2020 Text 3（英语二）马德里环保政策面临困境

Text 3

文章 三

Madrid was haired as a public health guiding light last November when it rolled out ambitious restrictions on most polluting cars.

去年 11 月，当马德里对污染最严重的汽车推出雄心勃勃的限制措施时，其被誉为公共卫生的指路明灯。

Seven months and one election day later, a new conservative city council suspended enforcement of the clean air zone, a first step toward its possible termination.

七个月和一个选举日之后，新的保守派市议会暂停了清洁空气区的措施，这是可能终止该区的第一步。

Mayor Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida made opposition to the zone a centerpiece of his election campaign, despite its success in improving air quality.

市长何塞·路易斯·马丁内斯·阿尔梅达将反对清洁空气区作为其竞选活动的核心，尽管该区在改善空气质量方面取得了成功。

A judge has now overruled the city's decision to stop levying fines, ordering them restored.

目前，法官已经否决了该市停止征收罚款的决定，下令恢复罚款。

But with legal battles ahead, the zone's future looks uncertain at best.

但随着法律斗争的进行，该区域的未来最多只能说是前途未卜。

Madrid's back and forth on clean air is a pointed reminder of the limits to the patchwork city-by-city approach that characterizes efforts on air pollution across Europe, Britain very much included.

马德里在清洁空气问题上的反反复复是一个尖锐的提醒，提醒人们，欧洲各地（包括英国在内）在空气污染问题上的努力，是以城市为单位的有局限性的拼凑方式。

Among other weaknesses, the measures cities must employ when left to tackle dirty air on their own are politically controversial, and therefore vulnerable.

除其他弱点外，各城市在自行解决空气污染问题时必须采用的措施在政治上具有争议性，因此也很脆弱。

That's because they inevitably put the costs of cleaning the air on to individual drivers — who must pay fees or buy better vehicles — rather than on the car manufacturers whose cheating is the real cause of our toxic pollution.

这是因为它们不可避免地将清洁空气的成本归咎于个人驾驶者——他们必须支付费用或购买更好的车辆——而不是归咎于汽车制造商，因为汽车制造商的欺骗行为才是造成有毒污染的真正原因。

It's not hard to imagine a similar reversal happening in London.

不难想象，类似的逆转也会在伦敦发生。

The new ultra-low emission Zone (Ulez) is likely to be a big issue in next year's mayoral election.

新的超低排放区 (Ulez) 很可能成为明年市长选举的一大议题。

And if Sandakan wins and extends it to the North and South Circular roads in 2021 as he intends, it is sure to spark intense opposition from the far larger number of motorists who will then be affected.

而如果桑达坎胜出，并按照他的打算在 2021 年将其扩大到南北环路，那么届时肯定会引发大量驾驶者的强烈反对，因为他们将受到影响。

It's not that measures such as London's Ulez are useless.

并不是说伦敦的 Ulez 等措施没有用。

Far from it.

远非如此。

Local officials are using the levers that are available to them to safeguard residents' health in the face of a serious threat.

面对严重的威胁，地方官员正在利用现有的杠杆来保障居民的健康。

The zones do deliver some improvements to air quality, and the science tells us that means real health benefits.

这些区域确实能改善空气质量，且科学告诉我们，这意味着真正的健康效益。

But mayors and councilors can only do so much about a problem that is far bigger than any one city or town.

但是，对于一个远比任何一个城市或城镇更严重的问题，市长和议员们只能做这么多。

They are acting because national governments — Britain's and others across Europe — have failed to do so.

他们之所以采取行动，是因为国家政府——英国和欧洲其他国家的政府——都没有这样做。

Restrictions that keep highly polluting cars out of certain areas — city centers, "school streets", even individual roads — are a response to the absence of a larger effort to properly enforce existing regulations and require auto companies to bring their vehicles into compliance, Wales has introduced special low-speed limits to minimize pollution.

限制高污染汽车进入某些地区——城市中心、“学校街道”，甚至是个别道路——是对缺乏更大规模的努力来正确执行现有法规并要求汽车公司使其车辆符合规定的回应，威尔士推出了特别的低速限制，以最大限度地减少污染。

We're doing everything but insist that manufacturers clean up their cars.

除了坚持要求厂家清洁汽车外，我们什么都在做。

31. Which of the following is true about Madrid's clean air zone?

31. 关于马德里的清洁空气区，以下哪项是正确的？

[A] Its effects are questionable.

其效果值得怀疑。

[B] It has been opposed by a judge.

遭到了一名法官的反对。

[C] It needs tougher enforcement.

它需要更严厉的执法。

[D] Its fate is yet to be decided.

它的命运还没有决定。

32. Which is considered a weakness of the city-level measures to tackle dirty air?

32. 哪一项被认为是城市层面治污措施的弱点？

[A] They are biased against car manufacturers.

他们对汽车制造商有偏见。

[B] They prove impractical for city councils.

事实证明，它们对市议会来说是不切实际的。

[C] They are deemed too mild for politicians.

它们被认为对政治家来说太温和。

[D] They put too much burden on individual motorists.

它们给个人驾车者带来太多负担。

33. The author believes that the extension of London's Ulez will '__.

33. 作者认为，伦敦 Ulez 的扩展将 '__。

[A] arouse strong resistance

引起强烈的抵制

[B] ensure Khan's electoral success

确保 Khan 的选举成功

[C] improve the city's traffic

改善城市交通

[D] discourage car manufacturing

不鼓励汽车制造

34. Who does the author think should have addressed the problem?

34. 作者认为应该由谁来解决这个问题？

[A] Local residents.

当地居民。

[B] Mayors.

市长。

[C] Councilors.

议员。

[D] National governments

国家政府。

35. It can be inferred from the last paragraph that auto companies '__.

35. 从最后一段可以推断，汽车企业 '__。

[A] will raise low-emission car production

将提高低排放汽车的产量

[BI should be forced to follow regulation

应强迫商业银行遵守条例

[C] will upgrade the design of their vehicles

将升级其车辆的设计

[D] should be put under public supervision