有一種流傳很廣的說法，不用的電器要把插頭拔下來，不然浪費電。那麼，這種說法對不對呢？
Should we unplug devices when leaving the house?
by David Kender
Most everyone I know seems to have an "unplugger" in their family. The mom who unplugs the toaster after the toast is done. The grandpa who unplugs practically everything in the house when he leaves for vacation.
most /məʊst/ = almost
unplugger /ʌnˈplʌɡə(r)/ 指拔掉插頭的人
unplug /ʌnˈplʌɡ/ v. 拔掉插頭（由plug加上表示否定的前綴un-）
toaster /ˈtəʊstə(r)/ n. 烤麪包機
practically /ˈpræktɪk(ə)li/ adv. 幾乎、基本上
They're concerned about saving money. Or is it preventing a fire? Or both? Possibly they forget why but they'll fight you to a standstill about its necessity.
concern /kənˈsɜːn/ v. 擔心、擔憂
standstill /ˈstændstɪl/ n. 停滯、僵持
necessity /nəˈsesəti/ n. 必要性
As it turns out, there is some validity to their argument, but there have also been recent technological breakthroughs that poke（戳） a hole in their defense.
turn out 原來、結果是
validity /vəˈlɪdəti/ n. 正當性、合理性（由valid加後綴-ity變成名詞）
argument /ˈɑːɡjumənt/ n. 論據、論證
technological /ˌteknəˈlɒdʒɪk(ə)l/ adj. 技術的（由technology加後綴-ical變成形容詞）
breakthrough /ˈbreɪkθruː/ n. 突破
defense /dɪˈfens/ 這裏指辯論中維護本方觀點
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends unplugging electrical devices when not in use, based on the obvious but nevertheless correct observation that something unplugged can't start fires or shock someone.
consumer /kənˈsjuːmə(r)/ n. 消費者
safety /ˈseɪfti/ n. 安全
commission /kəˈmɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 委員會
device /dɪˈvaɪs/ n. 設備、裝置
based on 基於
nevertheless /ˌnevəðəˈles/ adv. 然而
observation /ˌɒbzəˈveɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 觀察（由observe加後綴-ation變成名詞）
shock /ʃɒk/ v. 電擊（這裏指使人觸電）
Sensible advice? Definitely. But I'm still not unplugging my lamps when I leave for work. For low-load devices, a power strip with an off switch is a simple alternative, but never use a power strip for high-load appliances.
sensible /ˈsensəb(ə)l/ adj. 明智的、切合實際的
definitely /ˈdefɪnətli/ adv. 肯定地、毫無疑問地
load /ləʊd/ n. 負載、耗電量
strip /strɪp/ n. 長條、條狀物（power strip指插線板）
alternative /ɒlˈtɜːnətɪv/ n. 可供選擇的事物、可替代品
appliance /əˈplaɪəns/ n. 家用電器
The economic argument for unplugging devices has fallen by the wayside. In the pre-computer age, devices using standby power – electrical power drawn by a device even when it's "off" – were the exception. Then in the 2000s, standby power started to become the norm. Anything with a clock on it was only the most visible example of an "energy vampire（吸血鬼）," but they could be found all over your home, and significant energy was being expended（用掉） by keeping them plugged in.
economic /ˌekəˈnɒmɪk/ adj. 經濟的、經濟上的（由economy加後綴-ic變成形容詞）
fall by the wayside /ˈweɪsaɪd/ 半途而廢、不再適用
pre- 前綴，意思是“…之前”
standby /ˈstændbaɪ/ n. 待機
exception /ɪkˈsepʃ(ə)n/ n. 例外（由except加後綴-ion變成名詞）
the norm /nɔːm/ 常態
visible /ˈvɪzəb(ə)l/ adj. 可見的
significant /sɪɡˈnɪfɪk(ə)nt/ adj. 顯著的
Thus began a campaign of public awareness, government regulation and technological advances determined to decrease standby power consumption.★ By some miracle, it actually worked. "It's changed dramatically," says Dr. Alan Meier, a scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. "Every product, we've seen dramatic reductions in standby power consumption."
thus /ðʌs/ adv. 這樣
campaign /kæmˈpeɪn/ n. 運動、社會活動
awareness /əˈweənəs/ n. 知道、意識（由aware加後綴-ness變成名詞）
regulation /ˌreɡjuˈleɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 監管
advance /ədˈvɑːns/ n. 進步
determined /dɪˈtɜːmɪnd/ adj. 下定決心的
consumption /kənˈsʌmpʃ(ə)n/ n. 消耗、消耗量
★ 這句話裏determined to decrease standby power consumption這個短語是修飾campaign的，而public awareness、government regulation和technological advances三者並列，做of的賓語。另外，這是個倒裝句，相當於：Thus, a campaign ... began.
miracle /ˈmɪrək(ə)l/ n. 奇蹟
dramatically /drəˈmætɪk(ə)li/ adv. 急劇地（由dramatic加後綴-ally變成副詞）
dramatic /drəˈmætɪk/ adj. 急劇的
reduction /rɪˈdʌkʃ(ə)n/ n. 降低、減少
The most important change: a redesign of the humble power supply. The electricity that comes out of a wall outlet is an alternating current and needs to be converted to direct currents to operate your devices. Tremendous advances have been made in the past two decades that make that process more efficient on increasingly miniaturized（微型化的） circuitry（電路系統）.
redesign /ˌriːdɪˈzaɪn/ n. 重新設計（由design加上表示重複的前綴re-）
humble /ˈhʌmb(ə)l/ adj. 不起眼的
supply /səˈplaɪ/ n. 供應
outlet /ˈaʊtlet/ n. 插座
alternate /ˈɒltəneɪt/ v. 交替、輪流
current /ˈkʌr(ə)nt/ n. 電流（alternating current就是交流電）
convert /kənˈvɜːt/ v. 轉變、轉換
direct current 直流電
operate /ˈɒp(ə)reɪt/ v. 運作、使運行
tremendous /trɪˈmendəs/ adj. 巨大的
decade /ˈdekeɪd/ n. 十年
process /ˈprəʊses/ n. 過程
efficient /ɪˈfɪʃ(ə)nt/ adj. 高效的、效果好的
increasingly /ɪnˈkriːsɪŋli/ adv. 越來越
And because so many devices have become computer-controlled, everything from your washer to your toaster oven to your water heater is benefiting from those efficiency gains, sometimes reducing standby power by as much as 90 percent.
washer /ˈwɒʃə(r)/ n. 洗衣機（由wash加上表示人或物的後綴-er）
toaster oven 烤箱
water heater 熱水器
benefit /ˈbenɪfɪt/ v. 獲益、受益
efficiency /ɪˈfɪʃ(ə)nsi/ n. 功效、效能
gain /ɡeɪn/ n. 增加
So what's the latest advice for the unpluggers in your life? When it comes to vigilantly（警覺地） unplugging smaller devices, like phone chargers, Meier suggests that there are more productive ways to spend your time.
charger /ˈtʃɑːdʒə(r)/ n. 充電器（由charge加上表示人或物的後綴-er）
productive /prəˈdʌktɪv/ adj. 有生產力的
（如果您發現某些行的最後一個單詞被分成兩半了，請把您使用的瀏覽器升級到最新版本就能正常顯示了。）