23年高考英语外刊阅读训练——阅读理解：为什么水电费飙升
——改编自Soaring utility bill? Blame the instability of fossil fuels
Californians are facing a harsh winter as natural gas prices soar, leading to big increas in utility bills. Wholesale natural gas prices have tripled since early December 2022, with Southern California Gas Co. warning its 5.9 million customers of “shockingly high” bills, estimating that if they paid $130 a month last winter, the same level of usage could cost $315 this year. This has put residents in a vulnerable position due to their dependence on fossil fuels, as Californians have a much higher percentage of homes with gas appliances than other parts of the country.
While conrvation tips can help in the short term, the long-term solution is to transition to renewable energy and battery storage, divorcing ourlves from fossil fuel volatility. The spike in natural gas prices is also responsible for increasing electricity bills for millions of Southern Californian Edison customers by an average of $11.80 in January, as the utility still relies on gas-fired power plants.
Despite some recent progress on climate policy, new data on global temperatures and US emissions show that we’re still on a reckless path in the wrong direction. Leaders need to accelerate the transition to electric buildings powered by renewable energy and battery storage, making clean, safe, and reliable energy a reality.
The pain of the higher bills should provide policymakers with motivation to move beyond unhealthful and outdated ways of the past toward a sustainable future, free from polluting and planet-warming fossil fuels. It’s time to prioritize the health and well-being of Californians.
【重点词汇】
1. Californians /ˌkælɪˈfɔːniənz/ n. 加州人
2. natural gas /ˈnætʃrəl ɡæs/ n. 天然气
3. prices /ˈpraɪsɪz/ n. 价格
4. soar /sɔːr/ v. 飙升，暴涨
世界上最小的岛国5. increas /ɪnˈkriːsɪz/ n. 增加
汽修培训6. utility bills /juːˈtɪləti bɪlz/ n. 公用事业账单
7. wholesale /ˈhoʊlɪl/ adj. 批发的
8. tripled /ˈtrɪpl̩d/ v. 三倍增长
9. Southern California Gas Co. /ˈsʌðərn kælɪˈfɔːniə ɡæs koʊ/ n. 南加州煤气公司
10. shockingly high /ˈʃɑːkɪŋli haɪ/ adj. 非常高的
11. estimating /ˈestəmeɪtɪŋ/ v. 估计
12. vulnerability /ˌvʌlnərəˈbɪləti/ n. 脆弱性
13. dependence /dɪˈpendəns/ n. 依赖
14. fossil fuels /ˈfɑːsl ˈfuːlz/ n. 化石燃料
15. appliances /əˈplaɪənsɪz/ n. 家用电器
16. conrvation /ˌkɑːnsərˈveɪʃn/ n. 保护，节约
17. short term /ʃɔːrt tɜːrm/ n. 短期
18. long-term /lɔːŋ tɜːrm/ adj. 长期的
19. transition /trænˈzɪʃn/ n. 过渡
20. renewable energy /rɪnjuːəbl ˈenədʒi/ n. 可再生能源
21. battery storage /ˈbætri ˈstɔːrɪdʒ/ n. 电池储存
22. volatility /vɒləˈtɪləti/ n. 不稳定性
23. responsible for /rɪˈspɑːnsəbl fɔːr/ adj. 对……负责
高丽光宗24. increasing /ɪnˈkriːsɪŋ/ adj. 增加的
25. electricity bills /ɪlɛkˈtrɪsɪti bɪlz/ n. 电费
26. millions /ˈmɪljənz/ n. 百万
27. Southern Californian Edison /ˈsʌðərn kælɪˈfɔːniən edəsən/ n. 南加州爱迪生公司
28. climate policy /ˈklaɪmət ˈpɑːləsi/ n. 气候政策
29. global temperatures /ˈɡloʊbl ˈtemprətjʊrz/ n. 全球温度
30. US emissions / juː ɛmɪʃənz/ 美国排放
31. reckless path /ˈrekləs pæθ/ n. 草率的道路
32. leaders /ˈliːdərz/ n. 领导者
33. accelerate /əkˈləreɪt/ v. 加快
34. electric buildings /ɪˈlektrɪk ˈbɪldɪŋz/ n. 电气化建筑物
35. clean /kliːn/ adj. 干净的
36. safe /ɪf/ adj. 安全的
37. reliable /rɪˈlaɪəbl/ adj. 可靠的
38. reality /riˈæləti/ n. 现实
39. pain /peɪn/ n. 疼痛
40. policymakers /ˈpɒlɪsiˌmeɪkərz/ n. 决策者
41. motivation /ˌmoʊtɪˈveɪʃn/ n. 动力
42. unhealthful /ʌnˈhɛlfuːl/ adj. 不健康的
43. outdated /ˌaʊtˈdeɪtɪd/ adj. 过时的
44. sustainable future /səˈsteɪnəbl ˈfjuːtʃər/ 可持续未来发廊
画海底世界
吴刚主演的电视剧45. polluting /pəˈluːtɪŋ/ v. 污染
46. planet-warming /ˈplænɪt ˈwɔːrmɪŋ/ adj. 地球变暖的 简历封面模板
食品安全教案中班47. prioritize /praɪˈɔːrɪtaɪz/ v. 优先考虑
