考研考博-英语-宁波城市职业技术学院押题密卷附带答案详解篇1

书山有路勤为径，学海无涯苦作舟！住在富人区的她考研考博-英语-宁波城市职业技术学院押题密卷附带答案详解（图片大小可自由调整）全文为Word可编辑，若为PDF皆为盗版，请谨慎购买！第壹套一.全考点押题密卷-综合训练(共50题)1.单选题

Philosophyinthesecondhalfofthe19thcenturywasbasedmoreonbiologyandhistorythanonmathematicsandphysics.Revolutionarythoughtdriftedawayfrommetaphysicsandepistemologyandshiftedmoretowardsideologiesinscience,politics,andsociology.PragmatismbecamethemostvigorousschoolofthoughtinAmericanphilosophyduringthistime,anditcontinuedtheempiricisttraditionofgroundingknowledgeonexperienceandstressingtheinductiveproceduresofexperimentalscience.ThethreemostimportantpragmatistsofthisperiodweretheAmericanphilosophersCharlesPeirce(1839-1914),consideredtobethefirstoftheAmericanpragmatists,WilliamJames(1842-1910),thefirstgreatAmericanpsychologist,andJohnDewey(1859~1952),whofurtherdevelopedthepragmaticprinciplesofPeirceandJamesintoacomprehensivesystemofthoughtthathecalled'"experimentalnaturalism",or"instrumentalism".

Pragmatismwasgenerallycriticaloftraditionalwesternphilosophy,especiallythenotionthatthereareabsolutetruthsandabsolutevalues.Incontrast,JosiahRoyce(1855-1916),wasaleadingAmericanexponentofidealismatthistime,whobelievedinanabsolutetruthandheldthathumanthought,andtheexternalworldwereunifieD.Pragmatismcalledforideasandtheoriestobetestedinpractice,assessingwhethertheyproduceddesirableorundesirableresults.AlthoughpragmatismwaspopularforatimeinEurope,mostagreethatitepitomizedtheAmericanfaithinknow-howandpracticality,andtheequallyAmericandistrustofabstracttheoriesandideologies.Pragmatismisbestunderstoodinitshistoricalandculturalcontext.Itaroseduringaperiodofrapidscientificadvancement,industrialization,andmaterialprogress;atimewhenthetheoryofevolutionsuggestedtomanythinkersthathumanityandsocietyareinaperpetualstateofprogress.Thisperiodalsosawadeclineintraditionalreligiousbeliefsandvalues.Asaresult,itbecamenecessarytorethinkfundamentalideasaboutvalues,religion,science,community,andindividuality.Pragmatistsregardedalltheoriesandinstitutionsastentativehypothesesandsolutions.Accordingtotheircritics,thepragmatist'srefusaltoaffirmanyabsolutescarriednegativeimplicationsforsociety,challengingthefoundationsofsociety'sinstitutions.

1.Whatisthispassageprimarilyabout?

2.Whichofthefollowingistrue?

3.Accordingtothepassage,pragmatismwasmorepopularinAmericathanEurope,because（）.

4.AllofthefollowingaretrueEXCEPT（）.

5.Whichofthefollowingcanbeinferredfromthepassage?

问题1选项

A.Theevolutionofphilosophyinthesecondhalfofthe19thcentury.

B.ThethreemostimportantAmericanpragmatistsofthelate19thcentury.

C.Thedifferencesbetweenpragmatismandtraditionalwesternphilosophy.

D.Americanpragmatism.

问题2选项

A.Idealismwasanimportantpartofthepragmaticapproach.

B."Pragmatism"wasalsoknownas"traditionalwesternphilosophy".

C.Pragmatismcontinuedtheempiricisttradition.

D.Pragmatismisbestunderstoodindependentlyofitshistoricalandculturalcontext.

