The economic growth that many nations in Asia and increasingly Africa have exper

The economic growth that many nations in Asia andincreasingly Africa have experienced over the past couple of decades hastransformed hundreds of millions of lives – almost entirely for the better. Butthere’s a byproduct to that growth, one that’s evident – or sometimesless than evident – in the smoggy, smelly skies above cities like Beijing, NewDelhi and Jakarta. Thanks to new cars and power plants, air pollution is badand getting worse in much of the world, and it’s taking a major toll (伤亡人数，代价) on global health.

How big? According to a new analysis published in theLancet, more than 3.2 million people suffered deaths from air pollution in2010, the largest number on record. That’s up from 800,000 in 2000. And it’s a regional problem: 65% of those deaths occurred in Asia, where the air is choked by diesel soot (内燃发动机烟雾) from cars andtrucks, as well as the song from power plants and the dust from endless urbanconstruction. In East Asia and China, 1.2 million people died, as well asanother 712,000 in South Asia, including India. For the first time ever, air pollution is on the world’s top – 10 list of killers, and it’s moving up the ranksfaster than any other factor.

So how can air pollution be so damaging? It is thevery finest soot – so small that it roots deep within the lungs and then entersthe bloodstream – that contributes to most of the public – health toll of airpollution including death. Diesel soot, which can also cause cancer, is a majorproblem because it is concentrated in cities along transportation zonesaffecting overpopulated areas. It is thought to contribute to half the deathsfrom air pollution in urban centers. Fro example, 1 in 6 people in the U.S. live near a diesel – pollution hot spot like a rail yard, port terminal or freeway.

We also know that air pollution may be linked to othernon – deadly diseases. Fortunately in the U.S. and other developed nations,urban air is for the most part cleaner than it was 30 or 40 years ago, thanksto regulations and new technologies like the catalytic converters (催化式排气净化器) that reduce automobile emissions. Govemments arealso pushing to make air cleaner – see the White House’s move last week tofurther tighten soot standards. It’s not perfect, but we’ve had much moresuccess dealing with air pollution than climate change.

Will developing nations like India eventually catchup? Hopefully – though the problem may get worse before it gets better. Thegood news is that it doesn’t take a major technological advance to improveurban air. Switching from diesel fuel to unleaded (无铅燃油) helps, as do newer and cleaner cars which are lesslikely to send out pollutants. Power plants – even ones that burn mineral fuelslike coal – can be fitted with pollution – control equipment that, at a price,will greatly reduce smog and other pollutants.

But the best solutions may involve urban design. Inthe Guardian, John Vidal notes that Delhi now has 200 cars per 1,000 people,far more than much richer Asian cities like Hong Kong and Singapore. Developingcities will almost certainly see an increase in car ownership as residentsbecome wealthier – and that doesn’t have to mean deadly air pollution. Higherincomes should also lead to tougher environmental regulations, which is exactlywhat happened in the West. We can only hope it happens before the death tollfrom bad air gets even higher.

1.What tends to give rise to the highest death tollaccording to the passage?

A．The lack of tightenvironmental protection standards.

B．The increasing numbers ofthe diesel cars and trucks.

C．The frighteningly highdeath rate from deadly cancer.

D．The world’s serious airpollution such as soot and dust.

2.The “byproduct” (Paragraph 1) most probably refersto     .

A．consequence      B．solution       C．reform         D．design

3.The basic reason why so many people die from airpollution is that       .

A．the diesel soot is toosmall to be seen

B．the diesel soot is muchtoo poisonous to breathe

C．the diesel soot roots inlungs and gets into blood

D．the diesel soot can alsocontribute to deadly cancer

4.According to the passage, the writer actually wantsto convince the readers that        .

A．the global economicgrowth is mainly to blame for air pollution and climate change

B．the developing countriesare repeating the same mistakes as the developed ones made

C．the ecological situationand air pollution in India are becoming worse and worse

D．the unbeatable air isincreasingly becoming a major killer throughout the world

5.By describing urban design as “the best solution” inthe last paragraph, the writer means that        .

A．the making of tougherenvironmental regulations alone is of little use

B．more sever regulationsshould be made to handle air pollution

C．the urban construction inwestern developed countries is the best choice

D．the pace of developmenthas to be slowed down to reduce air pollution

试题答案

【答案】

1.D

2.A

3.C

4.D

5.B

【解析】

试题