2018年可锐考研第1轮复习之英语阅读.docxVIP

2018年可锐考研第一轮复习之英语阅读（五）The use of heat pumps has been held back largely by skepticism aboutadvertisers’ claims that heat pumps can provide as many as two units of thermalenergy for each unit of electrical energy used, thus apparently contradictingthe principle of energy conservation. 　　Heat pumps circulate a fluid refrigerant that cycles alternativelyfrom its liquid phase to its vapor phase in a closed loop. The refrigerant,starting as a low-temperature, low-pressure vapor, enters a compressor drivenby an electric motor. The refrigerant leaves the compressor as a hot, densevapor and flows through a heat exchanger called the condenser, which transfersheat from the refrigerant to a body of air. Now the refrigerant, as ahigh-pressure, cooled liquid, confronts a flow restriction which causes thepressure to drop. As the pressure falls, the refrigerant expands and partiallyvaporizes, becoming chilled. It then passes through a second heat exchanger,the evaporator, which transfers heat from the air to the refrigerant, reducingthe temperature of this second body of air. Of the two heat exchangers, one islocated inside, and the other one outside the house, so each is in contact witha different body of air: room air and outside air, respectively. 　　The flow direction of refrigerant through a heat pump is controlledby valves. When the refrigerant flow is reversed, the heat exchangers switchfunction. This flow-reversal capability allows heat pumps either to heat orcool room air. 　　Now, if under certain conditions a heat pump puts out more thermalenergy than it consumes in electrical energy, has the law of energyconservation been challenged? No, not even remotely: the additional input ofthermal energy into the circulating refrigerant via the evaporator accounts forthe difference in the energy equation. 　　Unfortunately there is one real problem. The heating capacity of aheat pump decreases as the outdoor temperature falls. The drop in capacity iscaused by the lessening amou