Air pollution shortens human lives by more th...

Air pollution shortens human lives by more than a year, according to a new study from a team of leading environmental engineers and public health researchers. Better air quality could lead to a significant extension of lifespan(寿命) around the world.

It is the first time that data on air pollution and the lifespan has been studied together in order to check how air pollution affects overall life expectancy.

The researchers looked at outdoor air pollution from particulate matter (PM)(颗粒物) smaller than 2.5 microns. These particulates can enter deep into the lungs, and breathing PM 2.5 is associated with the increased risk of heart attacks, strokes and cancers. PM 2.5 pollution comes from power plants, cars and trucks, fires, agriculture and industrial emissions(排放物).

Led by Joshua Apte, the team used data from the Global Burden of Disease Study to measure PM 2.5 air pollution exposure and its consequences in 185 countries. They then quantified the national impact on life expectancy for each individual country as well as on a global scale.

“The fact that air pollution is a major global killer is already well­known,” said Apte. “And we all care about how long we can live. Here, we were able to systematically identify how air pollution shortens lives around the world. What we found is that air pollution has a very large effect on survival — on average about a year globally.”

In the context of other significant phenomena negatively affecting human survival rates, Apte said this is a big number. “For example, it’s considerably larger than the benefit in survival we might see if we found cures for both lung and breast cancer combined,” he said. “In countries like India and China, the benefit for elderly people of improving air quality would be especially large. For much of Asia, if air pollution were removed as a risk for death, 60­year­olds would have a 15 percent to 20 percent higher chance of living to age 85 or older.”

1.What do we know about PM 2.5?

A.It has a bad effect on human health. B.It will be controlled in the future.

C.It only comes from industrial emissions. D.It spreads to the world from Asian countries.

2.What did the researchers do to study how air pollution affects the lifespan?

A.They collected accurate information from all the Asian countries.

B.They employed the research data to calculate the effect.

C.They studied the disease and lifespan together time and time again.

D.They measured particulate matter much more carefully than before.

3.What can be inferred from the text?

A.The key to people living longer is good air quality.

B.People think air pollution is the most dangerous killer to them.

C.Apte will agree that people should take action to deal with air pollution.

D.Factories should decrease the production of cars to stop air pollution.

4.What is the best title for the text?

A.The Way Human Beings Enjoy a Longer Lifespan

B.The Importance of Getting Rid of Air Pollution

C.Asian People Are Suffering from Serious Air Pollution

D.Air Pollution Reduces the Lifespan by More than One Year

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Outdoor air pollution leads to more than 3 million premature deaths each year, and more than two thirds of them occur in China and India, according to new research. The authors estimate that without government intervention, the total number of deaths could double by 2050.

The study, published in the journal Nature, identifies particulate matter(悬浮微粒) as the prime pollutant leading to premature mortality. Particulate matter, a substance formed as a combination of different materials released into the air, is thought to be harmful to human health once it exceeds 2.5 micrometers in diameter. Researchers also identified ozone as a contributor to dangerous air quality.

The causes of air pollution vary dramatically from place to place. In India and China, the study says, emissions from residential heating and cooking drive air pollution by creating unhealthy quantities of smoke. Overall, residential heating emissions cause one third of air pollution-related deaths worldwide.

In highly regulated areas, like the United States, Europe and Japan, emissions from agriculture tend to be primary contributors to air pollution. Fertilizer used in agriculture releases ammonia into the atmosphere, a process that creates harmful particulate matter. Globally, air pollution from agriculture kills more than 600,000 people annually, the study finds.

The findings are consistent with a 2014 report from the World Health Organization that suggested that 7 million deaths occur annually due to both indoor and outdoor air pollution.

The study’s conclusions give a sense of urgency to efforts to reduce air pollution but present challenges because of difficulty regulating heating activity in people’s homes, according to study author Jos Lelieveld. People who live in the most affected areas should be provided with information about less toxic heating methods, he said.

“It’s important to reduce emissions from residential energy use,” Lelieveld said on a conference call for journalists. “You can’t ask people to stop eating and cooking, but you can provide better technologies.”

Air pollution contributes to a variety of ailments that eventually lead to premature mortality like lung cancer, stroke and heart failure, according to the study. Another study published this week in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives reached similar conclusions showing the devastating (毁灭性的) effects of pollution on individual health. Researchers found that chronic exposure to particulate matter increases the chance of early death by 3%. That risk is especially high for heart disease; the chance a person will die of heart disease increases by around 10% with chronic exposure to particulate matter.

Researchers found that the number of deaths is expected to double by 2050 without new government policies. Nearly all of the increase will occur in Asia, according to the report.

1.Which of the following contributes to the air pollution?

A. Particulate matter. 　 B. Ozone.

C. Smoke　　　　　　　　　　 　 D. Both A and B.

2.Which of the following is NOT true?

