英语新闻 | 天气这么热，欧洲人为啥不装空调？

英语新闻|天气这么热，欧洲人为啥不装空调？Europe has seen record temperatures in recent weeks. The temperature in the UK exceeded 40°C for the first time. Under the high temperature "baking test", even the airport runway was sunburned. The royal guards wearing bearskin hats outside Buckingham Palace also complained, bluntly saying "tunic tops and hats are just like a pressure cooker".今年夏天，欧洲各地遭受高温侵袭。英国气温首次突破40℃，高温“烤验”下，连机场跑道都被晒化了，白金汉宫外戴着熊皮帽的皇家卫兵们也叫苦不迭，直言“束腰上衣和帽子就像高压锅”。Thousands of firefighters across southern Europe were battling hundreds of wildfires in countries including Portugal, Spain and France, amid an intense heat wave that has caused hundreds of deaths.此外，葡萄牙、西班牙和法国山火频发，已导致数百人丧生。The continuous high temperature weather has made the topic of "Europeans do not install air conditioners" once again on major foreign media websites. People all over the world are wondering why the developed European countries are so indifferent to air conditioners. Are they not afraid of heat? Or they can't afford it?持续的高温天气，让“欧洲人不装空调”的话题再次登上各大外媒网站。全世界的人都在好奇，为什么发达的欧洲国家对空调如此冷漠？是他们不怕热？还是装不起？In Europe, according to one industry estimate, just 20% of homes have AC units. In the United Kingdom, which suffered through its highest recorded temperature, it's less than 5%. In Germany, it's only about 3%. That's compared to 90% in the US.根据一项业内估计，在欧洲，只有20%的家庭有空调。经历了创纪录高温的英国，这一比例不及5%，德国仅为3%。而美国90%的家庭有空调设备。There are many reasons for the general lack of air conditioning in Europe. First of all, the geographical environment determines that the summer in Europe is not so hot.欧洲普遍缺乏空调有多种原因。首先，地理环境决定欧洲夏天没有那么热。Europe is located farther north than much of the continental US, making the weather there generally cooler than it is here. The average July high in London is 75°F (24°C), which is 10 degrees cooler than the average July high in New York. Therefore, affected by the climate, the infrastructure of European countries pays more attention to heating.纬度上，欧洲比美国大陆的大部分更靠北，因此欧洲气候通常更加凉爽。例如，伦敦7月份的平均最高气温为24°C，比纽约的低约5.6°C。因此受气候影响，欧洲国家的基础设施更加注重供暖。Secondly, there are many old houses in European countries, and there was no air conditioner at that time.其次，欧洲国家的老房子很多，那时还没有空调。While it’s possible to retrofit older houses with air-conditioning units, many are built with brick and have no—or very small—air cavities. This makes it harder and more expensive to install air-conditioning, particularly when pre-existing hot water and electrical systems get in the way.虽然可以改造房子来装空调，但许多房子是用砖建造的，没有或只有很有限的通风槽。这使得安装空调更困难和昂贵，尤其还要考虑到固有的热水和电力系统会阻碍安装。What’s more, Europeans do not install air conditioners because the cost is too high.当然，欧洲人不装空调的还因为花费太高。Electricity costs more in Europe, with prices in Germany and Denmark more than twice as high as in the US. Climate consciousness makes many reluctant to embrace technology that contributes to climate change. Other cultural differences may also play a role, with some attributing all manner of maladies to moving air.欧洲的电力成本更高，德国和丹麦的电价是美国的两倍多。人们的气候意识让欧洲很多人不愿意接受导致气候变化的新技术。还有其他文化差异，比如有些人认为空调带来的空气流动会让人生病。Therefore, the fact that Europeans do not have air conditioners in the summer is unacceptable at first glance, and a detailed analysis of the origin is complicated.所以，欧洲人大夏天没有空调这事，乍听无法接受，细细分析其中渊源确实复杂。But the planet's recent record-breaking heat waves—and the desperate urge to stay cool—has Europeans in particular, rethinking their prejudices and shelling out for indoor cooling systems.但是，地球近些年破纪录的高温——以及人们想要降温解暑的强烈愿望——让欧洲人重新考量了他们的偏见，开始掏腰包采购室内制冷系统。The current heat wave has killed more than 2,000 people in Spain and Portugal alone and stopped some routine hospital operations in the UK.仅在西班牙和葡萄牙，目前的高温就已造成2000多人死亡，英国的一些常规医院手术也因此停止运转。This year's sweltering temperatures have seen AC purchases skyrocket in France and the UK, according to the climate data firm Kayrros. 根据气候数据公司Kayros的数据，今年的酷热使得法国和英国的空调购买量飙升。According to a World Bank report from 2019, cooling tech such as refrigerators, air conditioners, and other devices chalk up as much as 10% of all global greenhouse gas emissions. This is more than double the footprint of aviation and maritime together! At this rate, cooling emissions could double by 2030 and triple by 2100, added the report.根据世界银行2019年的一份报告，冰箱、空调和其他设备等冷却技术的温室气体排放量占全球总量的10%，是航空和海运碳足迹总和的两倍多！按照这个速度，到2030年，冷却设备排放量可能会翻一番，到2100年可能达到三倍。As temperatures climb inexorably upward, which science attests they will until greenhouse gas emissions are curbed, the world finds itself in an ostensibly inextricable bind—called the vicious circle of air conditioning.科学证明，在温室气体排放得到控制之前，随着温度不可避免地上升，世界陷入了一个无法摆脱的困境，即所谓的空调恶性循环。Air conditioners are not the best thing for the well-being of the planet, and it’s important to care about their effect on climate change long term, but Europeans may need to care a bit more about themselves in the short term.空调对地球来说并不有利，关注空调对气候变化的长期影响很重要，但欧洲人可能需要在短期内更加关注自己。cavity英[ˈkævəti]；美[ˈkævəti]n. 洞，腔; 〈牙科〉龋洞consciousness英[ˈkɒnʃəsnəs]；美[ˈkɑːnʃəsnəs]n. 清醒状态; 意识; 看法sweltering 英['sweltərɪŋ]；美[ˈswɛltərɪŋ]adj. 闷热的; 热得没气力的v. 热得难受inexorably英[ɪn'eksərəblɪ]；美[ɪn'eksərəblɪ]adv. 无情地，冷酷地; 不可阻挡地