是怎樣形成的呢？科學家確知煤是怎樣形成的，但若問到石油是怎樣形成的，他們似乎就不那麼有把握了。
They think that the oil under the surface of the earth originated in the distant past，and was formed from living things in the sea．Countless billions of minute sea creatures and plants lived and sank to the sea bed．They were covered with huge deposits of mud，and by processes of chemistry，pressure and temperature were changed through long ages into what we know as oil．For these creatures to become oil，it was necessary that they should be imprisoned between layers of rock for an enormous length of time．
他們認為地下的石油在遠古時期就已經開始形成，而且是由海中生物形成的。億萬個數不清的微小動物和植物在海水中生長並沉入海底，上面覆蓋著大量沉積的泥沙，由於化學變化、壓力和溫度等因素，經過漫長的歲月，變成了現在我們所說的石油。這些小動物必須在一層層巖石之間密封起來，經過極長的一段時間才能變成石油。
The statement that oil originated in the sea is confirmed by a glance at a map showing the chief oilfields of the world；very few of them are far distant from the oceans of today．In some places gas and oil come up to the surface of the sea from its bed．The rocks in which oil is found are of marine origin too．They are sedimentary rocks，rocks which were laid down by the action of water on the bed of the ocean．
石油是在海裡形成的，這種說法，只要看一下世界主要油田分布圖，就可以得到證實；大油田離開今日的海洋很遠的極少。有些地方，天然氣和石油從海底浮上水面。含有石油的巖層也是在海裡形成的。這種巖層是沉積巖，是在海水的作用之下沉積在洋底的。
Almost always the remains of shells，and other proofs of sea life，are found close to the oil．A very common sedimentary rock is called shale， which is a soft rock and was obviously formed by being deposited on the sea bed．And where there is shale there is likely to be oil．
在有石油的地方，附近幾乎總可以發現貝殼的殘片以及海洋生物的其它遺蹟。有一種很普通的沉積巖，叫做頁巖。這是一種鬆軟的巖石，顯然是在海底沉積而成的。凡是有頁巖的地方，就可能有石油。
Geologists，scientists who study rocks，indicate the likely places to the oil drillers．In some cases oil comes out of the ground without any drilling at all and has been used for hundreds of years．In the island of Trinidad the oil is in the form of asphalt，a substance used for making roads．
地質學家是研究巖石的科學家，他們可以為鑽探石油的人指明哪些地方可能有油。有些地方，根本未經鑽探，石油就流出地面，而且已經使用了幾百年。在特立尼達島，石油以瀝青的形式出現。瀝青是一種可以用來鋪路的物質。
Sir Walter Raleigh visited the famous pitch lake of Trinidad in 1595；it is said to contain nine thousand million tons of asphalt．There are probably huge quantities of crude oil beneath the surface． There is a lot of luck in drilling for oil．The drill may just miss the oil although it is near；on the other hand，it may strike oil at a fairly high level．When the drill goes down，it brings up soil．The samples of soil from various depths are examined for traces of oil．If they are disappointed at one place，the drillers go to another．
1595年，沃爾特·雷利爵士曾參觀過特立尼達有名的瀝青湖。據說湖裡儲有瀝青90億噸。表層下面很可能儲藏著極為豐富的原油。 鑽探石油有很大的偶然性。鑽頭可能到了離油很近的地方而沒有碰到油；另一方面，也可能在相當淺的地方打出油來。鑽頭下去的時候，便把泥土送上來。 從不同深度取出土樣以後，便進行檢驗，看是否有含油的跡象鑽探石油的人如果在一個地方得不到預期的結果，便到另一個地方去鑽探。
Great sums of money have been spent，for example in the deserts of Egypt，in「prospecting」 for oil．Sometimes little is found．When we buy a few gallons of petrol for our cars，we pay not only the cost of the petrol，but also part of the cost of the search that is always going on． When the crude oil is obtained from the field，it is taken to the refineries to be treated．
在石油「勘探」方面，已經花了大筆的錢，比如在埃及的沙漠裡進行的勘探工作就是如此。有時收效甚微。因此，當我們為自己的小汽車買幾加侖汽油的時候，我們所付的不只是汽油本身的費用，而且還有不斷進行找油工作的一部分費用。 油田打出原油以後，便送到煉油廠去處理。
The commonest form of treatment is heating．When the oil is heated，the first vapours to rise are cooled and become the finest petrol．Petrol has a low boiling point；if a little is poured into the hand，it soon vaporizes．Gas that comes off the oil later is condensed into paraffin．Last of all the lubricating oils of various grades are produced．What remains is heavy oil that is used as fuel．
（from English Through Reading）
最普通的處理辦法是加熱。石油經過加熱，最先冒出來的蒸氣冷卻後就是質量最高的汽油。汽油的沸點低，倒一點在手上，很快就揮發了。隨後從石油分離出來的氣體可以濃縮成煤油。最後產生的是各種等級的潤滑油。剩下的便是重油，可以用作燃料。