時尚雙語:夏日涼快又省錢的招

【英文原文】

摘要：夾在電價上漲和全球變暖惡果之間的美國消費者在是否應關掉冷氣的問題上很是掙扎。不知道他們會不會從瑪麗蓮·夢露的電影《七年之癢》裏找到靈感，把內衣褲裝在冰盒裏，好隨時給自己降降溫；不過，其它所有能想到的辦法都被他們拿來一試了。

With electricity costs rising -- along with global-warming guilt -- consumers across the country are struggling to wean themselves from the A/C. It remains to be seen whether they'll take a cue from Marilyn Monroe in 'The Seven Year Itch' and stash their undies in the icebox. But they're trying just about everything else.

In Thousand Oaks, Calif., Adina Nack keeps the thermostat at 28-- and lets her toddler dance around the house in a bathing suit, spritzing herself with cool water from a spray bottle. Cara Cummins, in Atlanta, turns on the air conditioner only when she's expecting guests. Otherwise, she makes do by snacking on watermelon cubes soaked in chilled bourbon.

Because many power plants run on natural gas, which has shot way up in price, utilities in every region of the nation have imposed -- or are planning -- big rate increases this year, some approaching 30%.

In response, nearly two-thirds of families are cutting back on air conditioning, according to a recent Associated Press-Yahoo News poll. They're buying ceiling fans and programmable thermostats; burning up hot afternoons in malls and movie theaters; and bombarding blogger Erin Huffstetler, who writes about frugal living, with questions about the merits of tinting their windows dark to block the sun.

The wealthy are even putting windmills in their backyards. Southwest Windpower in Flagstaff, Ariz., installs residential turbines that can supply a third or more of a typical household's electricity. The cost: At least $13,000.

In Arizona, 50,000 customers of the Salt River Project utility have cut energy use by an average of 13%, thanks to a gizmo that lets them monitor their daily bill, so they can see exactly how much they save by bumping up the thermostat a few degrees. In Texas, Reliant Energy reports an 8% drop in per-customer energy use since 2005.

The Department of Energy calculates that heating and cooling account for nearly half the energy used in a typical home. That's more than all the light bulbs, the dishwasher, the refrigerator, the hot-water heater and the washer and dryer -- combined.

Replacing a standard air conditioner set at 22 degrees with an energy-efficient model set at 25.5 can cut your cooling costs in half, though savings vary by climate, according to Xcel Energy Inc., a regional utility based in Minneapolis. A programmable thermostat can save as much as 12%. A ceiling fan can lower a room's temperature by several degrees. Even something as simple as switching to compact fluorescent light bulbs can make a big difference in electricity bills.

Micki Wehmeier offers another tip: Marry a man who likes it hot.

Ms. Wehmeier and her husband, Gary, are renting a modest apartment this summer while they fix up a house they just bought in Des Peres, Mo. To save money, they resolved to keep the thermostat at 24.

'He's got more willpower,' his wife says.

And Reba Kennedy, who turned off her central air altogether?

Ms. Kennedy now cools just the three rooms she uses most in her San Antonio home, with window units set at 25.5 degrees. To her surprise, she has found it pleasurable. With her downstairs windows open, she can smell the honeysuckle in her yard. She loves the look of her sheer curtains blowing in the breeze.

Last week, though, when she reviewed her electric bills, Ms. Kennedy found that her sacrifices haven't translated into savings. In June of 2006 -- with the central air on full blast -- she used an average of 26 kilowatt hours a day. Last month? An average of 44.

Harvey Sachs, a senior fellow at the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, says that isn't surprising, because window units are notoriously inefficient.

Her advice to middle-class families: Pull the plug.

'You'll be hot,' Ms. Boylan said. 'Put a little cold water on your face and get on with your life.'

【中文譯文】

夾在電價上漲和全球變暖惡果之間的美國消費者在是否應關掉冷氣的問題上很是掙扎。不知道他們會不會從瑪麗蓮·夢露的電影《七年之癢》裏找到靈感，把內衣褲裝在冰盒裏，好隨時給自己降降溫；不過，其它所有能想到的辦法都被他們拿來一試了。

在加州的千橡樹鎮，艾蒂娜·奈克把空調溫度調到28度，並讓自己蹣跚學步的小孩穿着泳衣在家裏亂走，還用噴水瓶給自己灑涼水降溫。亞特蘭大市的卡拉·庫明斯只有在客人來家裏時才把空調打開，其他時候，她靠吃幾塊泡在冰鎮波旁威士忌裏的西瓜塊來抵禦酷暑。

由於美國許多發電站都靠天然氣發電，而隨着燃氣價格暴漲，今年全美各地電價要麼已然大幅上調，要麼正在籌劃漲價，有的地方電價漲幅甚至逼近了30%。

據美聯社和雅虎新聞的最新聯合調查顯示，將近三分之二的美國家庭都因此減少了空調的使用。他們添置了吊扇和可編程控溫器，去商場和電影院度過炎熱的夏日午後，並向撰寫博客介紹如何勤儉持家的艾琳·哈弗斯泰德勒提出了一大堆問題，比如怎麼把窗戶染黑，減少陽光的照射等。

