2011四級備考：關(guān)注“低碳生活”，學習英語表達

　　聯(lián)合國氣候變化框架公約》第15次締約方會議暨《京都議定書》第五次締約方會議(聯(lián)合國氣候變化大會，UN Climate Change Conference)于12月7日在丹麥首都哥本哈根的召開使“低碳”頓時成為閃亮登場，成為媒體高頻詞語，同時也成為今年最受關(guān)注的流行詞語。與此同時，以“低碳經(jīng)濟”為先導，“碳足跡”、“低碳技術(shù)”、“低碳發(fā)展”、“低碳生活方式”、“低碳社會”、“低碳城市”、“低碳世界”等一系列新概念、新政策應(yīng)運而生，成為人們耳熟能詳?shù)牧餍姓Z。關(guān)注熱點實事不僅是一種積累例子的有效手段而且是練習閱讀的絕佳方法。下面我們來看一下專家解讀“低碳生活”。

　　從社會語言學角度來說，流行語不僅僅是語言符號，它們是社會變化發(fā)展的縮影，從特定角度表達著人們的價值觀念和文化心態(tài)，真實地映照出社會現(xiàn)象和時代的變遷。流行語中有為數(shù)不少的一部分屬于外來語。改革開放以來，隨著中西文化多方位、多渠道的接觸與交流，反映當代西方文化的名詞術(shù)語更是大量涌入中華文化和漢語中，成為人們?nèi)粘Ｉ�活中的常用詞匯，有相當一部分曾經(jīng)是各個階段的流行語， 如“次貸危機”就是subprime loan/lengding/mortgage/mortgage loan crisis等。

　　既然一部分流行語屬于外來語，那么，從英語學習的角度來說，掌握這些最新流行語無疑有利于我們提高英語表達能力。為此，本文特收集整理一些與“低碳經(jīng)濟”密切相關(guān)的英語詞語，附錄相關(guān)例句，以方便廣大的英語學習者掌握一些最新的相關(guān)表達。

　　1. 低碳經(jīng)濟，即low-carbon economy。網(wǎng)絡(luò)百科全書維基百科收錄有l(wèi)ow-carbon economy詞條，其篇首第一句話如下：A Low-Carbon Economy (LCE) or Low-Fossil-Fuel Economy (LFFE) is a concept that refers to an economy which has a minimal output of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions into the biosphere, but specifically refers to the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide.值得說明的是，雖然目前網(wǎng)絡(luò)搜索結(jié)果顯示，“低碳”的英文有的寫成low carbon，有的寫成low-carbon，但總體上說還是使用連字符號的居多，如美聯(lián)社12月7日關(guān)于哥本哈根聯(lián)合國氣候變化大會召開的新聞報道中有這么一句話：On the sidelines, climate activists competed for attention to their campaigns on deforestation, clean energy and low-carbon growth。

　　2. 碳足跡，即carbon footprint。簡單地說，碳足跡是用來衡量我們在日常生活中消耗的二氧化碳的一種方式。無論是開車上班、乘飛機旅行，還是使用電燈、電腦，我們都消耗石油、煤和天然氣等化石燃料。這些化石燃料在燃燒時，會排放出諸如二氧化碳之類導致地球變暖的溫室氣體。對于carbon footprint，維基百科有如下定義：A carbon footprint is "the total set of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions caused by an organization, event or product". For simplicity of reporting, it is often expressed in terms of the amount of carbon dioxide, or its equivalent of other GHGs, emitted. 相關(guān)表達見如下例句：A new purpose-built office complex that will offer eco-friendly accommodation across 66,250 square feet is under construction in Wales. It is reported that the Cardiff Waterside project, entitled 3 Assembly Square, forms part of a £140 million construction project and will aim to offer business in the area an environment that has a lower carbon footprint than traditional office space. 上述句子的背景是，英國政府成立了一個The Low Carbon Building Programme (LCBP)，即低碳建筑計劃，維基百科解釋說，LCBP is a Government programme in the United Kingdom administered by BERR (formerly the DTI). It offers grants towards the cost of installing domestic microgeneration technologies and larger scale distributed generation installations for public buildings and businesses, provided energy conservation standards are also met.

