[Environment ★★★]
(P1) Londoners will soon be able to get air quality reports when they check whether their bus is about to arrive, reports the AP. Mayor Sadiq Khan has ordered that 2,500 bus stop information signs display air quality alerts on high pollution days. Some 140 dot-matrix message boards on roads leading to London will also display the information, along with instructions for drivers to switch off their engines while stuck in traffic to reduce emissions. Electronic update signs at subway stations will also display information on air quality.
(P2) The initiative, which begins Aug. 15, is part of Khan’s crusade to clean up the air in the British capital. After taking office earlier this year, the mayor commissioned a survey showing that nearly 80% of those who responded were interested in receiving pollution data.
WORDS: 132
SOURCE: http://www.newser.com/story/229275/at-london-bus-stops-a-smog-report.html
VOCABULARY: dot-matrix, switch off, emissions, initiative, crusade, commissioned
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
If you found the passage difficult to read or had problems understanding specific words or idiomatic expressions, please discuss them with your tutor. The following discussion questions should be answered in your own words and with your own arguments.
- Briefly, summarize the content of the article in your own words.
- Does your country have any initiatives to reduce pollution? If yes, what are they?
- Do you like the idea of having air quality alerts? Why or why not?
- Would you like to see more programs to reduce pollution in your country? Why or why not?
READING COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS:
- Who is the leader of London?
- Metro stations will not have information signs. (T or F)
- What are drivers suppose to do if sitting idle in traffic jams?
- When will London begin to us the message boards?
- When did Sadiq Khan become the mayor of London?
EXPRESSIONS or PHRASES:
What do the following expressions or phrases mean?
- about to arrive (P1)
- on roads leading to London (P1)
- while stuck in traffic (P1)
- After taking office (P2)
- nearly 80% (P2)
Image source: by Sang Tan http://www.newser.com/story/229275/at-london-bus-stops-a-smog-report.html