The term "smog" was first used in London during the early 1900's to describe the combination of smoke and fog. What we typically call " smog" today is a mixture of pollutants but is primarily made up of ground-level ozone . Ozone can be beneficial or harmful depending on where it stays. The ozone staying high above the Earth protects human health and the environment, but ground-level ozone is responsible for the choking, coughing, and painful eyes associated with smog. The ozone in smog also prevents plants growth and can cause widespread damage to crops and forest. Major smog occurrences often are linked to heavy motor vehicle traffic, high temperatures, sunshine, and calm winds. Weather and geography affect the position and severity of smog. Because temperature regulates the length of time it takes for smog to form, smog can form faster and be more severe on a hot and sunny day. When warm air stays near the ground instead of rising and winds are calm, smog may stay trapped over your city for days. As traffic and other sources add more pollutants to the air, the smog gets worse. Smog is often more severe away from the pollution sources because the chemical reactions that cause smog occur in the atmosphere while the reacting chemicals are being moved by the wind. Smog is a visible example of air pollution. You can look into the distance during the day to see how much smog there is in the air. In addition, most cities measure the concentrations of pollutants in the air and report the results to the public. Environmental Protection Agency sets national standards for pollutants. Areas that fail to meet the standards for at least one air pollutant are called "nonattainment areas. " New measures are being taken by local governments across the country to reduce air pollution in nonattainment areas. These include: banning charcoal barbecues and wood burning in stoves or fireplaces when pollution levels are high; developing programs to encourage carpooling and voluntary "ozone actions" ;... Which indication shows more exact the air is poor? A) Heavy motor vehicle traffic in big cities. B) Widespread damage of crops and forest. C) Clear outlines of hills in the distance. D) High concentrations of pollutants in the air.
D
(Question)
It helps us understand the world better if we know a little geography and have some maps at hand. But with maps in Chinese only, misunderstanding is possible in studying world events. Chinese names are long, hard to pronounce and without meaning to a foreigner. For the opening of the country maps are important and helpful and needed badly. I wish maps various languages, such as those used in the United Nations, would come out and be sold in all bookstores open to Chinese. The writer is mainly talking about _ . A) geography B) maps C) Chinese names D) the opening of the country
(Answer)
B
Ques: Does your local town have a nickname? If so, what does it say about the area and the people who live there? Many cities are recognized across the world by their unofficial names. New York is the Big Apple, London is the Big Smoke, and Los Angeles is famously called La La Land. Now, as part of English Language Day on Wednesd ay, two British organizations, the English Project and Ordnance Survey, are launching an interactive project which aims to identify the nicknames which people use in their daily lives for the places which they like or dislike. "The name that people create for a place forms a connection with feelings," explains Winchester University's Professor Bill Lucas, a patron of the English Project. "So Basingstoke becomes Amazingstoke; Swindon is known as Swindump and Padstow, hometown of chef Rick Stein, is nicknamed Padstein." Basingstoke is a town in central England. The local nickname, Amazingstoke, shows the love that locals seem to have for the area. Swindon, on the other hand, is sometimes called Swindump, showing that some people think it's a dump ( ). Stanford Le Hope in Essex is called Stanford No Hope by locals. And Padstow in Cornwall is so closely connected with the local famous person Rick Stein that it's become known as Padstein. Since launching the online survey last week, the creators have already received 3,000 alternative titles for places and landmarks. As well as creating what promises to be a fascinating resource of nicknames, there is a practical side to the project. "With the huge variety of place nicknames that exist, we could never hope to collect them all ourselves," says Glen Hart, Ordnance Survey's head of research. "But the information from the project could prove vital. Organizations like the emergency services rely on our information when responding to 999 calls, so by having the most complete set of nicknames we could help the emergency services quickly locate the right place, and maybe even save lives." According to the passage, people's response to the project is _ . A) active B) indifferent C) opposed D) strange
Ans: A
Moscow, Russia (Space news)... "The,computer is a better chess player, " insisted Viktor Prozorov, the loser. "It seemed as if it were laughing after every good move, I know I should have beaten it for the sake of mankind , but I just couldn't win," he announced and shook his head sadly. Prozorov's disappointment was shared by sereral grand masters who were present, some of whom were so upet that they shouted at the machine. Many chess players said that this meant the end of chess championships around the world, since the fun had been taken out of the game. The computer walked or rather, rolled-away with 5,000 dollars in prize money and limited its remarks to a set of noises and lights. Many chess players felt that playing with a computer would _ . A) make the game tougher B) make the game less interesting C) make man appear foolish D) make man lose lots of money
B