The alert, the highest possible warning level, was issued in Beijing late Monday and will last until midday on Thursday.

China’s capital city of Beijing is facing a serious pollution problem. Officials determined on Monday that the gray smog had become so thick that it was necessary to declare the city’s first-ever red alert, the highest level of environmental alarm. The alert forced schools to close on Tuesday. Across Beijing, work was halted （暂停）in factories and half of the city’s vehicles were kept off the roads.

Most of Beijing’s smog is blamed on coal-fired power plants, car emissions, and construction and factory work. “This is modern life for Beijing people,” office worker Cao Yong said. “We wanted to develop, and now we pay the price.” "It is a sharp warning to us that we may have too much development at the price of environment and it is time for us to seriously deal with air pollution,'' said Beijing worker Fan Jinglong. Experts reported that the amount of tiny particles（颗粒） of pollution in the city’s air is more than 12 times above the safe level. "You have to do whatever you can to protect yourself,'' Beijing resident Li Huiwen told AP news agency. 

While the smog's effects have been worsened by weather conditions and the city's geography - bordered to the south and east by industrial areas that generate pollution and to the north and west by mountains that trap it - it has prompted increasing concern that China has prioritised（按优先顺序列出） economic growth at too high an environmental cost. The dangerous air pollution levels are a reminder of China’s environmental challenges. 

The chief negotiator of China here points to our continued investment in renewable sources of energy, in an effort to cut down on coal consumption, particularly in urban areas. Around 58% of the increase in the country's primary energy consumption in 2013-14 came from non-fossil fuel sources. These efforts to go green may not be having an immediate effect on the air in Beijing but they have had an impact on global output of carbon dioxide.

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1.How was life in Beijing affected by the red alert?

A Work in factories didn’t pause.

B Outdoor construction didn’t stop.

C Schools in Beijing were not closed.

D The traffic in Beijing was certainly lighter.

解析：选D。细节理解题。根据第二段倒数一、二句The alert forced schools to close on Tuesday. Across Beijing, work was halted in factories and half of the city’s vehicles were kept off the roads. 可知警报使学校停课。在北京,工厂暂停工，城市一半的车辆在道路上行驶。所以，D项“北京的交通流量比以前小些”正确。

2.The writer mentions the words of Cao Yong and Fan Jinglong to____.

A compare modern life and village life

B provide examples of air pollution

C explain why Beijing suffered pollution problem

D say how to balance development against environment

解析：选D。推理判断题。根据第三段的第三、四句We wanted to develop, and now we pay the price. It is a sharp warning to us that we may have too much development at the price of environment and it is time for us to seriously deal with air pollution. 可知，我们要为发展过快而付出的环境代价买单，言外之意，就是要平衡发展与环境保护之间的关系。

3.It can be concluded from the fourth paragraph that pollution levels increased because of________.

A heating systems

B vehicle emissions

C weather conditions

D coal-powered industries

解析：选C。细节理解题。根据第四段首句… the smog's effects have been worsened by weather conditions and the city's geography…可知北京市的天气条件和城市的地理位置使雾霾影响不断恶化。

4.Which of the following can solve the air pollution in the long run?

A By using renewable resources.

B By increasing people’s living standards.

C By improving the quality of population.

D By educating teenagers about investment.

解析：选A。推理判断题。根据最后一段内容可知，目前中国正在积极利用可再生能源，减少煤炭消费，实施绿色发展战略，对雾霾宣战。