1 . Schools across the US East Coast canceled outdoor activities, commercial airline traffic was slowed and millions of Americans were urged to stay indoors on Wednesday as smoke from Canadian wildfires drifted south, blanketing cities in thick and yellow smoke.
“It’s critical that Americans experiencing dangerous air pollution, especially those with health conditions, listen to local authorities to protect themselves and their families,” US President Joe Biden said.
New York’s world-famous skyline, usually visible for miles, disappeared because of the smoke, which some residents said made them feel unwell.
“It makes breathing difficult,” Mohammed Abass said as he walked down Broadway in Manhattan. “I’ve been scheduled for a road test for driving, for my driving license today, and it was canceled.”
“It looks like Mars out there,” said Fox Forecast Center meteorologist Brian Mastro just before 2 p.m.
New York Goveror Kathy Hochul called the situation an “emergency crisis,” noting that the air pollution index for parts of her state were eight times above normal.
In Bethesda, Maryland, a high school moved its graduation ceremony indoors, while a Brooklyn, New York, elementary school deferred its “Spring Fling” dance party. A school in Montelair, New Jersey, called off a fifth-grade trip to an amusement park.
The smoke was wafting (飘荡) over the US northern border from Canada, where hundreds of forest fires have burnt 9. 4 million acres and forced 120,000 people from their homes in an unusually early and intense start to Canada’s wildfire season.
Tyrone Sylvester, 66, playing chess outside in Manhattan’s Union Square us he has on most days for 30 years, but wearing a mask, said he had never seen the city’s air quality so bad. “When the sun looks like that,” he said, pointing at the smoky sky, “we know something’s wrong. This is what global warming looks like.”
Poor air quality is likely to continue into the weekend, with a developing storm system expected to shift the smoke westward across the Great Lakes and deeper south through the Ohio Valley and into the mid-Atlantic region, AccuWeather said.
1. What do we know about Mohammed Abass?| A．He took a test for driving. | B．He had no driving license. |
| C．He had some health conditions. | D．He stayed indoors as expected. |
| A．Put off. | B．Took over. | C．Came up with. | D．Did away with. |
| A．Canada’s poor management. | B．The areas affected by wildfires. |
| C．The cause of America’s smoke. | D．The consequences of air pollution. |
| A．New York City smoke situation is not uncomfortable. |
| B．A strong wind will probably relieve the poor air quality. |
| C．Citizens have found new ways to fight climate changes. |
| D．The city’s air pollution doesn’t relate to global warming. |
2 . Mount Hood is the highest mountain in Oregon, a state in the western United States. At 3,400 meters it is attractive (有吸引力的) to many people, some of whom, of course, run into trouble. Each year 25 to 50 people have accidents or get lost on Mount Hood and require rescue. Although most of these are understandable accidents, a few result from careless risk-taking.
In one recent case, three experienced climbers went hiking (远足) in the middle of a snowstorm in December. Most hikers climb Mount Hood in May or June when the weather conditions are favorable. But in December, the mountain is covered in snow and ice. Winds up to 135 kilometers per hour blow the snow around making it difficult to see. Temperatures can drop below freezing. As one rescue worker put it, “What were they thinking? They were just asking for it.”
During a rescue a few years ago, a helicopter full of rescue workers crashed (坠毁) and the rescue workers were almost killed. Linda Carle, who lives in the Mount Hood area, asks, “If someone made a poor decision, why should rescue teams have to risk their lives to save them? Why do people take unnecessary risks and do things that aren’t right if they know that they can get into trouble?”
Most of the Mount Hood rescue workers are either volunteers (志愿者) or part of the local sheriff’s department. There is no charge for these rescues. It is the taxpayers (纳税人) who pay the bill. Linda Carle suggests that people who take careless risks and require rescue should be charged for the rescue. She feels it is only fair that costs for things like damaged helicopters and medical care for rescuers be paid for by the people who took the risk. What would you do if you were the local sheriff at Mount Hood?
1. What can we learn about Mount Hood?| A．It lies in the south of the United States. |
| B．It is the highest mountain in the United States. |
| C．The best time to climb the mountain is in May or June. |
| D．Hundreds of people get lost in the mountain every year. |
| A．peace | B．pride | C．loneliness | D．anger |
| A．pay for all the costs needed | B．learn to save themselves |
| C．be taxed at a higher rate | D．work as volunteers |
| A．ask the government to provide more rescuers |
| B．introduce Mount Hood to mountain climbers |
| C．advise climbers to think twice before they act |
| D．report some serious accidents in Mount Hood |
