Question

    Any time we burn fossil fuels, we’re pumping fine particulate matter（细颗粒物）from oil, gas and

other toxins（毒素）into the air. “Some of these carbon particles can persist in the lungs for decades,” says Dr. Don Sin, a respirologist and director of the Centre for Heart Lung Innovation in Vancouver.

Over 7,000 Canadians died from complications due to poor air quality in 2015. A study in the European Heart Journal earlier this year found that air pollution now kills 8.8 million people worldwide per year —more than tobacco smoking.

Sin adds that women’s lungs seem particularly easy to get cancer from pollution. Currently, 10,000

Canadian women die of lung cancer every year, and 15 per cent of new cases are people who have never smoked. “In Canada, lung-cancer deaths in female non-smokers will very soon probably outnumber the deaths from breast cancer, because lung cancer is so deadly,” he says.

Contributing to air pollution are the 8,000 wildfires we experience every year in Canada, like those that destroyed large areas of Alberta this past spring. These are increasing in frequency and intensity with our hotter, drier spells. A study in the Canadian Journal of Emergency Medicine found that prescriptions for an asthma and COPD drug rose by 22 per cent in the Yellowknife region in the summer of 2014, when it was surrounded by wildfire smoke. The number of ER visits for breathing problems was 42 per cent higher; for children, it more than doubled.

Another threat to breathing is mould, which is a concern in areas with repeated flooding, such as around New Brunswick’s Saint John River, where floodwaters have been in homes for two years in a row and displaced more than 200 families. Moulds produce toxins and spores that can trigger allergic reactions or infections if taken in. Rising sea levels and increased urban development, combined with intense rainfalls, mean we will see a lot more of it.

To avoid breathing polluted air, wear a mask rated N95 — not a surgical mask, which is useless, says Sin. “Those are too thin and easily torn. They won’t protect you at all from air particles.” On bad-air days,get your exercise indoors, for instance by walking in an air-conditioned mall.

1.Which of the following is True according to the passage?

A.15 per cent of Canadian women have never smoked.

B.1,000 Canadian women die of lung cancer every year.

C.Air pollution has killed 8.8 million people in the world.

D.Over 7,000 Canadians died as a result of air pollution in 2015.

2.What may cause the wildfires in Canada according to the passage?

A.Hot weather. B.Cigarette end.

C.Dry plants. D.Poor management.

3.What of the following is NOT a factor to produce moulds?

A.Sea levels rising.

B.Development of countryside.

C.Lots of rainfalls.

D.Growth of city.

4.What should be suggested to prevent breathing polluted air?

A.Wearing a surgical mask.

B.Taking exercise.

C.Walking indoors.

D.Sleeping longer hours.

Answer

1.D

2.A

3.B

4.C

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。短文介绍了越来越多的加拿大人死于空气质量差引起的并发症，并介绍了造成呼吸并发症的原因以及为了避免呼吸被污染的空气，人们应该采取的措施。

1.细节理解题。由第二段“Over 7,000 Canadians died from complications due to poor air quality in 2015 ”可知，在2015年，超过7000名加拿大人死于空气质量差引起的并发症。所以在2015年，超过7000名加拿大人死于空气污染。故选D项。

2.细节理解题。由第四段“These are increasing in frequency and intensity with our hotter, drier spells”可知，随着天气越来越热，越来越干燥，火灾发生的频率和强度都在增加。所以炎热的天气引起了加拿大的森林大火。故选A项。

3.细节理解题。由倒数第二段“Another threat to breathing is mould, which is a concern in areas with repeated flooding. Rising sea levels and increased urban development, combined with intense rainfalls, mean we will see a lot more of it”可知，另一个对呼吸的威胁是霉菌，这是反复发生洪水的地区所关注的问题，海平面上升，城市发展加快，加上强降雨，意味着会产生更多的霉菌。所以B选项“ 乡村的发展”不是产生霉菌的因素。故选B项。

4.细节理解题。由最后一段“On bad-air days, get your exercise indoors, for instance by walking in an air-conditioned mall”可知，在空气不好的日子里，你可以在室内锻炼，比如在有空调的商场里散步。所以在室内散步可以防止吸入污染的空气。故选C项。