有錢人甚至在自家後院安裝了風力發電機。亞利桑那州Flagstaff市的美國西南風力公司爲住戶安裝這種發電機，它可以滿足一個家庭三分之一或更多的日常用電需求，而其成本至少要1.3萬美元。

在亞利桑那州，鹽河項目的5萬名用戶已平均減少了13%的用電量，原因是他們安裝了一個能實時顯示每日用電量的小儀器，這樣他們可以清楚地看到如果把室溫調高几度，那麼能少用多少電。能源企業Reliant Energy表示，德克薩斯州的人均用電量自2005年以來減少了8%。

美國能源部做過計算，一棟普通住宅供暖和冷風的用電成本在總電費佔去了將近一半，比一個家庭中燈泡、洗碗機、冰箱、熱水器、洗衣機和烘乾機全部加起來的耗電都要多。

明尼阿波利斯市地方公用事業企業埃克西爾能源公司表示，如果把標準的22攝氏度室內空調溫度改爲25.5度的節電模式，大約能夠節省一半的電費；當然，具體程度根據外界溫度而有所不同。安裝一個室內溫控器可以節省12%的電費，在天花板上安裝吊扇可以降低幾度室溫，甚至使用節能燈泡都有助於顯著減少電費。

梅琪·韋麥爾還有一個小竅門：嫁給一個不怕熱的老公。

今年夏天，梅琪和她丈夫蓋瑞要給剛在密蘇里州Des Peres買的房子裝修，於是租了一個小房子過渡一下。爲了省錢，他們決心把室內溫度調到24度。

“他的意志力比我堅定。”梅琪說道。

那麼，關掉中央空調的瑞芭?肯尼迪境況如何呢？

現在，住在聖安東尼奧的瑞芭只在最常用的三個房間使用窗式空調，溫度調爲25.5度。令她沒想到的是，這種降溫方法能讓人過得很舒服。她把樓下的窗戶打開，院子裏金銀花的香味陣陣飄來，而且她還喜歡看到微風撩起窗簾的樣子。

然而，上週她收到電費帳單時，發現自己的犧牲沒有得到應有的回報。2006年6月份──中央空調完全打開的那個月──家裏每天的平均耗電量是26度；但2008年6月份呢？每天的平均耗電量是44度。

美國節能經濟委員會的資深成員哈維·薩奇說，這並不奇怪，因爲窗式空調非常費電。

她對中產階級家庭的建議是：拔掉電源插頭。

“你會覺得很熱，”凱茜說，“那就往臉上潑點涼水降溫，你會發現日子能照過不誤。”

【詞彙講解】

1. stash 藏匿

2. spritz 噴

“ If you want your fragrance to last longer, spritz on the eau de toilette version as a base after you get out of the shower then apply the more concentrated perf ume to your pulse points.
如果你想讓香水的味持續時間長一些，那麼，在洗完澡以後，先噴些淡香水在身上打底，然後再在脈搏處抹上濃香水。

3. frugal adj. 節省的，節儉的

She lived a careful and frugal life.
她過着謹慎、節儉的生活。

4. bump up 突然增加；提高

You need more high marks to bump up your average.
你要拿更多的高分才能提高你的平均分。

5. willpower n.意志力，剋制力

She managed to stop smoking by sheer willpower.
她全靠意志力戒了煙。

6. notoriously 臭名昭著的，聲名狼藉的

The shortest way out of Manchester is notoriously a bottle of Gordon's gin.
從曼徹斯特走出來的最短路程，就是那聲名狼藉的一瓶“戈登”杜松子酒。

【語法和句型】

1. With electricity costs rising -- along with global-warming guilt -- consumers across the country are struggling to wean themselves from the A/C.
夾在電價上漲和全球變暖惡果之間的美國消費者在是否應關掉冷氣的問題上很是掙扎。

..表示“改掉……換掉…… ”，例如：

Tess was trying to wean herself from the old life
黛絲那時正努力使自己擺脫過去的生活

2. Otherwise, she makes do by snacking on watermelon cubes soaked in chilled bourbon.
她靠吃幾塊泡在冰鎮波旁威士忌裏的西瓜塊來抵禦酷暑。

soak in 表示“浸透，滲入”

Put some water on and let it soak in naturally.
倒一些水, 讓它自然滲透。

3. In response, nearly two-thirds of families are cutting back on air conditioning.
據美聯社和雅虎新聞的最新聯合調查顯示，將近三分之二的美國家庭都因此減少了空調的使用。

cut back on表示“消減，減少”，例如：

We shall have to cut back on our spending.
我們將不得不削減我們的經費。

Financial pressures impel the firm to cut back on spending.
財政壓力迫使公司減少開支。