Tower sucks in smog and turns it into fine jewelry

The Dutch city of Rotterdam has opened the world’s first smog-free tower. Co-designed by Dutch artist Daan Roosegaarde, the seven-metre high tower sucks in dirty air like a giant vacuum cleaner. Ion technology then filters it, before returning bubbles of smog-free air through the tower’s vents. It is able to clean 30,000 cubic metres of air an hour.

            But the well-designed air purifier doesn’t just clean up smog, it can also be used to make fine jewellery. The fine carbon particles that the tower collects can be condensed to create tiny “gem stones” that can be embedded in jewellery pieces like rings and cufflinks. Each of the tiny stones is the equivalent of 1,000 cubic meters of air.

            But it’s not Rotterdam where the need for air filters is greatest. According to the World Air Quality Index, most of western Europe enjoys clean air, with exceptions including London, where air quality is classified as moderate. It’s a different story in the booming cities of the developing world and the Bric countries. Air quality is much poorer in China and Malaysia, for example, where most cities feature air was deemed as unhealthy for sensitive groups.

            The tower’s creators recognise this and, after its run in Rotterdam, the tower moves to Beijing, a city suffering from very poor air quality. Earlier this month, Chinese authorities shut hundreds of factories in Beijing and banned half of the country’s 5m cars from the roads in preparation for a gigantic military parade. In the days leading up to the parade, the air quality improved, resulting in pristine blue skies for the parade, only to return to smog when the ban was lifted.

            Bob Ursem, a nanoparticles expert at the Delft University of Technology claims that in outdoor tests, the filter has cleaned the air by 60%, measured by the share of nanoparticles removed, and in indoor environments the reduction is even more significant.

            In the tower’s case, the filters would be costly too. While neither Roosegaarde nor Ursem would disclose the cost of the tower, the filters they have developed range in price from €1,600 to more than €118,000; but as Rotterdam’s mayor says, “the smog-free tower contributes to a debate that shouldn’t be confined to politics.”

Question 1 (2 points) Indicate whether the following statements are true or false and write down which part of the text justifies your answer.

a. The problems caused by pollution will increase in the future.

b. Rotterdam is a very polluted city.

c. Not everybody is affected by polluted air in Chinese cities.

d. Rotterdam's mayor think the problem of pollution is the responsibility of politicians.

Question 2 (2 points) Answer the following questions in your own words.

a. How does the tower work?

b. What happened in Beijin earlier this month?

Question 3 (1.5 points) Find words or phrases in the text that correspond in meaning to the words and definitions given.

a. to consider (par.3)                            b. clean (par.4)                         c. prohibition (par.4)

d. percentage (par.5)                            e. to reveal (par.6)

Question 4 (1.5 points) Complete the following sentences without changing the meaning.

a. It is said that more than three million people die prematurely due to air pollution each year.

            More than...

b.  The tower moves to Beijing, a city suffering from very poor air quality.

            If Beijing did not...

c. “The smog-free tower contributes to a debate that shouldn’t be confined to politics.”, tha mayor said

            The mayor said that...

Question 5 (3 points) Write a short essay (120-150 words) on the following topic:

Should people take better care of the environment?


Would you like to check the World Air Quality Index?  Follow this link:
http://waqi.info/