A. Residential heating emissions cause two thirds of air pollution-related deaths worldwide.

B. 7 million deaths occur annually due to air pollution.

C. Air pollution from agriculture kills more than 600,000 people annually.

D. The causes of air pollution vary dramatically from place to place.

3.What might air pollution lead to?

A. Lung cancer.　 　　 B. Stroke.

C. Heart failure.　　 D. All above.

4.What can be inferred from the article?

A. Residential energy use should be stopped.

B. Chronic exposure to particulate matter increases the chance of early death by 3%.

C. The number of deaths is expected to double by 2050 due to air pollution.

D. It is urgent for the government to take action.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Smog in Europe and North America could be more than 25 times more deadly than the average air pollution found in Chinese cities, a new study suggests. In the largest ever study of its kind in the developing world, researchers tested the effects of air pollution on the health of people in 272 cities in China.

They found average annual exposure to fine particles, known as PM2.5, in those cities was more than five times higher than the level recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), according to a paper in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

However they also discovered that it was much less likely to increase the death rate than PM2.5 in Europe and North America.

The researchers, led by Dr Maigeng Zhou, of the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, suggested this was because China is affected by large amounts of natural dust blown by the wind from arid areas, while most pollution in the West comes from industry.

They found that for every increase of 10 micrograms of air pollution in a cubic meter of air, the mortality rate increased by 0.22 percent, discounting deaths from accidents.

Professor Frank Kelly, an expert in environmental health at King’s College London, who was not involved in the study but has studied air pollution in China, told The Independent: “Those relative risks are considerably less than those seen in Europe and the US. For mortality(死亡率) in Europe we are working on a six percent increase per 10 micrograms.” That suggests air pollution in Europe is about 27 times more toxic than average air pollution in China.

However, Professor Kelly said cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong were likely to suffer from Western-style air pollution. "The natural dust component there is not of the magnitude that it would dwarf the coal, biomass and fossil fuel signals,” he said, “That may be true in certain cities whose pollution is not dominated by local power generation or major traffic congestion.”

Natural dust particles can cause physical damage to the lungs and trigger an asthma attack. Particles of carbon produced when fossil fuels are burned can lead to similar problems but they are also coated with toxic heavy metals, chemicals and volatile organic compounds. These are able to pass from the lungs into the blood stream where it is thought they cause further damage to the body.

Areeba Hamid, an air pollution campaigner with environmental group Greenpeace, said: “Poisonous air causes damage to people’s health wherever in the world they live. We now know fumes from diesel(柴油机) vehicles are a lot more poisonous than car companies claimed and this is a big cause of air pollution in Europe and North America. These companies have a lot to answer for, but so far they’ve managed to avoid any real accountability.”

The study of cities in China found the average annual expose to PM2.5 was 56 micrograms per cubic meter, compared to the WHO guideline limit for safe air quality of 10 micrograms.

People who were older than 75, had less education or who lived in hotter places were more likely to die. It is thought people in warmer cities were more likely to spend time outside or leave their windows open, thereby breathing more polluted air, the researchers said. They also speculated that less well educated people might have poorer access to health care or experience poorer environmental health conditions.

1.Why PM2.5 in China is less deadly than that in Europe and North America?

A. China is free from any pollution about PM2.5.

B. Pollutants affecting China mainly come from arid areas.

C. Fewer people died from PM 2.5 in China than those in Europe and North America.

D. Europe and North America are polluted by natural dust.

2.What does the underlined part in Para 7 refer to?

A. The average mortality rate.　　 B. The higher mortality rate.

C. The lower mortality rate.　　 D. The normal mortality rate.

3.What’s the real cause of air pollution in Europe and North America according to Areeba Hamid?

A. Fumes from diesel vehicles are much more poisonous.

B. The environmental agencies can’t take on responsibilities.

C. The technology doesn’t meet the standards.

D. Car companies can’t evaluate the results.

4.The author’s purpose of writing the passage is to ________.

A. appeal to people to lay an emphasis on environmental protection

B. illustrate smog in Europe and North America is quite serious

C. demonstrate China is safest place in the world to live in

D. provide some good ways to address the smog

高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

Clean water is ______ necessary than fresh air to [\people living in big cities．

A．no more          B．not more          C．no less            D．not less

高三英语单项填空困难题查看答案及解析

The recent air crash, ________ more than two hundred people lost their lives, has renewed concerns over the safety of flight travel.

A. that　　　　　　　　　　 B. which　　　　　　　　 C. where　　　　　　　　 D. when

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

. Clean water is ____ necessary than fresh air to the people living in big cities.

高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析

The split between humans and living apes is thought by some scholars ____ 15 to 20 million years ago.

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

As is reported, it will be more than 20 years ________ humans are able to walk on Mars.

A．before　 B．when　 C．since　 D．after

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Dogs and humans have been living side-by-side for about 15,000 years, but there are tons of facts about dogs that perhaps we have never heard of.

