adman(完整版)2018年12月英语四级真题及答案

2021年1月13日发(作者：夏宝龙)

2018年12月大学英语四级真题及答案
第一部分 写作
2018年12月大学英语四级考试写作真题(第1套)
2018年12月英语四级真题写作范文(出国留学的挑战)
【作文一 参考范文】
It is well known that due to the booming economy and increasing family income, studying abroad
has become an increasingly popular choice for students. Although studying abroad is often praised
by people for its advantages, there are still some disadvantages to be noticed.
First of all, to study abroad is expensive. Specifically speaking, those involved have to spend a
large amount of money on tuition and living expenses, which is not affordable for everyone. In
addition, to study abroad is a great challenge for those students who lack the ability of living
independently. If they can not take good care of themselves there, their academic performance will
be affected to a large extent. Last but not least, to study abroad may exercise a negative influence
on students’ mentality. As we all know, to study abroad equals to stay away from family and
friends for a long time, which is likely to produce some psychological problems for those students,
such as being solitary and gloomy.
From what has been mentioned above, we can easily come to the conclusion that the
disadvantages of studying abroad can not be neglected. What’s more, those students who are
planning to study abroad should make enough preparations for these problems mentioned above.
Only in this way, can they have a fruitful and successful study life abroad.
【参考译文】
众所周知，随着经济的蓬勃发展和家庭收入的增加，出国留学 已经成为越来越受学生欢迎的
选择。虽然出国留学的优点经常被人们称赞，但仍有一些缺点需要注意。
首先，出国留学的费用是昂贵的。具体来说，这些人不得不花费一大笔钱在学费和生活费上，
而 这并不是每个人都负担得起的。此外，对于那些缺乏独立生活能力的学生来说，出国留学
是一个巨大的挑 战。如果他们不能照顾好自己，他们的学习成绩将在很大程度上受到影响。
最后但并非最不重要，出国留 学可能会对学生的心理产生负面影响。众所周知，出国留学等
于长时间远离家人和朋友，这很可能使留学 生产生一些心理问题，如孤僻和沮丧。
综上所述，我们不难得出以下结论：出国留学的缺点是不能忽视 的。更重要的是，那些计划
出国留学的学生应该为解决这些问题做好充足的准备。只有这样，他们才能有 一个丰富多彩
且成功的留学生活。
2018年12月英语四级真题作文:大城市生活的挑战
【作文二 参考范文】
Recently the phenomenon of living in a big city has been brought into focus. With the population
of dwelling in a big city increasing dramatically for its convenient infrastructure and higher wage
level, the challenges have also aroused more and more concerns among the society.
First of all, the most obvious problem is the issue of traffic. In a big cities, traffic jam is quite
common everywhere, especially in the rush time. Consequently, a large number of people have to
spend much time in commuting. In the second place, with the growth of cars and buses in big
cities, air pollution has become another disadvantage, which may do harm to the health of people.
Last but not least, people living in a big city tend to endure more pressure of work and life, which
may, directly or indirectly, influence their mental health.
So what will be the possible tendency of this situation in the following decades? From my

