DAY 1 ?Vocabulary
1、Wind and solar energy are disrupting??a century-old model of providing electricity.
disrupt:?
v:(t)to cause disorder or turmoil in
(turmoil:a state of great commotion, confusion, or disturbance; tumult; agitation; disquiet:)
(commotion:sudden noisy confusion or excitement)
eg:The news disrupted their conference.
? ? ?to destroy, usually temporarily, the normal continuance or unity of; interrupt
(temporarily:lasting or intended to last or be used only for a short time; not permanent)
eg:Telephone service was disrupted for hours.
? to break apart
eg:to disrupt a connection
Business.to radically change (an industry, business strategy, etc.), as by introducing a new product or service that creates a new market:
(radically:with regard to origin or root.)
eg:It’s time to disrupt your old business model.
agj:broken apart; disrupted.
Thesaurus: disturb;interrupt ;disorder;dislocate
2、In front of you,you can see the death of the conventional utility
conventional:
adj:conforming or adhering to accepted standards, as of conduct or taste:
(conform:to behave and think in the same way as most other people in a group or society)
eg:conventional behavior.
?She's very conventional in her views.
? ? ? ? ?pertaining to convention or general agreement; established by general consent or accepted usage; arbitrarily determined:
(pertain:to exist or to apply in a particular situation or at a particular time)
eg:conventional symbols.
It's not a hotel, in the conventional sense, but rather a whole village turned into a hotel
? ? ? ? ordinary rather than different or original:
eg:conventional ?phraseology ??(phraseology:the particular way in which words and phrases are arranged when saying or writing sth)
? ? ? ?not using, making, or involving nuclear weapons or energy; nonnuclear:
eg:conventional warfare.
Art. ?in accordance with an accepted manner, model, or tradition.
(of figurative art) represented in a generalized or simplified manner.
Law.resting on consent, express or implied.
utility
n:① the state or quality of being useful; usefulness:
eg:This chemical has no utility as an agricultural fertilizer.
? ②? a public service, as a telephone or electric-light system, a streetcar or railroad line, or the like.
eg:the administration of public utilities
③Economics.the capacity of a commodity or a service to satisfy some human want.
(capacity: ① {u}{c}the number of things or people that a container or space can hold
eg:The theatre has a seating capacity of 2 000.
②{c}{u}the ability to understand or to do sth?
eg:She has an enormous capacity for hard work.
③{c}the official position or function that sb has
eg:acting in her capacity as manager
④{u}the quantity that a factory, machine, etc. can produce?
eg:? The factory is working at full capacity.
⑤{c}{u}the size or power of a piece of equipment, especially the engine of a vehicle
eg:an engine with a capacity of 1 600 cc
④Computers.:utility program
adj:that can be used for several different purposes
eg:an all-round utility player(= one who can play equally well in several different positions in a sport)
Thesaurus:usefulness; practically
3、The south-facing roofs of the houses,barns and cowsheds are blanketed with blue photovoltaic(PV) solar panels
blanket:
n:a large cover, often made of wool, used especially on beds to keep people warm
? ?a thick layer or covering of sth
eg:a blanket of fog/snow/cloud
The trial was conducted under a blanket of secrecy
adj:including or affecting all possible cases, situations or people
eg:a blanket ban on tobacco advertising
? ? ? ?a blanket refusal
v:to cover sth completely with a thick layer
eg:Snow soon blanketed the frozen ground
Thesaurus:(n)coverlet,cover
(adj)comprehensive,extensive
(v)encase,drape
形近詞：blank
adj:?empty, with nothing written, printed or recorded on it
eg:Sign your name in the blank space below.
? ? ? empty; with no pictures, marks or decoration
eg:Suddenly the screen went blank .
? ? ?showing no feeling, understanding or interest
eg:She stared at me with a blank expression on her face.
? ? ? ?complete and total
eg:a blank refusal/denial
n:{c}an empty space on a printed form or document for you to write answers, information, etc. in
eg:If you can't answer the question, leave a blank
{sing} a state of not being able to remember anything
eg:My mind was a blank and I couldn't remember her name
a cartridge in a gun that contains an explosive but no bullet(空彈）
eg:The troops fired blanks in the air.
v.(t）to ignore sb completely
eg:I saw her on the bus this morning, but she totally blanked me.
