高考英语外刊时文精读专题03看到空中的碳足迹

高考英语外刊时文精读精练 (3)

Carbon emissions碳排放

Seeing footprints in the air看到空中的碳足迹

主题语境：人与自然 主题语境内容：环境保护

【外刊原文】（斜体单词为超纲词汇,认识即可；下划线单词为课标词汇,需熟记。）

Chris Jones of the University of California, Berkeley, was on a river in the

Amazon rainforest when he put the finishing touches on the world’s first online

household carbon

calculator(计算器). That was in 2005. He hoped that, if he could

show people how much greenhouse gas was associated with daily activities—driving

the car, heating the house—they might change their behaviour and contribute in some

small measure to saving the Amazon. Seventeen years later, trackers are providing

a wealth of often-neglected information about the

carbon emissions of everyday

life. They provide local and micro data which usefully supplement the global

findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Trackers work by asking users to answer questions such as: how many miles a year

do you drive; how much is your annual household electricity bill; how often do you

eat meat? They then calculate a personal or

household estimate of emissions of carbon-dioxide equivalent (CO2e,二氧化碳当量排放量) per year. Alex Beale, a climate blogger in Atlanta who has studied them,

reckons there are dozens of household carbon trackers and hundreds

of specialist ones, including those which calculate emissions from food or

other industries, such as a new one from the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI)

to track emissions from shipping. For individuals, reckons Mr Beale, the

most comprehensive are the Cool Climate tracker run by Dr Jones at Berkeley and

the calculator set up by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and SEI. What do they tell

us?

Dr Jones describes the main household polluting activities as “cars, coal, cows

and consumption, roughly in that order”. By far the largest single source

of emissions is the family vehicle. One car of average fuel efficiency

driven 14,000 miles (22,500km) spews out 7 tonnes of carbon, according to Dr

Jones’s tracker. Swapping it for an electric vehicle would save over 6 tonnes,

or an eighth of the average American household’s yearly emissions.

No other change would generate that much saving, though electricity in the home

is responsible for over 5 tonnes of carbon emissions a year, so generating it

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with solar panels（太阳能电池板） would come close . Like electric vehicles, a

roof full of solar panels is not cheap. Changing diets costs less, and American

households consume meat worth 2.7 tonnes of CO2e a year, far more than most

people. If Americans went vegetarian（素食者）, that would be like half an

average solar roof.

These household averages, however, disguise what may be the most important thing

carbon trackers reveal: that apparently similar households produce very

different emissions. By combining their tracker’s results with

postal （邮政的）code data, the University of California team worked out average emissions by

area. Places with high emissions—mostly suburbs（郊区）—produce four or five

times as much carbon as inner cities or rural areas, a much larger multiple than

might have been expected. Chicago’s households produce 37 tonnes of CO2e a

year; suburban Eola’s, some 35 miles (56km) from the Windy

City, emit 96 tonnes. This is not only because of

commuting（通勤）. Trips to

and from work account for less than a fifth of miles driven; the rest are to shops,

schools and so on.

Even more striking is the difference air travel makes. The average household

contribution from flying is 1.5 tonnes, less than a car. But half of Americans

never fly. According to Cool Climate, flying 100,000 miles a yearproduces

a

stunning

（惊人的）43 extra tonnes of CO2. If jet-set households were to cut

their travel sharply, they would have a disproportionate（不成比例的） effect

on emissions. They might even do something for the Amazon.

Over the next 30 years, many countries are promising to move to net-zero carbon,

implying that household emissions will have to be cut to close to nothing.

Stephanie Roe, WWF’s lead climate scientist, reckons that, at best, half the

reduction might be achieved through demand-side measures, such as behavioural

changes by individuals and households. And even that would require companies and

governments to provide more incentives

（激励）to change through supply-side

investments to make low-carbon options cheaper and more widely rs,

it seems, have

daunting（令人怯步的） lessons for public bodies and private

households alike.