问题3选项

A.Americanshadgreateracceptanceofthetheoryofevolution

B.itepitomizedtheAmericanfaithinknow-howandpracticality

C.Europehadamoretraditionalsocietybasedonamuchlongerhistory

D.industrializationandmaterialprogresswasoccurringatafasterpaceinAmericaatthattime

问题4选项

A.revolutionarythoughtshiftedmoretowardsideologiesinscience,politicsandsociology

B.pragmatistsregardedalltheoriesandinstitutionsastentativehypothesesandsolutions

C.JosiahRoycewasnotapragmatist

D.pragmatismwasbasedonthetheoryofevolution

问题5选项

A.JosiahRoyceconsideredCharlesPeircetobechallengingthefoundationsofsociety'sinstitutions.

B.CharlesPeirceconsideredJosiahRoycetobetooinfluencedbythetheoryofevolution.

C.JohnDeweywouldnothavedevelopedhissystemofthoughtcalled"experimentalnaturalism"or"instrumentalism"withoutthepioneeringworkofCharlesPeirceandWilliamJames.

D.JosiahRoycewasarevolutionarythinker.

【答案】第1题:D

第2题:C

第3题:B

第4题:D

第5题:C

【解析】1.主旨大意题。阅读全文可知，文章第一段介绍了实用主义的代表人物和思想，第二段介绍了实用主义的思想理念和侧重点。综合可知，D选项符合题意。

2.细节事实题。由题干可以定位到文章第一段中“PragmatismbecamethemostvigorousschoolofthoughtinAmericanphilosophyduringthistime,anditcontinuedtheempiricisttraditionofgroundingknowledgeonexperienceandstressingtheinductiveproceduresofexperimentalscience.”，中文翻译为：在这一时期，实用主义成为美国哲学中最具活力的学派，它延续了以经验为基础、强调实验科学的归纳过程的经验主义传统。因此，C项正确，译为“实用主义延续了经验主义传统”。

3.细节事实题。由题干可以定位到文章第二段中“AlthoughpragmatismwaspopularforatimeinEurope,mostagreethatitepitomizedtheAmericanfaithinknow-howandpracticality,andtheequallyAmericandistrustofabstracttheoriesandideologies.”中文翻译为：虽然实用主义在欧洲曾一度流行，但大多数人都认为它是美国人对诀窍和实用性的信仰的概括，也是美国人对抽象理论和意识形态不信任的概括。可以推测出B选项“它体现了美国对诀窍和实用性的信仰”正确。

4.细节事实题。由选项D可以定位到文章第一段中“itcontinuedtheempiricisttraditionofgroundingknowledgeonexperienceandstressingtheinductiveproceduresofexperimentalscience.”中文翻译为：它延续了以经验为基础、强调实验科学的归纳过程的经验主义传统。可以得知D选项“实用主义是以进化论为基础的”表述错误。

5.推理判断题。根据选项C可以定位到原文第一段中“JohnDewey(1859—1952),whofurtherdevelopedthepragmaticprinciplesofPeirceandJamesintoacomprehensivesystemofthoughtthathecalled'"experimentalnaturalism",or”instrumentalism.”，中文翻译为：约翰•杜烕（1859年—1952年），他把皮尔斯和詹姆斯的实用主义原则进一步发展成一个他称之为“实验自然主义”或“工具主义”的综合思想体系。可以推测出C选项“没有查尔斯•皮尔策和烕廉•詹姆斯的开创性著作的情况下，约翰•杜威不可能形成他所谓的“实验性自然主义”或“工具主义”的系统。”正确。

2.单选题

12.

问题1选项

A.Thewoman’sclassmate.

B.Thewoman’sboyfriend.

C.Thewoman’sbrother.

D.Thewoman’steacher.

【答案】B

【解析】M:IheardallthetimethatJohnisdatingseveralgirls.

W:Butit’snottrue,hehasexplainedeverythingtome.

M:Doyoureallybelievewhathesaid?

W:Yeah,Ibelieveinourfeelingsforeachother.

