Ancient Egyptian “air conditioning”

河北 胡金莹

主题语境：科学研究

篇幅：370词

建议用时：7分钟

1While the planet continues to endure high temperatures,a 60-square-foot shipping container is serving as a testing ground for passive,sustainable cooling solutions.An engineering team is utilizing the space to find and improve upon ancient cooling methods that don't generate any forms of greenhouse gas.

2Buildings require roughly 60 percent of the entire world's electricity,almost 20 percent of which is annually used to keep those structures cool and comfortable.As society deals with climate change's most severe effects,air conditioning systems' requirements are only expected to rise in the coming years—potentially generating a feedback loop that could worsen carbon emission levels.Finding green ways to lower businesses' and homes' internal temperatures will therefore need solutions other than simply boosting wasteful AC units.

3This is especially vital as rising global populations require new construction,particularly within the developing world.According to Omar Al-Hassawi,lead author and assistant professor in WSU's school of design and construction,this push will be a major issue if designers continue to rely on mechanical systems—such as traditional,electric AC units.There's going to be a lot more air conditioning that's needed,especially with the population rise in the hotter regions of the world.

4By improving their shipping container test chamber with off-the-grid,solar-powered battery storage,the team can heat their chamber upwards of 130 degrees Fahrenheit to test out their solutions while measuring factors such as temperature and humidity.The team particularly focused on using a passive cooling method involving large towers and evaporative cooling that dates as far back as 2500 BCE in ancient Egypt.In these designs,moisture evaporates at the tower's top,which turns into cool,heavier air that then sinks down to the habitable space below.

5 “It's an older technology,but there's been an attempt to innovate and use a mix of new and existing technologies to improve performance and the cooling capacity of these systems,” explained Al-Hassawi,who also envisions changing smokestacks in older buildings to work as new cooling towers.

6Research like this would really help.How can we address building design,revive some of these more ancient strategies,and include them in contemporary building construction? The test chamber becomes a platform to do this.

Reading Check

Detail

1.What's the main advantage of the ancient cooling methods?

A.It can save much electricity.

B.It doesn't produce greenhouse gas.

C.It can ensure the building to be comfortable.

D.It can help to innovate buildings' structures.

Detail

2.What effect can air conditioning systems bring?

A.They can increase carbon emission levels.

B.They can cause serious wasteful behaviour.

C.They can bring great challenges to new constructions.

D.They can affect people's life in the changing world.

Gist

3.What does paragraph 3 mainly talk about?

A.The rise of the world population.

B.The working procedure of AC units.

C.The major issue in the current world.

D.The necessity of innovating cooling solutions.

Inference

4.What's the author's attitude towards the ancient cooling methods?

A.Hopeful.B.Resistant.

C.Ambiguous.D.Astonished.

Language Study

Ⅰ.Difficult sentence in the text

As society deals with climate change's most severe effects,air conditioning systems' requirements are only expected to rise in the coming years—potentially generating a feedback loop that could worsen carbon emission levels.在社会应对气候变化（带来的）最严重的影响的过程中，空调系统的需求预计在未来几年只会上升——这可能会产生一个反馈回路，使碳排放水平进一步提高。

【点石成金】本句中，As 引导时间状语从句，potentially generating a feedback loop that could worsen carbon emission levels为现在分词作伴随状语；that could worsen carbon emission levels为that引导的定语从句。

Ⅱ.Fill in the blanks with the phrases in the box in proper forms.

focus on serve as rely on sink down deal with other than test out

1.The dictionary will ________ a necessary tool and bridge for spreading culture.

2.For the little boy,he had no social life or interests ________ skating.

3.It is reported that most Americans ________ social media to check the daily headlines.

4.His new job is to ________ new designs of cars before they are put on the market.

5.It is generally accepted that we should ________ finding methods of making efficient use of limited resources.

6.The fish jumped happily on the surface of the water and then _________.

7.The local government is taking emergency action to ________ a housing crisis.

1952年的寒冬，伦敦上空形成了一层厚厚的、有毒的烟雾。