Nowadays, many people are trying to lead more energy-efficient lives to protect the environment. One particularly useful thing people can do is purchase an electric car. Most people are aware that electric cars are far more energy-efficient than traditional fuel-burning cars. However, __1__ they may not realize is that once they have bought an electric car, the music they listen to while driving also affects their energy consumption.
An experiment __2__ by a South Korean car manufacturer in 2022 invited a number of drivers to drive their new electric cars. The company asked the drivers, who were all new to electric vehicles, to drive their cars over an 18-mile distance, __3__ a traffic jam moving along at a glacial pace, country roads and expressways with dual lanes.
Some of these drivers were instructed to listen to Beethoven while driving. Others were required to listen to a range of pop artists, such as Kanye West and Adele. The results revealed that the relaxing nature of Beethoven’s music resulted in those cars using __4__ than the cars whose drivers listened to pop music. This is because pop music tends to have a higher tempo and heavier beat.
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So, if you own an electric car but still want to make a greater environmental __5__, you can listen to your favorite piece of classical music. However, if you don’t care about power consumption and want to drive faster, just put on some fast-paced pop tracks!
如今，許多人都在努力過上更節能的生活來保護環境。人們所能做的一件特別有用的事情是購買電動車。大多數人都知道，電動車比傳統的燃油車更加節能。然而，他們可能沒有意識到的是，一旦他們買了電動車，他們開車時所聽的音樂也會影響其能源消耗。
一家韓國汽車製造商在2022年進行了一項實驗，邀請了一些駕駛人來開他們的新款電動車。該公司要求這些剛接觸電動車的駕駛人開他們的車行駛十八英里（編按：約二十九公里）的距離，行駛路段包括以極緩慢速度移動的交通堵塞地區、鄉村道路和雙車道高速公路。
其中一些駕駛人被指示在開車時聽貝多芬的音樂。其他人則被要求聽一連串流行歌手的音樂，像是肯伊威斯特和愛黛兒。結果顯示，貝多芬音樂令人放鬆的特性，讓那些汽車比駕駛人聽流行樂的汽車用掉更少的電池電量。這是因為流行樂往往節奏較快且節拍較重。
因此，如果你擁有一輛電動車，但仍想為環境做出更大的貢獻，你可以聽聽你最喜歡的古典樂作品。然而，如果你不在乎耗電又想開得比較快，就放一些快節奏的流行歌吧！
What Did You Learn?
1. (A) who (B) how (C) when (D) what
2. (A) conducted (B) questioned (C) disciplined (D) retained
3. (A) estimated at (B) depending on (C) inclusive of (D) characteristic of
4. (A) more solar energy (B) less battery power
(C) slower vehicle speed (D) faster payment method
5. (A) disaster (B) contribution (C) invasion (D) assessment
答案
1. (D) 2. (A) 3. (C) 4. (B) 5. (B)
Word in Use
1. energy-efficient a. 節能的
Lily replaced her old washing machine with an energy-efficient one.
莉莉把舊的洗衣機換成一台節能的機型。
2. purchase vt. 購買，採買
Molly purchased a lot of fresh ingredients for her family before she went on vacation.
茉莉去度假前先幫家人採買了很多新鮮食材。
3. consumption n. 消耗
The rapid increase in oil consumption has led scientists to search for alternative energy.
石油消耗量的快速增加促使科學家找尋替代能源。
4. experiment n. 實驗
The success of the experiment gave me a feeling of satisfaction.
這項實驗的成功給了我一種滿足感。
5. manufacturer n. 製造商
Toyota is one of the major manufacturers of automobiles in Japan.
豐田是日本主要的汽車製造商之一。
Practical Phrases
1. be aware + that 子句 知道／察覺…
I wasn’t even aware that Gordon was ill.
我甚至不知道高登當時生病了。
2. at a glacial pace 以極緩慢的速度
The nuclear power plant is being constructed at a glacial pace.
該核能發電廠正以極緩慢的速度建造中。
3. a range of 一連串的；一系列的
The graduate went through a range of interviews before being offered the job.
那位大學畢業生經過一連串的面試才得到那份工作。
4. result in. . . 導致／造成…
Sometimes, hesitation can result in missed opportunities.
有時候，猶豫不決會造成錯失良機。
5. tend to V 往往會…，有…的傾向
People tend to celebrate happy events such as weddings and births.
人們往往會慶祝婚禮和生小孩這類快樂的事。
聽文章朗讀及講解: https://ivy.pse.is/455bfu
本文出自常春藤解析英語雜誌: www.ivy.com.tw
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