B1 – Intermediate
Asthma is a serious lifelong, incurable condition. When a person has it, they suffer from difficulties in breathing. According to some studies, traffic pollution causes this medical condition and it has affected millions of people.
Listen to the audio and read the transcript to find out more about diseases that are caused by pollution from traffic.
https://www.newsinlevels.com/products/asthma-from-traffic-level-3
Discussion Questions:
- What is your reaction to this fact “pollution from traffic connects to 4 million new asthma sufferers”?
- Do you know anyone who has asthma or other pulmonary conditions that were caused by pollution? How did it begin and how are they doing now?
- What do you do to keep your lungs healthy?
- Is air pollution a problem in your city? What are its bad effects on people and the environment?
- How can air pollution problems be solved?
14 replies on “Asthma from Traffic Pollution”
1. What is your reaction to this fact “pollution from traffic connects to 4 million new asthma sufferers”? I find it shocking, I was not aware of the impact of traffic pollution on athsma.
2. Do you know anyone who has asthma or other pulmonary conditions that were caused by pollution? How did it begin and how are they doing now? Fortunately, I do not know people suffering from asthma or other pulmonary conditions. The last case I remember is my grandfather, I remember that, when I was a child and we were visiting, he was always connected to the oxygen machine, but I do not remember much more.
3. What do you do to keep your lungs healthy? I do not do anything of special to keep my lungs healthy. Apart from the fact that I have never smoked and have tried to stay in smoke free spaces, I have not taken any additional measures.
4. Is air pollution a problem in your city? What are its bad effects on people and the environment? Air pollution is not usually a problem in my city. We have windy days often, which helps to remove pollution from the environment.
5. How can air pollution problems be solved? It would be great to have that answer. It is difficult to reconcile the actual needs of people and companies when the necessity to keep our environment cleaner and free of pollution. I think the process goes through investing more effort and money in developing new no contaminant energies, but the process will be gradual, since not everybody can change their transportation or the energy they use suddenly. It will also need support from the different Governments to commit to these new energies and will require financial help for people who cannot afford their use.
Nice work trying to be consistent in practicing your writing.
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Until your next entry!
1. What is your reaction to this fact “pollution from traffic connects to 4 million new asthma sufferers”? This fact is really alarming and I think that this should drive a change in the way we live and transport.
2. Do you know anyone who has asthma or other pulmonary conditions that were caused by pollution? How did it begin and how are they doing now? My brother suffered from asthma during childhood but it was solved when he got older. Other people that I know, are more dependent on treatment and they should be prepared in their daily live in case of any asthma attack.
3. What do you do to keep your lungs healthy? I love hiking and I try to escape to the mountains during the weekends to have some break.
4. Is air pollution a problem in your city? What are its bad effects on people and the environment? Yes, I live in Madrid and as it is the capital and there is always a lot of traffic and many people moving across the city, there is a big problem with pollution. It is heavy that when you are coming back to Madrid after a trip, you can see the sky with a grey layer of smoke. In my case, I feel that living in Madrid affects my skin and my hair, I feel that my skin is more sensitive and dry and my hair is dirty more frequently.
5. How can air pollution problems be solved? I think that it is important to implement politics that promote the protection of the environment, such as limit the use of cars in the city and promote the use of public transport. I feel that in my country these politics are implemented but they do not give any facilities to the population so they could follow this recommendations. On the other hand, I believe that there is an individual responsibility respect on this, we have to be conscientious that there is a problem with pollution and try to take care of the environment in our daily life.
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1.- What is your reaction to this fact “pollution from traffic connects to 4 million new asthma sufferers”? I believe so , becuase I live in big city and when I go far away I am able to seen the noir cloud above of the citry center. That quantity of pollution must be very dangerous.
2 .-Do you know anyone who has asthma or other pulmonary conditions that were caused by pollution? How did it begin and how are they doing now?
Yes , actually my bother has suffered asthma since he was a child. I remember that it was very hard to see my brother was not able to breath and his lips became violet.. When he growed up the illnes was reduced and he only has more cough than normal people nowadays.
3. What do you do to keep your lungs healthy? Well, I smoke but I try to reduce the quantity of cigarettes per day and I avoid breathing in deeply, On the other hand I try to practise sports and meditation and breath exercices.