【课标词汇】

1. associate将…（与…）联系起来,把…联系在一起

2

Most people associate this brand with good quality.大多数人把这个品牌和优良品质联系在一起。

I always associate the smell of baking with my childhood. 一闻到烘烤食物的味道我就想起了童年。

He is closely associated in the public mind with horror movies. 在公众的心目中,他总是和恐怖电影紧密联系在一起。

2. contribute捐（款）；捐助,捐献；贡献；有助于；促成,促使；投（稿）

I believe that each of us can contribute to the future of 我相信我们每一个人都能够对世界的未来有所贡献。

The staff who contribute to your sports pages are doing a splendid job.为你们的体育专页撰稿的全体职员工作非常出。

Smoking contributed to his early death.吸烟导致他早逝。

3. neglect忽视,忽略:

Many of these ideas have been neglected by modern historians. 这些观念有许多都被现代的历史学家忽略了。

The woman denied that she had neglected 那位女士否认疏于照管自己的孩子。

4. supplement 增加,补充,增补

He supplements (= adds to) his income by working in a bar in the evening.他晚上在酒吧打工以增加收入。

I suggest supplementing your diet with vitamins E and A.我建议你在日常饮食中补充些维生素 E 和维生素 A。

5. calculate 算,计算

The cost of the damage caused by the recent storms has been calculated as/at

over £5 million.据计算,近期风暴造成的损失超过了500万英镑。

He's calculated that it would take him two years to save up enough for a car.他算了一下要赚两年的钱才够买辆车。

6. estimate 估计；估算；估价

They estimate (that) the journey will take at least two weeks.他们估计这次行程至少需要两周时间。

It was difficult to estimate how many trees had been destroyed.很难估计有多少树被毁。

7. reckon认为；把…看作

She was widely reckoned (to be) the best actress of her generation.人们普遍 3

认为她是她那一代最优秀的演员。

An earthquake of magnitude 7 is reckoned as a major quake. 7 级强度的地震被认为是大地震。

8. dozens of许多

I've spoken to him dozens of (= many) times, but I still don't know his name!虽然我和他说过很多次话,但我连他的名字都还不知道！

I must have mentioned him dozens of times in my letters. 我肯定已在信中提到他许多次了。

9. specialist专家；专业人员

She's a specialist in childhood illnesses.她是小儿科专家。

I've asked to be referred to a specialist about my back pain.我已经要求转诊,让专科医生来治我的背痛。

10. individual个人,个体

Every individual has rights which must never be taken away.每个人都有一些不可剥夺的权利。

We try to treat our students as individuals.我们力图把学生当成独立的个体来对待。

11. comprehensive全面的；综合的；包罗万象的；详尽的

Is this list comprehensive or are there some names missing?这份名单是完整的还是遗漏了一些名字？

He has written a fully comprehensive guide to Rome.他写了一本内容详尽的罗马旅游指南。

12. consumption食用；消费；消耗

These products are not for national consumption, but for export.这些产品只供出口不供国内消费。

We need to cut down on our fuel consumption by having fewer cars on the road.我们需要透过减少路上行驶的车辆以降低燃料消耗。

13. swap交换,交易

We swapped addresses with the people we met on holiday.我们与度假时认识的人交换了地址。

I'll swap you my chocolate bar for your peanuts.我拿我的巧克力跟你换花生。

We spent the evening in the pub, swapping (= telling each other) stories/jokes.我们整个晚上都泡在酒吧,轮流讲故事／笑话。

14. generate造成；引起；使存在

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The new development will generate 1500 new jobs.新开发项目将会创造1500个新的就业岗位。

These measures will increase the club's ability to generate revenue/income.这些措施将会提升俱乐部的创收能力。

15. consume（尤指大量地）消耗,消费,花费；（尤指大量地）吃,喝；〔心中〕充满,满是〔某种情绪或念头〕:

