"Beautiful China" progress expected from "two sessions"

 　　BEIJING, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Beijingers enjoyed a rare day of blue skies and bright sunshine on Monday, as the dangerously smoggy conditions seen over the last two months forced many to stay at home.

　　Air pollution remains¹ a big problem for Beijing and many other Chinese large cities. Citizens expect the ongoing² sessions of the country's legislature and top political advisory³ body to result in practical moves to solve the pollution problem.

　　The annual session of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), China's political advisory body, opened Sunday. The session of the 12th National People's Congress (NPC), China's legislature, convenes⁵ on Tuesday.

　　The meetings mark the first time for the two bodies to convene⁴ since the Communist Party of China (CPC) launched its new leadership late last year.

　　"Development will consume resources. But people are increasingly aware of the importance of the quality of their living environment," said Xiao Xingzhi, a professor at the Dongbei University of Finance and Economics in northeast China's Liaoning Province.

　　Repairing the environment and meeting related public expectations will be a major task for the new government that will be selected during the sessions, Xiao said.

　　Multiple Chinese cities were hit with dense⁶ smog in January. Beijing, for instance, had 23 smoggy days from Jan. 1 to 28, about 10 more than the annual average during the same period over the last 10 years and the most since 1954.

　　The average density⁷ of PM2.5, or particulate⁸ matter 2.5 microns in diameter or less, in January was 180 micrograms per cubic meter in Beijing, about 30 percent higher than that recorded during the same period from 2009 to 2011, according to meteorological data.

　　Vehicle exhaust and emissions⁹ from coal-burning plants were blamed for the prolonged smog that hit north and east China in January and February.

　　"We have no choice but to rely on wind to blow away pollutants¹⁰ and bring fresh air," said Gong Hanlin, a member of the political advisory body.

　　"Economic growth is a must. But the urban environment is worrisome. We cannot only focus on the economy. We should also care about the real improvement of our quality of life," said Gong.

　　Efforts to revive the environment are ongoing. After five years of treatment, the Liaohe River in northeast China has improved its water quality significantly.

　　Local governments in Liaoning Province invested more than 50 billion yuan (about 7.96 billion U.S.dollars) to treat the river, closing nearly 300 paper plants and setting up new waste water treatment factories.

　　"The river's dirty water stank¹¹ in the past. But now, wild fowl¹² have reappeared," said Sun Jun, a villager who lives on the banks of the Liaohe River. He said local residents did not believe the river's water quality could be improved at the beginning.

　　"The successful treatment of the Liaohe River tells us that a 'beautiful China' will not be a mere¹³ dream as long as officials at all levels truly stick to a scientific outlook on development," said He Wei, a member of the 12th National Committee of the CPPCC.

　　Lyu Xinhua, a spokesman for the annual session of the CPPCC National Committee, said China's rapid industrialization and urbanization have caused energy consumption to skyrocket.

　　China's energy structure is not reasonable and efforts on the part of some companies to protect the environment have been poor, Lyu said at a press conference on Sunday.

　　He acknowledged that it is difficult for some cities, including Beijing, to meet national air quality standards in the short term.

　　Lyu said the government should invest more and enhance legislation regarding environmental protection. Public participation¹⁴ and supervision¹⁵ will also be of great significance, he said.

　　Wan¹⁶ Gang, vice¹⁷ chairman of the 11th CPPCC National Committee, said the country should be more active in developing clean production technology and sewage treatment facilities.

　　"Only when our ways of life and production become 'green' can we regain¹⁸ blue skies and clean water," said Wan, who is also minister of science and technology.

　　Zhou Haixiang, an environmental protection volunteer, said that while the central and local governments have made great efforts to treat pollution, China's citizens expect more.

　　"I hope the two bodies will collect public opinions and come up with more effective measures to protect the environment," he said.

1 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

2 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

3 advisory   

adj.劝告的，忠告的，顾问的，提供咨询

参考例句：

• I have worked in an advisory capacity with many hospitals.我曾在多家医院做过顾问工作。
• He was appointed to the advisory committee last month.他上个月获任命为顾问委员会委员。

4 convene   

v.集合，召集，召唤，聚集，集合

参考例句：

• The Diet will convene at 3p.m. tomorrow.国会将于明天下午三点钟开会。
• Senior officials convened in October 1991 in London.1991年10月，高级官员在伦敦会齐。

5 convenes   

召开( convene的第三人称单数 )； 召集； （为正式会议而）聚集； 集合

参考例句：

• The Premier convenes and presides over the executive meetings and plenary meetings of the State Council. 总理召集和主持国务院常务会议和国务院全体会议。 来自汉英非文学 - 中国宪法
• Chinese woman tenth the National People Congress convenes grandly today in Beijing. 中国妇女第十次全国代表大会今天在北京隆重召开。

6 dense   

a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的

参考例句：

• The general ambushed his troops in the dense woods. 将军把部队埋伏在浓密的树林里。
• The path was completely covered by the dense foliage. 小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。

7 density   

n.密集，密度，浓度

参考例句：

• The population density of that country is 685 per square mile.那个国家的人口密度为每平方英里685人。
• The region has a very high population density.该地区的人口密度很高。

8 particulate   

adj.微小的；n.微粒，粒子

参考例句：

• A special group was organized to dig up the particulate of the case.成立了一个专门小组来查明该案件的各个细节。
• Lungs retain relatively insoluble particulate material.肺脏内留有不溶解的颗粒物质。

9 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

10 pollutants   

污染物质（尤指工业废物）( pollutant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Pollutants are constantly being released into the atmosphere. 污染物质正在不断地被排放到大气中去。
• The 1987 Amendments limit 301(g) discharges to a few well-studied nonconventional pollutants. 1987年的修正案把第301条（g）的普通排放限制施加在一些认真研究过的几种非常规污染物上。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

11 stank   

n. (英)坝，堰，池塘 动词stink的过去式

参考例句：

• Her breath stank of garlic. 她嘴里有股大蒜味。
• The place stank of decayed fish. 那地方有烂鱼的臭味。

12 fowl   

n.家禽，鸡，禽肉

参考例句：

• Fowl is not part of a traditional brunch.禽肉不是传统的早午餐的一部分。
• Since my heart attack,I've eaten more fish and fowl and less red meat.自从我患了心脏病后，我就多吃鱼肉和禽肉，少吃红色肉类。

13 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

14 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。

15 supervision   

n.监督，管理

参考例句：

• The work was done under my supervision.这项工作是在我的监督之下完成的。
• The old man's will was executed under the personal supervision of the lawyer.老人的遗嘱是在律师的亲自监督下执行的。

16 wan   

(wide area network)广域网

参考例句：

• The shared connection can be an Ethernet,wireless LAN,or wireless WAN connection.提供共享的网络连接可以是以太网、无线局域网或无线广域网。

17 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

18 regain   

vt.重新获得，收复，恢复

参考例句：

• He is making a bid to regain his World No.1 ranking.他正为重登世界排名第一位而努力。
• The government is desperate to regain credibility with the public.政府急于重新获取公众的信任。