4.-Is air pollution a problem in your city? What are its bad effects on people and the environment? Definitively, thare are a lot of cars and planes per day. You can suffer pollution in your lungs and in your eyes
5.How can air pollution problems be solved?
With free and better public transportation, using electric cars shoudl bee a good idea, We should plant more trees
You’re doing great progress!
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1. What is your reaction to this fact “pollution from traffic connects to 4 million new asthma sufferers”?
It is normal, the air is more and more contaminated each time. People don´t stop to think about this problem, only searching for their comfortability. They don´t care, take the car for go to 500 metres from their homes, and go so far of vacances by plain several times in a year, privates fly are allowed ….
2.Do you know anyone who has asthma or other pulmonary conditions that were caused by pollution? How did it begin and how are they doing now?
No, I don´t know anyone with this kind of problem.
3.What do you do to keep your lungs healthy?
I can´t do anything, I live in a big city, while I living here I need to breath this air.
4.Is air pollution a problem in your city? What are its bad effects on people and the environment?
Madrid is a big city, of course the air isn’t clean, but Madrid isn’t the most polluted city.
People just live their lives as best they can. This problem depends on the government; citizens can’t do anything because the problem has to be solved by politicians. They must establish rules, but not only for citizens, especially for companies and rich people, who are the ones who pollute the most.
5.How can air pollution problems be solved?
All individuals, companies, and governments must follow the same path. And governments must offer citizens real and simpler solutions.
You are making good progress with your writing. Well done sharing your thoughts about this topic.
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1. I knew pollution was causing many new cases. But I didn’t know there were so many.
2. No, I don’t know anyone who has asthma or other lung conditions caused by pollution. But I know that in some countries this problem is very big and worrying/alarming.
3. Clean energy, individual responsibility, control industrial emissions etc.
4. The air pollution in my city is not a problem.
5. Exercise regularly, annual check-ups, diet and not be in environments with smokers.
Well done answering the discussion questions!
Take a look at this sentence and its proper word order:
Until your next posts!
What is your reaction to this fact “pollution from traffic connects to 4 million new asthma sufferers”?
My reaction is: this is not possible. ¿what happen with the health? ¿is not important for the society? I think that is a verybig problem and the govermment have to define policies about a healthy enviroment.
Do you know anyone who has asthma or other pulmonary conditions that were caused by pollution? How did it begin and how are they doing now?
I don’t know anything.
How can air pollution problems be solved?
I think the problems can be solved with with government policies worldwide.
Is air pollution a problem in your city? What are its bad effects on people and the environment?
Yes, in my city has a lot of the pollution. This is a problem because a lot of people have bad effects as alergies, itchy eyes, etc.
What do you do to keep your lungs healthy?
I like walking. I tried to walk twices times per week and I don’t smoke anymore since 25 years ago.
You wrote your responses well but you can still improve this one:
I think the problems can be solved with
withgovernment policies worldwide.> I think these problems can be solved by implementing the same environmental policies worldwide.
Keep up the great work!
Pollution in cities is a very grave problem to be solved around the world. Not only is the traffic a cause of pollution but there are also other elements such as the heatings, factories or chemical components to be taken into account.
The most affected are the children since their lungs are not developed enough to bear polluted air. They also breath through their mouth instead of their nose which it prevents them to filter the polluted particles.
I realize that this problem is getting worse day by day. When I was young I knew just a couple of people suffering from this disease but nowadays, the number of them have dramatically increased.
The companies are looking for more clean energy to substitute the current one. However they need to invest huge amount of money in I&D and the results are not satisfactory. In addition, the governments do not give them any support, so the companies do not find any encourage to go on with the research of alternatives energy.
It is definitely a serious problem. Thank you for your responses. Check out some of these sentences and see how you can phrase them better:
Not only is the traffic a cause of pollution but
there arealso other elements such astheheatings, factories or chemical components to be taken into account.> Traffic is not the only cause of pollution to be taken into account but also other elements such as heatings, factories, and chemical substances.
In addition,
thegovernments do not give them any support,so the companies do not find any encourage to go on with the research of alternatives energy.> In addition, governments do not give them any support so they are not encouraged to go on with further researches on alternative energy.
Keep doing a good job in your writing practice.