(i) to be suddenly unable to remember or think of sth
eg:I knew the answer, but I totally blanked during the test
Thesaurus: (n) space,void,break
(adj) empty,vacant,comlete
photovoltaics
adj:{物理學}光電的
4、in 2016 they pockted about $7m from subsidies and ?selling their surplus electricity.
subsidy:
n:money that is paid by a government or an organization to reduce the costs of services or of producing goods so that their prices can be kept low
eg:agricultural subsidies
to reduce the level of subsidy
Related forms:subsidise(v消退，下沉 vt資助）
surplus:
n:an amount that is extra or more than you need
eg:food surpluses
the amount by which the amount of money received is greater than the amount of money spent
eg:The balance of payments was in surplus last year(= the value of exports was greater than the value of imports)
adj:more than is needed or used
eg:Surplus grain is being sold for export
surplus cash
Thesaurus:(n)extra,leftovers
(adj)remaining;additional
5、moving electricity generation to the edge of,or off,the grid-are anathema to electricity markets…
grid:
n:?a pattern of straight lines, usually crossing each other to form squares
eg:New York's grid of streets
? ? a frame of metal or wooden bars that are parallel or cross each other
? ? a pattern of squares on a map that are marked with letters or numbers to help you find the exact position of a place
eg:The grid reference is C8.
? ? ? a system of electric wires or pipes carrying gas, for sending power over a large area
eg:the national grid(= the electricity supply in a country)
? ? ? a pattern of lines marking the starting positions for the racing cars
? ? ? {sing} a number of computers that are linked together using the Internet so that they can share power, data, etc. in order to work on difficult problems
Thesaurus:network;gridiron
anathema:
n:a thing or an idea which you hate because it is the opposite of what you believe
eg:Racial prejudice is (an) anathema to me.
6、revenue
n:the money that a government receives from taxes or that an organization, etc. receives from its business
eg:a shortfall in tax revenue
? ?a slump in oil revenues
? ? ?Inland revenue /tax bureau/ tax ?authorities(稅務局)?
Thesaurus:income,proceeds
區別(income:the money that a person, a region, a country, etc. earns from work, from investing money, from business, etc.
proceeds:the money that you receive when you sell sth or organize a performance, etc.; profits(~of/from sth)）
7、But Wildpoldsried is still very much the exception ,not the rule
rule:
n:{c}a statement of what may, must or must not be done in a particular situation or when playing a game規則；規章，條例
eg：to follow/obey/observe the rules\
? Without unwritten rules civilized life would be impossible.
{c} a statement of what you are advised to do in a particular situation建議；應做之事
eg:The first rule is to make eye contact with your interviewer
{c}{ususing}a habit; the normal state of things; what is true in most cases辭官；常規
eg:He makes it a rule never to borrow money
{c}a statement of what is possible according to a particular system, for example the grammar of a language定律；規則
eg:the rules of grammar
{u}the government of a country or control of a group of people by a particular person, group or system 統治；管理；支配
eg:under civilian/military, etc. rule
? ? majority rule(= government by the political party that most people have voted for)
{c}a measuring instrument with a straight edge
IDM:
bend/stretch the rules根據具體情況改變規則；通融
play by sbs(own) rules按某人的規矩行事
play by the rules按規則玩游戲；處事公正誠實；循規蹈矩
the rule of law法治
work to rule按章工作，變相罷工
v:(t)(i)to control and have authority over a country, a group of people, etc.
eg:Eighty million years ago, dinosaurs ruled the earth.
(i)to be the main thing that influences and controls sb/sth
eg:The pursuit of money ruled his life
(i)(t)to give an official decision about sth
eg:The court will rule on the legality of the action
(t)to draw a straight line using sth that has a firm straight edge
eg:Rule a line at the end of every piece of work.
