节目资讯
刊物:空中英語教室
日期:2012-03-08
难易度:High
关键字:mentality, thereby, expertise, pull off, carbon trading, carbon credit,
carbon emissions
(Music).
Welcome back, everybody.
The Paradigm Project has embraced an idea that is driving the way it does its
charitable work.
The idea is: Giving stuff away for free is not always the best way to help
people.
The Paradigm Project thinks it has a better way.
Let's learn about their creative strategy for helping people on line 8.
The Paradigm Project.
That's where The Paradigm Project's creative solution to funding kicks in.
Since their stoves cut down on pollution, the group can use their expertise in
carbon trading to turn stove sales into carbon credits.
These credits carry high value to investors whose companies need help in
offsetting their carbon emissions.
The Paradigm Project has set a lofty goal - implementing 5 million stoves in
developing countries worldwide by 2020.
And thanks to its creative business model, the group just might pull it off!
All right. So Paradigm Project does not accept donations,
but the money that they need to build these stoves and distribute them needs to
come from somewhere.
And that's where The Paradigm Project's creative solution to funding kicks in.
OK. Now first, let's look at this word "funding." The word "funding" means where
you get money from to do something.
And let's look at this phrase, "kicks in." What does it mean if something kicks
in?
That means it get started.
That's how it begins.
If you think about a soccer game, the first kick of the game starts the game.
And that's exactly what this phrase is like.
When you kick in for the first time, that means you begin.
Yeah. You can use this phrase many times to describe something that begins.
Now since The Paradigm Project's stoves cut down on pollution, the group can use
their expertise in carbon trading to turn stove sales into carbon credits.
Wow. That's confusing.
There's a lot of terms in there.
Let's break those down a bit.
First, let's talk about the word - expertise.
Yeah. An "expertise" is referring to when you have a lot of knowledge or a lot
of experience in something.
So they have a lot of knowledge or experience in carbon trading.
Let's talk about that one first.
Now "carbon trading" is the system of controlling carbon pollution.
Now pollution, we know is what makes the air gross.
Really, it's an easy way of saying it.
It's what makes it dirty.
So carbon pollution is most often what we're talking about in that.
So this carbon trading is how we control how much pollution gets released into
the air.
Right. Now like you said, carbon pollution is what comes from cars or burning
fires.
And so here the stoves, they are very efficient, so they don't produce a lot of
pollution.
So here they can use "carbon credits," which is talking about a certain unit
that companies can trade to say:
Oh. Well, my company is not producing a lot of carbon pollution. Uh... I can
trade credits with you.
And that's carbon trading.
That's right. They can trade credits.
They can also get credits for money.
Exactly.
Trading that way.
So it seems this is how they're doing it.
Their expertise in this area is helping.
Exactly. And so doing this, these credits, they carry high value to investors
whose companies need to help in offsetting their carbon emissions.
OK, now this is all very high level.
First, let's talk about investors.
An investor is someone who is putting in, in this case, money, but you can also
put in time.
But here we're talking about putting money in.
The investor adds money to a situation.
OK, yes. And they're interested in offsetting carbon emissions.
Now "carbon emissions" are the same thing as curbing pollution.
It is the pollution coming from cars or fires.
And you want to make sure you offset those.
Now when you "offset" something, that means you make it even again so it's not
weighted one way or the other.
If you think about the child on a playground, it's called a seesaw where if a
kid sits on one end, the other side goes up.
But if two children are on it, they can bounce it back and forth.
And that's the idea of offsetting.
It's it goes back and forth between the two to hopefully keep it even.
Yeah. OK. So let's try and make this easy to understand, Kaylah.
So the Rocket Stove, this cool stove from The Paradigm Project, is efficient.
It will not create a lot of pollution.
And many investors or other companies know that, and they are willing to pay
them money so that other companies are able to create pollution.
That was simple.
There it is!
That's how they make money so they don't have to ask for it, so they just have
investors helping out with this Paradigm Project.
Exactly. OK.
Now the Paradigm Project has set a lofty goal.
"Lofty" means very high.
What is their very high or lofty goal?
Well, it is implementing 5 million stoves in developing country... in developing
countries worldwide by 2020.
So that is just 8 years away they would like to be in that many homes.
OK. Now this is a lofty goal because it might be hard for them to reach.
But that's very good.
They're interested and spreading around the world with over 5 million stoves by
the year 2020.
Well, thanks to the creative business model by doing this carbon emissions, this
business model shows you how things are done, this group just might pull it off.
OK. Now if you "pull something off," that means you accomplish or do something
that might be a little bit difficult to do.
So their lofty goal just might be pulled off because they have a creative
business model.
Well, I hope you've enjoyed learning about The Paradigm Project.
You should check them out and see how their business model works.
Well, let's jump on over to the Chat Room.
So Ken, have you always enjoyed reading?
Yeah, I've been enjoying reading for as long as I can remember.
And I have just set a new goal - to read a book a week for the next three
months.
Wow. That's quite a lofty goal, Ken.
Are you sure you can do it?
Well, I'm going to try.
I need to challenge myself a little more.
But Bryan, what is a "lofty" goal?
That's a good question.
Let's turn to Studio Classroom Editor-in-Chief Doris for an explanation.
When someone sets a lofty goal, they're setting a goal that is noble and
challenging.
"Lofty" is the adjective of loft, which originally meant air.
It now describes something that is high up in the air.
So a lofty goal is so high that it's not easy to reach.
You know, based on what Doris said, I have to admit that my goal is rather
lofty.
Yes, it is lofty in the positive sense.
And what would the negative sense of lofty mean?
Well, lofty can also mean high in the sense of a person looking down on others.
So someone might have a lofty attitude?
That's possible.
But it's more common to talk of someone with a lofty look or who speaks lofty
words.
Hmm. I have met some people like that.
Doris mentioned the noun "loft." Does the noun always mean something that's
high?
Actually, Ken, the noun "loft" usually means the top floor of a house or an
attic.
People often store things in lofts.
Don't people also live in lofts?
Yes, they do.
Lofts can also refer to special apartments, usually in the top floors of tall
buildings.
Hey, thanks for the lesson.
Well, if you excuse me, I've got some reading to do.
Of course.
(Chinese).
Hi, everyone. I'm Michelle.
(Chinese).
And we're running out of time. I'll see you next time.
Bye-bye.
Thank you, Michelle.
OK. So a clean-burning stove like the Rocket Stove produces less smoke and heats
pots quicker than ordinary cooking fires do.
These stoves save time, money, trees, and they create less air pollution.
The Paradigm Project wants to create lasting change not by giving stoves away
for free, but by creating a local industry that manufactures, sells and
distributes Rocket Stoves.
So Paradigm Project, good luck to you.
And friends, keep up the good work.
Remember, a few minutes of English every day will take your ability to a new
level.
Have a great day.