perspective, the number of people living in a big city will keep increasing owing to the truth that
people prefer to enjoy the advantage of big city, however,the disadvantages of it should not be
would be advisable to prepare yourselves well to meet any challenges in the future.
【参考范文译文】 近年住在大城市的现象已经引起人们的广泛关注，越来越多得人选择住在大城市是因为大城
市基础设 施健全且工资水平较高，除了好处，住在大城市的挑战也成为人们关注话题。
首先，最明显的问题是交 通。在大城市里，到处交通堵塞是很常见的现象，尤其是高峰期。
很多人不得不花费大量的时间在通勤上 。其次，随着大城市的汽车和公交车数量的增加，空
气污染已成为在大城市生活的另一个劣势，这些污染 很有可能会危及人们的健康。最后，生
活在大城市的人会有承担更多的生活和工作压力，这对他们的心理 健康也很不利。
在接下来几年这种现象会保持什么样的趋势呢?在我看来，住在大城市的人口会因享受 大城
市的便利而不断增加，然而人们也应该注意到生活在大城市的弊端，想要应对各种挑战最 好
是自己时刻保持状态良好。
以上就关于四级作文的范文及解析，今年的作文话题依旧是围绕 社会热点展开，从难度上看，
没有超出同学们熟悉的话题，建议同学们在今后的学习中也要注意对热点话 题的关注，并且
记忆常用表达结构，轻松输出高分作文。
2018年12月四级真题作文范文(毕业后的创业挑战)
【作文三 参考范文】
The Challenges of Starting a Career after Graduation
Facing the rising employment pressure, a host of college graduates choose to start a career instead
of looking for a regular job in a company. As we all know that, starting a career is beneficial to
realize one’s own dreams and value. However, it is also widely acknowledged that stating a career
will be inevitably confronted with numerous challenges.
When it comes to the challenges that we may meet in the process of staring a career, the main ones
can be listed as follows. First of all, as freshmen who have just entered into the society, it is
obvious that college graduates lack related experience, which will increase the rate of failure they
may encounter during starting a career. Being short of entrepreneurial experience is one of
difficulties that college graduates need to overcome. In addition, the collection of money is
another problem they should solve urgently. Otherwise, there is no possibility of starting a career.
Although starting a career after graduation has so many challenges to be solved, college graduates
still need take a positive attitude towards it. Moreover, prudent consideration and entrepreneurial
spirit are also necessary for graduates to start a career.
【四级写作范文译文】
面对 日益增加的竞争压力，众多大学生选择自己创业，而非选择一家公司过朝九晚六的生活。
尽管创业有助于 个人实现自我价值和梦想，但众所周知的是，创业同样不可避免地会面临很
多挑战。
提及刚毕 业大学生创业可能面临的困难，主要的挑战如下所述。首先，作为刚步入社会的新
人，大学生在工作经验 方面显然很是欠缺，这就增加了他们在创业过程中失败的几率。缺乏
经验只是挑战之一。此外，资金的筹 措是刚毕业大学生创业过程中另一个需要亟待解决的问
题，缺乏资金则创业无门。
尽管刚毕业 就创业面临着众多困难，但是大学生仍旧需要对创业保持积极乐观的态度，而且，
审慎的态度和创业的精 神也是刚毕业大学生创业必不可少的品质。



第二部分 听力
News 1
A device that weighs less than one kilogram is part of a mission that will allow scientists to deliver
fourth generation or 4G mobile coverage to the moon in 2019. If successful, the tiny device will
provide the moon with its first ever mobile phone network. The lunar network will support high
definition streaming of video and data between the moon and earth. The network is part of a
mission to the moon. This is a project with the goal of landing the first privately paid for mission
to the moon. The 4G mission is set to launch from Cape Canaveral in the United States on a space
X Falcon 9 rocket in 2019. Mission to the moon intends to establish and test the first elements of a
communications network on the moon. The scientists working on the project opted to build a 4G
rather than a fifth generation or 5G network. This is because fifth generation networks are still in
testing and trial phases. This means that a 5G network may not yet be stable enough to work on
the moon’s surface.
Question 1: What are scientists planning to do?
Question 2: Why did scientists choose to set up a 4G network in their mission?
News 2
It’s responded to a fire Wednesday night at an abandoned mall in Heywood. The fire was reported
at 9:26 pm at an old shopping center on Michigan Avenue near St. Mary’s Church. Six fire engines,
two trucks and two chiefs responded to the scene. Crews had the fire under control in about 45
minutes and managed to contain the fire to its point of origin. There were some people inside the
building when the fire broke out but there were no reports of any injuries. Fire investigators have
responded to the scene but have not yet determined the cause of the fire. Firefighters will remain
on the scene until later this morning to ensure that the fire doesn’t start up again. The shopping
mall had not been in use since 2002. In 2014 City Hall developed a plan to knock down the
building and replace it with affordable housing. However the plan was dropped due to lack of
funds.
Question 3: What does the news item say about the fire?
Question 4: What had City Hall planned to do?
News 3
Potato chips in Japan are being sold for 6X their normal price. This is after the country’s main
manufacturer stopped sales due to a potato shortage. Storms and floods and its main potato
growing region last year caused the worst harvest and more than 3 decades. Local media reports
suggest Calbee and its main rival Koike-ya are halting almost 50 products.
“We don’t know when we’ll be able to restart”, a company spokesman said. Snack lovers are
panic buying and many supermarket shelves are bare. Japanese laws limit the amount of imported
potatoes that can be used in Japanese made products. Japan says fear of disease is its main reason
to block fresh imports. It still only allows potatoes from selected US states. This is only at certain
times and on condition that they are processed at factories based near Japanese ports.
But global warming has raised the possibility that domestic produce could be seriously affected by
rare weather events more often.
Question 5: What problem is Japan facing?
Question 6: Why does Japan limit the import of potatoes?
Question 7: What might affect Japanese domestic produce?
Conversation 1

