英语听力—环球英语 527 The Ethical Man

　　Voice 1
Welcome to Spotlight¹. I'm Ruby² Jones.
Voice 2
And I'm Joshua Leo. Spotlight uses a special english method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
In February of 2006, the Rowlatt family changed their lives. They did this as an experiment. They wanted to change their effect on the environment. They called it a year of living ethically⁴.
Voice 2
Today's Spotlight is on Justin Rowlatt, the Ethical³ Man.
Voice 1
Justin Rowlatt is a news writer for the BBC in the UK. It was not his idea to live differently. The BBC had the idea of an experiment. They wanted one reporter to live as ethically as possible for a year.
Voice 2
But one of the first questions Justin asked himself was, "What is an ethical lifestyle?" Ethical has many possible meanings, but people usually think of it as trying to live in the best, most moral⁵ way. In this situation, living ethically meant living an environmentally friendly lifestyle. A life that damaged the earth as little as possible.
Voice 1
Justin believed that he and his family already cared for the environment. They already bought food that was grown naturally without chemicals. They recycled and reused many of the containers their food was in. They did not use their car very often. They even took the bus to work.
Voice 2
But then, Justin met Professor Tim Jackson. Professor Jackson is an expert on environmentally friendly living. He would be helping⁶ the Rowlatts as they changed their life. And he showed them that there were still many changes that they could make.
Voice 1
There were many large things that Justin could have done to live a more environmentally responsible life. He could power his house with new energy methods. He could move to a smaller house out in the country. But that was not the plan. This experiment was not about big changes. It was about small changes that anyone can make.
Voice 2
The goal of the experiment was to reduce the carbon footprint of the Rowlatt family by 20 percent.  A carbon footprint is a way to measure the amount of carbon dioxide a person creates. With every bit of energy a person uses, the larger the carbon footprint is. Living ethically meant living with a smaller footprint. Living ethically meant helping to reduce global climate change.
Voice 1
The Rowlatts were a little worried about what life would be like when they were living ethically. They were not in control of how they used energy, and they were not sure how this would change their life.
Voice 2
The experiment started in March of 2006. Justin put a new electricity meter in his home. He could clearly see how much electricity their house was using at all times. He was surprised by the amount. So he did his best to reduce this amount. He used new light bulbs. These new bulbs use five times less electricity.
Voice 1
In April, Justin and his family stopped using their electric clothes dryer⁷. Instead, they hung their clothes outside to dry. But then some bigger changes happened. The professor took the Rowlatt's car. Their one car was responsible for about 13 percent of their carbon footprint. By getting rid of it, their energy use would greatly change.
Voice 2
The Rowlatts were not used to not having a car. Justin's wife and daughters were even a bit angry about this change. Living ethically did not always mean living easily. But although the Rowlatts made some changes, there were still many more to make. They learned⁸ that their home itself was wasteful⁹. Heat was leaking out of many areas of their house. Sadly, these problems were too costly¹⁰ to fix. So Justin tried to make more small changes.
Voice 1
He covered areas where heat was escaping. He tried to remember to close the doors of rooms. The family used less heating¹¹ in the winter. And when they were planning their family holiday for the summer, they decided¹² not to fly. Instead they took the train. Flying to a far country can create up to five times more carbon than taking a train.
Voice 2
Justin also started to think about the water his family used. He learned about all the water his family used for washing their bodies, for washing clothes, and for watering plants. He learned that using more water means using more electricity. It takes a lot of energy to collect and transport water. Justin wanted to change this. So just like the other areas of his life, Justin decided to do small things to make a change.
Voice 1
He and his family collected rain water to water plants. They placed a special bag into their toilet to save a litre of water with every use. They shut off the water when they were washing their hands or cleaning their teeth.
Voice 2
One of the final tests of the ethical life affected¹³ the Rowlatts greatly. In January, Professor Jackson challenged the Rowlatts to reduce their carbon use by changing how they ate. The Rowlatts already tried to eat food that was grown near their home. This reduced the amount of carbon created by transporting the food. But the professor said that eating meat added to their carbon footprint.
Voice 1
Raising animals produces a lot of carbon dioxide gas. In fact, raising animals produces more carbon than all the transportation on the earth, planes, trains, and cars combined. So for the final month of the experiment, the Rowlatts ate no meat or products from animals such as eggs and milk.
Voice 2
The Rowlatt family wondered if all these changes were really making a difference. In February, the experiment was over and the results were in. Professor Jackson visited the family at their home. He showed the family the effect of all the small changes they made. The Rowlatts reduced their carbon footprint by twenty percent. They reached the goal. But the Rowlatts felt a little sad. They felt like they had done more. They expected bigger results.
Voice 1
The Professor explained that they could not control every part of their carbon footprint. All goods and services add to a carbon footprint. Hospitals, schools, and businesses all add something.
Voice 2
But then the Professor showed the family the effect they had on their direct carbon footprint. This was the carbon that they personally made in their home. They reduced their direct carbon footprint by almost half. By reducing their carbon footprint, the family has helped protect the environment. But they also saved money. Their electricity, water and gas bills are much lower than before.
Voice 1
The Rowlatts met their goal of living ethically by making small changes in their own home. If everyone made small changes like this, the effect would be large. By working together this way, the environment could be changed for the better forever.
 

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 ruby   

n.红宝石，红宝石色

参考例句：

• She is wearing a small ruby earring.她戴着一枚红宝石小耳环。
• On the handle of his sword sat the biggest ruby in the world.他的剑柄上镶有一颗世上最大的红宝石。

3 ethical   

adj.伦理的，道德的，合乎道德的

参考例句：

• It is necessary to get the youth to have a high ethical concept.必须使青年具有高度的道德观念。
• It was a debate which aroused fervent ethical arguments.那是一场引发强烈的伦理道德争论的辩论。

4 ethically   

adv.在伦理上，道德上

参考例句：

• Ethically , we have nothing to be ashamed about . 从伦理上说，我们没有什么好羞愧的。
• Describe the appropriate action to take in an ethically ambiguous situation. 描述适当行为采取在一个道德地模棱两可的情况。

5 moral   

adj.道德(上)的，有道德的；n.品行，寓意，道德

参考例句：

• Moral beauty ought to be ranked above all other beauty.品德之美应列于其他美之上。
• He deceived us into believing that he could give us moral support.他骗得我们相信他能给我们道义上的支持。

6 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

7 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。

8 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。

9 wasteful   

adj.（造成）浪费的，挥霍的

参考例句：

• It is a shame to be so wasteful.这样浪费太可惜了。
• Duties have been reassigned to avoid wasteful duplication of work.为避免重复劳动浪费资源，任务已经重新分派。

10 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

11 heating   

n.加热，供暖，暖气装置；adj.加热的，供暖的

参考例句：

• They will install a heating and lighting system in our house.他们将在我们家装上供热供电系统。
• If the pressure is too low,the heating system will act up.如果压力太低，供暖系统就会出毛病。

12 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

13 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。