She was scared by the depression which threatened to consume her.抑郁情绪在吞噬着她,她感到害怕。

He was consumed with guilt after the accident.这次意外事故发生后,他心里充满了内疚。

He consumes vast quantities of chips with every meal.他每一餐都要吃掉大量的薯条。

16. disguise给…化装,给…乔装打扮；将…伪装起来

He disguised himself by shaving his head and wearing a false beard.为了伪装自己,他剃了光头还粘着假胡须。

Minor skin imperfections can usually be disguised with a spot of make-up.微小的皮肤瑕疵通常可以用化妆品来掩盖。

17. reveal揭露；泄露；透露

He was jailed for revealing secrets to the Russians.他因为向俄国人泄密而被监禁。

He would not reveal where he had hidden her chocolate eggs.他就是不说他把她的巧克力蛋藏在哪里了。

18. combine（使）结合；（使）联合；（使）合并；（使）综合

None of us has much money so let's combine what we've got.我们谁都没多少钱,因此就把我们所有的钱凑在一起吧。

The two countries combined against their common enemy.两国联合起来对抗共同的敌人。

19. work out想出,得到(解决方法),计算出,锻炼

Work out at a gym or swim twice a week.一周去健身房锻炼两次,或游两次泳。

It took me some time to work out what was 我花了一些时间才弄清此事的起因。

I couldn't work out where the music was coming from. 我弄不清这音乐是从哪里传来的。

20. rural乡村的,农村的；似乡村的

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These plants have a tendency to grow in the more rural areas.这些植物大多生长在偏远的乡村。

He spoke with a heavy rural accent.他说话带着浓重的农村口音。

21. emit 发出,射出,散发(光、热、声音、气等):

Sulphur gases were emitted by the volcano. 硫磺气体由火山喷发出来。

The new device emits a powerful circular column of light.新设备发出明亮的圆形光柱。

22. account for（数量或比例上）占；为…提出理由;对…作出说明

Now, the gene they discovered today doesn't account for all those cases.不过,他们现在发现的基因无法解释所有的病例。

The poor weather may have accounted for the small crowd. 天气不好可能是人来得少的原因。

23. striking异乎寻常的,惊人的；引人注目的

There's a striking contrast between what he does and what he says he does.他的所作所为和他所说的话大相径庭。

There are striking similarities between the two cases.两宗案件之间有惊人的相似之处。

24. sharply 尖刻地；严厉地；猛烈地；急剧地；突然大幅度地；鲜明地；明显地； 迅疾而突然地；急促而大声地:

The report was sharply critical of the police. 报道猛烈地抨击了警方。

Profits fell sharply following the takeover. 接管后,利润突然大幅度降低。

She moved sharply across the room to block his exit. 她疾步冲到门口,挡住他的去路。

25. imply说明；表明

The survey implies (that) more people are moving house than was thought. 调查显示,准备搬家的人口比想像的要多。

The fact that she was here implies a degree of interest. 她到场就说明了她有一定程度的兴趣。

26. available可获得的；可用的；可取得联系的；有空的

There's no money available for an office party this year.今年没有钱举办办公室派对了。

I'm afraid I'm not available to help with the show on the 19th.19号的演出恐怕我没有时间来帮忙了。

27. at best 充其量; 至多:

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The campaign was at best only partially successful.这场宣传活动充其量只是部分成功。

The technique is at best ineffective and at worst dangerous.这个方法说轻一点是没有效果,说重一点是很危险。

【课标词汇精练】

根据语境,从上面的“课标词汇”和“重点短语”中选用合适的单词及其正确形式将句子补充完整。

1. We collected shells on the beach.

2. The meat was clearly unfit for human.

3. When you've finished reading your book, and I've finished mine, shall we ?

4. Her biographythat she was not as rich as everyone thought.

5. It is vital that food is made to the famine areas.

6. At some stage we need to when the project will be finished.

7. Government sources a long-term 50% increase in rail fares.

8. The government’ s response seems to have been confused and at worst dishonest.

9. She's ain modern French literature.

10. Like many creative , she can be very bad-tempered.

11. We offer you a training in all aspects of the business.

12. Her latest film a lot of interest/excitement.

13. Our high living standards cause our present population to 25 percent of the

world's oil.

