Scientists at Purdue University created the world’s whitest paint — a discovery that not only adds yet another choice to the “which white should we paint this wall” dilemma, but also might help the climate crisis.

The paint was developed by Purdue mechanical engineering professor Xiulin Ruan and his team. It works through a passive cooling technology that offers great promises to reduce space cooling cost and global warming. “When we started this project seven years ago, we had saving energy and fighting climate change in mind,” Ruan said in a podcast (播客) episode of This Is Purdue. They wanted to create a paint that would reflect sunlight away from a building, dramatically decreasing the need for air conditioning.

Heating, cooling, and lighting account for 28 percent of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions. And overusing air conditioning can overwhelm a city’s power grid and cause blackouts (停电). In a Queens blackout in 2006, 175,000 people were left without power, which lead to 40 deaths. This paint could effectively be an alternative to air conditioners in some places.

The paint reflects 98.1%of solar radiation while also giving out infrared (红外线的) heat. Because the paint takes in less heat from the sun than it gives out, a surface coated with this paint is cooled below the surrounding temperature without using power. Covering a roof area of 1,000 square feet with the paint could create 10 kilowatts ofcooling power, the researchers found.“That’s more powerful than the air conditioners used by most houses,”Ruan told This Is Purdue.

You can’t buy the paint just yet, but researchers are partnering with a company to put the paint on the market. While individual action to fight elimate change can help save our planet, it’s important to note that the vast majority of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions can be traced back to 100companies. Maybe we can douse(浇) those companies with this white paint, too — it could be worth a shot.

【小题1】What is known about the paint?

A．It has different colors.	B．It doesn’t cost much.
C．It uses heating technology.	D．It is climate-friendly.

【小题2】What is the Queens blackout mentioned to show?

A．The poor management of power.	B．The significance of the paint.
C．The importance of air conditioning.	D．The result of global warming.

【小题3】Which aspect of the paint is talked about in Paragraph 4?

A．Its application.	B．Its function.
C．Its composition.	D．Its disadvantage.

【小题4】What can be learned from the last paragraph?

A．The quality of the paint needs improving.

B．The paint will bring profits to the 100 companies.

C．Researchers want to see the paint in commercial use.

D．Individual efforts matter in creating the whitest paint.