随着全球变暖，人们对空调的需求越来越大。而空调数量大增以后，耗电量也大增，又进一步加剧了全球变暖。要想解决这个问题，就要大幅提高空调的制冷效率。
To redesign the air conditioner
by Jacopo Prisco
The home air conditioner is nearly 100 years old, and yet it hasn't evolved much – the technology is essentially the same as it was the day it was invented.
air conditioner /kənˈdɪʃ(ə)nə(r)/ 空调器
yet /jet/ adv. 然而
evolve /ɪˈvɒlv/ v. 演变
essentially /ɪˈsenʃ(ə)li/ adv. 基本上、本质上（由essential加后缀-ly变成副词）
It has, however, changed our lives, making it possible for humans to thrive in places where heat would otherwise make life unbearable. Air conditioning is also essential to businesses and technologies that rely on controlled temperatures and humidity, such as the servers that power the internet.
thrive /θraɪv/ v. 蓬勃发展
unbearable /ʌnˈbeərəb(ə)l/ adj. 无法忍受的
air conditioning 空调系统
rely /rɪˈlaɪ/ on 依靠、依赖
humidity /hjuːˈmɪdəti/ n. 湿度（由humid加后缀-ity变成名词）
server /ˈsɜːvə(r)/ n. 服务器
power /ˈpaʊə(r)/ v. 驱动、使运转
But this all comes at a cost: The cooling of our air is responsible for 10% of the planet's electricity consumption, according to the International Energy Agency. And as the world heats, demand for air conditioners will only grow, especially in developing countries. This, in turn, will increase the impact that cooling appliances have on the climate, thus warming the Earth further and creating a vicious cycle.
cost /kɒst/ n. 代价
cool /kuːl/ v. 冷却、使降温
responsible /rɪˈspɒnsəb(ə)l/ adj. 负有责任的
consumption /kənˈsʌmpʃ(ə)n/ n. 使用量、消耗量
heat /hiːt/ v. 变热、使变热
in turn 接下来
impact /ˈɪmpækt/ n. 影响
appliance /əˈplaɪəns/ n. 家用电器
thus /ðʌs/ adv. 因此
warm /wɔːm/ v. 变暖、使变暖
vicious /ˈvɪʃəs/ adj. 恶性的
cycle /ˈsaɪk(ə)l/ n. 循环
There are 1.2 billion room air conditioning units installed today, but that figure will soar to 4.5 billion by 2050, according to a report by Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), a nonprofit environmental research organization in the US. "The impact of that on electricity demand is going to be huge," said Iain Campbell, RMI's managing director.
billion /ˈbɪljən/ n. 十亿
figure /ˈfɪɡə(r)/ n. 数字
soar /sɔː(r)/ v. 猛增
nonprofit /ˌnɒnˈprɒfɪt/ adj. 非营利的（由profit加上表示否定的前缀non-）
environmental /ɪnˌvaɪr(ə)nˈment(ə)l/ adj. 环境的（由environment加后缀-al变成形容词）
managing director 董事总经理
The current technology is unsustainable. That's why a new coalition – led by India's government and RMI – has launched the Global Cooling Prize, a $1-million competition to design the next generation of air cooling systems. Participants were tasked with designing a cooling solution with five times less climate impact than those popular today, meaning they could help counteract（抵消） the environmental effects of the expected growth in demand.
current /ˈkʌr(ə)nt/ adj. 现在的
unsustainable /ˌʌnsəˈsteɪnəb(ə)l/ adj. 不可持续的（由sustainable加上表示否定的前缀un-）
coalition /ˌkəʊəˈlɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 联盟
launch /lɔːntʃ/ v. 启动、使开始
global /ˈɡləʊb(ə)l/ adj. 全球的、全世界的
generation /ˌdʒenəˈreɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 一代
participant /pɑːˈtɪsɪp(ə)nt/ n. 参加者
task /tɑːsk/ v. 给予任务
growth /ɡrəʊθ/ n. 增长
To allow for this improved efficiency, proposed designs were allowed to be more expensive than current air conditioners (though no more than twice as much). The higher price would then, in theory, be offset by cheaper running costs. "If a technology is twice as expensive and uses a quarter of the electricity, the payback period is about two and a half years," explained Campbell.
efficiency /ɪˈfɪʃ(ə)nsi/ n. 效能
propose /prəˈpəʊz/ v. 提议
theory /ˈθɪəri/ n. 理论（in theory就是理论上）
offset /ɒfˈset/ v. 抵消、补偿
run /rʌn/ v. 运作、运转
payback /ˈpeɪbæk/ n. 回报（payback period指收回投资所需要的时间）
The competition attracted over 2,100 participants from 95 countries. From a long list of 139 teams, eight finalists were awarded $200,000 to develop prototypes（原型） and ship them to India for testing in the summer of 2020.
finalist /ˈfaɪn(ə)lɪst/ n. 参加决赛者（由final加上表示人的后缀-ist）
award /əˈwɔːd/ v. 给予、授予
ship /ʃɪp/ v. 运送
It's difficult to tell what these proposed new machines will look like before the actual prototypes are built, but it's arguable that they will also debut a new aesthetic, as most of the shortlisted designs are based on fundamentally different technology compared to traditional devices.
actual /ˈæktʃuəl/ adj. 实际的
it's arguable /ˈɑːɡjuəb(ə)l/ that ... 某件事情是可能的
debut /ˈdeɪbju/ v. 推出（新产品等）
aesthetic /esˈθetɪk/ n. 美学原则
shortlist /ˈʃɔːtlɪst/ v. 入围
based on 基于
fundamentally /ˌfʌndəˈment(ə)li/ adv. 根本上（由fundamental加后缀-ly变成副词）
device /dɪˈvaɪs/ n. 设备、装置
The overall winner, announced in November 2020, will be awarded $1 million in prize money. This is when the real challenge begins: convincing the world that traditional air conditioners need replacing. According to Xavier Moya from the University of Cambridge, the main challenge is to convince people to buy an air conditioner based on its performance and climate impact, rather than just its price.
overall /ˌəʊvəˈrɔːl/ adj. 总体的
convince /kənˈvɪns/ v. 说服
performance /pəˈfɔːməns/ n. 性能
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