16『SEQU』

SEQU comes from the Latin verb sequi, meaning “to follow.” A sequel follows the original novel, film, or television show.

SEQU來自拉丁語動(dòng)詞sequi，意思是”跟隨”。sequal，即續(xù)集，是原小說、電影或電視節(jié)目后續(xù)的作品。

sequential ? [s??kwen?l]

adj.連續(xù)的;順序的，按次序的;相繼的;序列的;作為結(jié)果產(chǎn)生的，隨之而來的;(避孕丸)按期服用以消除副作用的

(1) Arranged in order or in a series. (2) Following in a series.

(1)按順序或系列排列的。(2)系列中的后續(xù)。

In writing the history of the revolution, his challenge was to put all the events of those fateful days in proper sequential order.

在寫革命史時(shí)，他的挑戰(zhàn)是把那些命運(yùn)攸關(guān)的日子里發(fā)生的所有事件按適當(dāng)?shù)捻樞蚺帕小?/span>

Things in sequence, or regular order, are arranged sequentially. Most novels and films move sequentially, but some use techniques such as flashbacks that interrupt the movement forward in time. Sequential courses in college must follow each other in the proper order, just like sequential tasks or steps.

in sequence的事物是按順序排列的(sequentially)。大多數(shù)小說和電影都是按順序進(jìn)行的，但也有一些使用了閃回等技術(shù)來打斷時(shí)間的推移。大學(xué)中的順序課程必須按照正確的順序相互遵循，就像順序任務(wù)或步驟一樣。

subsequent ? [?s?bs?kw?nt]

adj.后來的;隨后的;之后的;接后的

Following in time, order, or place; later.

在時(shí)間、順序或地點(diǎn)上跟隨；后來

Through all her subsequent love affairs, she never stopped thinking about the man who got away.

在隨后的所有戀愛中，她從未停止過對(duì)那個(gè)離開的男人的思念。

The prefix sub- normally means “below,” and the sub- in subsequent seems to imply that everything after the first is somehow inferior. As the definition states, subsequent can refer to time (“All our subsequent attempts to contact her failed”), order (“The subsequent houses on the list looked even worse”), or place (“The subsequent villages on the river heading east become steadily more primitive”). But subsequently, as in “I subsequently learned the real story,” simply means “l(fā)ater.”

前綴sub-通常表示“下面”，而subsequent中的sub-似乎意味著第一個(gè)之后的一切都在某種程度上處于劣勢。正如定義所述，subsequent可以指時(shí)間(“我們隨后聯(lián)系她的所有嘗試都失敗了”)、順序(“名單上的后續(xù)房屋看起來更糟”)或地點(diǎn)(“向東的河流上的后續(xù)村莊變得越來越原始”)。但隨后，正如“我隨后了解了真實(shí)的故事”中所說的，意思只是“后來”。

consequential ? [?kɑ?ns??kwen?l]

adj.相應(yīng)的;重要的;隨之而來的;相應(yīng)發(fā)生的;作為結(jié)果的;將產(chǎn)生重大結(jié)果的

(1) Resulting. (2) Important.

(1)結(jié)果。(2)重要。

None of our discussions thus far has been very consequential; next week’s meeting will be the important one.

到目前為止，我們的討論都沒有產(chǎn)生重大影響；下周的會(huì)議將是重要的會(huì)議。

Something consequential follows or comes along with something else. The “resulting” meaning of consequential is usually seen in legal writing. For example, “consequential losses” are losses that supposedly resulted from some improper behavior, about which the lawyer’s client is suing. But normally consequential means “significant” or “important,” and it’s especially used for events that will produce large consequences, or results.

