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1、HowBadDoestheAirPollutionHavetoBeBeforeYou’dWearaFaceMask?STEPHANIEHO09.25.14“Mommy,whydon’tIwearafacemask?”askedmynine-year-olddaughterMaggienearlyeverydayduringthefirstfewweeksofschool.TwoofherexpatclassmateshadbeeninBeijinglessthanayear,butitseemedasiftheyworetheirsalltheti
2、me.“Don’tyourparentsworryaboutairpollution?”they’daskMaggie.“Don’ttheycareabout you?”AslongtimeresidentsofBeijingmyhusbandandI,bothAmericans,takeairpollutionseriously.Sincewearrivednearlysevenyearsago,wehavekeptourSwedishairpurifiersonaroundtheclockathomeandwearescrupulousabou
3、tscheduledfilterchanges.WesendMaggietoaninternationalschoolwhereanathleticdomeshieldsplayingstudentsfromthesmoginapressurizedbubbleofpumped-infiltered air.So,yes,weareserious,butlikemanylongtimeresidentsofChina,wedrewthelineatfacemasks.Wewerefineinourownhome.Wefiguredthatoncew
4、esteppedoutside,wecouldn’treallycontroltheenvironment,sobettertonotevenbothertrying.Whatgoodwasafacemaskagainstanall-encompassingairpocalypse?ThisattitudeissimilartothatofolderBeijingers.Theyknowthedirtyairisnothealthyforhumans,buttheydon’tthinkthereisanythinganyonecandoabouti
5、t.WangJinlingisacaseinpoint.The59-year-oldisnotswayedbythesmall,butgrowing,numberofpeopleheseeswearingfacemasksthesedays.Hethinkstheyarewastingtheir money.“Idon’tuseamaskbecauseIdon’tthinkit’smuchuse,”he said.Wangrideshismotorcycletoandfromworkeachday,foraboutahalfhoureachway.
6、Heacceptsthefactthatahelmetcouldsavehislifeifhehasanaccident,buteventhoughairpollutionalsothreatenshiswell-beingherefusestowearaface mask.“WhenIridemymotorcycle,Iwearmyhelmet,whichhasavisorthatIpulldownovermyentireface,”hesaid.“That’senoughprotection.Idon’tneedtowearamask too.
7、”Theireldersmayseemblasé,butyoungerChinesearepragmaticinthemodernsense.TheyunderstandthattheyneedtoprotectthemselvesagainstBeijing’softenhazardouslyhigh,andsometimesevenastonishinglytoxic,levelsofairpollution.Thegovernmenthasvowedtodealwiththeproblem,butsinceit’snotgoingtobere
8、solvedanytimesoonmasksarehereto stay.ZhangQianisa27-year-oldB
