豆知识 2009-04-19&04-25 节能荧光灯—何乐而不换？

 Here are two things that nobody wants to see increase: your power bill and pollution.  Boo! We're going to show you a small step you can take that can turn these arrows the other way. Yay!

 

We're focused on your friendly household light bulb, the incandescent¹ kind. The chances are, there is one within a few feet of you right now.  Go ahead! Look around! That light bulb is not cool anymore.  It's the VCR of light bulbs and it's quickly becoming obsolete² and for good reason.  It's being replaced by a new kind of bulb.  It's called a compact³ fluorescent⁴, or CFL and it's an easy way for you to make a big difference.

 

Here are two reasons why. 

 

The real problem is coal which is used to create over 50 percent of our electricity.  When you turn on a light bulb, most of the electricity that powers that bulb comes from burning coal.  When it's burnt in power plants, CO2 and other pollution is released into the air. More burning coal equals more pollution. Not cool at all. 

 

If that wasn't enough, coal also costs money.  The more you burn for electricity, the higher your power bill.  So the ultimate goal is to burn less coal by using less electricity. 

 

Here is why new light bulbs matter.  If you replace that old light bulb with a new CFL, you can save money and help prevent pollution at the same time.  Consider these three big points.

 

First, let's say you have a lamp in your house that you leave on for one full year, 24/7. You start with a 750-hour incandescent bulb.  That lasts about a month.  This means that over a year, you'll use about 12 bulbs for the lamp.  At 60 cents a bulb, that's about 7 dollars and 20 cents.  Now compare that to a single CFL that costs about 4 dollars.  A CFL in the exact same lamp will last 10,000 hours. That's about the same as 13 regular light bulbs.  This should be clear - less hassle, less money. 

 

But the last two points are the big ones. Lighting⁵ accounts for, on average, about 20 dollars of 100 dollars monthly power bill and CFLs use one quarter of the power compared to an incandescent bulb.  This means that using CFLs can lower a 100-dollar power bill to 85 dollars a month. That's cool. 

 

And finally, switching to CFLs can prevent hundreds of pounds of CO2 pollution each year. That pollution is a cause of global warming.  So you can see the point: CFLs are simply a smarter way to light your home.  If you're still not convinced, note that these aren't the buzzing⁶ blue tube lights from the kitchen of your past. 

 

CFLs have come a long way lately. Popular Mechanics⁷ did a blind study with new CFLs and participants preferred the CFL light compared to incandescent bulbs and they fit in the same fixtures⁸. The question to ask is: Why not switch to CFLs? The next time you are at the store, pick up a four pack of CFLs and replace the bulbs that are on the most, maybe the porch⁹ lights. Then ask your friends, "Why haven't you switched? Are you still watching movies with a VCR?"

1 incandescent   

adj.遇热发光的， 白炽的，感情强烈的

参考例句：

• The incandescent lamp we use in daily life was invented by Edison.我们日常生活中用的白炽灯，是爱迪生发明的。
• The incandescent quality of his words illuminated the courage of his countrymen.他炽热的语言点燃了他本国同胞的勇气。

2 obsolete   

adj.已废弃的，过时的

参考例句：

• These goods are obsolete and will not fetch much on the market.这些货品过时了，在市场上卖不了高价。
• They tried to hammer obsolete ideas into the young people's heads.他们竭力把陈旧思想灌输给青年。

3 compact   

adj.紧密的，简明的，紧凑的；v.使紧凑，压缩

参考例句：

• It was a compact package.这是个捆得很紧的包裹。
• The article is compact and well organized.文章严密，又很有章法。

4 fluorescent   

adj.荧光的，发出荧光的

参考例句：

• They observed the deflections of the particles by allowing them to fall on a fluorescent screen.他们让粒子落在荧光屏上以观察他们的偏移。
• This fluorescent lighting certainly gives the food a peculiar color.这萤光灯当然增添了食物特别的色彩。

5 lighting   

n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光

参考例句：

• The gas lamp gradually lost ground to electric lighting.煤气灯逐渐为电灯所代替。
• The lighting in that restaurant is soft and romantic.那个餐馆照明柔和而且浪漫。

6 buzzing   

adj.嗡嗡响的v.发出嗡嗡声( buzz的现在分词 )；（发出）充满兴奋的谈话声[闲话，谣言]；忙乱，急行；用蜂鸣器（发信号）

参考例句：

• The computer made a buzzing noise that she found off-putting. 计算机发出的嗡嗡声让她心烦。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Bees are humming [buzzing] around from flower to flower. 蜜蜂在花丛中嗡嗡地飞来飞去。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 mechanics   

n.力学，机械学；结构

参考例句：

• The mechanics of fixing a car are very long.修理一部汽车的过程很长。
• The mechanics of the machine are very old.这台机器的机件非常老。

8 fixtures   

（房屋等的）固定装置( fixture的名词复数 )； 如（浴盆、抽水马桶）； 固定在某位置的人或物； （定期定点举行的）体育活动

参考例句：

• The insurance policy covers the building and any fixtures contained therein. 保险单为这座大楼及其中所有的设施保了险。
• The fixtures had already been sold and the sum divided. 固定设备已经卖了，钱也分了。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

9 porch   

n.门廊，入口处，走廊，游廊

参考例句：

• There are thousands of pages of advertising on our porch.有成千上万页广告堆在我们的门廊上。
• The porch is supported by six immense pillars.门廊由六根大柱子支撑着。