2006年VOA标准英语-Asian Governments Pledge to Fight Air Pollution

By Chad Bouchard
Yogyakarta, Indonesia
15 December 2006

Government leaders from around Asia have pledged to boost air quality control programs in some of the most polluted cities of the world. As Chad Bouchard reports from the Indonesian city of Yogyakarta, widespread urban smog threatens economic growth and is blamed for more than a half-million premature¹ deaths each year.

Thick smog shrouds² Hong Kong  
  

Poor emissions³ controls and the expanding use of outdated⁴ technology are spreading a scourge⁵ of smog in many of Asia's megacities.

And Asia's booming economic growth means more factories and vehicles polluting the air.

The World Health Organization estimates more than 530,000 people in Southeast Asia and Pacific countries die prematurely⁶ from respiratory diseases connected to air pollution, such as asthma⁷ and pneumonia⁸.

This week, 20 Asian countries took the first steps in a cooperative effort to stem airborne pollution.

During a three-day Better Air Quality Conference in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, the governments signed a pact⁹ that experts say is a critical step toward healthier cities and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Asia.

Cornie Huizenga is the head of Secretariat for the Clean Air Initiative for Asian Cities, which held the summit.

Cars drive on Beijing's second ring road in murky¹⁰ weather - fog combined with pollution  
  
"The potential amount of emissions is increasing rapidly," Huizenga said. "Vehicle fleets are doubling about every five years. So - but fortunately, technologies (are) available - cleaner vehicles, cleaner fuels, etc. So there is a way out. And that's what we have been propagating is that countries need to jump on the bandwagon and adopt strategies for cleaner fuels cleaner vehicles etc."

Auto¹¹ production in India has increased by 20 percent a year since 2000, and China's vehicle fleet is eight times larger than it was a decade ago.

The number of motorcycles in Indonesia has doubled over the past five years to 33 million.

Huizenga says governments once regarded efforts to contain air pollution as harmful to economic growth. But a recent Asian Development Bank study shows that coping with the damage from air pollution can cost two to four percent of gross domestic product.

Though the group's new agreement is not binding¹², Huizenga says the summit indicates there is a growing commitment to improving air quality.

"I think it's encouraging first of all that a meeting was held," Huizenga said. "Secondly¹³ that countries agreed to the development of a long-term vision on air quality in Asia - and that they expressed their willingness to consider about 15 or 20 different strategies to increase urban air quality on an a more immediate¹⁴ and a short-term basis."

Huizenga says the summit should pave the way for more cooperation over emissions standards and pollution that crosses borders.

1 premature   

adj.比预期时间早的；不成熟的，仓促的

参考例句：

• It is yet premature to predict the possible outcome of the dialogue.预言这次对话可能有什么结果为时尚早。
• The premature baby is doing well.那个早产的婴儿很健康。

2 shrouds   

n.裹尸布( shroud的名词复数 )；寿衣；遮蔽物；覆盖物v.隐瞒( shroud的第三人称单数 )；保密

参考例句：

• 'For instance,' returned Madame Defarge, composedly,'shrouds.' “比如说，”德伐日太太平静地回答，“裹尸布。” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
• Figure 3-10 illustrates the result of a study or conical shrouds. 图3-10表明了对锥形外壳的研究结果。 来自辞典例句

3 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。

4 outdated   

adj.旧式的，落伍的，过时的；v.使过时

参考例句：

• That list of addresses is outdated,many have changed.那个通讯录已经没用了，许多地址已经改了。
• Many of us conform to the outdated customs laid down by our forebears.我们许多人都遵循祖先立下的过时习俗。

5 scourge   

n.灾难，祸害；v.蹂躏

参考例句：

• Smallpox was once the scourge of the world.天花曾是世界的大患。
• The new boss was the scourge of the inefficient.新老板来了以后，不称职的人就遭殃了。

6 prematurely   

adv.过早地，贸然地

参考例句：

• She was born prematurely with poorly developed lungs. 她早产，肺部未发育健全。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• His hair was prematurely white, but his busy eyebrows were still jet-black. 他的头发已经白了，不过两道浓眉还是乌黑乌黑的。 来自辞典例句

7 asthma   

n.气喘病，哮喘病

参考例句：

• I think he's having an asthma attack.我想他现在是哮喘病发作了。
• Its presence in allergic asthma is well known.它在过敏性气喘中的存在是大家很熟悉的。

8 pneumonia   

n.肺炎

参考例句：

• Cage was struck with pneumonia in her youth.凯奇年轻时得过肺炎。
• Pneumonia carried him off last week.肺炎上星期夺去了他的生命。

9 pact   

n.合同，条约，公约，协定

参考例句：

• The two opposition parties made an electoral pact.那两个反对党订了一个有关选举的协定。
• The trade pact between those two countries came to an end.那两国的通商协定宣告结束。

10 murky   

adj.黑暗的，朦胧的；adv.阴暗地，混浊地；n.阴暗；昏暗

参考例句：

• She threw it into the river's murky depths.她把它扔进了混浊的河水深处。
• She had a decidedly murky past.她的历史背景令人捉摸不透。

11 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

12 binding   

有约束力的，有效的，应遵守的

参考例句：

• The contract was not signed and has no binding force. 合同没有签署因而没有约束力。
• Both sides have agreed that the arbitration will be binding. 双方都赞同仲裁具有约束力。

13 secondly   

adv.第二，其次

参考例句：

• Secondly,use your own head and present your point of view.第二，动脑筋提出自己的见解。
• Secondly it is necessary to define the applied load.其次，需要确定所作用的载荷。

14 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。