IDM:
rule the roost當首領
rule (sb/sth) with a rod of iron殘酷統治；嚴厲控制
8、impose
v:(t)to introduce a new law, rule, tax, etc.; to order that a rule, punishment, etc. be used( ~sth on/upon sth/sb)
eg:A new tax was imposed on fuel
(t)to force sb/sth to have to deal with sth that is difficult or unpleasant
eg:to impose limitations/restrictions/constraints on sth
(t)to make sb accept the same opinions, wishes, etc. as your own
eg:She didn't want to impose her values on her family.
(i)to expect sb to do sth for you or to spend time with you, when it may not be convenient for them
eg:Everyone imposes on Dave's good nature
(t)to make sb/sth accept or be aware of your presence or ideas
eg:European civilization was the first to impose itself across the whole world.
Thesaurus:enforce;execute
9、Investment in supply beyond what the market required has produced gults and pushed down prices.
gult:
n:a situation in which there is more of sth than is needed or can be used
eg:a glut of cheap DVDs on the market
v:to supply or provide sth with too much of sth(~sth with sth)
eg:The market has been glutted with foreign cars
Antonym:shortage
10、slump
v:(i)to fall in price, value, number, etc., suddenly and by a large amount
eg:Sales have slumped this year
(i)to sit or fall down heavily
eg:The old man slumped down in his chair.
n:a sudden fall in sales, prices, the value of sth, etc.
eg:a slump in profits
a period when a country's economy or a business is doing very badly
eg:the slump of the 1930s
Thesaurus: {n}?decrease ?(to become or make sth become smaller in size, number, etc.)（使大小、數量等）減少，減小，降低
decline; (a continuous decrease in the number, value, quality, etc. of sth)（數量、價值、質量等的）減少，下降，衰落，衰退
{v}?sink; tumble
11、In an industry strucd marginal costs,renewables have a disruptive punch above their weight.
marginal:
adj:small and not important
eg:a marginal improvement in weather conditions
? ? not part of a main or important group or situation
eg:marginal groups in society
? ? marginal cost邊際成本
? ? ?written in the margin of a page
eg:marginal notes/comments
? ? ?that cannot produce enough good crops to make a profit
? ? ? won or lost by a very small number of votes and therefore very important or interesting as an indication of public opinion（議席或選區）邊緣的（以微弱票數決定成?。?br>
eg:a marginal seat/constituency邊緣席位、選區
n:a seat in a parliament, on a local council, etc. that was won by a very small number of votes（議會或地方委員會的）邊緣席位
eg:a Labour marginal
Thesaurus:on the edge,bordering
此句中，weight譯為實力。電力行業的利潤與邊際成本相關性很強，“亂拳打死了老師傅”
12、…making fossil-fuel prices irrelevant,wholesale electricity prices collapse…
irrelevent:
adj:not important to or connected with a situation
eg:irrelevant remarks
totally/completely/largely irrelevant
Thesaurus:unrelated;immaterial
Antonym:relevent
collapse:
v:(i)to fall down or fall in suddenly, often after breaking apart
eg:The roof collapsed under the weight of snow.
(i)to fall down (and usually become unconscious), especially because you are very ill/sick
eg:He collapsed in the street and died two hours later.
(i)to sit or lie down and relax, especially after working hard
eg:When I get home I like to collapse on the sofa and listen to music.
(i)to fail suddenly or completely
eg:Talks between management and unions have collapsed.
(i)to decrease suddenly in amount or value
eg:Share prices collapsed after news of poor trading figures.
(i)(t)to fold sth into a shape that uses less space; to be able to be folded in this way
eg:The table collapses for easy storage.
(t)(i)if a lung or blood vesselcollapsesoris collapsed, it falls in and becomes flat and empty
n:(c)(u)a sudden failure of sth, such as an institution, a business or a course of action（機構、生意、行動等的）突然失敗，倒閉，崩潰
eg:the collapse of law and order in the area
(u)the action of a building suddenly falling
eg:The walls were strengthened to protect them from collapse.
(u)(c)a medical condition when a person suddenly becomes very ill/sick, or when sb falls because they are ill/sick or weak病倒；（因病或體弱的）昏倒，暈倒
eg:a state of mental/nervous collapse
(c)a sudden fall in value
eg:the collapse of share prices/the dollar/the market
Thesaurus:(n)failure,ruin,downfall
(v)fall down
13、mandate
n:the authority to do sth, given to a government or other organization by the people who vote for it in an election（政府或組織等經選舉而獲得的）授權
eg:The election victory gave the party a clear mandate to continue its programme of reform.
