考研英语经济学人双语阅读：能源定价

1、考研英语经济学人双语阅读:能源定价Pricing energy能源定价Remote controls远程控制Smart meters promise another reason to resentenergy firms.智能电表成为人们抱怨能源公司的又一理由。GOOD neighbours avoid doing laundry in the small hours. Yet householders in the north eastof England are growing keener on late-night loads. Watched by academics at Dur

2、hamUniversity, volunteers are testing a tariff that makes power more expensive when demand ishigh. Some use washing machines that run only when energy is cheap.好邻居不在凌晨洗衣服。然而在英格兰东北部的居民们越来越热衷于在午夜干家务。英国杜伦大学的学者观察发现,志愿者接受了一项测试:税费调整后,电力在需求高峰期变得更贵。有的居民只有在电价便宜时才会用洗衣机。Britons are used to paying variable pric

3、es for hotel rooms, train tickets and telephone calls.Now some hope that smart electricity meters, which the government wants installed in everyhome by 2020, will help energy suppliers charge in a similar way. Boosters say dynamic pricingcan hold down bills and help save the planet. It is also likel

4、y to make power firms even lesspopular than they already are.英国人习惯于为宾馆、火车票和话费的浮动费用掏钱。如今,更有人希望智能电表可以帮助能源供应商以也以同样的方式收费。支持者们表示动态电价可以降低账单,并有益于节约地球资源。这样很有可能使电力公司更加不受欢迎。Flexible pricing is supposed to discourage power use at peak times, thereby bringing downthe overall cost of generation by cutting the ne

5、ed for power stations that run only a few hourseach day. Controlling energy use would also help network operators handle fluctuations inrenewable power, which rises and falls depending on how windy or sunny it is. These problemswill get more serious as Britain decarbonises: using more green electric

6、ity to power things suchas cars and heating will make demand spikes biggerand thus more costlyjust as growth inrenewables makes supply less dependable.弹性价格有望降低高峰期的用电,从而通过减少每天运行几小时的发电站数量来降低发电总成本。通过电力控制使用可以帮助网络操作者来处理可再生能源诸如由于风能或者太阳能造成的波动。这些问题将变得和英国降低碳含量计划同等严峻:使用更多绿色电力来驱动像车或者加热器的东西,将使得需求峰值更大而且代价更昂贵正如可再

7、生能源使用的增长降低了供给的可靠性。Some Britons have been using cheaper off-peak power since the late 1970s, when “Economy 7”tariffs were created to encourage overnight demand for juice from nuclear power stations.Smart meters, which will add about 12 billion ($20 billion to energy bills as they are rolled outover t

8、he next five years, are meant to save suppliers money by wirelessly transmitting meterreadings,and to provide households with information that can help them to use less power.What excites energy experts is that, by recording full details of energy consumption, theycould also make it easier for suppl

9、iers to create several peak and off-peak periods during eachday, or even let prices float freely depending on the weather. Last month Ofgem, the energyregulator, said it was mulling reforms that could enable rates to change every half-hour.一些英国人自二十世纪七十年代晚期就开始错开高峰期使用低价电力,当时建立“经济七号”税费的目的就是为鼓励使用来自核电厂的通

10、宵供电。智能电表通过无线传输仪表读数,这意味着可以为供应商节约费用,并且为居民们提供相应的信息来帮助他们节约用电,这项计划在未来五年内推出后将增加一百二十亿英镑的电费收入。让能源专家们感到兴奋的是,通过能源消费的所有详细记录,他们可以让能源供应商很轻松的在每天建立多个高峰或者非高峰期,甚至可以让电价随着天气的变化过渡平稳。上个月,作为能源调节者的天然气电力市场办公室表示,正在考虑这样一些改革这可以让电价在每半小时内变化。The problem is that a proliferation of complex tariffs risks making it more difficult fo

11、r bill-payersto identify the cheapest ones, even as regulators battle to simplify the market. Critics also saythat punitive charges at peak times could affect the poorest families disproportionately,because they already use power only when it is essential. And some fear that, without strongercompeti

12、tion, energy firms would use dynamic tariffs to raise prices, not just to even outdemand.出现的问题是,这种复杂的收费方式所冒的风险在于,支付者辨别最便宜的收费区间更为困难,虽则电力调配部门志在简化市场,正如电力调配部门志在简化市场一样。评论家们也声称,用电高峰期的惩罚性的收费会给最贫困的家庭造成影响更为巨大,因为他们只有在必要时才会使用电能。时一些人也担心到,没有强有力的竞争,能源公司只是利用动态电价来变向涨价而并非平衡需求。The biggest worry is that people will no

