Beijing to control urban expansion: mayor

 　　BEIJING, March 6 (Xinhua) -- Beijing Mayor Wang Anshun on Wednesday said the capital will work hard to cool down rapid urban expansion in order to address traffic congestion¹, pollution and resource scarcity².

　　"We will make efforts to control Beijing's scale through economic, legal and administrative³ means," Wang said, without elaborating his plan.

　　"The conflict between rapid population growth and limited resources is our city's growing pain," Wang said at a panel discussion held during the annual parliamentary session in Beijing.

　　Premier⁴ Wen Jiabao has said in his government work report on Tuesday that megacities and large cities should be kept at an appropriate scale. "This offers us a guideline for city management," said Wang, who is also a national lawmaker.

　　Beijing's population has reached 20.6 million and is growing by about 600,000 people annually⁵. The capital now has 5.2 million motor vehicles and the number is expected to reach 6.5 million in five years, the mayor said.

　　These have resulted in many "city diseases" such as traffic congestion and air pollution. "The city can not expand in an uncontrolled way," Wang said.

　　Heavy smog has repeatedly hit the capital since January, causing dismay among the public and prompting authorities to issue health warning.

　　Beijing introduced the lottery⁶ scheme in January 2011 to reduce car ownership and traffic congestion. One out of 10.6 received a plate after the first draw on Jan. 26, 2011.

　　The number of applicants⁷ rose from 187,420 in January 2011 to 1.42 million in February this year. Only one out of 77 applicants were awarded car registration⁸ plates in February.

1 congestion   

n.阻塞，消化不良

参考例句：

• The congestion in the city gets even worse during the summer.夏天城市交通阻塞尤为严重。
• Parking near the school causes severe traffic congestion.在学校附近泊车会引起严重的交通堵塞。

2 scarcity   

n.缺乏，不足，萧条

参考例句：

• The scarcity of skilled workers is worrying the government.熟练工人的缺乏困扰着政府。
• The scarcity of fruit was caused by the drought.水果供不应求是由于干旱造成的。

3 administrative   

adj.行政的，管理的

参考例句：

• The administrative burden must be lifted from local government.必须解除地方政府的行政负担。
• He regarded all these administrative details as beneath his notice.他认为行政管理上的这些琐事都不值一顾。

4 premier   

adj.首要的；n.总理，首相

参考例句：

• The Irish Premier is paying an official visit to Britain.爱尔兰总理正在对英国进行正式访问。
• He requested that the premier grant him an internview.他要求那位总理接见他一次。

5 annually   

adv.一年一次，每年

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。

6 lottery   

n.抽彩；碰运气的事，难于算计的事

参考例句：

• He won no less than ￡5000 in the lottery.他居然中了5000英镑的奖券。
• They thought themselves lucky in the lottery of life.他们认为自己是变幻莫测的人生中的幸运者。

7 applicants   

申请人，求职人( applicant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There were over 500 applicants for the job. 有500多人申请这份工作。
• He was impressed by the high calibre of applicants for the job. 求职人员出色的能力给他留下了深刻印象。

8 registration   

n.登记，注册，挂号

参考例句：

• Marriage without registration is not recognized by law.法律不承认未登记的婚姻。
• What's your registration number?你挂的是几号？