即将到来的冬天很缺煤

短语讲解：

1. Decades of fast economic growth has been outpacing coal production and in recent years, coal transporters haven't been able to keep up with demand.

keep up with跟上, 不落人之后
例句：Young girls like to keep up with the latest fashions.
年轻女孩喜欢赶最新潮流。

2. Some economists are even describing this state of affairs as a chronic disease of the Chinese economy.

describe as描述为
例句：I should describe the attempt as a failure.
我认为这次尝试失败了。

3. Dr. Lin says that recently the country has been facing thermal coal shortages not only in summer when factories feed on coal to keep buzzing, but also in winter as an increasingly affluent urban population seeks a more comfortable living standard.

feed on以…为食,以…为能源
例句：Cows feed on hay.
牛以干草为食。

4. Rich people have now turned to floor heating, where they install our electricity-powered floor radiation system to keep the house warm.

turn to (把注意力等)转向
例句：More and more people turn to computer science.
愈来愈多的人从事计算机科学研究。

5. But despite efforts to subsidize heating companies and putting punitive prices on big power consumers like steel companies, Dr. Lin Boqiang says the conflict between supply and demand is not an easy problem to resolve.

put on增加; 增加(费用); 强使承担(责任等)
例句：Why are you trying to put the blame on me?
你为什么总想把责任推到我身上呢?

6. But as Xu Saifan, a teacher from the backwater town of Yan Ling in Hunan would say, the vast rural population is only waiting to take their share of power consumption to brace for the coming winter.

brace for防备
例句：The villagers braced themselves for a possible flood.
村民们作了可能发生洪水泛滥的防备。

7. But in villages and our small town, we rely on burning charcoal to get by.

rely on信赖, 依赖,依靠
例句：Hong Kong's prosperity relies heavily on foreign businesses.
香港的繁荣在很大程度上依赖于外国商行。
get by设法; 继续存在
例句：She never works but somehow she gets by.
她从不工作, 但总能凑合着过下去。