Consequential的事物即隨之而來的，跟隨或伴隨著其他事物。consequential的“后果”含義通常出現(xiàn)在法律寫作中。例如，“間接損失”是指據(jù)稱由律師的客戶正在起訴的某些不當(dāng)行為造成的損失。但通常情況下，consequential意味著“重大”或“重要”，特別用于將產(chǎn)生重大后果或結(jié)果的事件。

non sequitur ? [?nɑ?n ?sekw?t?r]

n.不合邏輯的推論;未根據(jù)前提的推理

A statement that does not follow logically from anything previously said.

不符合前文邏輯的陳述。

Rattled by the question, his mind went blank, and he blurted out a non sequitur that fetched a few laughs from members of the audience.

被這個(gè)問題弄得暈頭轉(zhuǎn)向，他的腦子一片空白，他脫口而出了一句不符合邏輯的話，博得了觀眾的幾聲笑聲。

Non sequitur is actually a complete sentence in Latin, meaning “It does not follow”-that is, something said or written doesn’t logically follow what came before it. It was Aristotle who identified the non sequitur as one of the basic fallacies of logic-that is, one of the ways in which a person’s reasoning may go wrong.?

Non sequitur在拉丁語中實(shí)際上是一個(gè)完整的句子，意思是“它未連續(xù)”，也就是說，所說或所寫的東西在邏輯上不遵循之前的內(nèi)容。亞里士多德將non sequitur(非邏輯推理)認(rèn)定為邏輯的基本謬誤之一，即一個(gè)人的推理可能出錯(cuò)的方式之一。

17『AMBI』

AMBI means “on both sides” or “around”; ambi- comes from Latin. Most of us are either right-handed or left-handed, but ambidextrous people can use their right and left hand equally well.

AMBI的意思是“兩邊”或“周圍”；ambi-來自拉丁語。我們中的大多數(shù)人不是右利手就是左利手，但雙手靈巧的人(ambidextrous people)可以同樣好地使用右手和左手。

ambiguous ? [?m?b?ɡju?s]

adj.模棱兩可的;含混不清的;不明確的

(1) Doubtful or uncertain especially from being obscure or indistinct. (2) Unclear in meaning because of being understandable in more than one way.

(1)懷疑的或不確定的，尤指由于模糊或不清楚而引起的。(2)意思不清楚，因?yàn)榭梢杂枚喾N方式理解。

Successful politicians are good at giving ambiguous answers to questions on difficult issues.

成功的政治家善于對(duì)棘手問題給出模棱兩可的答案。

Ambiguous comes from the Latin verb ambigere, “to be undecided.” When we say someone’s eyes are an ambiguous color, we mean we cannot decide which color they are-blue or green? The ambiguity of the Mona Lisa’s smile makes us wonder what she’s thinking about. An ambiguous order is one that can be taken in at least two ways; on the other hand, the order “Shut up!” may be rude but at least it’s unambiguous.

Ambiguous來自拉丁語動(dòng)詞ambigere，即“待定”。當(dāng)我們說某人的眼睛是模糊的顏色時(shí)，我們的意思是我們無法決定他們是藍(lán)色還是綠色。蒙娜麗莎微笑的模糊性讓我們懷疑她在想什么。模棱兩可的順序是至少可以通過兩種方式進(jìn)行的；另一方面，命令“閉嘴！”可能很粗魯，但至少它是明確的。

ambient ? [??mbi?nt]

adj.周圍環(huán)境的;周圍的;產(chǎn)生輕松氛圍的

Existing or present on all sides.

四面都存在的。

The ambient lighting in the restaurant was low, and there was a bright candle at each table.

餐廳的環(huán)境光線很暗，每張桌子上都有一支明亮的蠟燭。

Ambient light is the light that fills an area or surrounds something that’s being viewed, like a television screen or a painting. Scientists sometimes refer to the ambient temperature, the temperature of the surrounding air. “Ambient music” is the term used today for “atmospheric” background music usually intended for relaxation or meditation. The Candlelit restaurant in the example sentence is probably trying for a romantic ambience, or “atmosphere.”

