Air pollution, such as haze, has become a serious problem around the world. Besides wearing a mask, what else can we do to protect ourselves from the dirty air?
Scientists have developed a new inhaler (吸入剂) that can reduce the effect air pollution has on people. It could help millions of people who are suffering from air pollution, the Guardian reports.
This inhaler is developed by German company Bitop and contains a molecule (分子) named Ectoine. The molecule creates a layer (涂层) that protects lungs from polluted air. It’s reported that the inhaler will be affordable to most people when it comes to the market.
Air pollution kills more than three million people a year worldwide and leads to health problems like lung and heart disease and strokes, according to a 2016 research project in the journal Nature. It is also linked to brain disease, mental illness and diabetes (糖尿病).
Andreas Bilstein at Bitop believed that the inhaler could be useful around the world, because air pollution is not just a European problem: “Especially in Asia － China in particular － the demand for such a product is even higher.”
Many Chinese cities have been suffering from haze. According to World Health Organization, two of the 10 most polluted cities in the world in 2015 were in China. About 800,000 deaths that are linked to air pollution take place in the country every year.
However, such inhalers should never be an excuse for not trying to stop air pollution, said Professor Jean Krutmann at the Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine. “The best thing is that we have clean air and we don’t need any prophylactic (预防性的) treatment,” he said.
28. What is the new inhaler?
A. It can help protect the environment.
B. It can help us reduce the harm of air pollution.
C. It can solve the air pollution problem.
D. It can make the dirty air clean.
29. From the third paragraph, we learn that ______.
A. the inhaler comes from a US company
B. the inhaler is named Ectoine
C. a molecule in the inhaler forms a layer on lungs
D. the inhaler’s price will not be too high for most people
30. Which of the following is NOT true?
A. Air pollution kills millions of people a year worldwide.
B. Air pollution can cause mental illness.
C. There are no air pollution problems in Europe.
D. Air pollution is a serious problem in China.
31. Which is Professor Jean Krutmann’s opinion?
A. Such inhalers mean much to people.
B. We should take action to control air pollution.
C. We can depend on inhalers to solve air pollution problems.
D. We’d better produce more medicines to treat lung diseases.