隨着全球變暖，人們對空調的需求越來越大。而空調數量大增以後，耗電量也大增，又進一步加劇了全球變暖。要想解決這個問題，就要大幅提高空調的製冷效率。
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)/ 空調器
yet /jet/ adv. 然而
evolve /ɪˈvɒlv/ v. 演變
essentially /ɪˈsenʃ(ə)li/ adv. 基本上、本質上（由essential加後綴-ly變成副詞）
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. 蓬勃發展
unbearable /ʌnˈbeərəb(ə)l/ adj. 無法忍受的
air conditioning 空調系統
rely /rɪˈlaɪ/ on 依靠、依賴
humidity /hjuːˈmɪdəti/ n. 溼度（由humid加後綴-ity變成名詞）
server /ˈsɜːvə(r)/ n. 服務器
power /ˈpaʊə(r)/ v. 驅動、使運轉
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. 代價
cool /kuːl/ v. 冷卻、使降溫
responsible /rɪˈspɒnsəb(ə)l/ adj. 負有責任的
consumption /kənˈsʌmpʃ(ə)n/ n. 使用量、消耗量
heat /hiːt/ v. 變熱、使變熱
in turn 接下來
impact /ˈɪmpækt/ n. 影響
appliance /əˈplaɪəns/ n. 家用電器
thus /ðʌs/ adv. 因此
warm /wɔːm/ v. 變暖、使變暖
vicious /ˈvɪʃəs/ adj. 惡性的
cycle /ˈsaɪk(ə)l/ n. 循環
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. 十億
figure /ˈfɪɡə(r)/ n. 數字
soar /sɔː(r)/ v. 猛增
nonprofit /ˌnɒnˈprɒfɪt/ adj. 非營利的（由profit加上表示否定的前綴non-）
environmental /ɪnˌvaɪr(ə)nˈment(ə)l/ adj. 環境的（由environment加後綴-al變成形容詞）
managing director 董事總經理
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. 現在的
unsustainable /ˌʌnsəˈsteɪnəb(ə)l/ adj. 不可持續的（由sustainable加上表示否定的前綴un-）
coalition /ˌkəʊəˈlɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 聯盟
launch /lɔːntʃ/ v. 啓動、使開始
global /ˈɡləʊb(ə)l/ adj. 全球的、全世界的
generation /ˌdʒenəˈreɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 一代
participant /pɑːˈtɪsɪp(ə)nt/ n. 參加者
task /tɑːsk/ v. 給予任務
growth /ɡrəʊθ/ n. 增長
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. 提議
theory /ˈθɪəri/ n. 理論（in theory就是理論上）
offset /ɒfˈset/ v. 抵消、補償
run /rʌn/ v. 運作、運轉
payback /ˈpeɪbæk/ n. 回報（payback period指收回投資所需要的時間）
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. 參加決賽者（由final加上表示人的後綴-ist）
award /əˈwɔːd/ v. 給予、授予
ship /ʃɪp/ v. 運送
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. 實際的
it's arguable /ˈɑːɡjuəb(ə)l/ that ... 某件事情是可能的
debut /ˈdeɪbju/ v. 推出（新產品等）
aesthetic /esˈθetɪk/ n. 美學原則
shortlist /ˈʃɔːtlɪst/ v. 入圍
based on 基於
fundamentally /ˌfʌndəˈment(ə)li/ adv. 根本上（由fundamental加後綴-ly變成副詞）
device /dɪˈvaɪs/ n. 設備、裝置
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. 總體的
convince /kənˈvɪns/ v. 說服
performance /pəˈfɔːməns/ n. 性能
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