Q:WhoisJohn?

【解析】推断题。根据对话推断John是对话中女士的男友。

3.单选题

Whereonestageofchilddevelopmenthasbeenleftout,ornotsufficientlyexperienced,thechildmayhavetogobackandcapturetheexperienceofit.Agoodhomemakesthispossible,forexample,providingtheopportunityforthechildtoplaywithaclockworkcarortoyrailwaytrain,uptoanyagehestillneedstodoso.Thisprinciple,infact,underliesallpsychologicaltreatmentofchildrenindifficultieswiththeirdevelopment,andisthebasisofworkinchildclinics.

Thebeginningsofdisciplineareinthenursery.Eventheyoungestbabyistaughtbygradualstagestowaitforfood,tosleepandwakeatregularintervalsandsoon.Ifthechildfeelstheworldaroundhimisawarmandfriendlyoneheslowlyacceptsitsrhythmandaccustomshimselftoconformingtoitsdemands.Learningtowaitforthings,particularlyforfood,isaveryimportantelementinupbringing,andisachievedsuccessfullyonlyiftoogreatdemandsarenotmadebeforethechildcanunderstandthem.

Everyparentwatcheseagerlythechild'sacquisitionofeachnewskill-thefirstspokenwords,thefirstindependentsteps,orthebeginningofreadingandwriting.Itisoftentemptingtohurrythechildbeyondhisnaturallearningrate,butthiscansetupdangerousfeelingoffailureandstatesofanxietyinthechild.Thismighthappenatanystage.Ababymightbeforcedtouseatoilettooearly;ayoungchildmightbeencouragedtolearntoreadbeforeheknowsthemeaningofthewordshereads.Ontheotherhand,though,ifachildisleftalonetoomuch,orwithoutanylearningopportunities,heloseshisnaturalzestforlifeandhisdesiretofindoutnewthingsforhimself.

Learningtogetherisafruitsourceofrelationshipbetweenchildrenandparents.Byplayingtogether,parentslearnmoreabouttheirchildrenandchildrenlearnmorefromtheirparents.Toysandgameswhichbothparentsandchildrencanshareareanimportantmeansofachievingthiscooperation.Building-blocktoys,jigsawpuzzlesandcrosswordaregoodexamples.

Parentsvarygreatlyintheirdegreeofstrictnessorindulgencetowardstheirchildren.Somemaybeespeciallystrictinmoneymattersothersaresevereovertimesofcominghomeatnight,punctualityformealsorpersonalcleanliness.Ingeneral,thecontrolsimposedrepresenttheneedsoftheparentsandthevaluesofthecommunityasmuchasthechild’sownhappinessandwellbeing.

1.Theprincipleunderlyingalltreatmentofdevelopmentaldifficultiesinchildren（）.

2.Thechildinthenursery（）.

3.Theencouragementofchildrentoachieve-newskills（）.

4.Jigsawpuzzlesare（）.

5.Parentalcontrolsanddiscipline（）.