環(huán)境光是填充一個(gè)區(qū)域或圍繞正在觀看的事物的光，如電視屏幕或繪畫?？茖W(xué)家有時(shí)會(huì)參考環(huán)境溫度，即周圍空氣的溫度?！碍h(huán)境音樂”是今天用來指“氣氛”背景音樂的術(shù)語，通常用于放松或冥想。示例句子中的燭光餐廳可能是為了營造浪漫氛圍或“氣氛”。

ambivalent ? [?m?b?v?l?nt]

adj.(態(tài)度、情緒)矛盾的

(1) Holding opposite feelings and attitudes at the same time toward someone or something. (2) Continually wavering between opposites or alternative courses of action.

(1)同時(shí)對(duì)某人或某物持有相反的感覺和態(tài)度。(2)不斷地在對(duì)立或交替的行動(dòng)路線之間搖擺不定。

He was ambivalent about the trip: he badly wanted to travel but hated to miss the summer activities at home.

他對(duì)這次旅行感到矛盾：他非常想旅行，但又不想錯(cuò)過家里的夏季活動(dòng)。

Since being ambivalent means simply having mixed feelings about some question or issue, some of us spend most of our lives in a state of ambivalence. We might feel ambivalence about accepting a high-paying job that requires us to work long hours, or about lending money to someone we like but don’t know well.

矛盾是一個(gè)相當(dāng)新的詞，不到一百年的歷史，而且毫不奇怪。它首先被心理學(xué)家使用。由于矛盾意味著對(duì)某個(gè)問題或問題有著復(fù)雜的感覺，我們中的一些人一生中大部分時(shí)間都處于矛盾狀態(tài)。我們可能會(huì)對(duì)接受一份需要我們長時(shí)間工作的高薪工作，或者借錢給我們喜歡但不熟悉的人感到矛盾。

ambit ? [??mb?t]

adj.(權(quán)力、影響的)范圍，界限

The range or limit covered by something (such as a law).

某物(如法律)所涵蓋的范圍或界限。

The treatment of farm animals generally falls outside the ambit of animal-cruelty laws in the U.S.

對(duì)農(nóng)場動(dòng)物的處理通常不在美國虐待動(dòng)物法的范圍之內(nèi)。

Ambit is a rather formal term, often used by lawyers, as in, “With this new legislation, tobacco now falls within the ambit of FDA regulation.” It almost always refers to something abstract rather than an actual physical range. So, for example, an immigrant might live completely within the ambit of her immigrant community until she started college, where she might find herself in a much broader social ambit. Most of the Latin American colonies were established by Spain, but in the 19th century, as the U.S. became stronger and Spain became weaker, they began to enter the ambit of U.S. power.

Ambit是一個(gè)相當(dāng)正式的術(shù)語，經(jīng)常被律師使用，如“有了這項(xiàng)新立法，煙草現(xiàn)在屬于FDA監(jiān)管范圍”。它幾乎總是指抽象的東西，而不是實(shí)際的物理范圍。因此，例如，一個(gè)移民在上大學(xué)之前可能完全生活在她的移民社區(qū)的范圍內(nèi)，在那里她可能會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)自己處于更廣泛的社會(huì)范圍內(nèi)。大多數(shù)拉丁美洲殖民地是由西班牙建立的，但在19世紀(jì)，隨著美國的強(qiáng)大和西班牙的衰弱，它們開始進(jìn)入美國的勢力范圍。

18『EPI』

EPI is a Greek prefix that may mean various things, but usually “on, over” or “attached to.” So an earthquake’s epicenter is the ground right over the center of the quake. And your epidermis is the outer layer of your skin, on top of the inner dermis.

EPI是一個(gè)希臘語前綴，盡管有各種意思，但通常是“在其上”或“附加到”。因此，地震的震中是地震中心正上方的地面。你的表皮是你皮膚的外層，在真皮層的頂部。

epilogue ? [?ep?l??ɡ]

n.后記;(劇本、書籍、電影等的)收?qǐng)霭?尾聲;跋

The final section after the main part of a book or play.

