Lee Kuan Yew: 李光耀： Air conditioning was a most important invention for us, perhaps one of the signal inventions of history. 空调对我们来说是一项极其重要的发明，或许也是人类历史上具有里程碑意义的发明之一。 It changed the nature of civilization by making development possible in the tropics. 它让热带地区的发展成为可能，从而改变了人类文明的发展方式。 Without air conditioning you can work only in the cool early-morning hours or at dusk. 没有空调，人们只能在清晨或傍晚较凉爽的时候工作。 The first thing I did upon becoming prime minister was to install air conditioners in buildings where the civil service worked. 我就任总理后做的第一件事，就是为公务员办公的大楼安装空调。 This was key to public efficiency.” 这是提升政府行政效率的关键。