AND IT’S A REGIONAL PROBLEM
2000. And it’s a regional problem: 65% of those deaths occurred in Asia, where the air is choked bydiesel soot from cars and trucks, as well as the song from power plants and the dust from endlessurban construction. In East Asia and China, 1.2 million people died, as well as another 712,000 inSouth Asia, including India. For the first time ever, air pollution is on the world’s top – 10 list ofkillers, and it’s moving up the ranks faster than any other factor.So how can air pollution be so damaging? It is the very finest soot – so small that it roots deepwithin the lungs and then enters the bloodstream – that contributes to most of the public – health tollof air pollution including death. Diesel soot, which can also cause cancer, is a major problem becauseit is concentrated in cities along transportation zones affecting overpopulated areas. It is thought tocontribute to half the deaths from air pollution in urban centers. For example, 1 in 6 people in the U.S.live near a diesel – pollution hot spot like a rail yard, port terminal or freeway.We also know that air pollution may be linked to other non-deadly diseases. Fortunately in theU.S. and other developed nations, urban air is for the most part cleaner than it was 30 or 40 years ago,thanks to regulations and new technologies like the catalytic converters that reduce automobileemissions. Govemments are also pushing to make air cleaner – see the White House’s move lastweek to further tighten soot standards. It’s not perfect, but we’ve had much more success dealingwith air pollution than climate change.Will developing nations like India eventually catch up? Hopefully – though the problem mayget worse before it gets better. The good news is that it doesn’t take a major technological advance toimprove urban air. Switching from diesel fuel to unleaded helps, as do newer and cleaner cars whichare less likely to send out pollutants. Power plants – even ones that burn mineral fuels like coal – canbe fitted with pollution – control equipment that, at a price, will greatly reduce smog and otherpollutants.But the best solutions may involve urban design. In the Guardian, John Vidal notes that Delhinow has 200 cars per 1,000 people, far more than much richer Asian cities like Hong Kong andSingapore. Developing cities will almost certainly see an increase in car ownership as residentsbecome wealthier – and that doesn’t have to mean deadly air pollution. Higher incomes should alsolead to tougher environmental regulations, which is exactly what happened in the West. We can onlyhope it happens before the death toll from bad air gets even higher.(Source: http://science.time.com byBryan Walsh)Question 43: What tends to give rise to the highest death toll according to the passage?A. The lack of tight environmental protection standards.B. The world’s serious air pollution such as soot and dust.C. The increasing numbers of the diesel cars and trucks.D. The frighteningly high death rate from deadly cancer.Question 44: The phrase“taking a major toll”in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to _______.A. making it possible B. creating motivationC. having a bad effect D. leading to dangerQuestion 45: All of the following statements are true according to the passage EXCEPT _______.A. The report found that the number of people suffering deaths from air pollution in 2010 isgreater than that in 2000.B. The tightening of the emission standards has helped people solve some of the immediateenvironmental problems, for example, tackle air pollution.C. Many efforts have been put into the reduction of the emission of pollutants through thetightening of legislation on new vehicles.D. Air pollution may have been responsible for our mental health problems and prematurelyrobbed us of our lives.Question 46: According to the passage, which of the following is an example of measure taken tohelp generate less emissions?A. Catalytic converters are applied to exhaust systems in automobiles.B. People increase the use of vehicles powered by mineral fuels.C. Many nations encourage people to avoid densely populated areas.D. The government minimizes the number of people using car in major cities.Question 47: The word“byproduct”in paragraph 1 most probably refers to ______.A. consequence B. solution C. reform D. designQuestion 48: The basic reason why so many people die from air pollution is that ______.A. the diesel soot is too small to be seenB. the diesel soot is much too poisonous to breatheC. the diesel soot roots in lungs and gets into bloodD. the diesel soot can also contribute to deadly cancerQuestion 49:According to the passage, the writer actually wants to convince the readers that ______.A. the global economic growth is mainly to blame for air pollution and climate changeB. the developing countries are repeating the same mistakes as the developed ones madeC. the ecological situation and air pollution in India are becoming worse and worseD. the unbeatable air is increasingly becoming a major killer throughout the worldQuestion 50: By describing urban design as “the best solutions” in the last paragraph, the writermeans that ______.A. the making of tougher environmental regulations alone is of little useB. more sever regulations should be made to handle air pollutionC. the urban construction in western developed countries is the best choiceD. the pace of development has to be slowed down to reduce air pollution---THE END----BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀOKỲ THI KIỂM TRA CHUYÊN ĐỀ CHUẨN BỊTẠOCHOKỲ THI THPT QUỐC GIA NĂM 2017