書或戲劇主要部分之后的最后一節(jié)。

Her editor told her the book really needed an epilogue, to tell where each member of the family is today.

她的編輯告訴她，這本書真的需要一個(gè)尾聲，來陳述每個(gè)家庭成員的現(xiàn)狀。

From its Greek roots, epilogue means basically “words attached (at the end).” An epilogue often somehow wraps up a story’s action, as in the one for a famous Shakespeare play that ends, “For never was a story of more woe/Than this of Juliet and her Romeo.” In nonfiction books, we now often use the term afterword instead of epilogue, just as we now generally use foreword instead of prologue. Movies also often have a kind of epilogue-maybe a scene after the exciting climax when the surviving lovers meet in a café to talk about their future. The epilogue of a musical composition, after all the drama is over, is called the coda (Italian for “tail”).

從希臘語的根源來看，后記基本上意味著“附加的話(在結(jié)尾處)”。后記通常以某種方式概括了一個(gè)故事的行動(dòng)，就像莎士比亞著名戲劇結(jié)尾的故事一樣，“因?yàn)閺膩頉]有比朱麗葉和她的羅密歐更悲慘的故事?！痹诜翘摌?gòu)類書籍中，我們現(xiàn)在經(jīng)常使用afterword(后來)一詞，而不是epilogue，正如我們現(xiàn)在通常使用foreword(前言)而不是prologue一樣。電影也常常有一種epilogue，也許是在激動(dòng)人心的高潮之后，幸存的戀人在咖啡館相遇談?wù)撍麄兊奈磥?。在戲劇結(jié)束后，音樂作品的尾聲被稱為coda(尾曲)(意大利語“尾巴”)。

epiphyte ? ['epifait]

n.附生植物；氣生植物

A plant that obtains its nutrients from the air and the rain and usually grows on another plant for support.

從空氣和雨水中獲取養(yǎng)分的植物，通常生長在另一種植物上以獲得養(yǎng)分。

The strangler fig begins life as an epiphyte on a tree branch, drops its tendrils to take root in the ground around the trunk, and slowly covers and strangles the tree to death.

絞殺榕一開始是樹枝上的附生植物，它的卷須掉落在樹干周圍的地面上生根，然后慢慢地覆蓋并勒死樹。

Epiphytic plants are sometimes known as “air plants” because they seemingly survive on thin air. They rely on their host plants merely for physical support, not nourishment. Tropical epiphytes include orchids, ferns, and members of the pineapple family. To a newcomer in the tropical rain forest, the first sight of a great tree with large epiphytes hanging from every level can be eerie and astonishing. Familiar epiphytes of the temperate zone include lichens, mosses, and algae, which may grow on rocks or water without touching the soil.

附生植物有時(shí)被稱為“氣生植物”，因?yàn)樗鼈兯坪踉谙”〉目諝庵猩?。它們只依靠寄主植物提供身體支持，不需要其營養(yǎng)。熱帶附生植物包括蘭花、蕨類植物和鳳梨科植物。對(duì)于熱帶雨林的新手來說，第一眼看到一棵大樹，每一層都懸掛著巨大的附生植物，可能會(huì)讓人感到怪異和驚訝。溫帶常見的附生植物包括地衣、苔蘚和藻類，它們可能生長在巖石或水中而不接觸土壤。

epitaph ? [?ep?t?f]

n.墓志銘;遺跡;悼文;祭文;(尤指)碑文;遺物;遺存

An inscription on a grave or tomb in memory of the one buried there.

墓碑上的銘文，以紀(jì)念埋葬在那里的人。

Epitaph includes the root from the Greek word taphos, “tomb” or “funeral.” Traditionally, epitaph refers to a tombstone inscription, but it can also refer to brief memorial statements that resemble such inscriptions. One of the most famous is Henry Lee’s epitaph for George Washington: “First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen.”

