万花筒 2013-02-01&02-03 我国遭遇严重雾霾天气

 The chocking air pollution in China is going from bad to worse. Dangerously thick and toxic¹ smog has forced factories to close. More than 100 flights had to be canceled. And the US embassies says the pollution index is literally² off the charts more than 20 times the maximum safety level. Emergency rooms are packed with people suffering form breathing problems. The government says because there is no wind, the smog will probably not dissipate any time soon.

1 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

2 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。