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
形近词：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(空弹）
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:{物理学}光电的
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资助）
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(税务局)
Thesaurus:income,proceeds
区别(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规则；规章，条例
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建议；应做之事
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辞官；常规
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；规则
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 统治；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根据具体情况改变规则；通融
play by sbs(own) rules按某人的规矩行事
play by the rules按规则玩游戏；处事公正诚实；循规蹈矩
the rule of law法治
work to rule按章工作，变相罢工
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当首领
rule (sb/sth) with a rod of iron残酷统治；严厉控制
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、数量等）减少，减小，降低
decline; (a continuous decrease in the number, value, quality, etc. of sth)（数量、价值、质量等的）减少，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边际成本
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（议席或选区）边缘的（以微弱票数决定成败）
eg:a marginal seat/constituency边缘席位、选区
n:a seat in a parliament, on a local council, etc. that was won by a very small number of votes（议会或地方委员会的）边缘席位
eg:a Labour marginal
Thesaurus:on the edge,bordering
此句中，weight译为实力。电力行业的利润与边际成本相关性很强，“乱拳打死了老师傅”
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（机构、生意、行动等的）突然失败，倒闭，崩溃
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；（因病或体弱的）昏倒，晕倒
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（政府或组织等经选举而获得的）授权
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（区别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 [ʌp'hiv(ə)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 ……的边缘
write off 取消
at first blush乍一看
drag down向下拖
cling on坚持
net metering净计量
It eats its own tail自断其尾
flow into 流入
dry up 干涸，住口
pegged to与……挂钩
DAY 2
Annie
借鉴了安妮的思路将文章分为government,consumers,renewable energy,the grid and electricity market；将文章分成这几个角度后，理解便相对容易了些。最开始确实容易以时间顺序搭建框架，则会出现在price 和demand 方面不断重复的现象。但是和安妮的逻辑思维导图相比，(1)还是欠缺了一些角色，比如fossil fuel producers,solutions；solutions 方面是因为结尾部分没有理解透彻，没有总结出tackle problems 的方法，所以没有在思维导图中展现（2）在描写government等和renewable energy的关系，各个角色之间的关系，概括不够精简 （3）在renewable producers的发展进程方面，对价格以及需求的变化总结不到位。
根本性原因还是对文章的了解不够透彻。
IN addition 附加阅读Clean energy's dirty secret思维导图
DAY 3
（1）群消息整理
Q:请问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是还在边界上，off是被踢出去“离开”国家电网系统。就是把旧能源赶到边缘，或者完全挤出电力市场
Q：the sports hall and many of the houses where the 2600 villagers live,as well as backing up the wind and…请问这里back up怎么理解呢？
: 那是生物肥料不仅供给住户同时还补充了太阳能风能的断流期。Back up , 支持，撑，帮衬
Q:请问这段怎么理解呢
A:就是如果再生能源只是占小份额，那么基本不太受价格的边际成本影响，只要那些plant还靠矿物燃料发电整个电力批发价格还是高的，所以有些设备还是可以考虑使用可再生能源发电，那种基本是签署固定价格。然后下一段说，但这也会导致越多可再生资源发电，电的价格越低。当可再生资源发电基本满足需求，不再需要矿物燃料时，整个电力价格也下跌，从而导致价格下跌。这也是我国明知道煤燃烧污染大但还是得批准一定份额建厂的原因。一方面我国确实石油匮乏煤相对比较经济实惠，另一方面也是维持价格稳定
Q:请问A revenue-neutral economy-wide carbon tax中那个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:不是很懂这句In an industry structured around marginal costs, renewables have a
disruptive punch above their weight.求解答
A:电力产业中边际成本很重要，新能源边际成本很低啊,把化石燃料发电打趴下了。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，谢谢二位！再问问structured around marginal costs能不能理解为电力行业的利润与边际成本相关性很强
A:对的，边际成本是结构核心
Q:那这里的punch可以理解为造成的影响比本身的重量更大么
A:拳击比赛不都是分量级的么，你不能在比你高10公斤的量级，除非想死。但是有时候punch or hit above your weight,估计是出乎意料的打了一个重拳，所以这么理解也有道理
Q: revenue,income的辨析:二者在国际财务报告准则上的定义
A:这里的ordinary activities理解为主营业务。下面的contribution指合伙人入股投资，然后公司资产提升，但是这个并不算收入增长。这是区分传销非法集资和正常生意的关键
Thought:
1、在经受了上周的科普性文章的考研后，The Economist的文章果然相对而言，容易接受了些。同时又对文章进行了大量的生词扫盲，经济学人的文章，如安妮老师说的“好像大学中庸，学了以后就知道怎么写科举文章，所以其实并不好理解”，单词理解之后，再放入段落中，看似能解释的通，但又有种云里雾里的感觉。直到听了安妮老师的逻辑讲解，才稍稍有了一点了解。The world turned upside down，一开头的题目就取得略有些意思。新能源的开发，为保护绿色环境，应对气候变化，提供了重要的途径。政府为支持这新型能源的发展，提供了subsidies，鼓励各方投资。最开始的新能源价格很高，电力市场的经济利益方，见势必然会跟随潮流，大力投入renewable energy，新能源正在不断扩大市场份额，商业利益者为了自身获取更多利益，采取了降价的手段，而经济人又都是相似的，因此也就形成了价格竞争，由于新能源的成本很低，就形成了恶性的价格下跌，同时旧能源就会相应受到冷落。但新能源又不能提供持久性的发电，此时投资商由于不能获取较高的回报，减少了投资，政府因为新能源的大力发展也开始减少补贴，而新能源电量多余，无法存储的时候又要将电量交于电网输送，又要支付相应的设备使用费。新能源逐渐显现出的弱势，又使旧能源的一些优势显现，旧能源供电的持久性提供了其存在的必然性。可再生能源的市场扩大将其推入了死亡的恶性循环。
2、经济学人中有很多有意思的表述，如开头的“issue”带有讽刺的意味，at first blush乍一看，“have a disruptive punch above their weight” "long-run solutions do not solve short-term constrains"…读来虽然一时间无法透彻理解，一旦明白就深觉表述很跳跃，生动，不是直译地死气沉沉。
3、学习这类文章不仅仅是要拓宽自己的知识领域，也要带着强烈的好奇心，将自己置身其中，思考问题产生的原因，解决的方法，再多查阅相关的回答，思想之间的碰撞才能使自己收获颇多且真切。
2017.3.8