墓志銘包括希臘單詞taphos的詞根，“墳?zāi)埂被颉霸岫Y”。傳統(tǒng)上，墓志銘指的是墓碑銘文，但也可以指類似于此類銘文的簡短紀(jì)念聲明。其中最著名的是亨利·李為喬治·華盛頓寫的墓志銘：“戰(zhàn)爭中第一人，和平中第一人，同胞心中第一?！?/span>

epithet ? [?ep?θet]

n.綽號(hào);(尤用于褒貶人或事物特征或性質(zhì)的)表述形容詞，修飾語;別稱;諢名

(1) A descriptive word or phrase occurring with or in place of the name of a person or thing. (2) An insulting or demeaning word or phrase.

(1)一個(gè)描述性的詞或短語，出現(xiàn)在人或事物的名字中或代替其名稱。(2)侮辱性或貶低性的詞或短語。

King Richard I of England earned the epithet “Lionhearted,” while his brother, King John, was given the epithet “Lackland.”?

英國國王理查一世獲得了“獅心”的稱號(hào)，而他的弟弟約翰國王則獲得了“拉克蘭”的稱號(hào)

From its Greek roots, epithet would mean something “put on,” or added. Sometimes the added name follows a given name, as in Erik the Red or Billy the Kid. When enemies are said to be “hurling epithets” at each other, it means they’re exchanging angry insults.

從希臘語的詞根來看，這個(gè)詞的意思是“穿上”或加上。有時(shí)，添加的名字跟在一個(gè)給定的名字后面，如“紅色埃里克”或“比利小子”。當(dāng)敵人被說成是互相“扔綽號(hào)”時(shí)，這意味著他們正在互相憤怒侮辱。

19『HYP/HYPO』

HYP/HYPO is a Greek prefix meaning “below, under.” Many hypo-words are medical. A hypodermic needle injects medication under the skin. Hypotension, or low blood pressure, can be just as unhealthy as the better-known hypertension, or high blood pressure.

HYP/HYPO是一個(gè)希臘語前綴，意思是“下面”。許多相關(guān)詞為醫(yī)學(xué)領(lǐng)域術(shù)語。皮下注射針在皮下注射藥物。低血壓可能與眾所周知的高血壓一樣不健康。

Hypochondriac ? [?ha?p??kɑ?ndri?k]

n.疑病患者; adj.患疑病癥的

A person overly concerned with his or her own health who often suffers from delusions of physical disease.

一個(gè)過度關(guān)注自己健康的人，經(jīng)?；加猩眢w疾病妄想癥。

Hercule Poirot, the detective hero of the Agatha Christie mysteries, is a notorious hypochondriac, always trying to protect himself from drafts.

阿加莎·克里斯蒂謎團(tuán)中的偵探英雄赫拉克勒·波洛(Hercule Poirot)是一個(gè)臭名昭著的疑病患者，總是試圖保護(hù)自己不受草稿的影響。

One disease a hypochondriac really does suffer from is hypochondria, the anxiety and depression that come from worrying too much about one’s own health. Even though it’s easy to joke about hypochondriacs, hypochondria is no joking matter for the sufferer. Somewhat surprisingly, the second part of hypochondria derives from chondros, the Greek word for “cartilage.” The cartilage in question is that of the sternum, or breastbone. From ancient times, doctors believed that certain internal organs or regions were the seat of various diseases, both physical and mental, and the area under the breastbone was thought to be the source of hypochondria.

疑病患者真正患有的一種疾病是疑病，即過度擔(dān)心自己的健康而產(chǎn)生的焦慮和抑郁。盡管人們很容易拿疑病患者開玩笑，但疑病患者并不是開玩笑的。令人驚訝的是，疑病癥的第二部分源自軟骨，即希臘語中的“軟骨”。所討論的軟骨是胸骨的軟骨。自古以來，醫(yī)生們就認(rèn)為某些內(nèi)臟器官或區(qū)域是各種疾病的所在地，包括身體和精神疾病，胸骨下的區(qū)域被認(rèn)為是疑病的根源。

hypoglycemia ? [?ha?po?gla??simi?]

n.低血糖癥；血糖過低

Abnormal decrease of sugar in the blood.

