The economic growth that many nations in Asia and increasingly Africa have experienced over the past couple of decades has transformed hundreds of millions of lives – almost entirely for the better. But there’s a byproduct to that growth, one that’s evident – or sometimes less than evident – in the smoggy, smelly skies above cities like Beijing, New Delhi and Jakarta. Thanks to new cars and power plants, air pollution is bad and 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 the Lancet, more than 3.2 million people suffered deaths from air pollution in 2010, 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 and trucks, as well as the song from power plants and the dust from endless urban construction. In East Asia and China, 1.2 million people died, as well as another 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 ranks faster than any other factor.
So how can air pollution be so damaging? It is the very finest soot – so small that it roots deep within the lungs and then enters the bloodstream – that contributes to most of the public – health toll of air pollution including death. Diesel soot, which can also cause cancer, is a major problem because it is concentrated in cities along transportation zones affecting overpopulated areas. It is thought to contribute to half the deaths from 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 other non – 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, thanks to regulations and new technologies like the catalytic converters (催化式排气净化器) that reduce automobile emissions. Govemments are also pushing to make air cleaner – see the White House’s move last week to further tighten soot standards. It’s not perfect, but we’ve had much more success dealing with air pollution than climate change.
Will developing nations like India eventually catch up? Hopefully – though the problem may get worse before it gets better. The good news is that it doesn’t take a major technological advance to improve urban air. Switching from diesel fuel to unleaded (无铅燃油) helps, as do newer and cleaner cars which are less likely to send out pollutants. Power plants – even ones that burn mineral fuels like 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. In the 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. Developing cities will almost certainly see an increase in car ownership as residents bee wealthier – and that doesn’t have to mean deadly air pollution. Higher ines should also lead to tougher environmental regulations, which is exactly what happened in the West. We can only hope it happens before the death toll from bad air gets even higher.
【小题1】What tends to give rise to the highest death toll according to the passage?A．The lack of tight environmental protection standards.B．The increasing numbers of the diesel cars and trucks.C．The frighteningly high death rate from deadly cancer.D．The world’s serious air pollution such as soot and dust.【小题2】The “byproduct” (Paragraph 1) most probably refers to .A．consequenceB．solutionC．reformD．design【小题3】The basic reason why so many people die from air pollution is that .A．the diesel soot is too small to be seenB．the diesel soot is much too poisonous to breatheC．the diesel soot roots in lungs and gets into bloodD．the diesel soot can also contribute to deadly cancer【小题4】According to the passage, the writer actually wants to convince the readers that .A．the global economic growth is mainly to blame for air pollution and climate changeB．the developing countries are repeating the same mistakes as the developed ones madeC．the ecological situation and air pollution in India are being worse and worseD．the unbeatable air is increasingly being a major killer throughout the world【小题5】By describing urban design as “the best solution” in the last paragraph, the writer means that .A．the making of tougher environmental regulations alone is of little useB．more sever regulations should be made to handle air pollutionC．the urban construction in western developed countries is the best choiceD．the pace of development has to be slowed down to reduce air pollutionD
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(答案→)D
解析：亚洲和日益增长的非洲经济使人们的生活更好了，但是经济发展导致了严重的空气污染，最终导致越来越多的人死于和空气污染有关的疾病。究其原因是极细小的颗粒进入人的肺里和血液中，最终导致致命的疾病。人民的生活水平提高了，车也多了，但是相应的更严厉的治理空气污染的法规政策也应该跟上，这样才不会使由于空气污染导致的死亡率更高。
【小题1】细节理解题。根据第一段的Thanks to new cars and power plants, air pollution is bad and getting worse in much of the world, and it’s taking a major toll on global health.（由于新车和发电厂，空气污染变得更糟了在世界许多的地方，正占据全球健康伤亡人数的主要原因。）和第二段的For the first time ever, air pollution is on the world’s top – 10 list of killers, and it’s moving up the ranks faster than any other factor.（历史上第一次，空气污染高居世界最高峰—10大杀手名单，比其他因素攀升的都快。）判断，选D。
【小题2】词意猜测题。byproduct意为副产品，根据本句句意：但是经济的增长带来了一个“副产品”，一个明显或者有时不太明显的副产品，在像北京、新德里和雅加达这样的城市上空弥漫着雾蒙蒙、难闻的气味。）所以在这里byproduct就是经济的后果，发展经济以牺牲环境为代价。故选A。
【小题3】细节理解题。第三段第一、二句的意思是：那么空气污染怎么会如此伤人？是那些非常细小的烟雾—如此细小以至于它深深植根于在肺里然后进入到血液里—导致大多数公众由于空气污染患上的健康问题包括死亡。由此判断空气污染导致死亡的基本原因是C。
【小题4】主题归纳题。本文主要讲述的是经济的发展带来的空气污染进而致人死亡的问题。其他为次要问题。故选D。
【小题5】推理判断题。最后一段的意思是：但是解决空气污染的最好的办法可能还涉及到城市规划设计。发展中城市的人有车的多了因为有钱了，但是不能意味着更致命的空气污染。更高的收入意味着更有利的环保措施，正如西方国家一样。所以富了更应该有更严厉的规章制度来应对空气污染。故选B。