问题1选项

A.istosendthemtoclinics

B.offersrecaptureofearlierexperiences

C.isintheprovisionofclockworktoysandtrains

D.istocapturethembeforetheyaresufficientlyexperienced

问题2选项

A.quicklylearnstowaitforfood

B.doesn'tinitiallysleepandwakeatregularintervals

C.alwaysacceptstherhythmoftheworldaroundthem

D.alwaysfeelstheworldaroundhimiswarmandfriendly

问题3选项

A.canneverbetakentoofar

B.shouldbelefttoschoolteachers

C.willalwaysassisttheirdevelopment

D.shouldbebalancedbetweentwoextremes

问题4选项

A.toodifficultforchildren

B.akindofbuilding-blocktoy

C.notveryentertainingforadults

D.suitableexercisesforparent-childcooperation

问题5选项

A.serveadualpurpose

B.shouldbeavoidedasmuchaspossible

C.reflectthevaluesofthecommunity

D.aredesignedtopromotethechild’s

【答案】第1题:B

第2题:B

第3题:D

第4题:D

第5题:A

【解析】1.细节事实题。由第一段Whereonestageofchilddevelopmenthasbeenleftout,ornotsufficientlyexperienced,thechildmayhavetogobackandcapturetheexperienceofit.Agoodhomemakesthispossible,forexample,providingtheopportunityforthechildtoplaywithaclockworkcarortoyrailwaytrain,uptoanyagehestillneedstodoso.Thisprinciple,infact,underliesallpsychologicaltreatmentofchildrenindifficultieswiththeirdevelopment,andisthebasisofworkinchildclinics.如果儿童发展的一个阶段被遗漏，或者没有足够的经验，儿童可能必须回去捕捉它的经验。一个好的家庭使这成为可能，例如，提供机会，让孩子玩发条车或玩具火车，直到任何年龄，他仍然需要这样做。事实上，这一原则是对发育有困难的儿童进行所有心理治疗的基础，也是儿童诊所工作的基础。可知B项“对早期经验的再现”正确。

2.细节事实题。由第二段Thebeginningsofdisciplineareinthenursery.Eventheyoungestbabyistaughtbygradualstagestowaitforfood,tosleepandwakeatregularintervalsandsoon.纪律是从托儿所开始的。甚至最小的婴儿被逐步教导等食物,有规律地睡眠和醒来等等。可知B项“托儿所的孩子一开始并不是有规律地睡觉和醒来”正确。

3.判断推理题。由第三段Itisoftentemptingtohurrythechildbeyondhisnaturallearningrate,butthiscansetupdangerousfeelingoffailureandstatesofanxietyinthechild.催促孩子超过他的自然学习速度通常是诱人的，但这会在孩子身上建立起失败的危险感觉和焦虑状态。可知揠苗助长会到导致孩子产生两种极端情况，故应在两种极端方式之间采取保持平衡。

4.细节事实题。Toysandgameswhichbothparentsandchildrencanshareareanimportantmeansofachievingthiscooperation.Building-blocktoys,jigsawpuzzlesandcrosswordaregoodexamples.父母和孩子都能分享的玩具和游戏是实现这种合作的重要手段。积木玩具、拼图和填字游戏都是很好的例子。由此可知拼图游戏适合建立父母与孩子之间的合作关系。故D项正确。

5.细节事实题。由末段Ingeneral,thecontrolsimposedrepresenttheneedsoftheparentsandthevaluesofthecommunityasmuchasthechild'sownhappinessandwellbeing.一般来说，施加控制代表父母的需要和社区的价值，以及儿童本身的幸福和福祉。据此可知纪律和施加控制由双重目的。故A项正确。

4.单选题

Thelittlegirlisignorant（）thebasicrulesofEnglishgrammar.

问题1选项

A.for

B.of

C.with

D.against

【答案】B

【解析】固定搭配。ignorantof意为“不知道,不了解”，为固定搭配。选项B正确。

5.单选题

______theclaimaboutGermaneconomicmight,itissomewhatsurprisinghowrelativelysmalltheGermaneconomyactuallyis.

问题1选项

A.Togive

B.Given

C.Giving

D.Havinggiven

【答案】B

【解析】考查given的用法。A项togive不定式；B项given过去分词作介词放句首，表“考虑到”；C项giving现在分词；D项havinggiven现在完成时；句意：考虑到有关德国经济实力的说法，德国经济实际上是相对较小的，这多少有些令人惊讶。因此该题B项正确。

6.单选题

Chinaisfarfromperfectandseeksitsownadvantage,butholdingit（

）ourdomesticproblemsisbeyondanachronistic.

