High 2 · Reading series
Lesson 30 · The Energy We Could Actually Save
Audio track 30
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Our class promised to save energy by turning off every classroom light at lunch. The slogan was popular, but the building manager asked us to check which lights were already controlled automatically. Several were. Our plan had counted savings that would not exist.
We then examined rooms that stayed lit when empty after club meetings. For two weeks, volunteers recorded the final users and reminded them to check the switches. We compared the pattern with a similar period before the project, while noting that daylight hours had also changed.
The results suggested a modest reduction, though we could not assign every change to our reminders. The manager helped us create a closing checklist for rooms with manual switches. It was less exciting than a large number on a poster, but people could follow it.
An environmental goal becomes stronger when its action is specific and its effect can be checked. We learned to prefer a small, real improvement to an impressive saving that existed only in our estimate.
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Chinese translation
我们班承诺午休时关闭每盏教室灯来节能。口号很受欢迎，楼宇管理员却请我们先查哪些灯本来就自动控制。确实有好几盏。原先计划把本来不会出现的节省也算进去了。
我们改为检查社团开会后无人却仍亮灯的教室。两周内，志愿者记录最后使用房间的是谁，提醒他们检查开关。我们把情况与项目开始前相近时段比较，也注明白昼时间已经改变。
结果提示节电幅度不大，而且不能把所有变化都归功于提醒。管理员帮我们为手动开关的房间制作了关门检查单。它没有海报上大数字那么激动人心，但人们确实可以照着做。
环保目标若有具体行动、效果也能检验，才更有力量。我们学着珍惜小而真实的改进，胜过只存在于估算里的漂亮数字。
Key words and expressions
Key terms have Chinese explanations. Hover over dotted words in the English passage for word help and pronunciation when available.
- slogan
- 口号；最初的节能承诺。
- controlled
- 受控的；有些灯由系统管理。
- automatically
- 自动地；原本就会关灯。
- examined
- 检查；重新寻找真正亮着的空教室。
- volunteers
- 志愿者；记录最后使用者。
- similar
- 相近的；比较相似时段。
- reduction
- 减少量；结果显示幅度不大。
- assign
- 归因；不能把变化全算作提醒的作用。
- checklist
- 检查单；离开手动开关房间时使用。
- estimate
- 估算；最初算进了不存在的节省。
Background notes (Chinese)
节能估算要排除原本自动熄灭的灯，也要考虑日照时间变化。班级缩小目标后记录实际关灯行为，形成可执行的检查单。