Night vision

Dogs have good night vision. Their large pupils let more light in and the rods (视杆细胞) work better in poor light. But the biggest factor is the tapetum (反光组织), which reflect light at the back of the eye. Besides, dogs’ whiskers (胡须) also help them “see” in the dark because they pick up on very small changes in air, providing dogs with information about the size, shape, and speed of things nearby.

Secret tail code

Dogs can use their tails to communicate. They wag their tails to the right when they are relaxed or happy, and to the left when nervous or threatened. When they’ re aggressive, the tails will stick straight-up in the air. A broad wag is friendly while a slow wag is neutral, neither excited nor anxious.

Dreams

We often see a dog’s body making sudden movements in its sleep. Dogs have the same brain wave patterns as humans’ while they are asleep, so they dream just like we do.

Super nose

Dogs can find their way home despite long distances. Their noses are a vital part of their incredible sense of direction. The part of a dog’s brain that controls smell is 40 times larger than humans’. They’re able to follow smells for miles. Furthermore, dogs have an amazing ability to recognize the smells given off by the abnormal cells in human bodies, including cancer. This is something scientists are eager to explore further. And interesting, a dog’s “fingerprint” is on its nose. The patterns on dogs’ noses are so distinct that they can actually be used to identify the animals.

A sixth sense

Dogs act strangely before something bad, like a storm or earthquake, happens, for they are sensitive to low frequencies that humans can’t sense. So don’t let their strange behavior go unnoticed next time. It could save your life.

1.Which of the following indirectly helps dogs see well in the dark?

A. Their rods.　　 B. Their tapetum.

C. Their whiskers.　　 D. Their pupils.

2.If a dog holds up the tail, it indicates ________.

A. happiness　　 B. attack

C. friendliness　　 D. relaxation

3.What hasn’t been discovered about a dog?

A. Why it can sense natural disasters.　　 B. Why it has an acute sense of smell.

C. What emotions it shows with its tail.　　 D. How it can smell humans’ illnesses.

4.In what way are dogs like humans?

A. They dream when they sleep.　　 B. They have good night vision.

C. They have distinct nose patterns.　　 D. They can react to low frequencies.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

A higher proportion of Americans are living alone and spending time alone than in past decades. According to the U.S. Census Bureau，a third of U.S. adults over 45 reports being lonely. Less than half of U.S. adults participate in an organized religious group and less than a quarter participate in a social club or a local sports league. And the problem has been getting worse.

It sounds bad, but, after all, some people like being alone, and we all have to do it sometimes, so what’s the problem? According to a widely reported 2019 analysis of studies, being socially isolated, feeling lonely and living alone corresponded with an increased risk of mortality (死亡) by 29 percent, 26 percent, and 32 percent respectively. Lacking social connection carries a risk that is comparable, and in many cases, exceeds that of other well-accepted risk factors, including smoking up to 15 cigarettes per day, obesity, physical inactivity. and air pollution.

“Loneliness is the subjective feeling of being alone,” Dr. Holt-Lunstad, the lead author of that study tells The Healthy. “It’s defined as the discrepancy between one’s actual level of social connection and one’s desired level of social connection.” “Social isolation means having few relationships and infrequent social contacts,” Dr. Holt-Lunstad adds, “someone who is isolated is at greater risk of becoming lonely, but you can be lonely and not isolated and isolated and not lonely.”

The epidemic of loneliness is compounded today by the coronavirus pandemic which makes the government ask people to stay by themselves. What can we do to mitigate the negative heathy effects? Dr. Holt-Lunstad recommends. “You could view your situation as being tapped or forced to stay home, or you could change your concept to thinking about this as ‘this is something I am doing to protect the ones I love’. And helping care for someone, an animal or even a plant can help reduce the feeling of loneliness and improve survival rate. Another step you can take is to connect with people in your life who you haven’t reached out to in a while.” Dr. Holt-Lunstad also says, “The greatest gift we can give people is our full attention. That means not just sharing but listening and listening deeply.”

1.What can be inferred from the first two paragraphs?

A.Americans gradually dislike participating in social activities.

B.Feeling lonely accounts for about one third of deaths in America.

C.Living alone can result in smoking more and physical inactivity.

D.The problem of loneliness in America is very serious.

2.What do we know about loneliness according to the passage?

A.Someone who is alone must be lonely.

B.Someone who is isolated must be lonely.

C.Someone who is isolated may not be lonely.

D.Someone who has frequent social contact can’t be lonely.

3.Which measure can be used to deal with loneliness?

A.Shifting our concept. B.Self-supporting.

C.Reaching out to strangers. D.Light listening.

4.What can be the best title for the text?

A.Are you feeling isolated? B.Loneliness is worsening in America.

C.The risks of being lonely. D.How can we deal with loneliness?

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析