问题1选项

A.accountfor

B.accountingto

C.accountedto

D.accountablefor

【答案】D

【解析】固定搭配。accountfor“负有责任，占比例”；accountto“报账”；hold(sb./sth.)accountablefor“让某人对某事负责”。句意：中国远非完美，而是在寻求自身的优势，如果让它来对国内问题承担责任，那就相当不合时宜。选项D符合题意。

7.单选题

Livingconstantlyintheatmosphereofslave,hebecameinfected（）theunconscious（）theirpsychology.Noonecanshieldhimself（）suchaninfluence.

问题1选项

A.on...by...at

B.by...for...in

C.from...in...on

D.through...with...from

【答案】D

【解析】考查固定搭配。infectsb.withsth.“用……感染……”是固定搭配；shieldfrom“庇护使免遭……”也是固定搭配；through表示感染渠道。因此D选项符合题意。

8.翻译题

TranslatethefollowingsentencesintoChinese.

Handinhandwiththerecentspectacularadvancesinradiotechnology,therehasbeenadramaticincreaseinthescientificandpublicrespectabilityoftheentiresubjectofextraterrestriallife.AclearsignofthenewattitudeistheVikingmissionstoMarswhicharetoasignificantextentdedicatedtothesearchforlifeonanotherplanet.Butalongwiththeburgeoningdedicationtoaserioussearch,aslightlynegativenotehasemergedwhichisneverthelessveryinteresting.Afewscientistshavelatelyaskedacuriousquestion:ifextraterrestrialintelligenceisabundantwhyhavewenotalreadyseenitsmanifestations?Thinkoftheadvancesbyourowntechnologicalcivilizationinthepasttenthousandyearsandimaginesuchadvancescontinuedovermillionsorbillionsofyearsmore.Ifonlyatinyfractionofadvancedcivilizationsaremillionsorbillionsofyearsmoreadvancedthanours,whyhavetheynotproducedartifactsdevicesorevenindustrialpollutionofsuchmagnitudethatwewouldhavedetectedit?

【答案】随着无线电技术的突飞猛进，科学界和公众对外太空生物这一个课题的认识有了极大的提高。这种新态度明显的标志事件就是向火星发射“海盗”号火星探测器。这些发射在很大程度上是致力于去寻找其他星球上的生物。但是随着对这项研究的不断投入，出现了一些带否定意味但是很有趣的声音。近来少数科学家提出了一个奇怪的疑问：如果外太空生物多的话为什么我们没有看到任何相关迹象？想想我们在过去一万年里科技文明的进步。再设想一下，这些进步将持续数百万甚至十亿年的时间。如果有某个地方的文明比我们的文明先进数百万年或者数十亿年，他们为什么不能生产出一些物件，器械装置和我们本应该检测到的大量的工业污染？

9.单选题

Enteringthefurniturestore,Mr.Thompsontookafewminutesto_______throughthecatalogandgotasenseofwhatkindsofsofawereinpopulardemand.

问题1选项

A.gaze

B.stare

C.shuffle

D.riffle

【答案】D

【解析】gaze注视,凝视;stare凝视,盯着看;shuffle搅乱,推诿;riffle迅速翻阅，rifflethrough很快地（漫不经心地）翻阅。句意：走进家具店之后,Thompson先生用了几分钟时间快速浏览了一下目录，了解了一下什么样的沙发最受欢迎。选项D符合句意。

10.单选题

Ittookalotofimaginationtocomeupwithsuchan（）plan.

问题1选项

A.inherent

B.ingenious

C.infectious

D.indulgent

【答案】B

【解析】形容词词义辨析。inherent“内在的,固有的,与生倶来的”;ingenious“有独创性的,机灵的”;infectious“传染的,传染性的”;indulgent“放纵的,宽容的”。句意:想出这样一个巧妙的计划需要很大的想象力。选项B符合句意。

11.单选题

Costumejewelryisverypopularbecause____allowsforagreatvarietyofstyles.

