Improve Energy Efficiency Section III Expand Your Horizon Improve Energy Efficiency Energy efficiency has become a common goal throughout the world in an attempt to lower environmental pollution and decrease the amount of resources used for maintaining a level of basic living that has become expected in order to be comfortable. Even though there are numerous definitions of what it means, the bottom line is that it is the reduction of energy used in appliances and household goods that offers the same level of performance that is expected.

Section III Expand Your Horizon Improving the energy efficiency of our homes, businesses, and industries can yield quick, significant, and sustained energy savings, and save consumers and businesses billions of dollars in the process.

Section III Expand Your Horizon Time and again, energy efficiency policies have proven to be smart investments that create significant financial returns. What’s more, these energy savings would allow us to shut down the oldest, dirtiest power plants—and not build new ones to replace them.

Section III Expand Your Horizon We already have the technology to reduce our natural gas and electricity consumption by more than 25 percent. In order to get these efficient technologies and measures deployed, we need policies and programs that help overcome entrenched, inefficient practices and empower businesses and consumers to make wise decisions and eliminate wasteful uses of energy.

Section III Expand Your Horizon Focus on the Big Picture Our homes, businesses, and industries account for three-quarters of U.S. energy consumption and two-thirds of U.S. carbon emissions. They are also where some of the most significant and readily available energy savings can be found. A National Blueprint for a Clean Energy Economy, UCS highlights energy efficiency initiatives with the potential for the greatest savings.

Section III Expand Your Horizon Increase the Efficiency of Our homes Our homes and residential buildings account for 21 percent of total U.S. energy use. The electricity used to power our air conditioners, lighting, refrigerators, and other appliances accounts for roughly half of that; water and space heating consume the rest. Programs like the Energy Star Label help consumers make better, more efficient choices when they replace or install new appliances. Building new homes with efficiency in mind can add even more savings.

Section III Expand Your Horizon Improve Industrial and Commercial Efficiency The industrial sector produces millions of different products for consumers each year, but is also responsible for about one-third of all U.S. energy use. The buildings where we work, shop, meet, and play account for another 18 percent of energy consumption.

Section III Expand Your Horizon Energy-efficient building designs can significantly reduce the energy demands of both sectors. Investing in high-efficiency combined heat and power systems has the potential to save even more.

Section III Expand Your Horizon Raising energy efficiency throughout the world not only decreases the amount of energy used, it can also help lessen the impact that people have on the earth. Despite huge investments in renewables , many millions of tons of fossil fuels are burned each year to generate electricity. Through inefficiencies, from the gathering of these energy sources to their eventual consumption, needless amounts of carbon dioxide are contributing to global warming.

Section III Expand Your Horizon 能源效率已成为全世界共同的目标，以降低环境污染、减少用于维持预期舒适的基本生活水平的资源。尽管有许多关于能源效率的定义，底线是减少用于电器和家居用品的能源，为我们提供预期的同水平的服务。

提高我们家庭、企业和行业的能源效率会快速、显著和持续地节约能源，为消费者和企业节省数十亿美元。 Section III Expand Your Horizon 提高我们家庭、企业和行业的能源效率会快速、显著和持续地节约能源，为消费者和企业节省数十亿美元。

Section III Expand Your Horizon 能源效率政策已经一次又一次地被证明是明智的投资，创造了显著的经济回报。更重要的是，这些节约的能源使最老旧的、最肮脏的发电厂关闭且不再建立新的发电厂。

Section III Expand Your Horizon 我们已经具备了减少２５％以上的天然气和电力消耗的技术。为了让这些高效的技术和措施得以实施，我们需要政策和项目来帮助克服根深蒂固的、低效的实践，使企业和消费者做出明智的决定，消除浪费能源的做法。

Section III Expand Your Horizon 着眼大局 我们的家庭、企业和行业占了３／４的美国能源消费和２／３的美国碳排放。在这些能源消耗过程中也可以节约一些最重要的和现成的能源。国家清洁能源经济蓝图中，忧思科学家联盟强调（实施） 能源效率法案有可能会节省最多的能源。

Section III Expand Your Horizon 提高我们家庭的效率 我们的家庭和住宅占美国总能源消耗的２１％。我们的空调、照明、冰箱和其他设备所用的电力约占了一半，水和空间加热消耗了剩下的５０％。像能源之星标签等项目帮助消费者在更换或安装新设备时做出更好的、更有效的选择。记着建立高效的新家甚至可以节省更多的能源。

工业部门每年为消费者生产数以百万计的不同产品，但也消耗了大约１／３的美国总能源。我们工作、购物、会友和玩乐的场所消耗了另外１８％的能源。 Section III Expand Your Horizon 提高工业和商业的能源效率 工业部门每年为消费者生产数以百万计的不同产品，但也消耗了大约１／３的美国总能源。我们工作、购物、会友和玩乐的场所消耗了另外１８％的能源。

节能的建筑设计可以显著地降低这两个行业的能源需求。投资高效的热力和电力系统有可能节省更多的能源。 Section III Expand Your Horizon 节能的建筑设计可以显著地降低这两个行业的能源需求。投资高效的热力和电力系统有可能节省更多的能源。

Section III Expand Your Horizon 在全世界范围内提高能源效率不仅能减少能量消耗，还可以减轻对地球的影响。尽管对可再生能源的投资巨大，人们每年仍需燃烧数百万吨的化石燃料来发电。从能源的收集到最终的消费，效率低，不必要的二氧化碳导致了全球变暖。

Practice What You Learnt Section III Expand Your Horizon Practice What You Learnt Task 1 Comprehension Check Choose the best answer according to the text.