M: Mr. Brown’s lectures are so boring.
W: Yes, he is not a very exciting speaker. But the subject is interesting.
M: During every one of his lectures, I try to listen I really try. But after about 10 minutes my mind
begins to wander and I lose concentration. But I see that you seem to be OK. How do you stay
focused through the entire hour?
W: Well, what I do is keep my pen moving.
M: What do you mean?
W: It’s a method of active concentration I read about. One of the most effective ways to
concentrate is to write things down. But it has to be done by hand, not typing on a keyboard. You
see writing by hand forces you to actually engage with what you’re learning in a more physical
way.
M: Do you review your notes afterwards then?
W: Sometimes but that’s not important. My notes may or may not be useful but the point is that by
writing down what Mr. Brand says I can follow his line of thinking more easily. In fact, sometimes
I draw a little too.
M: You draw in class and that helps me pay attention?
W: Yes, honestly it works for me. I just draw little lines and nonsense really. It was also in that
article I read. It can keep the mind active, prevent getting bored and help to concentrate. Again the
point is to listen hard while keeping the pen moving. If I’m at home and I need to study what I do
is read out loud. It has a similar effect to writing by hand. It helps memorize information in a
physical way.
Question 8: What does the man think of Mr. Brown’s lectures?
Question 9: What does the woman do during Mr. Brown’s lectures?
Question 10: Why does the woman draw in class?
Question 11: What does the woman say about reading out loud?
Conversation 2
M: And where is this?
F: These photos are from the Taj Mahal in India. We went there about ten years ago for our
honeymoon.
M: Was it romantic.
F: Yeah. The Taj Mahal was a very romantic place. The guide told us there is a famous love story
behind this building that all Indians learn in school. I think it was during the 1600 and the princess
at that time died while giving birth to her 14th child. The Emperor loved the princess so much and
was so sad when she died that he ordered the palace to be built in her honor.
M: Wow! That sounds very romantic. It looks amazing.
F: Yes it’s gorgeous. It’s also larger in real life than it looks in the photos. The building is very tall
and there are gardens in a wall around it all. It’s all built in this white stone and some walls of the
building are decorated with jewels.
M: It must have been very crowded when you were there.
F: Yes it’s a very famous tourist destination. So there are thousands of visitors every day.
M: Was the rest of India crowded?
F: Yes, very crowded in many cities. It was sometimes so crowded that it was difficult to walk
along the streets especially through busy markets. And there are so many cars. Traffic was terrible
but the people were friendly. The culture is amazing and we had a great time.

M: What about the food?
F: the Indian food is great. There are lots of different dishes to try and every region has its own
special food.
Question 12: For what purpose did the woman go to India?
Question 13: Why was the Taj Mahal built?
Question 14: What does the woman say about the Taj Mahal?
Question 15: What is the woman‘s impression of Indian cities?
Passage 1
A Pew Research Center survey of more than 1000 Americans conducted in April 2016 finds that
Americans continue to express largely positive views about the current state of their local public
libraries. For instance around three quarters say that public libraries provide them with the
resources they need and 66 percent say the closing of their local public library would have a major
impact on their community. Although notably just 33 percent say this would have a major impact
on them personally or on their family. A majority of Americans feel libraries are doing a good job
of providing a safe place for people to hang out or spend time as well as opening up educational
opportunities for people of all ages and roughly half think their libraries contribute a lot to their
communities in terms of helping spark creativity among young people and providing a trusted
place for people to learn about new technologies. As in past Pew Research Center surveys of
library use the April 2016 survey also measured Americans usage of and engagement with
libraries. Overall, 53 percent of Americans ages 16 and older have had some interaction with the
puppet library in the past year either through an in person visit or using a library Web site some 48
percent of adults specifically visited a library in the past 12 months. A modest increase from the 44
percent who said that in late 2015.
Question 16: What do most Americans say about local public libraries?
Question 17: How can local public libraries benefit young people?
Question 18：What does the 2016 survey show about adult library users?
Passage 2
A Savannah cat is a crossbreed between a domestic cat and a medium-sized wild African cat called
the Serval. The unusual cross became popular among breeders at the end of the 1990s. And in
2001, the International Cat Association accepted it as a new registered breed. The savannahs are
tall and slim and can weigh up to nine point one kilograms, making them one of the largest breeds
of cats that people can own. They have a spotted code similar to that of many types of wild cats
and their ears are very large. They are also commonly compared to dogs in their loyalty and can be
trained to walk on a lead and to fetch, and often noted characteristic of the Savannah is its jumping
ability. They are known to jump on top of doors and high cabinets. Some can leap about 2.5
metres high from a standing position. Cats are typically known for being very inquisitive and so
are the Savannahs. They often learn how to open doors and cupboards. Many Savannah cats do
not fear water and will play with or even dive into water. Some owners even shower with their
Savannah Cats, presenting a water bowl to Savannah may also prove a challenge, as some will
promptly begin to bat all the water out of the bowl until it is empty using their front paws.
Question 19: What do we learn about the savannah cat?
Question 20: What is characteristic of Savannah cats?
Question 21: What do some people do with their Savannah cats?
Passage 3