血液中糖的異常減少。

She had been controlling her hypoglycemia through diet and vitamins, but she now realized she needed to add daily exercise as well.

她一直通過飲食和維生素控制低血糖，但現(xiàn)在她意識(shí)到自己也需要增加日常鍛煉。

The root glyk- means “sweet” in Greek, so glyc shows up in the names of various terms referring to a sugar as a chemical ingredient, such as glycerine and monoglyceride.?

glyk-這個(gè)詞根在希臘語中的意思是“甜”，所以甘氨酸出現(xiàn)在各種各樣的名稱中，指的是作為化學(xué)成分的糖，如甘油和單甘油酯。

hypothermia ? [?ha?p??θ??rmi?]

n.體溫過低

Subnormal temperature of the body.

體溫低于正常值。

By the time rescuers were able to pull the boy from the pond's icy waters, hypothermia had reached a life-threatening stage.

當(dāng)救援人員將男孩從冰冷的池塘中救出時(shí)，他的體溫已經(jīng)低到危及生命。

Hypothermia, which usually results from submersion in icy water or prolonged exposure to cold, may constitute a grave medical emergency. It begins to be a concern when body temperature dips below 95°F, and the pulse, breathing, and blood pressure start to decline. Below 90°, the point at which the normal reaction of shivering ceases, emergency treatment is called for.

低溫通常是由于浸入冰水或長時(shí)間暴露在寒冷中而導(dǎo)致的，可能構(gòu)成嚴(yán)重的醫(yī)療緊急情況。當(dāng)體溫降至95°F以下，脈搏、呼吸和血壓開始下降時(shí)，這就開始成為一個(gè)問題。低于90°時(shí)，正常的顫抖反應(yīng)停止，需要緊急治療。

hypothetical ? [?ha?p??θet?kl]

adj.(基于)假設(shè)的，假定的;有待證實(shí)的

(1) Involving an assumption made for the sake of argument or for further study or investigation. (2) Imagined for purposes of example.

(1)為論證或進(jìn)一步研究或調(diào)查而作出的假設(shè)。(2)出于示例目的而想象。

The candidate refused to say what she would do if faced with a hypothetical military crisis.

這位候選人拒絕透露如果面臨假想的軍事危機(jī)，她會(huì)怎么做。

The noun hypothesis comes straight from the Greek word meaning “foundation” or “base”-that is something “put under” something else. So a hypothesis is something you assume to be true in order that you can use it as the base or basis for a line of reasoning-and any such assumption can be called hypothetical. Once a hypothesis has been thoroughly studied and researched without being proved wrong, it generally comes to be called a theory instead.

名詞hypothesis直接來自希臘語，意思是“基礎(chǔ)”，即“置于”其他事物之下的東西。所以hypothesis是你假設(shè)為真的東西，這樣你就可以用它作為推理的基礎(chǔ)，任何這樣的假設(shè)都可以稱為hypothesis。一旦一個(gè)假設(shè)被徹底研究而沒有被證明是錯(cuò)誤的，它通常被稱為理論。

20『THERM』

THERM/THERMO comes from the Greek word meaning “warm.” A thermometer measures the amount of warmth in a body, the air, or an oven. A thermostat makes sure the temperature stays at the same level. And it’s easy to see why the German manufacturers of a vacuum-insulated bottle back in 1904 gave it the name Thermos.