? ?the period of time for which a government is given power
eg:The presidential mandate is limited to two terms of four years each.
? ?an official order given to sb to perform a particular task(~to do sth)
eg:The bank had no mandate to honour the cheque.
v: ??to order sb to behave, do sth or vote in a particular way(~that…sb to do sth)
eg:The law mandates that imported goods be identified as such.
? ? ? to give sb, especially a government or a committee, the authority to do sth(~sb/sth to do sth)
eg:The assembly was mandated to draft a constitution.
Thesaurus:(n)order；command
(v) instruct;anthorize
14、…domestic renewables have on the demand for grid electricity…
domestic:
adj:of or inside a particular country; not foreign or international
eg:domestic affairs/politics
? ?domestic flights(= to and from places within a country)
? Output consists of both exports and sales on the domestic market.
? ? ? ? ? used in the home; connected with the home or family
eg:the growing problem of domestic violence(= violence between members of the same family)
? ? ? ? liking home life; enjoying or good at cooking, cleaning the house, etc.
eg:I'm not a very domestic sort of person.
? ? ?kept on farms or as pets; not wild
n:a servant who works in sb's house, doing the cleaning and other jobs
? ?a fight between two members of the same family
eg:The police were called to sort out a domestic
15、But peer pressure is unlikely to be decisive.
decisive
adj:(1)very important for the final result of a particular situation
eg:a decisive factor/victory/battle
? ? ? a decisive step(= an important action that will change a situation) towards a cleaner environment
(2)able to decide sth quickly and with confidence
eg:The government must take decisive action on gun control.
Thesaurus:conclusive;pivotal;critical;significant
Antonym:uncertain,insignificant
16、Mr Huber likens the upheaval facing utilities to that seen…
liken（區別like）
v:to represent as similar or like; compare
eg:Life can be liken to a journey with an unknow destination.
Thesaurus:compare;associate
upheaval [?p'hiv(?)l]
n:a big change that causes a lot of confusion, worry and problems
eg:the latest upheavals in the education system
Thesaurus:turmoil;disturbance
17、back up 支持，援助
the edge of ……的邊緣
write off 取消
at first blush乍一看
drag down向下拖
cling on堅持
net metering凈計量
It eats its own tail自斷其尾
flow into 流入
dry up 干涸，住口
pegged to與……掛鉤
DAY 2
Annie
借鑒了安妮的思路將文章分為government,consumers,renewable energy,the grid and electricity market；將文章分成這幾個角度后，理解便相對容易了些。最開始確實容易以時間順序搭建框架，則會出現在price 和demand 方面不斷重復的現象。但是和安妮的邏輯思維導圖相比，(1)還是欠缺了一些角色，比如fossil fuel producers,solutions；solutions 方面是因為結尾部分沒有理解透徹，沒有總結出tackle problems 的方法，所以沒有在思維導圖中展現（2）在描寫government等和renewable energy的關系，各個角色之間的關系，概括不夠精簡 （3）在renewable producers的發展進程方面，對價格以及需求的變化總結不到位。
根本性原因還是對文章的了解不夠透徹。
IN addition 附加閱讀Clean energy's dirty secret思維導圖
DAY 3
（1）群消息整理
Q:請問Moving electricity generation to the edge of, or off, the grid中to the edge of, or off,是什么用法呢？
A: ?the edge of是還在邊界上，off是被踢出去“離開”國家電網系統。就是把舊能源趕到邊緣，或者完全擠出電力市場
Q：the sports hall and many of the houses where the 2600 villagers live,as well as backing up the wind and…請問這里back up怎么理解呢？
: ?那是生物肥料不僅供給住戶同時還補充了太陽能風能的斷流期。Back?up , 支持，撐，幫襯
Q:請問這段怎么理解呢
A:就是如果再生能源只是占小份額，那么基本不太受價格的邊際成本影響，只要那些plant還靠礦物燃料發電整個電力批發價格還是高的，所以有些設備還是可以考慮使用可再生能源發電，那種基本是簽署固定價格。然后下一段說，但這也會導致越多可再生資源發電，電的價格越低。當可再生資源發電基本滿足需求，不再需要礦物燃料時，整個電力價格也下跌，從而導致價格下跌。這也是我國明知道煤燃燒污染大但還是得批準一定份額建廠的原因。一方面我國確實石油匱乏煤相對比較經濟實惠，另一方面也是維持價格穩定
Q:請問A revenue-neutral economy-wide carbon tax中那個economy-wide如何理解？
A: ?involvingthe whole of a country's?economy:
Employmentin?services?fell?by 50,000 last month,?contributing?to the slight?rise?in the economy-wide?unemployment?rate.