问题1选项

A.ofitslowprice

B.itslowprice

C.thepriceislow

D.thepriceisbeinglow

【答案】B

【解析】【选项释义】

A.ofitslowprice价格便宜B.itslowprice它低廉的价格

C.thepriceislow价格便宜D.thepriceisbeinglow价格便宜

【答案】B

【考查点】主谓搭配

【解题思路】根据选项推测，原句语义为“用于装饰的珠宝很受欢迎，因为（because）它的价格便宜，可以有各种各样的款式（allowsforagreatvarietyofstyles）”。根据原文，空格之前为引导原因状语从句的关系词because，空格之后为从句的谓语动词allowsfor，所以，空格处所填的内容应为从句的主语，四个选项中只有B选项itslowprice“它低廉的价格”可以充当主语，符合要求。

【干扰项排除】

A选项ofitslowprice，不能充当主语不符合要求，虽然becauseofitslowprice可以做主句Costumejewelryisverypopular的原因状语，但是与后文的动宾结构allowsforagreatvarietyofstyles不搭；

C选项thepriceislow，是一个完整的句子，可以直接跟because做原因状语从句，但是与后文的动宾短语搭配不当；如果做主语从句的话，缺少从句引导词；

D选项thepriceisbeinglow，时态和搭配都不符合原句。

【句意】用于装饰的珠宝很受欢迎，因为它的价格低廉，可以有各种各样的款式。

12.单选题

Althoughtheyhadsufferedheavylosses,theyrefusedto（）defeat.

问题1选项

A.concede

B.conserve

C.assert

D.conceal

【答案】A

【解析】考查动词辨析。A选项concede“承认；退让”；B选项conserve“保存；保护”；C选项assert“维护；宣称”；D选项conceal“隐藏；隐瞒”。句意：尽管他们已经遭受了巨大损失，他们却拒绝……失败。虽然损失惨大，但是他们却还是不愿意认输。因此A选项符合题意。

13.单选题

Amotionpicturedirectorforovertwentyyears,JohnChampmanstampedhisfilmwith（

）tyleandpersonalconviction.

问题1选项

A.himself

B.hisown

C.his

D.him

【答案】B

【解析】考查人称代词和物主代词的用法。句意：二十多年来，电影导演John将他的电影深深烙上了个人风格和个人信仰的记号。选项B符合题意。hisown“他自己的”。

14.翻译题

WhenvisitingtheU.K.andlookingtoseewhatphonesthelocalsuse,oddsarethateveryotheronehasGoogleAndroiddeviceinhand.ThedatashowsthatApple’smarketshareintheU.K.hasfallento18.5percent,whichisdownfrom33percentlastyear.ThatreductionhasallowedResearchinMotiontocapturetheno.2spotwith22.5percentofsales.OthernotablefiguresoutsidethetopthreeincludeNokiadevices(6percent)andMicrosofthandsetswithascant1.4percentofsales.

WillthemarketsharemixcontinuewithAndroidleadingthepack?IimagineAndroidwillcontinuetobethemarketleader,butApplewillleapfrogbackoverRIMthankstothenewiPhone4S.TherearesurelybuyersforbothiPhonesandBlackBerrydevices,butingeneral,RIMstilldoesn’tofferneartheexperience,functionalityordiversityofapplicationsfoundonthelatestiPhone.PerhapsthatwillchangewhenRIMlaunchesphoneswiththenewBBXplatform,butthat’slookinglikea2012eventatthispoint.

【答案】答：

如果你在英国，你会发现街上每两个人中就有一个使用的是安装谷歌或安卓系统的智能手机。数据显示，苹果公司在英国的市场份额已经下跌至18.5%，环比去年下跌了33%。苹果公司市场份额的下跌也成全了RIM公司，后者以22.5%的份额登上了第二名的宝座。排在前三名之外的还有诺基亚6%，微软1.4%。

安卓手机还会继续引领市场吗？我预测这个问题的答案是肯定的，但苹果公司也会凭借iPhone4S重新超越RIM公司。虽然存在同时使用iPhone和黑莓的用户，但总体看来，RIM公司的产品仍然无法提供像iPhone那样的用户体验、丰富的功能或者多样的应用程序。也许当RIM公司发布全新BBX平台的手机之后，情况会有所改变。但现在看来，那也许要等到2012年了。

15.单选题

Inhisfifties,Dr.Brownbecamedirectorofthechemicalcompany,apositionhe（）fortherestofhislife.

