托福阅读材料(238)：21种低碳生活方法防止气候变化

　　托福阅读材料/知识之21种低碳生活方法防止气候变化，更多托福阅读背景材料/知识尽在新东方在线托福考试频道！

　　为了我们共同的地球家园大家都应该低碳生活，但是你知道该如何低碳生活么?下面的新托福考试阅读练习资料就给我们提供了一些小提示。

　　EACH and every one of us is responsible for the greenhouse gases we emit in our daily actions and choices. Therefore, combating climate change is going to take the combined efforts of everyone on the planet.

　　我们中的每个人都应该对自己日常生活活动和选择所产生的温室气体负责。因此，防止气候变化需要地球上的每个人共同来努力。

　　The average household carbon footprint in China is 2.41 tons of carbon dioxide annually. That`s enough to fill half an Olympic swimming pool.

　　在中国，平均每户每年的碳排放量是2.41吨二氧化碳。足够填充半个奥运游泳池了。

　　Surprised? Well, here`s how you can work to reduce it:

　　看到这个数字觉得吃惊么?下面，我们来看看怎样减少碳排放量。

　　1.Get started by calculating your own carbon footprint. This will give you a starting point from which to begin monitoring your progress. You enter details such as what sort of apartment you live in, your personal energy use and travel habits.

　　开始计算你自己的碳排放量。这个数据是你的起点，从这里开始你可以监控自己的进展。接下来，你可以记录一些细节，例如：你所居住的公寓的情况，你的个人能源消费及旅游习惯。

　　2. Each week, choose one day when you don`t eat meat. Meat uses up lots of energy because it takes a long time to produce. Animals produce methane, which is another dangerous greenhouse gas, when they burp and fart.

　　每周有一天吃素。由于烹饪肉类耗时较长，所以耗能更多。此外，动物打嗝、放屁时会产生另一种危险的温室气体--甲烷。

　　3. Only buy the amount of food you need and if there are leftovers, get creative. For instance, make them into a soup. Ask to take food home from restaurants if there`s some left, but remember to take your own container to avoid using a disposable carton.

　　只买适量的食物，如有剩饭要富有创新精神。例如：将剩菜做成汤。在餐厅吃饭，如有剩饭一定要打包。但是，切记要适用自己的饭盒，避免用一次性饭盒。

　　4. Find out what the recycling options are in your area. Then make sure you keep items such as paper and plastic bottles separate so that they can be recycled. There are places where you can recycle electronic appliances and batteries. Make sure you find them.

　　了解身边的回收利用设施。然后，确保把纸张、塑料瓶等物品分开以方便回收。也有回收电器、电池的地方，确保你能找到它们。

　　5. Conserve energy by using efficient light bulbs. They use about one-third of the energy of normal bulbs and last 10 times as long.

　　使用节能灯泡节省能源。它们的耗电量仅是普通灯泡的三分之一，持续时间却是后者的10倍。

　　6. Only turn the water heater on when necessary, and adjust temperature controls to avoid overheating. Put a lid on a pan when boiling water.

　　热水器不用就别开，温度控制不要过热。烧水时在锅上盖好盖子。

　　7. After use, waste water has to be treated, and some methane from sewage escapes into the atmosphere. Take showers rather than baths and reduce your shower time by two minutes. This will save water and give you an extra two minutes in bed.

　　使用后的废水将被处理，此时污水中的部分甲烷会释放到大气中。建议采用喷头淋浴而非浴缸。缩短两分钟洗澡时间，省水同时为自己多争取两分钟睡眠时间。

　　8. When using the washing machine, be sure there`s a full load and turn the temperature down if it`s not really grubby.

　　使用洗衣机时，确认满载，如果衣服不是很脏就把温度调低。

　　9. The greediest home device along with the washing machine is the fridge. Make sure it`s as efficient as possible by keeping it out of direct sunlight and away from the oven or heater. Don`t put food in when it`s still warm.

　　和洗衣机一样位列“最贪婪”家电的就是电冰箱了。电冰箱要避免太阳直射，远离微波炉或火炉，尽量保证它的工作效率。另外，切记不要把热的食物放进冰箱。

　　10. This is obvious, but essential: switch off all appliances when you`re not using them. This includes lights.

　　这一点很明显也很重要：不使用时，关掉所有电器，包括灯。

　　11. There`s no point having the heat up high while the wind`s blowing in under the door or sneaking in through the window. Reseal all window frames to keep the heat in.

　　门底或窗户缝进风时，没必要提高室内温度。再密封一下窗户缝就可以留住热气了。

　　12. Only print things out when necessary, and print double-sided and reduce the margins.

　　取消不必要的打印工作，纸张两面都可打印，尽量减少页边空白。

　　13. Take your own mug and cutlery to work. This saves throwing away disposable cups and containers - but that could be outweighed by washing your cutlery. So, pay attention to how you use water when washing your dishes.

　　在单位尽量使用自己的杯子和餐具。这能减少一次性杯子和餐具的废弃量--但是，这就意味着洗餐具要消耗很多水。因此，洗餐具时要注意用水方法。

　　14. Food production eats up lots of energy. When you buy food, go local rather than imported, and get fresh vegetables instead of frozen.

　　食品生产耗能巨大。买食品时，请尽量选择当地食品而非进口食品，买新鲜蔬菜而不是冷冻食品。

　　15. Look for reusable, recyclable, biodegradable items and remember to carry your reusable shopping bags!

　　使用可再用、可循环、可降解物品。记得使用可再用的购物袋。

　　16. Try to buy high-quality, long-lasting products even though they may cost a little more. A laptop is more efficient than a desktop, and a small screen TV is better than a big flat-screen.

　　尽量买高质量，寿命长的商品，尽管这可能会有一点贵。笔记本电脑比台式电脑效率更高，小屏幕电视比宽屏电视要好。

　　17. Don`t purchase unnecessary clothes, and be careful about the materials you buy. Wool and cotton fabrics have a really high greenhouse gas impact. Manmade fibers such as polyester are a better choice.

　　不要购买没必要的衣物，对衣物料子的选择要谨慎。羊毛和棉织品有很强的温室气体影响。人造纤维，例如伸缩尼龙就是个更好的选择。

　　18. All motorized travel is carbon-intensive. Buses and trains are better than cars, but walking or cycling is better still. It`s also better for your health and cheaper.

　　所有机动化的外出旅行都会产生二氧化碳。公共汽车和火车会比汽车好，而步行和骑自行车更好。这不仅有益身心健康，还很便宜。

　　19. Air travel is an environmental disaster. As well as carbon dioxide, planes emit nitrogen oxide, another nasty gas.

　　相比而言，航空旅行简直就是环境灾难。除了二氧化碳，飞机还释放出另外一种有害气体--一氧化碳。

　　20. Chris Goodall says: "Study the issues. Understand the options available to China. Get involved in the debates about what to do. Find ways of using the country`s immense skills to provide answers to the rest of the world. If climate change goes on unchecked, China will not be able to feed itself. Water will run out. We have no choice. We have to act."

　　(碳评论博客写手)Chris Goodall曾说：“研究这个问题，从中找到适合中国的选项。一起讨论接下来该怎么做。努力用中国的熟练技能为世界其他国家提供答案。如果气候变化问题持续不加以抑制，中国也将不能自给自足。我们没有选择。我们不得不采取行动。”

　　21. Find out about local groups that are committed to combating climate change. Stay informed, get involved, and spread the word.

　　了解当地致力于防备气候变化的组织。多了解该方面信息，积极参与活动、传播消息。