　　3. 低碳技術(shù)，即low-carbon technology，這是發(fā)展低碳經(jīng)濟，倡導低碳生活的關(guān)鍵之關(guān)鍵，相關(guān)例句如下：The Carbon Trust today launched a new 10m pounds low carbon technology investment joint venture to help UK companies develop new low carbon technologies in China. The new joint venture is a partnership with the Carbon Trust and the China Energy Conservation Investment Corporation (CECIC) to develop and deploy low carbon technologies in China.專家指出，低碳技術(shù)將成為國家核心競爭力的一個標志——誰掌握了先進的低碳技術(shù)，誰就擁有了核心競爭力。低碳技術(shù)的面很廣，大的技術(shù)類型包括節(jié)能技術(shù)、無碳和低碳能源技術(shù)、二氧化碳捕捉與埋存技術(shù)，還包括人類可以利用、可以展望到的低碳技術(shù)，如核能、風能、太陽能、生物質(zhì)能、二氧化碳捕捉埋存等相關(guān)技術(shù)，其中的關(guān)鍵詞就是低碳能源(low-carbon energy)，如The world will need to spend an additional $10.5 trillion in the next two decades on energy efficiency and low-carbon energy to avoid runaway climate change, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA)。

　　4. 低碳發(fā)展，即low-carbon development/growth，經(jīng)濟發(fā)展的一種全新概念與模式。請看如下句子：China has issued a report saying the country is expected to realize by 2050 a low carbon development, featuring low energy demand and carbon dioxide output.

　　5. 低碳生活方式，即low-carbon lifestyle，檢索發(fā)現(xiàn)，這一詞語已成為網(wǎng)絡(luò)新寵，這是因為我國的大都市已經(jīng)誕生了“低碳一族”，他們每天使用傳統(tǒng)的發(fā)條鬧鐘，取代電子鬧鐘;在午休和下班后關(guān)掉電腦和平板顯示器;一旦不用電燈、空調(diào)，隨手關(guān)掉;手機一旦充電完成，立即拔掉充電插頭;選擇晾曬衣物，避免使用滾筒式干衣機;用在附近公園中的慢跑取代在跑步機上的45分鐘鍛煉;用節(jié)能燈替換60瓦的燈泡;不開汽車改騎自行車……簡而言之，“低碳生活”方式可以理解為減低二氧化碳的排放，就是低能量、低消耗、低開支的生活方式。而“低碳一族”正以自己生活細節(jié)的改變證明：氣候變化已經(jīng)不再只是環(huán)保主義者、政府官員和專家學者關(guān)心的問題，而是與我們每個人息息相關(guān)。在提倡健康生活已成潮流的今天，“低碳生活”不再只是一種理想，更是一種值得期待的新的生活方式!相關(guān)英語表達見如下例句：(1)A one-year carbon emission reduction program proposed by China's Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) was started here Wednesday, on World Earth Day, to encourage citizens nationwide to adjust their lifestyle and live a "low-carbon" lifestyle. A low-carbon lifestyle covers many aspects of modern life, such as transportation, home heating, and holiday travel, which can be conducted in a way that gives the maximum reduction of personal carbon emissions. /(2)As the Copenhagen Climate Conference is drawing near, more and more debate about low-carbon lifestyle come forth. /(3)Just this year, the low-carbon lifestyle, or Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability (LOHAS), suddenly became trendy in China, particularly among young urbanites, Lin said. 與“低碳生活方式”相關(guān)的說法還有“低碳生活”，即low-carbon life，相關(guān)搭配就是lead a low-carbon life，如http://www.lowcarbonlife.net/網(wǎng)站就專門介紹各種低碳生活的小貼士。因為“低碳經(jīng)濟”提出的大背景是全球氣候變暖對人類生存和發(fā)展的嚴峻挑戰(zhàn)，因此，“低碳生活方式”還可以表達為 climate-friendly lifestyles，見http://www.edf.org/page.cfm?tagID=20927網(wǎng)站，該網(wǎng)站介紹了低碳生活的三大貼士(Tips for a Healthy, Low-Carbon Life)，有興趣的讀者不妨一讀。

　　根據(jù)上述概念，我們不難理解，一個提倡導低碳經(jīng)濟的社會就是“低碳社會”(low-carbon society)，同理就有“低碳社區(qū)”，“低碳城市”和“低碳世界”，即low carbon community, low-carbon city和low-carbon world。因為在資源日益短缺、生態(tài)環(huán)境受到挑戰(zhàn)的今天，發(fā)展低碳經(jīng)濟、倡導低碳生活、建設(shè)低碳城市正在成為國際上普遍認同的經(jīng)濟社會發(fā)展模式。其他說法還有“低碳開發(fā)區(qū)”，即low carbon development zone，如下述例句：One example of this is the Low Carbon Development Zones being discussed by the EU and China. The Zones, piloted in a small number of Chinese cities and provinces, could both support China’s transition to a low carbon economy and accelerate the development and deployment of low carbon goods, technologies and services to EU, Chinese and global markets.

　　顯而易見，在全球暖化(global warming)導致的氣候變化(climate change)的威脅之下，全球正直面低碳挑戰(zhàn)(low-carbon challenge)，因此，發(fā)展低碳經(jīng)濟，減少碳排放(carbon emission reduction)，倡導低碳生活方式不但勢在必行，而且是我們每一個地球人都必須重視和行動起來的頭等大事。

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