Half of U.S. population breathe polluted air

     LOS ANGELES, April 27 (Xinhua) -- Air pollution poses a threat to the health of about 154 million Americans -- or more than half of the U.S. population, the American Lung Association (ALA) said on Wednesday.

    The air is so polluted in some areas that it is often dangerous to breathe, the ALA said in its annual report on air quality across the United States.

    About 48 percent of U.S. residents live in counties where smog (ozone) is too high, 20 percent live in areas where there are too many short-term spikes² in pollution and six percent live in areas with harmful year-round soot³ (particle pollution), said the report.

    About 17 million Americans live in areas afflicted⁴ by all three air pollution hazards, the report noted⁵.

    The report listed California as the most polluted state, where people are breathing some of the worst air.

    Compared with other states, California has more polluted places, including Los Angeles, Long Beach, Riverside, Bakersfield and Fresno, the report said.

    Honolulu in Hawaii and Santa Fe-Espanola in New Mexico are the only two cities in the nation that had no days in which smog and soot levels reached unhealthy ranges, making them the cleanest cities in the nation, said the report.

    Research suggests air pollution threatens human health -- and not just the lungs.

    Small particles of pollution can lodge⁶ deep in the lungs, triggering an inflammatory process that, over time, can spread elsewhere in the body and damage blood vessels⁷ and the heart, according to Dr. Norman Edelman, the ALA's chief medical officer.

    On days in which smog levels spike¹, there's an increase in hospital admissions for respiratory illnesses, heart attacks and stroke in the two or three days following it, said Michael Jerrett, a professor of environmental health sciences at University of California, Berkeley's School of Public Health.

    In addition to posing both long-term and short-term risks, pollution can also contribute to low birth weights, diabetes⁸, cardiovascular disease, heart attack, stroke and, ultimately, shorter life spans, he warned.（本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑）

1 spike   

n.长钉，钉鞋；v.以大钉钉牢，使...失效

参考例句：

• The spike pierced the receipts and held them in order.那个钉子穿过那些收据并使之按顺序排列。
• They'll do anything to spike the guns of the opposition.他们会使出各种手段来挫败对手。

2 spikes   

n.穗( spike的名词复数 )；跑鞋；（防滑）鞋钉；尖状物v.加烈酒于( spike的第三人称单数 )；偷偷地给某人的饮料加入（更多）酒精（ 或药物）；把尖状物钉入；打乱某人的计划

参考例句：

• a row of iron spikes on a wall 墙头的一排尖铁
• There is a row of spikes on top of the prison wall to prevent the prisoners escaping. 监狱墙头装有一排尖钉，以防犯人逃跑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 soot   

n.煤烟，烟尘；vt.熏以煤烟

参考例句：

• Soot is the product of the imperfect combustion of fuel.煤烟是燃料不完全燃烧的产物。
• The chimney was choked with soot.烟囱被煤灰堵塞了。

4 afflicted   

使受痛苦，折磨( afflict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• About 40% of the country's population is afflicted with the disease. 全国40%左右的人口患有这种疾病。
• A terrible restlessness that was like to hunger afflicted Martin Eden. 一阵可怕的、跟饥饿差不多的不安情绪折磨着马丁·伊登。

5 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

6 lodge   

v.临时住宿，寄宿，寄存，容纳；n.传达室，小旅馆

参考例句：

• Is there anywhere that I can lodge in the village tonight?村里有我今晚过夜的地方吗？
• I shall lodge at the inn for two nights.我要在这家小店住两个晚上。

7 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

8 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。