Section III Expand Your Horizon 1.Which of the following statements about energy efficiency is NOT TRUE? Energy efficiency is the goal to reduce the amount of energy required to provide products and services. B. Energy efficiency is the reduction of energy used in appliances and household goods that offers the same level of performance. C. Energy efficiency is using less energy to provide the same service. D. Energy efficiency is using as much energy as possible to maintain a comfortable life. Click me D

Section II Store Your Bricks 2.Energy efficiency can ____________. A. yield energy savings B. create significant financial returns C. lessen the impact that people have on the Earth D. all of the above Click me D

Section III Expand Your Horizon 3.The underlined phrase “the big picture” in Paragraph 5 means . A. 大电影 B. 大照片 C.全局 D. 大图画 Click me C

Section III Expand Your Horizon 4.Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE? A. Our homes, businesses, and industries account for 75% of U.S. energy consumption. B. The electricity used to power our air conditioners, lighting, refrigerators, and other appliances accounts for roughly 50% of total U.S. energy use. C. Our homes and residential buildings account for 21% of total U.S. energy use. D. The industrial sector is responsible for about one-third of all U.S. energy use. Click me B

Section III Expand Your Horizon   5.Our best hope of significantly reducing emissions is to____________ . A. raise energy efficiency B. never use fossil fuels C. use only renewable resources D. all of the above Click me A

Section III Expand Your Horizon Task 2 Vocabulary and Sentences (1)Replace the italicized words with the words or phrases given in the box. Change the form if necessary.

Section III Expand Your Horizon 1. Population growth is by 1.4% each year. becoming less in size spare no effort factories have sprung up in this once desolate area. A large number of numerous

Section III Expand Your Horizon 3. Yet for all the optimism, there are big questions about whether the recovery can be . sustained lasting 4. Smaller contractors had been forced to . stop operating shut down 5. Recent measures have not discrimination in employment. completely removed eliminated 6. The president will offer delegates his for the country’s future. blueprint plan

Section III Expand Your Horizon 7. Of course we must that the system can hardly be inaccurate. emphasize highlight Click me 8. The program would a lot of new jobs. produce generate 9. Much of this suffering is . completely unnecessary needless 10. The company is in . difficulties relating to money financial difficulties

Section III Expand Your Horizon (2)Fill in the blanks with the words given, and change the form if necessary. 1. She tried to ________________ her weight. (reduction) Click me reduce 2. I’ve been looking out for an______________________ teaching method.(efficiency) Click me efficient 3. Last year computers_________________ 5% of the country’s commercial electricity consumption. （account for） Click me accounted for

Section III Expand Your Horizon 4. After the divorce, their father still________________ close contact with the boys.（maintain） Click me maintained 5. _______________a project should not be thought of as a one-time activity.（estimate） Click me Estimating Click me 6. Last year 400,000 acres of land_______________ a crop worth $1.75 billion .（yield） yielded 7. The recession remains deeply______________________ . （entrenched） entrenched Click me

Section III Expand Your Horizon 8._____________ energy such as solar energy is theoretically inexhaustible.（renewable） Renewable Click me 9. _____________ 85 percent of victims were women or girls, some as young as 10. （roughly） Roughly Click me 10. The ____________ of the town are proud of its new library. （residential） residents Click me

Section III Expand Your Horizon Task 3 Sentence Making Try to make one or more sentences with the given information. And what you write should not be merely from the text.

Section III Expand Your Horizon 1.What are the benefits of improving energy efficiency? （提高能源效率会带来什么好处？）（yield, create, lessen） Click me Improving energy efficiency can yield energy savings, create financial returns and lessen the impact. ________________________________________________________________

Section III Expand Your Horizon 2.What do we need in order to get the efficient technologies and measures deployed? （要部署有效的技术和措施我们需要什么？） （overcome, empower ） We need policies and programs that help overcome entrenched, inefficient practices and empower businesses and consumers to make wise decisions and eliminate wasteful uses of energy in order to get the efficient technologies and measures deployed. Click me ____________________________________________________________________

Section III Expand Your Horizon 3. What can we do to raise energy efficiency? （要提高能源效率我们能做什么？） （excuse, have some fun） In order to raise energy efficiency we can focus on the big picture, increase the efficiency of our homes and improve industrial and commercial efficiency. Click me ____________________________________________________________________

Section III Expand Your Horizon 4. What can we do to reduce the emission of carbon dioxide? （为了减少二氧化碳排放量我们要做些什么？） （renewable, inefficiency） Click me We need to invest in renewables and avoid energy inefficiencies so as to reduce the emission of carbon dioxide. ____________________________________________________________________