Business Channel 2007-04-04&06

A divided Supreme¹ Court ruled yesterday that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are air pollutants² under the Clean Air Act. And the court said the Bush Administration broke the law in its refusal to limit emissions³ of those gases. And according to the Wall Street Journal, since those gases mostly come from cars and trucks, yesterday's decision could mean aggressive new regulations of auto⁴ emissions.

But the new regulations could still be years away. They will likely require automakers to increase fuel efficiency and to become less reliant on traditional fuel sources, something that can take engineers years to work out. In the end though, it could be good news for drivers if most of the cars and trucks on the road get a better fuel mileage⁵. Nicole.

Gerri, I am really curious, what are automakers saying about this decision now?

They say / they want an economy-wide approach to global warming that looks if all the industries have contributed to it. They also maintain that climate change is not fully⁶ understood. And new regulations could carry huge economic consequences. Lawyers for the Environmental Protection Agency had argued that new regulations could hurt the economy, because 85% of the US economy is tied to sources of greenhouse gas emissions. Nicole.

Very interesting, Gerri, I was reading a story also in business headlines now. WiFi in the sky, what's new with that?

Well, after years of discussion and delay, US Airlines could soon start offering inflight internet connections. Airline cabins could be wired to offer WiFi hotspots probably within the next 12 months. Passengers will be able to surf the web, send instant messages and email people all from 35,000 feet above the ground. A company called Airsell has already paid the FCC more than 31 million dollars to take over radio frequencies that were once used for air phone service and that's what will make it possible. Passengers will be able to use their BlackBerries and laptops just as if they were in any WiFi hotspot/ on the ground. And it's expected to cost passengers no more than 10 dollars to use. So far, no specific airlines have been named, but expect to see the service available soon. Hey, good news, right, Nicole?

Yeah, great news, you know, when we all travel with all sorts of gadgets⁷ as BlackBerries or cell phones or i-Pods or laptops, I mean, what's next? But you know, that means losing potentially our valuable electronics. What can we do about that, I hate that.

Yeah, a data security firm Pointsec says 3 to 6 percent of these gadgets end up missing each every year, according to the New York Times. The firm found that in 2006, more than 10,000 mobile devices were left in taxicabs in the 2 metropolitan⁸ areas surveyed. And planes are also a common place to leave these items. Continental⁹ Anilines says some of the most common items left on board include i-Pods, cell phones, DVD players. And if you realize you lose something after you leave a plane, it's not as easy to get it back as you may think. That's because once you pass secure checkpoint areas, you can't go back. You are not allowed to return without going back through security (oh yeah) even to retrieve¹⁰ personal items left on a plane. Some airlines allow you to report lost items on their websites, but most require you to call.

NOTES:

1. Wireless¹¹ Fidelity¹² (Wi-Fi)

The popular term for a high-frequency wireless local area network. The consumer-friendly name for the 802.11b engineering standard. It lets home and office users create wireless local networks, which connect two or more computers to each other and a faster Internet line. This way there is no more poking¹³ holes in walls or tripping over bulky Ethernet cables. The Wi-Fi technology is rapidly gaining acceptance as an alternative to a wired local area network (LAN).

2. hotspot

The geographic¹⁴ boundary covered by a Wi-Fi (802.11) wireless access point. Typically set up for Internet access, anyone entering the hotspot with a Wi-Fi-based laptop can connect to the Internet, providing the access point is configured to advertise its presence and authorization¹⁵ is not required. If the access point is not advertising¹⁶ itself (not beaconing), the user has to know the name of the network, and if authorization is required, the appropriate password or key.

1 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

2 pollutants   

污染物质（尤指工业废物）( pollutant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Pollutants are constantly being released into the atmosphere. 污染物质正在不断地被排放到大气中去。
• The 1987 Amendments limit 301(g) discharges to a few well-studied nonconventional pollutants. 1987年的修正案把第301条（g）的普通排放限制施加在一些认真研究过的几种非常规污染物上。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

3 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

4 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

5 mileage   

n.里程，英里数；好处，利润

参考例句：

• He doesn't think there's any mileage in that type of advertising.他认为做那种广告毫无效益。
• What mileage has your car done?你的汽车跑了多少英里？

6 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

7 gadgets   

n.小机械，小器具（ gadget的名词复数 ）

参考例句：

• Certainly. The idea is not to have a house full of gadgets. 当然。设想是房屋不再充满小配件。 来自超越目标英语 第4册
• This meant more gadgets and more experiments. 这意味着要设计出更多的装置，做更多的实验。 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史

8 metropolitan   

adj.大城市的，大都会的

参考例句：

• Metropolitan buildings become taller than ever.大城市的建筑变得比以前更高。
• Metropolitan residents are used to fast rhythm.大都市的居民习惯于快节奏。

9 continental   

adj.大陆的，大陆性的，欧洲大陆的

参考例句：

• A continental climate is different from an insular one.大陆性气候不同于岛屿气候。
• The most ancient parts of the continental crust are 4000 million years old.大陆地壳最古老的部分有40亿年历史。

10 retrieve   

vt.重新得到，收回；挽回，补救；检索

参考例句：

• He was determined to retrieve his honor.他决心恢复名誉。
• The men were trying to retrieve weapons left when the army abandoned the island.士兵们正试图找回军队从该岛撤退时留下的武器。

11 wireless   

adj.无线的；n.无线电

参考例句：

• There are a lot of wireless links in a radio.收音机里有许多无线电线路。
• Wireless messages tell us that the ship was sinking.无线电报告知我们那艘船正在下沉。

12 fidelity   

n.忠诚，忠实；精确

参考例句：

• There is nothing like a dog's fidelity.没有什么能比得上狗的忠诚。
• His fidelity and industry brought him speedy promotion.他的尽职及勤奋使他很快地得到晋升。

13 poking   

n. 刺，戳，袋 vt. 拨开，刺，戳 vi. 戳，刺，捅，搜索，伸出，行动散慢

参考例句：

• He was poking at the rubbish with his stick. 他正用手杖拨动垃圾。
• He spent his weekends poking around dusty old bookshops. 他周末都泡在布满尘埃的旧书店里。

14 geographic   

adj.地理学的，地理的

参考例句：

• The city's success owes much to its geographic position. 这座城市的成功很大程度上归功于它的地理位置。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Environmental problems pay no heed to these geographic lines. 环境问题并不理会这些地理界限。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

15 authorization   

n.授权，委任状

参考例句：

• Anglers are required to obtain prior authorization from the park keeper.垂钓者必须事先得到公园管理者的许可。
• You cannot take a day off without authorization.未经批准你不得休假。

16 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。