13、t be persuaded to change their routines. Many alreadypay too much for their energy because they have never bothered to switch supplier. A studyin 2012 by Consumer Focusnow part of the Citizens Advice Bureaufound that 38% ofhouseholds with Economy 7 or similar tariffs did not use enough off-peak powe

14、r to make itcheaper than a standard rate. Trials of more dynamic tariffs report mixed successand almostall of those have involved green-minded volunteers, not busy families.最大的担心是,劝服人们调整日常生活习惯很难。很多人嫌麻烦从不更换供应商,导致他们已经支付了太多的电力。由聚焦消费(现在是公民建议局的下属单位在2012年出示的调查显示,百分之三十八的“经济七”或者与之相似收费的住户没有使用错开高峰用电来降低电费。而这其中

15、更为动态税费适用成功的报道显得复杂这其中多数是绿色理念的志愿者,而不是那些忙碌的家庭。Enthusiasts say variable pricing will work best when people can set gear such as freezers,boilers and air-conditioners to respond automatically to pricing signals broadcast to theirsmart meter, in exchange for a discount from their supplier. Fridges need no

16、t runconstantly to keep their contents fresh, for example; clever ones might perhaps turnthemselves off during peak demand periods.狂热支持者表示,当人们可以通过智能电表的价格广播来自动设置诸如冰箱,热水器和空调速率,可使得可变定价完美运行,以此从供应商那里获得折扣。例如,冰箱无需一直工作来维持里面东西的新鲜;聪明人也许会错开高峰阶段。Yet bill-payers will probably find it creepy to hand outsiders con

17、trol of their appliances. Ahousehold full of smart devices would delight hackers. And it will bring chewy legalproblems,such as working out who to blame should faulty appliances churn through premium-pricedpower. As Britains smart grid expands, rumbling washing machines may not be the only thingkeep

18、ing people awake.然而,用户们肯定会发现把他们的家用电器交由外部控制是很恐怖的一件事。一个家里满是智能电器的用户会使黑客感到异常兴奋。而且这样会带来一系列耐人寻味的法律问题,例如,因为电流的变动导致电器发生缺陷时无法确定谁该为此负责。随着英国智能电网的不断扩大,也许不只是隆隆的洗衣机声吵得人无法入睡。1.use to 过去常常例句:The contents of this booklet should be of useto all students.这本小册子的内容应该会对所有的学生都有用处。2.likely to 倾向于;可能要例句:The fires are likely

19、 to permanently deforestthe land.这些火灾很可能会彻底毁掉这片土地上的森林。3.suppose to 想做例句:I don't suppose you thought to turn over the tape, did you?我认为你并没想过要把磁带换一面,是吗?4.such as 例如;诸如例句:We dislike people such as him.我们不喜欢像他这号人。凯程教育:凯程考研成立于2005年,国内首家全日制集训机构考研,一直从事高端全日制辅导,由李海洋教授、张鑫教授、卢营教授、王洋教授、杨武金教授、张释然教授、索玉柱教授、方浩教

20、授等一批高级考研教研队伍组成,为学员全程高质量授课、答疑、测试、督导、报考指导、方法指导、联系导师、复试等全方位的考研服务。凯程考研的宗旨:让学习成为一种习惯;凯程考研的价值观口号:凯旋归来,前程万里;信念:让每个学员都有好最好的归宿;使命:完善全新的教育模式,做中国最专业的考研辅导机构;激情:永不言弃,乐观向上;敬业:以专业的态度做非凡的事业;服务:以学员的前途为已任,为学员提供高效、专业的服务,团队合作,为学员服务,为学员引路。如何选择考研辅导班:在考研准备的过程中,会遇到不少困难,尤其对于跨专业考生的专业课来说,通过报辅导班来弥补自己复习的不足,可以大大提高复习效率,节省复习时间,大家可以通过以下几个方面来考察辅导班,或许能帮你找到适合你的辅导班。师资力量:师资力量是考察辅导班的首要因素,考生可以针对辅导名师的辅导年限、辅导经验、历年辅导效果、学员评价等因素进行综合评价,询问往届学长然后选择。判断师资力量关键在于综合实力,因为任何一门课程,都不是由一、两个教师包到底的,是一批教师配合的结果。还要深入了解教师的学术背景、资料著述成就、辅导成就等。凯程考研名师云集,李海洋、张鑫教授、方浩教授、卢营教授、孙浩教授等一大批名师在凯程授课。而有的机构只是很普通的老师授课,对知识