For One and All.
One of the principles that are supposed to apply here is simple-the polluter pays. Sometimes it is obvious who is to blame and who must pay the price, but it is not always straightforward to work out just who is the polluter, or whether the rest of us would be happy to pay the price of stopping the pollution.
One way of cleaning up after ourselves would be to throw less away, designing products to be recycled or even just to last longer.
Previous generations worked on the assumption that discarding our waste was a proper way to get rid of it, so we used to dump nuclear materials and other potential hazards at sea, confident they would be dispersed in the depths.
We now think that is too risky because, as one author wrote, "there's no such place as 'away', and there's no such person as the 'other'."
Irritating Air
Despite recent improvements, however, the health problems are still there. A 2002 medical study, carried out by Durban's Nelson Mandela School of Medicine and a U.S. university, found that an abnormally high 52% of students and teachers at a primary school bordering the Engen plant suffered from asthma (哮喘). It found that increases in air pollution tended to aggravate asthma symptoms in children.
The petrol producers do not dispute the findings but argue that researchers were unable to establish a causal link between air pollution and the high prevalence of asthma among the school population.
For the community, the next step is to take legal action. But, according to internationally recognized environmentalist Bobby Peek, targeting the companies would be difficult as it would be near-impossible to prove that illnesses suffered were caused by pollution coming from a particular plant.
Mr. Peek, who grew up beneath Engen's stacks, says the activists are now considering taking action against the authorities. "We are now looking at suing the government on constitutional grounds, for failing to ensure our right to protection from a harmful environment as stipulated in the constitution," he said.
Legislative Change
A new batch (批) of environmental laws, the National Air Quality Management Act, has just been passed by the South African parliament to replace outdated 1965 legislation with tighter controls and tougher sanctions.
Martinus van Schalkwyk, the minister of environmental affairs and tourism, visited the south Durban basin earlier this year and said there were measures in place to improve the situation. "I share the anger and frustration of this community. It is long overdue," he told the South African Broadcasting Corporation.
The local authorities have also established a "Multi-Point Plan" for the area. They say it is a powerful model for tackling pollution and points to a 40% reduction in sulphur dioxide emissions in recent years.
1. According to World Health Organization, how many people are killed by outdoor air pollution?
[A] 3 million
[B] 2.1 million
[C] 1.6 million
[D] 3.2 million
2. Land can be polluted by ________ from agriculture.
[A] heavy metals
[B] pesticides and nitrate-poor fertilizers
[C] slurry from livestock
[D] rubbish
3. What kind of animal affected by man-made chemicals is not referred in the passage?
[A] Polar bears.
[B] Mammals.
[C] People.
[D] Birds.
4. What do local residents claim for?
[A] They are sick because of years of pollution.
[B] They are sick because of industries on their doorsteps.
[C] They are sick because of pesticides from agriculture.
[D] They are sick because of air pollution.
5. The pesticide DDT can be effective against ________.
[A] malaria
[B] wildlife
[C] animals
[D] human nervous system
6. There is a U.N. convention that can cover ________.
[A] problem between neighbors
[B] problem between states which do not share a border
[C] problems on air pollution
[D] trans-boundary air pollution
7. What is not said to be a way of cleaning up after ourselves?
[A] Throw less away.
[B] Design recycled products.
[C] Don't use it again.
[D] Last longer.
8. It found that increases in air pollution tended to ________________________.
9. According to Bobby Peek, targeting the companies would be difficult as it would be near-impossible to prove that illnesses suffered were caused by ________________________.
10. Martinus van Schalkwyk, the minister of environmental affairs and tourism, visited the south Durban basin earlier this year and said there were measures in place to ________________________.Section
1. A 细节题。根据题干信息词World Health Organization定位到第三段Air: the World Health Organization(WHO)says three million people are killed worldwide by outdoor air pollution annually from vehicles and industrial emissions，即：世界卫生组织公布，全世界每年有3百万人死于室外空气污染，故选A。
2. C 细节题。根据题干信息词Land can be polluted定位到第五段第三句话Agriculture can pollute land with pesticides, nitrate-rich fertilizers and slurry from livestock，即：来自农业的杀虫剂、富含硝酸盐的化肥以及家畜带来的泥浆都会污染土地，故选C。
3. D 细节题。根据题干信息词man. made chemicals和affected定位到第一个小标题下第二段末句Affected species include polar bears—so not even the Arctic is immune. And the chemicals climb the food chain, from fish to mammals，and to us，即：受人造化学制品影响的种类包括北极熊、从鱼到哺乳动物的生物链，也包括人，未提到鸟，故选D。
4. B 细节题。根据题干信息词local residents定位到第一个小标题下的末句So local residents，like many in poor communities around the globe，have faced the problem of investigating their claim that industries on their doorsteps are making them sick，即：当地居民声称他们门前的工业导致他们生病，故选B。
5. A 细节题。根据题干信息词The pesticide DDT定位到第二个小标题下的第二段The pesticide DDT does great damage to wildlife and can affect the human nervous system，but can also be effective against malaria(疟疾)，即：杀虫剂DDT会伤害野生动植物并且能影响人类的神经系统，但对预防疟疾是很有效的，故选A。
6. C 细节题。根据题干信息词a U.N. convention定位到第二个小标题末段第二句话There is a U.N. convention on trans-boundary air pollution, but that cannot cover every problem that can arise between neighbors，or between states which do not share a border，即：联合国在跨边界的空气污染上有协定，但是不包括邻国之间出现的每个问题，也不包括不接壤的州之间出现的问题，故选C。
7. C 细节题。根据题干信息词a way of cleaning up after ourselves定位到第三个小标题第二段One way of cleaning up after ourselves would be to throw less away，designing products to be recycled or even just to last longer，即：清洁的方法可以是少丢弃一些，设计可循环的产品或使用持久一些，未提到不再使用，故选C。
8. aggravate asthma symptoms in children。细节题。根据题干定位到第四个小标题首段末旬It found that increases in air pollution tended to aggravate asthma symptoms in children，即：空气污染的增加恶化孩子的哮喘症状，故得答案。
9. pollution coming from a particular plant。细节题。根据题干定位到第四个小标题第三段末句But，according to…prove that illnesses suffered were caused by pollution coming from a particular plant，即：证明疾病是由一种来自特殊植物的污染而造成的，故得答案。
10. improve the situation。细节题。根据题干定位到倒数第二段首句Martinus van Schalkwyk…said there were measures in place to improve the situation，即：环境和观光事业部长Schalkwyk参观了德尔班南部的盆地，并指出还是有措施可以改善现状的，故得答案。
上一页 [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] 下一页
（责任编辑：admin）
查看更多关于大学英语,四级考试,CET4,真题,答案,解析的文章
