美国有线新闻 CNN 新冠疫情封城后 全球多座城市空气质量明显改善

New Delhi, the capital of India, is usually near or at the top of the list when it comes to the world's most polluted cities. But from March 23rd to April 13th of this year, it saw a 60 percent reduction¹ in a certain type of pollution that it saw in the same period last year.

在世界上污染最严重的城市排名中，印度首都新德里通常接近榜首或直接排在首位。但从3月23日至4月13日，新德里某种类型的污染较去年同期下降了60%。

In the capital of South Korea, there was a 54 percent reduction in the pollutant². Wuhan, China; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Los Angeles, California, all of these cities saw a double-digit improvement³ in air quality and this is all according to one report who's release⁴ was timed to coincide with Earth Day yesterday.

韩国首都的污染物减少了54%。中国武汉市、巴西圣保罗市以及加州洛杉矶市的空气质量都出现了两位数的改善，这些数据来源于一份报告，该报告于昨天地球日当天发布。

It looked at air quality information recorded from government monitoring stations in 10 cities. The cleaner air was a silver lining⁵ to the lockdowns of the coronavirus pandemic. To date, the disease⁶ has been contracted by more than 2.5 million people around the world. And researchers say almost 7 percent of that number have died from COVID-19.

这份报告研究了10个城市政府监测站记录的空气质量信息。清洁的空气是冠状病毒疫情封城期间出现的一线希望。截至目前，该疾病已致全球超过250万人感染。研究人员表示，新冠肺炎的死亡率接近7%。

Global efforts to keep people away from each other have forced workers, students and would-be travelers to stay home. That means there are fewer planes in the air, vehicles on the road and factories in production. On the plus side, scientists say social distancing has been effective in slowing down the spread of coronavirus. On the minus side, millions of people are out of work and many nation's economies have been badly damaged.

让人们彼此间保持距离的全球努力使工人、学生和计划旅行者被迫留在家中。这意味着空中的飞机、公路上的汽车以及工厂生产都在减少。有利的方面是，科学家说社交距离在减缓冠状病毒方面卓有成效。而不利的方面是，这导致数百万人失业，许多国家的经济严重受损。

A U.S. government spokeswoman says, the trends in cleaner air are temporary and that things will go back to the way they were when the coronavirus crisis⁷ has passed. And researchers in the air quality report say keeping factories closed and cars off the road will not be a realistic solution to the world's pollution problems. But the lockdowns and shutdowns have changed the way cities look and how they pollute.

一名美国政府发言人表示，清洁空气的趋势是暂时的，当冠状病毒危机结束之后，事态就会回到其原来的状态。这份空气质量报告的研究人员表示，关闭工厂以及禁止汽车上路并不是解决全球污染问题的可行方法。但封城和停产停工确实改变了各城市的面貌和污染情况。

1 reduction   

n.减少，减低，减缩；减少，减低

参考例句：

• Reduction in income tax will be welcomed with open arms.减少所得税将受到热烈欢迎。
• You will have a reduction for cash.付现金可以打折扣。

2 pollutant   

n.污染物质，散布污染物质者

参考例句：

• Coal itself is a heavy pollutant.煤本身就是一种严重的污染物。
• Carbon dioxide may not be a typical air pollutant.二氧化碳可能不是一种典型的污染物。

3 improvement   

n.改进，增进；改进之处，改善的地方

参考例句：

• The doctor noticed a gradual improvement in his patient.医生注意到病人在逐渐恢复健康。
• I can detect signs of improvement in your thinking.我可以察觉出你思考问题方面的进步。

4 release   

vt.发布，发表，发行；释放，放开

参考例句：

• After my examination I had a feeling of release.考完试后我有如释重负之感。
• This medicine will give you release from pain.这药吃后会解除你的疼痛。

5 lining   

n.衬里，衬料

参考例句：

• The lining of my coat is torn.我的外套衬里破了。
• Moss makes an attractive lining to wire baskets.用苔藓垫在铁丝篮里很漂亮。

6 disease   

n.疾病，弊端

参考例句：

• The doctors are trying to stamp out the disease.医生正在尽力消灭这种疾病。
• He fought against the disease for a long time.他同疾病做了长时间的斗争。

7 crisis   

n.危机，危急关头，决定性时刻，关键阶段

参考例句：

• He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明，在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
• The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。