北京推出霧霾險 可以放心籌備入京遊了
Travellers to China worried that their view of the Great Wall will be obscured by Beijing’s pollution can rest easy with a “smog insurance” product being introduced this week.
前往中國的遊客如果擔心長城風景可能受到北京污染的影響，那麼本週推出的“霧霾險”產品有望讓他們安心。“Smog insurance” is the latest response to choking air pollution in China and follows efforts that include closing industrial plants and do-it-yourself air filter specialists dispensing advice online.
“霧霾險”是對中國令人不敢呼吸的空氣污染的最新迴應，之前的努力包括政府勒令工廠停產，以及DIY空氣過濾器專家在網上提供諮詢。Panasonic, the Japanese electronics group, said last week it would offer a pollution bonus to expatriate employees working in China.
日本電子集團松下(Panasonic)上週表示，將向外派至中國工作的非中國籍員工提供污染獎金。
Li Keqiang, Chinese premier, declared a “war on pollution” in his annual speech to the legislature in March. Only three Chinese cities meet national air quality standards, two of which are on islands.
中國總理李克強3月在全國人大年會上發表講話時，宣佈“向污染宣戰”。中國只有三個城市達到國家空氣質量標準，其中兩個位於島上。CTrip, an online travel agent, and Ping An, the state-owned insurance company, have teamed up to offer “smog insurance” to travellers and residents in seven cities plagued by smog. The scheme pays out when the air quality index, or AQI, exceeds set levels for two days in a row.
在線旅遊代理攜程(CTrip)和國有保險公司平安(Ping An)聯手推出“霧霾險”，面向受到霧霾困擾的7個城市的遊客和市民。該產品將在空氣質量指數(AQI)連續兩天超過設定水平時作出賠付。A week of the index being over 300, a level deemed hazardous at prolonged exposure, yields the policy holder a free lung check while those who need hospitalisation because of it would receive Rmb1,500 ($240).
如果空氣質量指數持續一週高於300（被視爲長時間接觸有危險的水平），保單持有人將得到一次免費的肺部檢查，而污染導致需要住院接受治療的保單持有人將得到1500元人民幣（合240美元）。If pollution exceeds the charts, as happened this winter in the northern city of Shijiazhuang for several days, policy holders can compete for a free trip to the subtropical island of Hainan to “clear their lungs”.
如果污染達到“爆表”水平（北方城市石家莊在這個冬天有好幾天出現這樣的情況），保單持有人有機會獲取海南“洗肺”旅遊。It is not unknown for cities in northern China to see pollution in hazardous levels for a week at a time, particularly in the winter. But Ping An is on safer ground in the springtime, when breezes and bright skies tend to keep the AQI within more comfortable limits.
在冬季的華北城市，危險級別的污染持續一週的情況並非罕見。但春天意味着平安保險較有把握：微風和明媚的天空往往使空氣質量指數保持在比較舒適的範圍內。Haikou, the capital of subtropical Hainan Island, Zhoushan, on an archipelago south of Shanghai that consists of 1,390 islands and 1.1m inhabitants, and Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, were the only three to meet national standards in a survey of 74 of the largest cities, the vice minister for the environment said this month.
中國環保部副部長本月表示，全國74個城市的全年監測結果顯示，僅3個城市達到空氣質量二級標準。這3個城市是：海口（地處亞熱帶的海南島的首府）、舟山（上海以南的一個羣島，共有1390個島嶼和110萬居民），以及西藏首府拉薩。The air quality index assesses the level of air pollution with a grading system from 0 to 500. The higher the value, the more polluted the air and the greater the health concern: 50 represents good air quality with little potential to affect public health and over 300 is well within the hazardous range.
空氣質量指數採用從0到500的數值來評估空氣污染水平。該值越高，空氣污染就越嚴重，健康擔憂就更大： 50代表空氣質量狀況屬於優，不致影響公衆健康，而超過300就進入危險範圍了。The air in Beijing on Thursday was rated “good” by the US embassy and “excellent” on the Chinese index.
週四，北京的空氣被美國大使館評爲“良好”，被中國的指數評爲“優”。