14. We tried to the fact that it was just a school hall by putting up coloured lights

and balloons.

15. Sickness, with (= together with) terrible weather, contrived to ruin the trip.

16. When asked what a £40.35 meal for five people would cost each diner, they were

unable to .

17. I'm not anything about your cooking, but could we eat out tonight?

18. Some vegetarians like their diets with iron tablets.

19. The police that whoever killed Dad was with him earlier that day.

20. The area is still very and undeveloped.

21. The metal container began to a clicking sound.

22. Computers5% of the country's commercial electricity consumption.

23. Their production of Macbeth was the most visually performance I've ever seen.

24. Their experiences contrast sharply with those of other children. 他们的经历 7

和其他孩子的形成鲜明的对比。

25. The cancer risks with smoking have been well documented.

26. The government imposed a tax on fuels which global warming.

27. The police officer was accused of his duty.

Keys:

1. dozens of 我们在海滩上捡了很多很多贝壳。

2. consumption这肉显然不适合供人食用。

3. swap我们看完各自的书之后,交换一下,好吗?

4. revealed 她的自传透露她并非像大家所想像的那样富有。

5. available 一定要把食品送到遭受饥荒的地区,这是至关重要的。

6. calculate在一定阶段,我们需要计算一下工程何时会完成。

7. estimate政府消息人士估计火车票价将有一个涨幅达50%的长期调涨。

8. at best 政府的反应往好里说似乎是糊涂,往坏里说就是不诚实。

9. specialist她是现代法国文学专家。

10. individuals像许多富有创造力的人一样,她的脾气有时会很不好。

11. comprehensive我们向你提供这个行业各方面的综合培训。

12. has generated她最近的一部影片引起了广泛的兴趣／使众多观众很是兴奋。

13. consume我们的高生活水准致使我们目前的人口要消耗世界石油的25%。

14. disguise我们不想让人看出这里实际上只是挂着彩灯和气球的学校礼堂。

15. combined疾病,加上恶劣的天气,毁掉了这次旅行。

16. work it out问到5个人吃一顿饭花了40.35英镑,每人要出多少钱时,他们算不出来。

17. implying我并不是暗示你做的饭不好吃,只是想提议我们今晚去外面吃,好吗？

18. to supplement有些素食主义者喜欢在饮食之外吃一些含铁的药片。

19. reckon警方认为杀害爸爸的人那天早些时候是和他在一起的。

20. rural这个地区仍是一片乡村景象,没有被开发。

21. emit金属容器开始发出咔嗒咔嗒的声音。

22. account for计算机占去该国商业用电的5%

23. striking他们制作的这部《马克白》是我见过的版本中最具视觉冲击的。

24. sharply 他们的经历和其他孩子的形成鲜明的对比。

25. associated抽烟有引发癌症的危险,这两者的关联是有详尽的文献为证的。

26. contributed to 政府对导致全球变暖的燃料课税。

27. neglecting那位警官被控渎职。

【译文】

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加州大学伯克利分校的克里斯·琼斯(Chris Jones)在亚马逊热带雨林的一条河上完成了世界上第一个家用在线碳计算器的收尾工作。那是在2005年。他希望,如果他能向世人展示有多少温室气体排放与日常活动相关——如开车、房屋供暖,人们就可能会改变自己的行为,并采取某些小措施拯救亚马逊。17年后,追踪器提供了大量经常被忽视的日常生活碳排放信息。追踪器所提供的当地微观数据,对政府间气候变化专门委员会的全球调查结果作了有益的补充。

