Millions of people in North America have been advised to wear N95 masks outdoors due to poor air quality levels caused by intense wildfires in Canada. Officials warn that the dangerously smoky conditions are expected to continue through the weekend. Much of the smoke is coming from Quebec, where 150 fires are burning. More than 15,000 residents are expected to be forced to move out of the province, officials said on Wednesday. It is already Quebec’s worst fire season on record.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced on Wednesday that New York would distribute one million masks to state residents on Thursday.“This is a temporary situation. This is not Covid,” she said at a news conference. The governor added that New York City buses and trains have high-quality air filtration (过滤) systems that make them safe forms of travel.

Environment Canada has said that conditions are worsening in Toronto on Thursday, as more smoke pours in. In a special weather report on Wednesday, the agency recommended that anyone outdoors wear a mask. “These small particles (颗粒) generally pose the greatest risk to health. However, respirators (防毒面具) do not reduce exposure to the gases in wildfire smoke,” the Environment Canada statement said.

Meanwhile, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classified the air quality in much of the north-east as “unhealthy” especially for people with respiratory (呼吸的) concerns.

In total, millions of people around North America are thought to be under a form of air quality warning. In New York, an orange mist blanketed the city’s skyline and covered landmarks including the Statue of Liberty. “We recommend all New Yorkers limit outdoor activity to the greatest extent possible,” Mayor Eric Adams warned on Wednesday. Zoos have brought animals indoors, and in New York, carriage horse rides have been suspended. On Wednesday, schools in the Washington DC area also cancelled outdoor activities as air quality levels were labelled “code red”, while Detroit was listed as the fifth worst major metropolitan (大城市的) area in the world on IQAir’s air pollution rankings.

1.What can we know about the smoky conditions?

A People in Canada are advised to wear masks.

B They are becoming worse and worse.

C They don’t worsen the air quality.

D They are caused by wild fires.

解析：选D。D细节理解题。根据第一段“Much of the smoke is coming from Quebec, where 150 fires are burning.”可知，大部分烟雾来自加拿大魁北克省，那里有150处野火在燃烧。故选D。

2.Who holds a positive attitude to the current situation?

A Kathy Hochul.

B Environment Canada.

C The EPA.

D Eric Adams.

解析：选A。A细节理解题。根据第二段的“This is a temporary situation.”“high-quality air filtration systems”等可知，纽约州州长凯西·霍赫尔认为这是暂时的，且纽约市的公共交通拥有高质量的空气过滤系统。故选A。

3.What might Environment Canada agree on?

A People should wear masks as long as possible.

B The conditions will become better in the future.

C Citizens should try to avoid outdoor activities.

D The bad smell holds the greatest risk for health.

解析：选C。C推理判断题。根据第三段内容可知，加拿大环境部表示，防毒面具并不能减少人体与野火中的气体接触，由此可知，人们应该尽量避免户外活动，减少与其接触。故选C。

4.What’s the main idea of the last Paragraph?

A The warning of air quality.

B Measures to deal with air pollution.

C Limits of outdoor activities.

D IQAir’s air pollution rankings.

解析：选B。B段落大意题。根据最后一段内容可知，该段讲述了纽约市、纽约动物园以及地区学校应对糟糕空气质量的措施。故选B。