I’d like to talk about the capital city of China, Beijing, which is famous for its places of interest like the Great wall, and also some modern tourist attractions. But these years, I believe it has become well known for its heavy air pollution. I don’t remember since when high levels of air pollution have become commonplace in Beijing, especially during winter months when temperatures drop and more coal is burned when heating systems are switched on. All I can hear from the news every now and then is Beijing is hit by hazardous smog again and the municipal government issues yellow smog alerts all the time, and the number of patients who suffer from respiratory disease is on the rise, blah blah…

我想谈谈中国的首都北京，它以长城等名胜古迹而闻名，还有一些现代化的旅游景点。但这些年来，我相信它已经以其严重的空气污染而闻名。我不记得从什么时候起北京的空气污染水平已经很普遍了，特别是在冬天的几个月里，气温下降，供暖系统打开后，更多的煤被燃烧。我时不时能从新闻中听到的是北京再次遭受有害雾霾的侵袭，市政府一直在发布黄色雾霾预警，呼吸系统疾病患者的数量在上升，等等……

I guess that’s why I don’t have too much affection for this city. But a few months ago, my best friend was getting married in Beijing and I was asked to be her bridesmaid. So I had to fly there to attend her wedding.

我想这就是为什么我对这个城市没有太多的感情。但是几个月前，我最好的朋友在北京结婚，我被邀请做她的伴娘。所以我不得不坐飞机去参加她的婚礼。

After I landed at the airport, I just had this weird feeling in my throat and I started to cough. I noticed that most people around me were wearing masks, I just regret why I didn’t get one before I went there.

到达机场后，我的喉咙里有一种奇怪的感觉，我开始咳嗽。我注意到我周围的大多数人都戴着面具，我只是后悔在去那里之前没有戴上。

When I looked out of the window, I could see the city was covered in a dense layer of smog, and some of the skyscrapers were barely visible.

当我往窗外看的时候，我可以看到城市被一层厚厚的烟雾覆盖，一些摩天大楼几乎看不见。

I remember I was wearing a white blouse, but by the time I got to my hotel, the collar was dirty, it was only like 4 hours? So you see, the pollution was that serious?

我记得我当时穿着一件白色的衬衫，但当我到达酒店时，领子很脏，大概只有4个小时?你看，污染有那么严重吗?

Honestly I’ve no idea why people still flock to this city to make a living at the cost of their health.

 

老实说，我不知道为什么人们仍然蜂拥到这个城市以牺牲自己的健康来谋生。