Water Pollution

　　Water is very important to us. Factories and plants need waterfor industrial uses and large pieces of farmland need it forirrigation. Without water to drink, people die in a short time.

　　Today most water sources are so dirty that people must purifywater before drinking. Water becomes dirty in many ways:industrial pollution is one of them. With the development ofindustry, plants and factories pour tons of industrial wasters intorivers every day. The rivers have become seriously polluted, andthe water is becoming unfit for drinking or irrigation. The same thing has also happened to our seasand oceans. So, the problem of water pollution is almost worldwide.

　　Scientists of many countries have done a lot of work to stop pollution. The polluted water in someplaces has become clean and drinkable again. Perhaps one day the people in all towns and cities willbe drinking clean water. That day, we believe, is not very far off.

Now listen to the following recording and answer questions 23 to 25

　　23

　　A.More extreme weather and less food.

　　B.Less food and more diseases.

　　C.Few nutrients in farm products.

　　D.Less food and more unhealthy people.

　　24

　　A.Encourage active transport like cycling and walking.

　　B.Increase the reliance on cars and motor vehicles.

　　C.Shift from coal-fired power plants to renewable energy.

　　D.Make a commitment to a strong global climate treaty.

　　25

　　A.Health care costs.

　　B.Agricultural productivity.

　　C.Public health.

　　D.Environmental protection.

　　原文

　　The impact of climate change is so great that itcould undermine the last 50 years of gains inglobal health, according to the Lancet Commissionreport.

　　Weather extremes made worse by climate changeare potentially destructive and unacceptable,says Commission's project leader Nicolas Watts.

　　"In terms of drought, we often see corresponding decreases in agricultural productivity, whichthen in turn has a profound impact on malnutrition, particularly for children."

　　Increasingly, it's just hotter, which can be deadly. An extreme heat wave in 2003 left 70,000people dead across Europe. And those sorts of events are expected to increase in intensity andseverity as time goes on.

　　The World Health Organization warns that unless dramatic action is taken to reduce globalwarming emissions by 2030, approximately 250,000 people will die each year from the effectsof climate change.

　　Outdoor air pollution is linked to some three million deaths worldwide. Watts says a shift fromcoal-fired power plants to renewable energy can greatly reduce that danger. "We seeimmediate declines in hospital admissions and in health care costs, which reduces the burdenof already struggling health budgets. But there are also benefits to be found outside of theenergy sector, you can decrease the reliance on cars and motor vehicles, and try to encourageactive transport like cycling and walking, you reduce the carbon emission from that sector, butyou also decrease the rates of diabetes and obesity." he said.

　　Among its recommendations, the Commission supports a phase-out of coal power plants,expansion of renewable energy, investment in health systems and a commitment to a strongglobal climate treaty. Watts says public health is at the core of a new global agreement.

　　"Most of what you want to do to respond to climate change is good for public health, and it isactually a much brighter future." Watts says health care professionals can be advocates in thebattle against climate change, he says what is good for the planet is good for patient care.

　　Question 23. What's the impact of drought according to Watts?

　　Question 24. What can reduce the deaths linked to air pollution according to Watts?

　　Question 25. What is at the core of a new global agreement?

　　根据《柳叶刀》杂志委员会，气候变化非常严重，可能破坏过去50年我们在全球健康问题上取得的成就。

　　委员会的项目领导尼古拉斯·瓦特说，气候变化导致的极端天气可能是毁灭性的和无法承受的。

　　“干旱会导致农业生产力降低，而农业生产力下降反过来又会对营养不良问题产生重大影响，尤其是儿童营养不良。”

　　天气渐渐越来越热，这可能会致命。2003年的极端热浪天气导致欧洲7万人死亡。未来这些情况可能会越来越频发，越来越严重。

　　世界卫生组织警告，若不在2030年以前快速采取行动减少全球温室气体的排放，每年将会有约25万人死于气候变化的影响。

　　全球有 300 万人的死亡与户外空气污染有关。瓦特认为从燃煤发电转向可再生能源可以有效降低这一危险。“我们看到入院立即减少，医疗花费立马降低，这会减轻垂死针扎的医疗预算负担。但是除能源部门之外，还有其他好处，你可以减少对汽车和机动车辆的依赖，去尝试诸如骑自行车和步行之类的主动活动，这样可以减少碳排放，还能降低患糖尿病和肥胖症的几率。”他说。

　　在这些建议中，委员会支持逐渐淘汰煤矿发电厂、扩大使用可再生能源、投资健康系统并遵守全球气候条约。瓦特认为公众健康是新的全球协议的核心。

　　“为了回应气候变化，你想做的多数事都对公共健康有益，这其实意味着一个更加美好的未来。”瓦特说保健专业人员在对抗气候变化的斗争中可以充当提倡者的角色，他说对地球有益的事情同样对照顾病人有益。

　　问题23 根据瓦特，干旱有什么影响?

　　问题24 根据瓦特，什么可以减少与空气污染有关的死亡?

　　问题25 新的全球协议的核心是什么?

　　参考答案：

　　【小题23】D

　　【小题24】C

　　【小题25】C

　　习题解析：

　　【小题23】听力原文中引用Watts的话，提到In terms of drought, we often see corresponding decreases in agricultural productivity, which then in turn has a profound impact on malnutrition, particularly for children.由此可知干旱会导致农业生产力降低，而农业生产力下降反过来又会对营养不良问题产生重大影响，尤其是儿童营养不良。由此可知，干旱会导致粮食产量减少和让更多的人营养不良，D项表述符合原文，故选D。

　　【小题24】听力原文中提到Outdoor air pollution is linked to some three million deaths worldwide. Watts says a shift from coal-fired power plants to renewable energy can greatly reduce that danger. 由此可知，全球有300万人的死亡与户外空气污染有关，Watts认为从燃煤发电转向可再生能源可以有效降低这一危险，因而选项C为正确答案，故选C。

　　【小题25】听力原文中明确提到Watts says public health is at the core of a new global agreement.即Watts认为公众健康是新的全球协议的核心，因而C项表述符合原文，故选C。