VOA常速英语2007年-Christmas Goes Green

By George Dwyer
Washington
18 December 2007
 

New York's Rockefeller Center Plaza¹ is one of the city's most recognizable landmarks² - and one of its most popular tourist stops as well. The busiest time of year comes during the Christmas season, when a giant tree is put up and decorated with tens of thousands of Christmas lights. This year comes a new twist on this old holiday tradition. As VOA's George Dwyer reports, for the first time, New York's most famous tree has been made eco-friendly. Jim Bertel narrates³.

The annual lighting⁴ of New York's Rockefeller Center Christmas tree has become a beloved holiday tradition in this city.

"I think you could see it from space. It's so bright," says a young girl.

A fan for many years, a woman says, "I've been coming here every Christmas season with my parents since I was a little girl, and tonight being the first night that it's lit, I just think it's so magical."

Now, thanks to the magic of technology, a glowing innovation has transformed the whole experience. Rockefeller Center gardens manager David Murbach explains, "They've taken 30,000 energy-saving light bulbs for this tree these (so-called) LED's. And it uses one third of the power that we used in past years to light this tree. And then up on the building roof, they put 363 solar panels, and the biggest solar panel in New York City to light this. It feeds into the grid⁵ and powers this tree when it's lit."

L.E.D.'s - which stand for light-emitting diodes - are miniaturized light bulbs illuminated⁶ by a flow of electrons. L.E.D.'s shed less energy as heat, and so require less electricity to power them than do traditional filament⁷ lights. Officials estimate the energy savings⁸ per day for the Rockefeller Center tree is equivalent to what an average family in the U.S. uses in a month.

"That means that it is going to cut into the carbon emissions⁹ that lead to climate change and it is eventually going to save the city money," says, Robert Musil. Musil is a scholar-in-residence at American University in Washington and is writing a book on sustainable environmental practices.

He says re-fitting the Rockefeller Center tree is part of a larger effort by New York and other communities to cut energy use and fight global warming while still maintaining the Christmas spirit. "So even though we are still going to have a festive¹⁰ feel to the city and people do not have to associate global warming with gloom, they can associate it with energy savings - they can do that easily at home as well."

Across the United States millions of homeowners put up Christmas light displays, some of which can be very elaborate. The Union of Concerned Scientists - a professional group that advocates environmentally friendly solutions - says the power used by America's Christmas lights can generate as much global warming pollution as 250,000 cars.

Across the country it seems people are beginning to realize that it may be time to tone things down a bit. Musil adds, "So there is a growing movement to sort of deconsumerize Christmas. This leads to energy savings and fighting global warming as well."

Evidence that this movement is gathering¹¹ momentum¹² came earlier this month when President Bush attended the lighting of the National Christmas tree in Washington - it too is L.E.D. illuminated for the first time.

You might even call it a tradition reborn.

1 plaza   

n.广场，市场

参考例句：

• They designated the new shopping centre York Plaza.他们给这个新购物中心定名为约克购物中心。
• The plaza is teeming with undercover policemen.这个广场上布满了便衣警察。

2 landmarks   

n.陆标( landmark的名词复数 )；目标；（标志重要阶段的）里程碑 ~ (in sth)；有历史意义的建筑物（或遗址）

参考例句：

• The book stands out as one of the notable landmarks in the progress of modern science. 这部著作是现代科学发展史上著名的里程碑之一。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The baby was one of the big landmarks in our relationship. 孩子的出世是我们俩关系中的一个重要转折点。 来自辞典例句

3 narrates   

v.故事( narrate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• It narrates the unconstitutional acts of James II. 它历数了詹姆斯二世的违法行为。 来自辞典例句
• Chapter three narrates the economy activity which Jew return the Occident. 第三章讲述了犹太人重返西欧后的经济活动。 来自互联网

4 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。

5 grid   

n.高压输电线路网；地图坐标方格；格栅

参考例句：

• In this application,the carrier is used to encapsulate the grid.在这种情况下，要用载体把格栅密封起来。
• Modern gauges consist of metal foil in the form of a grid.现代应变仪则由网格形式的金属片组成。

6 illuminated   

adj.被照明的；受启迪的

参考例句：

• Floodlights illuminated the stadium. 泛光灯照亮了体育场。
• the illuminated city at night 夜幕中万家灯火的城市

7 filament   

n.细丝；长丝；灯丝

参考例句：

• The source of electrons in an electron microscope is a heated filament.电子显微镜中的电子源，是一加热的灯丝。
• The lack of air in the bulb prevents the filament from burning up.灯泡内缺乏空气就使灯丝不致烧掉。

8 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

9 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

10 festive   

adj.欢宴的，节日的

参考例句：

• It was Christmas and everyone was in festive mood.当时是圣诞节，每个人都沉浸在节日的欢乐中。
• We all wore festive costumes to the ball.我们都穿着节日的盛装前去参加舞会。

11 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

12 momentum   

n.动力，冲力，势头；动量

参考例句：

• We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。