Q:不是很懂這句In an industry structured around marginal costs, renewables have a
disruptive punch above their weight.求解答
A:電力產業中邊際成本很重要，新能源邊際成本很低啊,把化石燃料發電打趴下了。To?achieve?or?perform?at a higher level than wouldbe expected based on one's?preparation,?attributes,?rank, orpast?accomplishments.?Understanding punch above one's weight is thekey to understanding this sentence
Q:啊明白了，謝謝二位！再問問structured around marginal costs能不能理解為電力行業的利潤與邊際成本相關性很強
A:對的，邊際成本是結構核心
Q:那這里的punch可以理解為造成的影響比本身的重量更大么
A:拳擊比賽不都是分量級的么，你不能在比你高10公斤的量級，除非想死。但是有時候punch or hit above?your weight,估計是出乎意料的打了一個重拳，所以這么理解也有道理
Q: revenue,income的辨析:二者在國際財務報告準則上的定義
A:這里的ordinary activities理解為主營業務。下面的contribution指合伙人入股投資，然后公司資產提升，但是這個并不算收入增長。這是區分傳銷非法集資和正常生意的關鍵
Thought:
1、在經受了上周的科普性文章的考研后，The Economist的文章果然相對而言，容易接受了些。同時又對文章進行了大量的生詞掃盲，經濟學人的文章，如安妮老師說的“好像大學中庸，學了以后就知道怎么寫科舉文章，所以其實并不好理解”，單詞理解之后，再放入段落中，看似能解釋的通，但又有種云里霧里的感覺。直到聽了安妮老師的邏輯講解，才稍稍有了一點了解。The world turned upside down，一開頭的題目就取得略有些意思。新能源的開發，為保護綠色環境，應對氣候變化，提供了重要的途徑。政府為支持這新型能源的發展，提供了subsidies，鼓勵各方投資。最開始的新能源價格很高，電力市場的經濟利益方，見勢必然會跟隨潮流，大力投入renewable energy，新能源正在不斷擴大市場份額，商業利益者為了自身獲取更多利益，采取了降價的手段，而經濟人又都是相似的，因此也就形成了價格競爭，由于新能源的成本很低，就形成了惡性的價格下跌，同時舊能源就會相應受到冷落。但新能源又不能提供持久性的發電，此時投資商由于不能獲取較高的回報，減少了投資，政府因為新能源的大力發展也開始減少補貼，而新能源電量多余，無法存儲的時候又要將電量交于電網輸送，又要支付相應的設備使用費。新能源逐漸顯現出的弱勢，又使舊能源的一些優勢顯現，舊能源供電的持久性提供了其存在的必然性?？稍偕茉吹氖袌鰯U大將其推入了死亡的惡性循環。
2、經濟學人中有很多有意思的表述，如開頭的“issue”帶有諷刺的意味，at first blush乍一看，“have a disruptive punch above their weight” "long-run solutions do not solve short-term constrains"…讀來雖然一時間無法透徹理解，一旦明白就深覺表述很跳躍，生動，不是直譯地死氣沉沉。
3、學習這類文章不僅僅是要拓寬自己的知識領域，也要帶著強烈的好奇心，將自己置身其中，思考問題產生的原因，解決的方法，再多查閱相關的回答，思想之間的碰撞才能使自己收獲頗多且真切。
2017.3.8
