VOA慢速英语2016 80%城镇居民呼吸的空气不安全

WHO: 80% of Urban Residents Breathe Unsafe Air 80%城镇居民呼吸的空气不安全

From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.

这里是VOA慢速英语健康生活频道。

A new study finds that more than 80 percent of people living in cities are breathing unsafe air.

最新一项研究发现，80%以上的城镇居民呼吸的空气不安全。

The World Health Organization study on urban air quality says those most affected 1 live in the world's poorest cities. The study finds urban air pollution has nearly doubled in 3,000 cities over the past two years. The cities are in 103 countries.

世卫组织在城市空气质量研究报告中指出，全球最贫穷城市的居民受此影响最为严重。研究发现，过去两年间有3000座城市的空气污染指数几乎翻了一倍。这些城市分布在103个国家。

The study also shows that almost all cities with populations over 100,000, and in developing countries, have air pollution levels that do not meet WHO guidelines.

该研究还表明，几乎所有人口超过10万的发展中国家，其城市空气污染指数不符合世界卫生组织的标准。

The WHO warns that as air quality worsens the risk increases for many diseases. These include stroke, heart disease, lung cancer, and breathing diseases such as asthma 2. Poor air quality is also responsible for an estimated seven million premature 3 deaths every year.

世界卫生组织称，空气质量恶化导致居民患多种疾病的风险增大。包括中风、心脏疾病、肺癌以及哮喘等呼吸道疾病。每年因空气污染早逝的人口高达700万。

Flavia Bustreo is WHO Assistant-Director General of Family, Women and Children's Health. In the report, she says that dirty air in cities most affects the youngest, oldest, and poorest people.

Flavia Bustreo是世界卫生组织负责家庭、妇女和儿童卫生事物的助理总干事。她在报告中指出，受污染空气影响最大的是小孩、老人和穷人。

However, her colleague, Maria Neira, says there are effective measures to deal with the problem. Neira leads the WHO’s Public Health and Environmental Policy.

她的同事玛丽亚·内拉（Maria Neira）称，一些措施可以有效地解决这类问题。内拉负责世界卫生组织公共卫生和环境政策司。

"You will see that in those cities where measures have been put in place, you can see a decrease on the levels of air pollution and, therefore, on the health risks caused by air pollution."

内拉表示，“那些已经采取相关措施的城市，其空气污染水平有所下降。那么，因空气污染导致的健康风险也有所降低。”

Neira agrees in the report that "urban air pollution continues to rise at an alarming rate” and severely 4 affects human health. But she says the study shows improvements too. In her words, "awareness 5 is rising and more cities are monitoring their air quality."

内拉认可报告中提及的“城市空气污染仍以惊人的速度上升”并且严重影响人类健康的观点。但她表示，研究也表明了这一情况有所改善。套用一句她的话，“人们的防范意识正在提高，越来越多的城市开始监视空气质量。”

This includes increased monitoring of particulate 6 matter in the air.

包括监测空气中的悬浮颗粒物等。

"Particulate matter," also known as particle pollution, is a complex mixture of extremely small particles and liquid droplets 7. Particulate matter is made up of a number of parts, including acids, organic chemicals, metals, and soil or dust. The WHO study finds a reduction in air pollutants 8 could lessen 9 deaths from particulate matter by 15 percent.

颗粒物也称颗粒物污染，是一种微小的固体和液体混合物。颗粒物由若干部分组成，包括酸性物质、有机化学品、金属、土壤和灰尘。世界卫生组织研究发现，空气污染物减少可以使因颗粒物污染造成的死亡率降低15%。

Carlos Dora is Coordinator 10 of WHO's Department of Public Health and Environmental Policy. He says there are low-cost ways to improve air quality for even the poorest cities. These methods include using renewable power sources, such as solar and wind, and sustainable public transportation.

卡洛斯·多拉（Carlos Dora）是世界卫生组织公共卫生和环境政策司的协调员。她说，目前有些低成本的方法能够改善空气质量，就算是贫穷的城市也能采用。可以使用可再生能源，例如太阳能和风能以及建立可持续发展的公共交通模式。

"If you have clean transportation means, like cycling, walking or rapid transit 11 systems -- where you have a lot of people being carried with a few vehicles -- then you have less air pollution. Or, if you have cities like New York, which have cleaned the fuel to heat and cool the buildings in a major way … then you have important improvements in air pollution."

多拉表示，“如果城市拥有清洁的交通设施，例如自行车、步行或快速公交系统，人人都乘坐公交车，那么空气污染就会减少。或者像纽约一样，利用净化燃料为房屋供暖或制冷，空气污染也能得到很大改善。”

The report says the areas with the poorest air quality are in the Eastern Mediterranean 12 and South East Asia.

该报告显示，空气质量最差的区域为地中海东部和东南亚地区。

Words in This Story

urban – adj. of or relating to cities and the people who live in them

stroke – n. a serious illness caused when a blood vessel 13 in your brain suddenly breaks or is blocked

premature – adj. happening too soon or earlier than usual

colleague – n. a person who works with you : a fellow worker

monitor – v. to watch, observe, listen to, or check (something) for a special purpose over a period of time

renewable – adj. able to be extended for another time period : able to be renewed : restored or replaced by natural processes : able to be replaced by nature

sustainable – adj. able to be used without being completely used up or destroyed : involving methods that do not completely use up or destroy natural resources : able to last or continue for a long time

rapid – adj. moving quickly