虛擬貨幣比特幣無視經濟學家的泡沫說，今年以來持續飆升（soar），從年初到12月初一度衝破1.6萬美元，漲幅約15倍！一波波挖礦潮也引爆「缺電」擔憂：根據調查，熱度如果不減，再過3年全球恐將無電可用。 【比特幣熱潮淺談】 to soar 飆升 A：Bitcoin, the most popular virtual currency, has continued soaring and it broke through $16,000 in December. （最高人氣的加密貨幣比特幣持續飆漲，12月初衝破1.6萬美元。） B：Despite the surge this year, skeptics have warned of a possible crash in the near future. （儘管今年激漲，懷疑論者警告未來可能崩盤。） to clamp down 箝制、打壓 A：The Chinese government has claimed that it violates the law and it has clamped down on Bitcoin trading. （所以中國已經宣稱比特幣違法，下令禁止買賣。） B：Bitcoin's appeal lies in the lack of government control. Therefore, its value has continued to skyrocket. （但比特幣的吸引力即源自不受規管，因此繼續衝高。） colossal 巨大的 A：However, the colossal amount of electricity consumed by mining Bitcoin has come under close scrutiny recently. （不過，最近外界開始檢視挖礦所需的大量電力。） B：Indeed, the increasing Bitcoin transactions do have a great impact on the environment. （沒錯，日益成長的比特幣交易真是超級不環保。） 【延伸關鍵字】 1. mining：挖礦 2. to tumble：大跌 3. doomsayer：末日說者 多益時事通工作團隊獨家授權