Question

    Breathing dirty air comes at a high price. Air pollution lowers the average life spans (寿命) by a year worldwide and in more polluted parts of Asia and Africa, dirty air shortens lives up to twice that much. Scientists shared their new findings in Environmental Science & Technology Letters. The study used data gathered in 2016 as part of a project known as the Global Burden of Disease and was the first major country-by-country look at the connection between the length of life and what’s known as fine PM.

Air pollution has been linked to many health problems. Most earlier studies had looked at how tiny air pollutants affected rates of illness or death. Joshua Apte is an environmental scientist at the University of Texas at Austin. By looking at life expectancy (预期寿命), his team had hoped to make the threat easier to understand. PM2.5 is what scientists call tiny particles (颗粒) of pollution in the air. Higher levels of PM2.5 can cause health problems and cut months, if not years, from the average length of life. This analysis shows how pollution affects life expectancy in different parts of the world.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends limiting PM2.5 to 10 micrograms per cubic meter of air. Apte’s group calculated how holding pollution to this low level would help people. In countries with very dirty air, meeting this standard would lengthen people’s lives. However, in countries whose air already meets this standard, the study shows no gain in life expectancy. In other words, meeting the WHO standard won’t reduce health costs resulting from dirty air because even below 10 micrograms per cubic meter, pollution still causes serious risks. Meanwhile, the scientists compared how other threats including smoking and cancer shorten the length of life across the globe.

1.What is special about the study?

A.It won recognition from a professional journal.

B.It discussed health problems caused by air pollution.

C.It gathered lots of data for the Global Burden of Disease.

D.It analyzed the link between life spans and PM by country.

2.What is Joshua Apte’s team trying to do?

A.Help people better understand air pollution.

B.Study life expectancy in different countries.

C.Know how small air pollutants affect health.

D.Deal with different kinds of health problems.

3.What will happen if a country limits PM2.5 to 10 micrograms per cubic meter of air?

A.People’s life spans will surely increase. B.It will get strong support from the WHO.

C.People’s health may not be much improved. D.It will guarantee people clean air.

4.What might be discussed in the following paragraphs?

A.How cleaning up the air can lengthen lives.

B.How air pollution shortens lives by country.

C.How other threats shorten life expectancy.

D.How all the countries deal with severe pollution.

Answer

1.D

2.A

3.C

4.C

【解析】

本文是一篇说明文。在全球范围内，空气污染使人的平均寿命降低了一年，而在污染更严重的亚洲和非洲地区，空气污染使人的寿命缩短了两倍之多。科学家们在《环境科学与技术快报》上分享了他们的新发现。该研究分析了不同国家居民的寿命与PM之间的关系。

1.细节理解题。根据第一段中The study used data gathered in 2016 as part of a project known as the Global Burden of Disease and was the first major country-by-country look at the connection between the length of life and what’s known as fine PM.（该研究使用了2016年作为一个名为“全球疾病负担”(Global Burden of Disease)项目的一部分收集的数据，这是首个主要的逐国研究寿命长短与“细颗粒物”(fine PM)之间关系的国家。）可知，研究的特殊之处是该研究分析了不同国家居民的寿命与PM之间的关系。故选D。

2.细节理解题。根据第二段中Joshua Apte is an environmental scientist at the University of Texas at Austin. By looking at life expectancy (预期寿命), his team had hoped to make the threat easier to understand.（约书亚·阿普特(Joshua Apte)是德克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校的环境科学家。通过观察预期寿命，他的团队希望能让这种威胁更容易理解。）可知，Joshua Apte的团队帮助人们更好地了解空气污染。故选A。

3.推理判断题。根据最后一段中The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends limiting PM2.5 to 10 micrograms per cubic meter of air.（世界卫生组织(WHO)建议将PM2.5浓度限制在每立方米10微克以内。）和In other words, meeting the WHO standard won’t reduce health costs resulting from dirty air because even below 10 micrograms per cubic meter, pollution still causes serious risks.（换句话说，达到世界卫生组织的标准并不能降低空气污染造成的健康成本，因为即使低于每立方米10微克，污染仍然会造成严重的风险。）可知，如果一个国家将PM2.5浓度限制在每立方米10微克，人们的健康状况可能不会有太大改善。故选C。

4.推理判断题。根据最后一段中Meanwhile, the scientists compared how other threats including smoking and cancer shorten the length of life across the globe.（与此同时，科学家们比较了包括吸烟和癌症在内的其他威胁是如何缩短全球寿命的。）由此推知，接下来要讨论的是“其他威胁如何缩短预期寿命。”故选C。