Hostess: Good morning, listeners.
主持人:各位听众,早上好。
Air pollution is a serious problem, with urban populations particularly at risk from smog.
空气污染是一个严峻的问题,城市居民尤其容易受到雾霾的危害。
Ben Drake is an expert on air pollution, and he is joining us today to talk about this issue.
本·德雷克是空气污染方面的专家,今天他来到节目和我们探讨这个话题。
Ben, where does the word “smog” come from?
本,“smog(雾霾)”这个词源自哪里?
Ben Drake: “Smog” comes from a combination of the words “smoke” and “fog”.
本·德雷克:“smog”由“smoke(烟)”和“fog(雾)”两个词组合而成。
It originated in Britain in the early 20th century, when smog was a severe problem.
这个词起源于20世纪初的英国,当时雾霾问题十分严重。
Hostess: Why was it so bad then?
主持人:为什么那时雾霾情况如此糟糕?
Ben Drake: Well, Britain was one of the first industrial countries and factories and homes used lots of coal.
本·德雷克:英国是最早实现工业化的国家之一,工厂和居民都大量使用煤炭。
When burnt, the coal produced harmful emissions which created lots of smog.
煤炭燃烧时会产生有害排放物,进而形成大量雾霾。
In London, they also called the smog a “pea soup” because it was as thick as soup.
在伦敦,人们把这种雾霾称作“豌豆汤”,因为它浓厚得像汤一样。
Hostess: That sounds terrible! What problems did it cause?
主持人:听着太可怕了!这引发了哪些问题?
Ben Drake: Smog caused many health issues and killed many people.
本·德雷克:雾霾引发多种健康疾病,夺走了许多人的生命。
The worst case happened in London in 1952.
最严重的事件发生在1952年的伦敦。
Over a few days when the smog was particularly bad, 4,000 deaths were recorded.
雾霾最为严重的那几天,登记死亡人数达到4000人。
It was necessary to take immediate action.
当时必须立刻采取行动。
The UK government ordered people not to burn coal in their homes and forced factories to move away from city centres.
英国政府下令居民禁止在家燃煤,并强制工厂迁出市中心。
Hostess: But smog is still an important issue in many places. What can be done about it?
主持人:但如今雾霾在很多地区依旧是一大难题。我们可以采取哪些应对办法?
Ben Drake: Smog is harmful to everyone, especially to children, old people, and those with heart or lung problems.
本·德雷克:雾霾对所有人都有害,尤其是儿童、老人以及患有心肺疾病的人群。
We have to reduce smog and improve air quality for everyone’s health and wellbeing.
为了所有人的健康与幸福,我们必须减少雾霾、改善空气质量。
We should replace coal with cleaner forms of energy, and we need to use new energy-efficient vehicles.
我们应当使用更清洁的能源替代煤炭,推广新型节能交通工具。
We have the technology, but we must use and develop it.
相关技术我们已经具备,但我们必须运用并持续研发。
Hostess: Yes. Let’s hope we can make some big changes. Thanks, Ben.
主持人:没错。希望我们能迎来巨大的改善。谢谢你,本。
Ben Drake: Thank you.
本·德雷克:谢谢。
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