Speed Reading — Level 2 — 200 wpm 

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In Beijing it's difficult to see the sun. The air is full of smog (a mixture of smoke and fog). It is so thick that it blocks the sun. People miss seeing the sun. Beijing's leaders want people to see the sunrise. They put giant screens in the city. People watch the sunrise on them. One screen has a special message on it. It read: "Protecting the atmosphere and environment is everyone's responsibility." The live, digital sunrise is popular with tourists. Ricardo Hernandez from Mexico said it looked like science fiction. He said it was cool, but also worrying.

The air in China's cities is often bad in winter. People burn more coal for heating. This makes more pollution. Beijing's mayor promised to make the air cleaner. He will use $2.4 billion this year to make things better. Many workers wore face masks to work. They could not breathe the bad air. One man said: "I couldn't see the tall buildings across the street this morning. The smog has become worse in the last two to three years." He often feels bad: "I often cough and my nose is always running,'' he said. The US embassy said people should not do any exercise outside.

Back to the smog lesson.

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