LEDs are a safe and efficient (高效的) electronic light source that shines with bright white light, now being used around the world. However, according to the International Energy Agency and the World Bank, more than 1 million people in the world still do not have access to electricity. After sunset, most of them light candles or oil lamps. A company in the Netherlands is trying to change that with its product based on LEDs.
“Now for the first time artificial light or solar LED light is less expensive than kerosene (煤油),” said Camille Van Gestel, head of a Dutch company called WakaWaka.
He said WakaWaka, which means “Shine Bright”, is the most efficient solar-powered light and phone charger in the world today. When fully charged, it shines for up to 16 hours. It is affordable, sustainable (可持续的), and its battery lasts for a long time. It can be set up on any flat surface, hung from a ceiling or even placed on a glass bottle.
Van Gestel said it is intended for the poorest of the poor. “Our primary goal is to reach people who live at the base of the pyramid, and who live on less than two dollars a day.” His company operates like any other business, but some of the money made from selling its products is used to make WakaWaka lights affordable to poor people. He said the initiative (发起) is supported by international non-government organizations.
“The International Rescue Committee was one of the first to actually take the WakaWaka power into Syria to provide light and power for Syrian refugees, and now the WakaWaka is the most valued non-food item in Syria,” said Van Gestel.
In the past 24 months, the company has distributed around 300,000 units in places such as Syria, Haiti, Rwanda, Indonesia and the Philippines. Its goal is to reach 1.2 billion people by 2030.
【小题1】What does the first paragraph mainly want to tell us?| A．More than 1 million live in poverty. | B．Candles and oil lamps are out of date. |
| C．LEDs are to be widely used in the world. | D．A safer and cheaper light source is needed. |
| A．It is the largest producer of LEDs in Europe. |
| B．It operates differently from most other companies. |
| C．It has a research and development center in Syria. |
| D．It can produce artificial light that is affordable and sustainable. |
| A．They hope to earn some reputation by donating their company’s products. |
| B．They expect to help some people who are too poor to have access to electricity. |
| C．They wish to gain support from international non-governmental organizations. |
| D．They plan to become the first to produce the most efficient solar-powered light. |
| A．The company is supposed to expand its production. |
| B．The company belongs to the International Rescue Committee. |
| C．The company is trying to promote its products to developed countries. |
| D．The company attempts to teach people in Syria how to use their products. |