When children start school for the very 1st time parents often feel a sense of excitement coupled
with a touch of sadness at the end of an era. This is the start of a new adventure for children
playing and interacting with new friends sharing, taking turns and settling into a new routine.
But of course, this is not the start of your child’s education which in fact began at birth. Back then,
you would have been your child’s most influential teachers. During this time at home, your child
would have learnt more than at any other period in their life. During your child’s first year in
school much time will be spent in learning to read and they need to know that this is fun and
worthwhile. Your child will naturally copy you so it is important that you are seen reading and
enjoying books newspapers and magazines rather than just absorbed in screens. Ultimately an
excellent education should be a close partnership between parents and teachers. A child’s year
splits fairly neatly into thirds: a 3rd at school, a 3rd asleep and a third awake at home or on
holiday.
Irrespective of the quality of a school a child‘s home life is of key importance. It is the
determining factor of their academic success. Your child may have started on a new journey but
your work is far from finished.
Question 22: How do parents feel when their children start going to school?
Question 23: What does the passage say about children’s education?
Question 24: What should parents do for the success of their children’s education?
Question 25: What does the passage say is the key factor of loinbo’s academic success?

听力答案
News report 1:
1. C) Set up a mobile phone network on the moon.
2. A) It is stable.
News report 2:
3. B) No injuries were yet reported.
4. B) Pull down the deserted shopping mall.
News report 3:
5. D) Insufficient potato supply.
6. C) It is afraid of the spread of disease.
Section B
Conversation 1:
8. C) Dull.
9. D) She takes notes.
10. A) It keeps her mind active.
11. B) It helps her better remember what she learns.
Conversation 2:
12. A) To spend her honeymoon.
13. A) In memory of a princess.
14. D) It has walls decorated with jewels.
15. B) They are mostly crowded.
Section C
Passage 1
16. C) They provide residents with the resources needed.

17. B) By inspiring their creativity.
18. D) Their number increased modestly
Passage 2
19. C) It is an unusual cross breed.
20. A) They are as loyal as dogs.
21. C) They shower with them.
Passage 3
22. D) Excited but somewhat sad.
23. A) It starts the moment they are born.
24. D) Set a good example for them to follow.
25. B) Their home life.

第三部分 阅读理解
匹配题1
Food- as-Medicine Movement is witnessing progress.
36-40 DBGFI 41-45 FCJEG
36. More than half of the food Americans eat is factory-produced.
37. There is a special program that assigns doctors to give advice to shoppers in food stores.
38. There is growing evidence from research that food helps patients recover from various
illnesses.
39. A healthy breakfast can be prepared quickly and easily.
40. Training a patient to prepare healthy food can change their life.
41. One food-as-medicine program not only prescribes food for treatment but teaches patients how
to cook it.
42. Scott is not keen on cooking food herself thinking it would simply be a waste of time.
43. Diabetes patients are advised to eat more plant-based food.
44. Using food as medicine is no novel idea but the movement is making headway these days.
45. Americans’ high rates of various illnesses result from the way they eat.
2018年12月大学英语四级考试真题(第2套)
匹配题2
Is it really OK to eat food that’s fallen on the floor?
36-40 FCLEA 41-45 NMDKH
36. A research project found bacteria made their way to the food on the floor in five seconds.
37. Whether food is contaminated depends much on the number of bacteria that get onto it.
38. Food contamination may result from various factors other than food dropping on the floor.
39. Males are less likely than females to eat food that may have been contaminated.
40. The author’s research centers around how food gets contaminated.
41. Keeping everything clean is the best way to stay healthy.
42. Chances are you will not fall sick because of eating food picked up from the floor.
43. For a long time people have had the experience of deciding whether or not to eat food picked
up from the floor.
44. Some strains of bacteria are so harmful that a tiny few can have deadly consequences.
45. Researchers found how many bacteria got into the food did not have much to do with how
long the food stayed on a contaminated floor.

