On September 27, China National Petroleum Corporation announced a major discovery in Shanxi Province. In a block near the city of Lvliang, geologists had confirmed more than one hundred billion cubic metres of coalbed methane, a natural gas found inside coal seams. The block lies in the eastern part of the Ordos Basin, and the news was read as an important step for energy security.
The gas is not easy to reach. Coalbed methane is a kind of unconventional natural gas, which means it does not sit in the large, easy pockets that ordinary gas fields do. In this block, the coal seams lie between 1,900 and 2,150 metres below the surface, deep enough to be classed as deep coalbed methane, a category defined by a depth of more than 1,500 metres.
Engineers describe years of patient work to solve those problems. The company built a full chain of systems covering drilling, fracturing and production, the three stages that turn a buried layer of coal into a working gas field. Two pilot wells already produce 50,000 cubic metres of gas a day. With the newly confirmed reserves, the block has the foundation to build capacity of 1.8 billion cubic metres a year.
The discovery also fits into a longer trend. By the end of 2025, China had confirmed more than one trillion cubic metres of deep coalbed methane reserves in total. Experts predict that by 2035 the country could produce 400 to 500 billion cubic metres of the gas each year. That would make it the most practical replacement resource for natural gas growth, after tight gas and shale gas.
None of this means the work is finished. Deep coalbed methane is still costly to develop, and every new block brings its own geological surprises. Yet the picture is clear. Under the dry hills of northern China, two kilometres below the fields, sits a resource that was once thought to be out of reach. Each confirmed field turns a difficult idea into heat, power and light.
Words to know:
- announce (v. 宣布，公布)
- geologist (n. 地质学家)
- coal seam (n. 煤层)
- reserve (n. 储量，储备)
- unconventional (adj. 非常规的)
- extraction (n. 开采，提取)
- fracturing (n. 压裂)
- practical (adj. 切实可行的，实用的)
长难句拆解 · 分词状语与同位语叠加
原文：In this block, the coal seams lie between 1,900 and 2,150 metres below the surface, deep enough to be classed as deep coalbed methane, a category defined by a depth of more than 1,500 metres.
拆解：主干是 the coal seams lie below the surface（煤层位于地表以下）。deep enough to be classed as… 是形容词短语作结果状语，表示「深到足以被归类为」；句末 a category defined by… 是同位语，defined 是过去分词作后置定语。
直译：在该区块，煤层位于地表以下 1900 米至 2150 米之间，深到足以被归类为深层煤层气，即按定义埋深超过 1500 米的一类。
同义替换 · 雅思阅读利器
雅思阅读最爱把原文的词换成另一个说法来出题，认出这些替换，定位就能快一半。
- confirmed more than one hundred billion cubic metres → proved reserves of over 100 billion cubic metres（confirm 在能源报道里常指「探明」）
- a major discovery → a significant find / an important breakthrough（discovery 可换 find，避免重复）
- not easy to reach → hard to get at / difficult to access（reach 在此指「够得着、采得到」）
- does not sit in large, easy pockets → is not stored in big, easily tapped spaces（sit 表「位于」，pocket 指「气藏」）
- require far more technology → demand far more advanced technology（require = demand）
- the most practical replacement resource → the most feasible alternative source（practical = feasible；replacement = alternative）
- turns a difficult idea into heat, power and light → makes a hard idea an ordinary thing（turn A into B 结构，翻译时不必逐字）
阅读自测 · 3 题
- T / F / NG：该区块的煤层埋深不到 1500 米。（判断正误并说明依据）
- 简答：为什么深层煤层气被归入「非常规天然气」？
- 选词填空：China had confirmed more than one trillion cubic metres of deep coalbed methane ____ by the end of 2025.（供选：reserves / residents / resources）
参考答案与解析
- FALSE（偷换结论）。原文说该区块煤层埋深为 1900 米至 2150 米，远大于 1500 米。题目把「深层」偷换成「不到 1500 米」，正好说反——数字题一定要回原文核对区间，别凭印象。
- 因为它不像常规天然气那样储藏在又大又好开采的气囊里，不属于常规气藏的储存形式；同时埋藏更深、地质条件更复杂，技术门槛更高。文中用 unconventional natural gas 一词直接定性。
- reserves。confirm reserves 意为「探明储量」，是固定搭配；residents 是「居民」，resources 是「资源」，都不能与 confirm 搭配表示探明储量。
中文译文
9 月 27 日，中国石油宣布在山西取得一项重大发现。在吕梁市附近的一个区块，地质人员确认了超过一千亿立方米的煤层气——一种蕴藏在煤层中的天然气。该区块位于鄂尔多斯盆地东部，消息被解读为保障能源安全的重要一步。
这些气并不容易采到。煤层气属于非常规天然气，这意味着它不像常规气田那样储藏在又大又好开采的气囊里。在该区块，煤层埋深介于 1900 米至 2150 米之间，深到足以被归为深层煤层气——按定义，埋深超过 1500 米即属此类。
工程师们讲述了多年攻关的过程。公司构建了覆盖钻井、压裂、投产全链条的体系——正是这三个环节，把地下煤层变成可开采的气田。两口先导试验井日产气量已达 5 万立方米。加上此次新确认的储量，该区块具备年产 18 亿立方米的产能建设基础。
这一发现也契合一条更长期的趋势。截至 2025 年底，我国累计探明深层煤层气地质储量已超过 1 万亿立方米。专家预测，到 2035 年我国该类天然气年产量将达到 4000 亿至 5000 亿立方米。这会使它成为继致密气、页岩气之后最现实的天然气上产接替资源。
这并不意味着工作已经完成。深层煤层气的开发成本依然高昂，而每个新区块都会带来各自的地质意外。但图景已经清楚。在中国北方干旱的丘陵之下、农田往下两千米处，藏着一份曾被认为遥不可及的资源。每确认一个气田，就把一个艰难的想法变成日常的暖、电与光。