Directions:
Read the text below. Write an essay in about 120 words, in which you should summarize the key
points of the text and make comments on them. Try to use you own words.
Beijing has extended its ban on operating outdoor barbecues from the city center outward to selected suburbs, according to municipal authorities.
A year ago, Beijing banned restaurants from operating outdoor barbecues within the fourth ring road area. And now, the ban has extended to several suburbs, including Mentougou, Fangs- han, Tongzhou, Shunyi, Daxing, Pinggu and Miyun.
The barbecue ban was announced to reduce Beijing' s air pollution, as barbecue has long been accused as one of the major contributors to haze.
According to Wang Yuesi, a researcher from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics in Chinese Academy of Sciences, barbecuing can generate a lot of PM 2.5, harmful airborne particles measur- ing less than 2.5 microns in diameter.
"Considering the seriousness of the air pollution in Beijing, we have to ban everything that may do harm to our environment!" Wang said.
The issue has divided Chinese netizens, as half agreed with the policy while the other half called this grand plan nothing but "empty talk. "
A sample of comments from Weibo:" Why don' t those petrochemical plants, power stations and other heavy industries be banned? What is the Ministry of Environmental Protection going to do next? We still need to eat, so please allow us to cook!"
"Right decisions to resolve PM2.5 pollution problems, the option which made by governors is legalistic reserve for 'pubhc profits' courses," some people said.