2018年12月大学英语四级考试真题(第3套)
匹配题3
How a poor abandoned Parisian boy became a top chef?
36-40 GMFCE DAHKB
was among the first chefs who stressed both the appearance and flavor of dishes.
wanted to show to later generations that French chefs of his time were most world.
benefited greatly from serving a French diplomat and his connections.
learned his trade from a famous dessert chef in Paris.
’s creative works were exhibited in the shop windows by his master.
’s knowledge of art and architecture helped him create extraordinary desserts out of
ordinary ingredient.
people in Paris were eager to have a look at the latest sweet food made by Careme.
became extremely wealthy by cooking for rich and socially ambitious families.
’s writing dealt with fundamental cooking principles in a systematic way.
’s contribution to French cooking was revolutionary.

第四部分 深度阅读
Part Ⅲ Reading Comprehension ( 40 minutes)
Section B
Directions: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to each
statement contains information given in one of the paragraphs. Identify the paragraph from which
the information is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraph is
marked with a letter. Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet
2.
Food-as-Medicine Movement Is Witnessing Progress
[A] Several times a month, you can find a doctor in the aisles of Ralph’s market in Huntington
Beach, California, wearing a white coat and helping people learn about food. On one recent day,
this doctor was Daniel Nadeau, wandering the cereal aisle with Allison Scott, giving her some idea
on how to feed kids who persistently avoid anything that is healthy. “Have you thought about
trying fresh juices in the morning?” he asks her. “The frozen oranges and apples are a little
cheaper, and fruits are really good for the brain. Juices are quick and easy to prepare, you can take
the frozen fruit out the night before and have it ready the next morning.”
[B] Scott is delighted to get food advice from a physician who is program director of the nearby
Mary and Dick Allen Diabetes Center, part of the St. Joseph Hoag Health alliance. The center’s
‘Shop with Your Doc’ program sends doctors to the grocery store to meet with any patients who
sign up for the service, plus any other shoppers who happen to be around with questions.
[C] Nadeau notices the pre-made macaroni (通心粉)-and-cheese boxes in Scott’s shopping cart
and suggests she switch to whole grain macaroni and real cheese. “So I’d have to make it?”she
asks, her enthusiasm fading at the thought of how long that might take, just to have her kids reject
it. “I’m not sure they’d eat it. They just won’t eat it.”
[D] Nadeau says sugar and processed foods are big contributors to the rising diabetes rates among
children. “In America, over 50 percent of our food is processed food,” Nadeau tells her. “And only
5 percent of our food is plant-based food. I think we should try to reverse that.” Scott agrees to try
more fruit juices for the kids and to make real macaroni and cheese. Score one point for the doctor,