追踪器的工作原理是让用户回答以下问题：您每年驾车多少英里；您家一年的电费是多少?您多久吃一次肉?然后追踪器计算出个人或家庭每年二氧化碳当量排放量的估计值。亚特兰大的一位气候博客亚历克斯·比尔(Alex Beale)对此进行了研究,他认为目前有几十种家用碳跟踪器和数百种专业碳跟踪器,包括那些计算食品或其他行业排放量的设备,比如斯德哥尔摩环境研究所(Stockholm

Environment Institute, SEI)的一种用于跟踪航运排放的新设备。对于个人来说,比尔先生认为,最全面的追踪器是由伯克利的琼斯博士运行的“凉爽气候”追踪器,以及由世界野生动物基金会(WWF)和SEI装配的计算器。这些设备会告诉我们什么?

琼斯博士将主要的家庭污染活动描述为“汽车、煤炭、奶牛和消费,大致按此顺序”。到目前为止,家用车是最大的单一排放源。根据琼斯博士追踪器的数据,按照一辆汽车的平均燃油

效率,行驶14000英里(22500公里)会排放7吨的碳。如果换成电动汽车,将节省6吨以上的碳排放,或者说,相当于美国家庭平均年排放量的八分之一。

尽管家庭用电每年会产生超过5吨的碳排放,但其他任何改变都不会产生这么多的节省,所以用太阳能电池板发电将会接近目标。像电动汽车一样,一个布满太阳能电池板的屋顶并不便宜。改变饮食成本更低,美国家庭每年消耗的肉类相当于2.7吨二氧化碳,远远超过大多数人。如果美国人奇迹般地变成了素食主义者,那就相当于半个平均水平的太阳能屋顶。

然而,这些家庭平均排放量掩盖了碳追踪器所揭示的最重要的事实：表面上相似的家庭产生的排放量却截然不同。通过将追踪器的结果与数据相结合,加州大学的研究小组计

算出了各区的平均排放量。高排放地区——主要是郊区——产生的碳是市中心或农村地区的四到五倍,这个倍数可能比预期的要大得多。芝加哥的家庭每年产生37吨二氧化碳；距离风城（芝加哥的别称）约35英里(56公里)的伊奥拉郊区排放了96吨二氧化碳。这不仅仅是因为通勤。上下班的路程还不到驾车公里数的五分之一；而其余部分是商店、学校等。

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更引人注目的是乘飞机旅行所带来的不同。平均每个家庭飞行所产生的碳排放是1.5吨,比一辆汽车的碳排放少。但一半的美国人从未坐过飞机。根据“凉爽气候”的说法,每年飞行10万英里会产生惊人的43吨额外的二氧化碳。如果乘喷气客机到处旅游的家庭大幅减少旅行,他们将对排放产生不成比例的影响。他们甚至可能为亚马逊地区做出点儿贡献。

在未来的30年里,许多国家都承诺要实现净零碳排放,这意味着家庭的排放量必须减少到接近零排放。WWF首席气候科学家斯蒂芬妮•罗伊估计,通过需求侧的措施,如个人和家庭行为的改变,最多可能实现一半的减排。即便如此,也需要企业和政府提供更多的激励措施,通过供给侧投资,使低碳选项更便宜,并得到更广泛地使用。对于公共机构和私人家庭来说,追踪器似乎都有类似令人怯步的教训。

【背景知识】

“碳”即二氧化碳,“中和”即正负相抵。排出的二氧化碳或温室气体被植树造林、节能减排等形式抵消,这就是所谓的“碳中和”。减少二氧化碳排放量的手段,一是碳封存,主要由土壤、森林和海洋等天然碳汇吸收储存空气中的二氧化碳,人类所能做的是植树造林；二是碳抵消,通过投资开发可再生能源和低碳清洁技术,减少一个行业的二氧化碳排放量来抵消另一个行业的排放量,抵消量的计算单位是二氧化碳当量吨数。一旦彻底消除二氧化碳排放,我们就能进入净零碳社会。

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