THERM/THERMO來自希臘語，意為“溫暖”。溫度計(jì)測量身體、空氣或烤箱中的溫度。恒溫器可確保溫度保持在同一水平。1904年德國真空保溫瓶制造商將其命名為Thermos。

thermal ? [?θ??rml]

adj.熱的;熱量的;保暖的;防寒的;溫暖的

n.上升的熱氣流;保暖內(nèi)衣褲

(1) Of, relating to, or caused by heat. (2) Designed to insulate in order to retain body heat.

(1)熱的、與熱有關(guān)的、或由熱引起的。(2)設(shè)計(jì)用于隔熱以保持身體熱量。

A special weave called thermal weave traps insulating air in little pockets to increase the warmth of long underwear and blankets.

一種叫做熱織物的特殊織物將隔熱空氣截留在小口袋中，以增加長內(nèi)衣和毛毯的保暖性。

thermodynamics ? [?θ??rmo?da??n?m?ks]

n.熱力學(xué)

Physics that deals with the mechanical actions or relations of heat.

研究機(jī)械作用或熱關(guān)系的物理學(xué)。

With his college major in electrical engineering, he assumed it would be an easy step to a graduate-school concentration in thermodynamics.

由于他的大學(xué)主修電氣工程，他認(rèn)為這將是進(jìn)入研究生院集中學(xué)習(xí)熱力學(xué)的輕松一步。

thermonuclear ? [?θ??rmo??nu?kli?r]

adj.熱核的

Of or relating to the changes in the nucleus of atoms with low atomic weight, such as hydrogen, that require a very high temperature to begin.

屬于或關(guān)于低原子量原子(如氫)的原子核的變化，這些變化需要很高的溫度才能開始。

In the 1950s and ’60s, anxious American families built thousands of underground “fallout shelters” to protect themselves from the radiation of a thermonuclear blast.

在20世紀(jì)50年代和60年代，焦慮的美國家庭建造了數(shù)千個(gè)地下“沉降物避難所”，以保護(hù)自己免受熱核爆炸的輻射。

British thermal unit

英國熱量單位

The quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit at a specified temperature.

在規(guī)定溫度下，將一磅水的溫度升高一華氏度所需的熱量。

Wood-stove manufacturers compete with each other in their claims of how many British thermal units of heat output their stoves can produce.

木材爐灶制造商在其爐灶能產(chǎn)生多少英國熱量單位的說法上相互競爭。

Despite its name, the British thermal unit, or BTU, may be more widely used in North America than in Britain. Air conditioners, furnaces, and stoves are generally rated by BTUs. (Though “BTUs” is often short for “BTUs per hour”, in air-conditioner ratings, for instance, “BTUs” really means “BTUs of cooling capacity per hour.”) Fuels such as natural gas and propane are also compared using BTUs. The BTU first appeared in 1876 and isn’t part of the metric system-the metric unit of energy is the much smaller joule-so it isn’t much used by scientists, but its practicality keeps it popular for consumer goods and fuels. A better-known heat unit is the calorie; a BTU is equal to about 252 calories. (Since the familiar food calorie is actually a kilocalorie, a BTU equals only about a quarter of a food calorie.)

盡管英國熱量單位(BTU)的名稱，但它在北美的使用可能比在英國更廣泛?？照{(diào)、火爐和爐灶通常按BTU進(jìn)行評(píng)級(jí)。(盡管“BTUs”通常是“BTUsper hour”的縮寫，例如，在空調(diào)額定值中，“BTUs”實(shí)際上意味著“每小時(shí)制冷量的BTUs?！?天然氣和丙烷等燃料也使用BTUs進(jìn)行比較。BTU最早出現(xiàn)于1876年，并不是公制的一部分。能量的公制單位是小得多的焦耳，因此科學(xué)家們不太使用它，但它的實(shí)用性使它在消費(fèi)品和燃料中很受歡迎。更為人所知的熱量單位是卡路里；BTU等于約252卡路里。(因?yàn)槲覀兪煜さ氖澄餆崃繉?shí)際上是千卡，所以BTU只相當(dāng)于食物熱量的四分之一。)