问题1选项

A.attained

B.cherished

C.expanded

D.retained

【答案】D

【解析】attain达到,实现；cherish珍爱；expand扩大；retain保持。句意：50岁时,Brown博士成为这家化学公司的董事,他在这个职位上呆了一辈子。只有选项D符合语境。

16.单选题

SevenWaystoSavetheWorldForgettheoldideathatconservingenergyisaformofself-denial-ridingbicycles,dimmingthelights,andtakingfewershowers.Thesedaysconservationisallaboutefficiency:gettingthesame-orbetter-resultsfromjustafractionoftheenergy.WhenaslumpinbusinesstravelforcedUlrichRomertocutcostsathisfamily-ownedhotelinGermany,hereplacedhundredsofthehotel’swastefullightbulbs,gettingthesamelightfor80percentlesspower.Heboughtanewwaterboilerwithadigitallycontrolledpump,andwrappedinsulationaroundthepipes.Spendingabout£100,000ontheseandotherimprovements,heslashedhis£90,000fuelandpowerbillby£60,000.Asabonus,thehotel’slowerenergyneedshavereduceditsannualcarbonemissionsbymorethan200metrictons.“Forus,savingenergyhasbeenvery,veryprofitable,”hesays.“Andmostimportantly,we’renotgivingupasinglecomfortforourguests.”

Efficiencyisalsoagreatwaytolowercarbonemissionsandhelpslowglobalwarming.Butthebestargumentforefficiencyisitscost—or,moreprecisely,itsprofitability.That’sbecausequicklygrowingenergydemandrequiresimmenseinvestmentinnewsupply,nottomentionthedrainofrisingenergyprices.

Nowonderefficiencyhasmovedtothetopofthepoliticalagenda.OnJan.10,theEuropeanUnionunveiledaplantocutenergyuseacrossthecontinentby20percentby2020.LastMarch,Chinaimposeda20percentincreaseinenergyefficiencyby2020.EvenGeorgeW.Bush,theTexasoilman,isexpectedtotalkaboutenergyconservationinhisStateoftheUnionspeechthisweek.

Thegoodnewsisthattheworldisfullofproven,cheapwaystosaveenergy.Herearetheseventhatcouldhavethebiggestimpact:

Insulate

Spaceheatingandcoolingeatsup36percentofalltheworld’senergy.There’svirtuallynolimittohowmuchofthatcanbesaved,asprototype“zero-energyhomes”inSwitzerlandandGermanyhaveshown.There’sbeenasurgeinnewwaysofkeepingheatinandcoldout(orviceversa).Themostadvancedinsulationfollowsthelawofincreasingreturns:ifyouaddenough,youcanscaledownoreveneliminateheatingandair-conditioningequipment,loweringcostsevenbeforeyoustartsavingonutilitybills.Studieshaveshownthatgreenworkplaces(onesthatdon’tconstantlyneedtohavetheheatorair-conditionerrunning)havehigherworkerproductivityandlowersickrates.

ChangeBulbs

Lightingeatsup20percentoftheworld’selectricity,ortheequivalentofroughly600,000tonsofcoaladay.Fortypercentofthatpowersold-fashionedincandescentlightbulbs—a19th-centurytechnologythatwastesmostofthepoweritconsumesonunwantedheat.

