空气污染伤害儿童大脑
Air pollution damages young brains
常速 | 六级 偏易 | 846词 | 5min57s
刘立军供稿
Part I. QUESTIONS
Listen to the news and choose the best answer to each question you hear.
Q1. What are some health issues caused by air pollution according to Maria Neira?
A. Stroke, asthma, and lung cancer.
B. Diabetes and arthritis.
C. Obesity and high blood pressure.
D. Depression and anxiety.
Q2. Why are children more vulnerable to air pollution?
A. They spend less time indoors.
B. They are less likely to follow safety guidelines.
C. They are more exposed to household fuels.
D. They have faster breathing rates and developing lungs.
Q3. What measures can individuals take to reduce exposure to air pollution?
A. Avoiding cooking at home.
B. Using cleaner fuels for cooking.
C. Exercising in congested areas.
D. Spending more time outdoors.
Q4. What does Maria Neira imply about government actions on air pollution?
A. Governments have done enough to combat air pollution.
B. Individual efforts are more effective than government actions.
C. Bold legislation and interventions are essential.
D. Air pollution is not a priority for most governments.
Q5. Which city has reduced air pollution by 50% in the last 20 years?
A. Paris.
B. London.
C. Bogota.
D. New Delhi.
Q6. What is the main purpose of the text?
A. To explain the causes of air pollution.
B. To highlight the impact of air pollution on health and possible solutions.
C. To discuss the economic effects of air pollution.
D. To analyze the history of air pollution in major cities.
Part II. TRANSCRIPT
Air pollution damages young brains
VGS: What if the air your child is breathing is harming their brain? Stealing them of their chance to learn, thrive and grow? This invisible danger is real, urgent and happening now. We are talking about air pollution and its impact on our brain, and what countries are doing to stop it, from London to Bogota. New studies have emerged linking air pollution to dementia, anxiety and depression affecting your brain and mental health. We are talking to Doctor Maria Neira today. Welcome, Maria. Let’s start with the impact of air pollution on our health.
dementia n. 痴呆
MN: Thanks Vismita. Yes. Air pollution is the biggest environmental risk factor for our health. Every year we have 7 million deaths caused by exposure to air pollution. This is a horrible number. Let me give you another figure. Nine out of ten people in the world is breathing air, which quality’s not aligned with the recommendations, the guidelines of the World Health Organization. Those little tiny particles in the polluted air, they can go very deep in our lungs. And they can affect as well our brain. (Q1) But air pollution is not just affecting our lungs and our brain; it’s affecting as well the rest of our body responsible for stroke, cardiovascular diseases, asthma, and even lung cancer.
align v. 对齐，使一致
cardiovascular adj. 心血管的
asthma n. 哮喘
VGS: So, Maria, you talked about the tiny particles, the PM 2.5 and PM10 that we’ve all heard about, right. But it’s not just that. It’s also the gases, the carbon monoxide, ozone, etc., right? I remember when we were in New Delhi, our child, my daughter, was very young at that time. We worried about her lung health, but we also worried about her cognitive development in that kind of air pollution. Can you elaborate on the impact of air pollution on children’s health?
monoxide n. 一氧化物
cognitive adj. 认知的
MN: Let me give you an example. When you are pregnant, if you are exposed to high levels of pollution, then you might be at risk of low birth weight, premature birth, and even problems from the development of the fetus. As a child, this child, exposed to high levels of pollution, will have difficulties and more likely to develop asthma, for instance, in later in life, chronic health issues. In addition to that, (Q2) children are obviously more at risk first because they are on development. They have little lungs in their bodies developing, and then they breathe faster than we do. So they take more quantity of air for their size, and they play outside so that we have more exposure and they cannot control the exposure. So it’s our responsibility to protect them and make sure that the health of our children is develop in a healthy environment.
fetus n. 胎儿
VGS: Maria, if nine out of ten people are breathing polluted air, how can we protect our health?
MN: We definitely have some individual measures we can take. We can reduce exposure by avoiding maybe the most trafficked roads or the most congested areas in the city where you leave for avoiding to practice a sport or walking in those very polluted places, (Q3) or even at home looking at the fuels you use for cooking and making sure that you use the cleanest possible ones. However, those are the individual choices and you are not always able to take those choices. (Q4) So it’s more a question of governments taking very bold legislation, measures and interventions to protect all of us.
trafficked adj. 交通繁忙的
congested adj. 堵塞的，拥挤的
VGS: So, Maria, we know that this feels overwhelming, right? Feels like what can individuals do? Can you give us examples of cities or countries where this has been turned around and air pollution has been reduced drastically?
MN: Absolutely. And we have perfect demonstration that it can be done. For instance, the European Union, the European Parliament has just adopted a directive on air quality, which is very much aligned to WTO recommendations and guidelines. That will create a big protection for the health of the Europeans under that legislation. We have examples as well in China, where they have demonstrated that you can reduce air pollution while still maintaining a good economic growth. And then cities, you can obtain incredible results. (Q5) The mayor of Paris has been able to reduce by 50% in the last 20 years the air pollution and therefore all the diseases associated by putting in place some traffic recommendations, green spaces, and more lines for pedestrians and bicycles. We have the London experience as well ultra low emissions zones, demonstrating that air pollution was reduced and respiratory diseases associated. (We) have Colombia. In Bogota, they are putting in place a fleet of buses which are 100% electric. And so there are very good examples. There are many, but we need to push for more. And of course, imagine where everybody will be aware and putting in place these directives and recommendations. It would be a healthier environment for all of us and our health will be so much benefited.
ultra adj. 超级的
respiratory adj. 呼吸的
VGS: Thank you Maria. That was Science in Five today. And until next time then, stay safe, stay healthy, and stick with science.
Part III. KEY
Q1.【答案】A
【解析】细节题。题目出处：But air pollution is not just affecting our lungs, and our brain is affecting as well the rest of our body responsible for stroke, cardiovascular diseases, asthma, and even lung cancer. 意为：空气污染不仅影响我们的肺和大脑，还影响我们的身体其他部分，导致中风、心血管疾病、哮喘，甚至肺癌。因此正确答案为A。
Q2.【答案】D
【解析】细节题。题目出处：Children are obviously more at risk first because they are on development. They have little lungs in their bodies developing, and then they breathe faster than we do. 意为：儿童显然更容易受影响，首先是因为他们处于发育阶段；他们的肺部还在发育，并且呼吸频率比我们快。因此正确答案为D。
Q3.【答案】B
【解析】细节题。题目出处：... even at home looking at the fuels you use for cooking and making sure that you use the cleanest possible ones. 意为：甚至在家里，也要检查你用来做饭的燃料，确保使用尽可能清洁的燃料。因此正确答案为B。
Q4.【答案】C
【解析】推理题。题目出处：So it’s more a question of governments taking very bold legislation, measures and interventions to protect all of us. 意为：所以更重要的是政府采取非常大胆的立法、措施和干预来保护我们所有人。由此可以推断，玛丽亚认为政府采取果断措施是解决空气污染的关键，因此正确答案为C。
Q5.【答案】A
【解析】细节题。题目出处：The mayor of Paris has been able to reduce by 50% in the last 20 years the air pollution. 意为：巴黎市长在过去20年里将空气污染减少了50%。因此正确答案为A。
Q6.【答案】B
【解析】主旨题。文章主要讨论了空气污染对健康的影响，并提供了可能的解决方案。题目出处：We are talking about air pollution and its impact on our brain. And what countries are doing to stop it. 意为：我们在讨论空气污染及其对我们大脑的影响，以及各国正在采取的措施来阻止它。因此正确答案为B。
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