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这篇文章挺好的,给大家提供完整版PDF,有时间的友友们可以看完,点击文末左下角的“阅读原文”在12月的外刊文件夹中可以找到~
——大橙子留
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上期划线句答案
It wasn’t, as a 2002 study suggested, that Dennis was more likely to be a dentist than the similarly common Jerry or Walter; it was that Dennis was more likely to be working, since the average Jerry or Walter was older at the time of the study, and therefore more likely to be retired.
它并不像2002年的一项研究所指出的那样,名叫丹尼斯的人,比杰瑞或沃尔特等同为常见名的人更容易成为牙医;这其实是因为名叫丹尼斯的人通常更有可能处在工作年龄段,而名叫杰瑞和沃尔特的人在当时的平均年龄更大,因此更有可能已经退休。
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本期内容
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双语阅读
Para.1
With other forms of consumption that are bad for the planet, we all understand that the main burden of responsibility falls on the big players—industry, government, the rich and powerful. But we also acknowledge that everyone else has a part to play too. I stop running the water while I’m brushing my teeth. I carry groceries in a burlap tote. I turn off the lights whenever I step out of my apartment, regardless of whether I’m leaving for five minutes or a week.
Para.2
Every time we make a new video or send an email, or post a photo of our latest meal, it’s like turning on a small light bulb that’ll never be turned off. This points to an uncomfortable, and eminently modern, question. “Everyone says it’s really bad to fly,” Tom Jackson, a professor at Loughborough University, in England, who studies the environmental impact of data, told me. “But also we’ve got to think about whether it’s really bad to carry on with our current digital practices.”
Para.3
As the harms of global data use and storage have grown, it was only a matter of time until digital environmentalism became a thing. In 2020, the BBC reported on “a growing number of eco-conscious consumers trying to reduce their environmental impact online and on their phones.” An infographic for aspiring digital environmentalists, from the carbon-credit company Climate Impact Partners, says that you shouldn’t play videos if you only need the audio, for example. You should unsubscribe from newsletters you don’t read. And whenever possible, you ought to go to websites directly instead of finding them via a search engine.
Para.4
By my estimate, following a formula included in a recent research paper, storing my train video has created about 100 grams of CO2 over the past decade. At first blush, this is effectively nothing: less than one three-100ths of a percent of the yearly CO2 emissions from a pet cat. But data slough off us like skin cells. Last year, I sent 960 videos to the cloud. Because phones record videos in much higher quality these days, most of these clips are larger than that 15-second video from 2015. And like many other people, I have a sprawling digital footprint; many of my stored videos have been either sent to or received from at least one other person who is also storing them on one or two cloud platforms.
Para.5
And 100 grams is just a ballpark figure, anyway: The real number could be radically higher or lower depending on variables such as the type of server data the video is stored on. A major factor is where it’s being housed. Google Cloud storage in Ohio, for example, creates five times more emissions than it does in Oregon; whether the grid is powered by clean energy makes a huge difference. Emissions will also fluctuate according to how often data are accessed and distributed: In 2020, Rabih Bashroush, a professor at the University of East London, estimated that every time Cristiano Ronaldo posts a photo on Instagram, the energy that would be needed to show the image to each of his followers—190 million at the time—could power a household for five to six years.
本文节选自:The Atlantic(大西洋月刊)
发布时间:2024.11
作者:Arthur Holland Michel
原文标题:Every Time You Post to Instagram, You’re Turning on a Light Bulb Forever
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写作句总结
原句:As the harms of global data use and storage have grown, it was only a matter of time until digital environmentalism became a thing.
结构:As the [issue/problem] of [X] has [grown/increased], it was only a matter of time until [Y] became [Z].
例句:As the challenges of mental health in young people have increased, it was only a matter of time until schools began offering more comprehensive counseling services.
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阅读理解题
Which of the following best reflects the author's attitude towards digital consumption?
A) Digital consumption is an unavoidable part of modern life, and individuals should not feel responsible for its impact.
B) The environmental impact of digital consumption is largely exaggerated and does not require serious consideration.
C) Although individual actions have a small impact, the cumulative effect of digital consumption is significant and should be addressed.
D) The primary responsibility for reducing digital consumption lies with governments and large corporations.
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全文概括
The text explores the environmental impact of digital activities, arguing that while large corporations bear the primary responsibility for carbon emissions, individual digital actions also contribute significantly. It highlights the surprisingly high carbon footprint of seemingly small digital actions like storing videos and posting photos, emphasizing the need for individual responsibility in digital environmentalism. The passage uses examples like video storage and social media posts to illustrate the scale of this largely overlooked problem. The author contends that the cumulative effect of billions of users' digital habits is substantial and warrants attention alongside other forms of consumption. Finally, it points out that the carbon footprint of digital actions varies based on factors like server location and energy source.
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打卡作业
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