英语课程计划-National Hanging Out Day

National Hanging Out Day is a day to think about the environment and what you can do to help it. It is on April 19th each year. It’s very simple. On this day, you make sure you hang your clothes out to dry on a clothes line. We can save a lot of money and energy by using the humble¹ clothes line. We waste money and energy by using electric dryers³, which also add to global warming. Using a clothes line can actually save the average household several hundred dollars a year. In America, electric clothes dryers account for up to ten per cent of people’s electricity bills. The day was created by the Project Laundry List, which joins together with other organizations to educate communities about energy consumption.

Laundry List.org has other reasons for you to hang your clothes out to dry. It’s good for you. Standing⁴ in the fresh air, feeling the wind on your face and hearing the birds sing is therapeutic⁵. It also makes your clothes smell fresher and last longer. Unfortunately, it’s difficult for some people to do this because some communities ban people from hanging their clothes out. Some people believe it makes the area look bad. To overcome this, many U.S. states have passed legislation that protects your “right to dry”. So April 19 is a celebration of the clothes line. If everyone in the USA swapped⁶ their dryer² for a clothes line, homes would reduce their CO2 output by 3.3%. A single dryer in a U.S. home uses more energy a year than the average African uses.

1 humble   

adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低

参考例句：

• In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。
• Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。

2 dryer   

n.干衣机，干燥剂

参考例句：

• He bought a dryer yesterday.他昨天买了一台干燥机。
• There is a washer and a dryer in the basement.地下室里有洗衣机和烘干机。

3 dryers   

n.干燥机( dryer的名词复数 )；干燥器；干燥剂；干燥工

参考例句：

• Men also have hair dryers and, if they suffer from baldness, they use a growth stimulator, buy hairpieces, or have hair transplanted from the hirsute part of the scalp to the bare areas. 男士也有他们的吹风机，而且如果他们秃顶的话，还会用毛发生长剂、买假发，或者把头发从密集的地方移植到谢顶的地方。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The dryers can be automated. 干燥机可以自动化作业。 来自辞典例句

4 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

5 therapeutic   

adj.治疗的，起治疗作用的；对身心健康有益的

参考例句：

• Therapeutic measures were selected to fit the patient.选择治疗措施以适应病人的需要。
• When I was sad,music had a therapeutic effect.我悲伤的时候，音乐有治疗效力。

6 swapped   

交换（工作）( swap的过去式和过去分词 )； 用…替换，把…换成，掉换（过来）

参考例句：

• I liked her coat and she liked mine, so we swapped. 我喜欢她的外套，她喜欢我的外套，于是我们就交换了。
• At half-time the manager swapped some of the players around. 经理在半场时把几名队员换下了场。