Compactfluorescentlamps,orCFLs,notonlyuse75to80percentlesselectricitythanincandescentbulbstogeneratethesameamountoflight,buttheyalsolast10timeslonger.Phasingoldbulbsoutby2030wouldsavetheoutputof650powerplantsandavoidthereleaseof700milliontonsofcarbonintotheatmosphereeachyear.

ComfortZone

Waterboilers,spaceheatersandairconditionershavebeennotoriouslyinefficient.Theheatpumphasalteredthatequation.Itremovesheatfromtheairoutsideorthegroundbelowandusesittosupplyheattoabuildingoritswatersupply.Inthesummer,thesystemcanbereversedtocoolbuildingsaswell.

MostnewresidentialbuildingsinSwedenarealreadyheatedwithground-sourceheatpumps.Suchsystemsconsumealmostnoconventionalfuelatall.Severalcountrieshaveusedsubsidiestojump-startthemarket,includingJapan,wherealmost1millionheatpumpshavebeeninstalledinthepasttwoyearstoheatwaterforshowersandhottubs.

RemakeFactories

Fromsteelmillstopaperfactories,industryeatsupaboutathirdoftheworld’senergy.Theopportunitiestosavearevast.InLudwigshafen,GermanchemicalsgiantBASFrunsaninterconnectedcomplexofmorethan200chemicalfactories,whereheatproducedbyonechemicalprocessisusedtopowerthenext.AttheLudwigshafensitealone,suchrecyclingofheatandenergysavesthecompany￡200millionayearandalmosthalfitsCO2emissions.NowBASFisdoingthesamefornewplantsinChina.“Optimizingenergyefficiencyisadecisivecompetitiveadvantage,”saysBASFCEOJurgenHambrecht.

GreenDriving

Aquarteroftheworld’senergy—includingtwothirdsoftheannualproductionofoil—isusedfortransportation.Somesavingscomefreeofcharge:youcanboostfuelefficiencyby6percentsimplybykeepingyourcar’stiresproperlyinflated.Gasoline-electrichybridmodelsliketheToyotaPriusimprovemileagebyafurther20percentoverconventionalmodels.

ABetterFridge

Morethanhalfofallresidentialpowergoesintorunninghouseholdappliances,producingafifthoftheworld’scarbonemissions.Andthat’strueeventhoughmanufacturershavealreadyhikedtheefficiencyofrefrigeratorsandotherwhitegoodsbyasmuchas70percentsincethe1980s.AccordingtoanInternationalEnergyAgencystudy,ifconsumerschosethosemodelsthatwouldsavethemthemostmoneyoverthelifeoftheappliance,they’dcutglobalresidentialpowerconsumption(andtheirutilitybills)by43percent.

FlexiblePayment

Whosaysyouhavetopayforallyourconservationinvestments?“Energyservicecontractors”willpayforretrofittinginreturnforashareoftheclient’sannualutility-billsavings,InBeijing,ShenwuThermalEnergyTechnologyCo.specializesinretrofittingChina’ssteelfurnaces.Shenwuputsuptheinitialinvestmenttoinstallaheatexchangerthatpreheatstheairgoingintothefurnace,slashingtheclient’sfuelcosts.Shenwupocketsacutofthosesavings,sobothShenwuandtheclientprofit.

Ifsavingenergyissoeasyandprofitable,whyisn’teveryonedoingit?Ithastodowithpsychologyandalackofinformation.Mostofustendtolookattoday’spricetagmorethantomorrow’spotentialsavings.Thatholdsdoubleforthelandlordordeveloper,whowon’tactuallyseeapennyofthesavingshisinvestmentinbetterinsulationorabetterheatingsystemmightgenerate.Inmanypeople’sminds,conservationisstillassociatedwithself-denial.Manyenvironmentalistsstillpushthatview.

Smartgovernmentscanhelppushthemarketintherightdirection.TheEU’s1994lawonlabelingwassuchasuccessthatitextendedthesameideatoentirebuildingslastyear.Toboostthemarketvalueofefficiency,allnewbuildingsarerequi