英闻天下——114 Severe Pollution Prompts Action Calls in China

 　　The Chinese capital continued to suffer from a dense¹ fog this Monday after the city saw probably the "worst on record" air quality over the weekend.

 

　　"I have difficulty breathing. Today has actually been better than the weekend. We live on the east side of the city, the smog is worse there. When I opened the window this morning, I couldn't see clearly. The visibility was very low. I am worried about my family, especially those who drive."

 

　　"There are so many cars that discharge so much exhaust. Industrial pollution is bad too. The air quality would be better if the government could take measures to control the pollution."

 

　　Though weather forecasters say air quality will return to normal this Wednesday following forecasted strong wind, the high pollution in recent days has inevitably² prompted further debate on the issue.

 

　　It's been proved that in recent years, most Chinese cities including Beijing have already committed to a timetable to improve air quality.

 

　　In fact, most Chinese cities have emergency response plans for such seriously polluted days.

 

　　In Beijing, environment authorities have passed mandatory³ measures, urging over 50 companies to cut their emissions⁴ by 30 percent.

 

　　Thirty percent of government vehicles have been removed from the road in severely⁵ polluted areas in Beijing.

 

　　Dozens of Chinese cities began releasing figures about some of the worst kinds of pollutants⁶ early last year.

 

　　And major metropolises⁷ have been relocating the majority of heavy industry outside the city.

 

　　But obviously for some, it's far from enough. People want quick action.

 

　　It is widely believed that air pollution is a major problem in China due to the country's rapid pace of industrialization, reliance on coal power, explosive growth in car ownership and the sometimes disregard for environmental laws.

 

　　Experts say there is no quick solution.

 

　　Xie Deti is the director of Department of Resources and Environment at China's Southwest University.

 

　　"Changing our traditional economic growth model is the only way. The country should change its power consumption model that overly relies on burning coal to improve energy structure. The relocation and technological⁸ upgrade of high polluted sectors⁹ should be continued to cut emissions. And we should also make our transport greener by improving fuel efficiency, limiting the use of private cars and encouraging public transport."

 

　　Pollution has long been identified as one of the biggest challenges by China's top leaders, with the leadership strongly urging the country to "reverse the trend of ecological¹⁰ deterioration¹¹ and build a beautiful China".

 

　　For CRI, I'm Su Yi.

1 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。

2 inevitably   

adv.不可避免地；必然发生地

参考例句：

• In the way you go on,you are inevitably coming apart.照你们这样下去，毫无疑问是会散伙的。
• Technological changes will inevitably lead to unemployment.技术变革必然会导致失业。

3 mandatory   

adj.命令的；强制的；义务的；n.受托者

参考例句：

• It's mandatory to pay taxes.缴税是义务性的。
• There is no mandatory paid annual leave in the U.S.美国没有强制带薪年假。

4 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。

5 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

6 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

7 metropolises   

n.一国的主要城市（不一定是首都）( metropolis的名词复数 )；中心；大都会；大城市

参考例句：

• That season, you ride it, all metropolises achieve what one wishes! 那时节，您骑上它，一切都会如愿以偿！ 来自互联网
• Carl has carried the banner in infernal metropolises. 卡尔曾经在那些地狱般的大都市流浪街头。 来自互联网

8 technological   

adj.技术的；工艺的

参考例句：

• A successful company must keep up with the pace of technological change.一家成功的公司必须得跟上技术变革的步伐。
• Today,the pace of life is increasing with technological advancements.当今， 随着科技进步，生活节奏不断增快。

9 sectors   

n.部门( sector的名词复数 )；领域；防御地区；扇形

参考例句：

• Berlin was divided into four sectors after the war. 战后柏林分成了4 个区。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Industry and agriculture are the two important sectors of the national economy. 工业和农业是国民经济的两个重要部门。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

10 ecological   

adj.生态的，生态学的

参考例句：

• The region has been declared an ecological disaster zone.这个地区已经宣布为生态灾难区。
• Each animal has its ecological niche.每种动物都有自己的生态位.

11 deterioration   

n.退化；恶化；变坏

参考例句：

• Mental and physical deterioration both occur naturally with age. 随着年龄的增长，心智和体力自然衰退。
• The car's bodywork was already showing signs of deterioration. 这辆车的车身已经显示出了劣化迹象。