zero for diabetes.
[E] Nadeau is part of a small revolution developing across California. The food- as-medicine
movement has been around for decades, but it’s making progress as physicians and medical
institutions make food a formal part of treatment, rather than relying solely on medications (药物).
By prescribing nutritional changes or launching programs such as ‘Shop with your Doc’, they are
trying to prevent, limit or even reverse disease by changing what patients eat. “There’s no question
people can take things a long way toward reversing diabetes, reversing high blood pressure, even
preventing cancer by food choices,” Nadeau says.
[F] In the big picture, says Dr. Richard Afable, CEO and president of ST. Joseph Hoag Health,
medical institutions across the state are starting to make a philosophical switch to becoming a
health organization, not just a health care organization. That feeling echoes the beliefs of the
Therapeutic Food Pantry program at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, which
completed its pilot phase and is about to expand on an ongoing basis to five clinic sites throughout
the city. The program will offer patients several bags of food prescribed for their condition, along
with intensive training in how to cook it. “We really want to link food and medicine, and not just
give away food,” says Dr. Rita Nguyen, the hospital’s medical director of Healthy Food Initiatives.
“We want people to understand what they’re eating, how to prepare it, the role food plays in their
lives.”
[G] In Southern California, Loma Linda University School of Medicine is offering specialized
training for its resident physicians in Lifestyle Medicine — that is a formal specialty in using food
to treat disease. Research findings increasingly show the power of food to treat or reverse diseases,
but that does not mean that diet alone is always the solution, or that every illness can benefit
substantially from dietary changes. Nonetheless, physicians say that they look at the collective
data and a clear picture emerges: that the salt, sugar, fat and processed foods in the American diet
contribute to the nation’s high rates of obesity, diabetes and heart disease. According to the World
Health Organization, 80 percent of deaths from heart disease and stroke are caused by high blood
pressure, tobacco use, elevated cholesterol and low consumption of fruits and vegetables.
[H] “It’s a different paradigm(范式) of how to treat disease,” says Dr. Brenda Rea, who helps run
the family and preventive medicine residency program at Loma Linda University School of
Medicine. The lifestyle medicine specialty is designed to train doctors in how to prevent and treat
disease, in part, by changing patients’ nutritional habits. The medical center and school at Loma
Linda also has a food cupboard and kitchen for patients. This way, patients not only learn about
which foods to buy, but also how to prepare them at home.
[I] Many people don’t know how to cook, Rea says, and they only know how to heat things up.
That means depending on packaged food with high salt and sugar content. So teaching people
about which foods are healthy and how to prepare them, she says, can actually transform a
patient’s life. And beyond that, it might transform the health and lives of that patient’s family.
“What people eat can be medicine or poison,” Rea says. “As a physician, nutrition is one of the
most powerful things you can change to reverse the effects of long-term disease.”
[J] Studies have explored evidence that dietary changes can slow inflammation(炎症), for example,
or make the body inhospitable to cancer cells. In general, many lifestyle medicine physicians
recommend a plant-based diet — particularly for people with diabetes or other inflammatory
conditions.
[K] “As what happened with tobacco, this will require a cultural shift, but that can happen,” says

Nguyen. “In the same way physicians used to smoke, and then stopped smoking and were able to
talk to patients about it, I think physicians can have a bigger voice in it.”
36. More than half of the food Americans eat is factory- produced.
37. There is a special program that assigns doctors to give advice to shoppers in food stores.
38. There is growing evidence from research that food helps patients recover from various
illnesses.
39. A healthy breakfast can be prepared quickly and easily.
40. Training a patient to prepare healthy food can change their life.
41. One food-as-medicine program not only prescribes food for treatment but teaches patients how
to cook it.
42. Scott is not keen on cooking food herself, thinking it would simply be a waste of time.
43. Diabetes patients are advised to eat more plant-based food.
44. Using food as medicine is no novel idea, but the movement is making headway these days.
45. Americans’ high rates of various illnesses result from the way they eat.
2018年12月英语四级阅读真题选词填空(第一套)
Part Ⅲ Reading Comprehension ( 40 minutes)
Section A
Directions: In this section, there is a passage with ten blanks. You are required to select one word
for each blank from a list of choices given in a word bank following the passage. Read the passage
through carefully before making your choices. Each choice in the bank is identified by a letter.
Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through
the centre. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.
Questions 26 to 35 are based on the following passage.
Millions die early from air pollution each year. Air pollution costs the global economy more than
$$5 trillion annually in welfare costs, with the most serious 26 occurring in the developing world.
The figures include a number of costs 27 with air pollution. Lost income alone amounts to $$225
billion a year.
The report includes both indoor and outdoor air pollution. Indoor pollution, which includes
28 like home heating and cooking, has remained 29 over the past several decades despite advances
in the area. Levels of outdoor pollution have grown rapidly along with rapid growth in industry
and transportation.
Director of Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation Chris Murray 30 it as an “urgent call to
action.”“One of the risk factors for premature deaths is the air we breathe, over which individuals
have little 31 ,”he said.
The effects of air pollution are worst in the developing world, where in some places lost-labor
income 32 nearly 1% of GDP. Around 9 in 10 people in low-and middle-income countries live in
places where they 33 experience dangerous levels of outdoor air pollution.
But the problem is not limited 34 to the developing world. Thousands die prematurely in the U.S.
as a result of related illnesses. In many European countries, where diesel(柴油) 35 have become
more common in recent years, that number reaches tens of thousands.