A new study shows that the air-conditioning in many buildings is set to keep men feeling comfy. The findings are served up in the journal Nature Climate Change.
一項新研究指出，許多大樓冷氣空調設定的標準是讓男性感覺舒適。這項研究是由期刊「自然環境變遷」所提出。
People lose productivity when they spend all day shivering or sweating. But finding that sweet spot—a temperature where everyone is happy—can be a real challenge. Offices are heated in winter and chilled in summer. But these indoor climate-control systems are based on standards established in the 1960s, when the standard setters envisioned the typical office worker to be a man, 40-years-old and weighing 150 pounds.
人們會失去工作效率，當他們整天待在冷到讓人發抖或熱到讓人流汗的環境中。但要找到「紅中區」──一個讓所有人感到滿意的溫度──可真是一大挑戰。辦公室在冬天太熱，在夏天太冷。但這些室內空調系統是以1960年代制定的標準所設計，制定這項標準的人，想像典型的辦公室員工是一名40歲、體重150磅的男性。
In the new study, researchers measured the metabolic rate of 16 young women as they performed light office duties. And found that the subjects were at a much lower burn than would be men of the accepted standard. That means that women in the workplace need less air-conditioning to get to their comfort zone—and will really chill out with the A-C set to 1960.
在新的研究裡，研究者測量16名年輕女性的新陳代謝速率，她們在辦公室從事文書工作。而研究發現，這些女性新陳代謝的速率，比普遍公認的男性標準還低。這意謂女性在工作場合中，僅需要較少的冷氣空調，便能達到她們的舒適區──而1960年代制定的空調標準真的會讓她們冷到打寒顫。
The findings also suggest that companies can conserve energy and save money by taking into consideration the ages, sexes and body sizes of their employees.
這項發現也建議，公司可省下電力及金錢，只要在設定空調時考量到他們員工們的年齡、性別和體型。
新聞辭典
comfy：形容詞，舒服的。例如：a comfy sofa（一張舒服的沙發）
envision：動詞，想像、展望。例句：She envisioned a better life for herself.（她替自己展望一個更好的生活。）
metabolic：形容詞，新陳代謝的。例句：Regular exercise can help to increase your metabolism.（規律的運動有助於增加你的新陳代謝。）
全通翻譯引用 http://iservice.ltn.com.tw/Service/english/english.php?engno=909553&day=2015-08-25
留言列表
