To control weather over large areas of the world
would seem, at this time, to be impossible. However, man has been highly
successful in his attempts to 1 the
weather 2 a very small scale. He has
3 microclimates inside and outside
homes and offices. Micro means small, and microclimate refers
to the climate conditions 4 a small
area. There are many things that might cause the climate in a small area to be
different from the 5 climate of the
region in which it is located. 6
, within cities there might be smaller areas where the climate is
different. The microclimate in the yard of one home may be
7 different from 8 in the yard across the street. It is the 9
of trees and their position in a yard that
10 the microclimate. One could probably name many other
things that 11 change the microclimate
of a yard. Heaters and air-conditioners now in houses and
automobiles are good examples of the methods man uses to control
microclimates. A completely air-conditioned house is one 12 the microclimate can be controlled to suit
man’s comfort. High-altitude flying and recent developments in
space flight 13 situations which
require complete control of microclimates. Before passenger planes can fly in
the air of the stratosphere (同 温层) the cabins have to be pressurized. This must
be done 14 passengers can obtain the
oxygen they need. 15 airplane cabins in
the stratosphere, air from the outside can be pumped into the cabin.
In space, 16 , there is no air.
Astronauts have to take their air with them. Ways have been developed by which
this air can be safely used over and over. In space, astronauts also have to be
protected 17 harmful radiations which
do not reach the earth 18 the
atmosphere screens them out. The principal problem that has to be solved
19 man can exist in space is 20 of providing a microclimate in which he can
survive.