作者：惠瑾
博客：http://blog.hjenglish.com/huijin

    China's government, struggling to contain what could be an embarrassing pollution problem during the Beijing Olympics, is ordering the closure of certain factories across a huge swath of northern China ahead of this summer's Games.
    Six provinces and municipalities -- Hebei, Inner Mongolia, Shandong, Shanxi, Tianjin and Beijing -- have already started shutting down polluting factories and curbing power-plant production in an ambitious attempt to cut down on air pollution. Collectively, these provinces represent an area larger than France, Germany and Italy combined, but pollutants from factories far from Beijing are believed to be partially responsible for the capital's often smoggy air.
    Du Shaozhong, deputy head of the Beijing Environment Protection Bureau, said Beijing is cooperating closely with these provinces 'to ensure good air quality for the Olympic Games,' which begin Aug. 8.
    In an unusual move, he appealed to reporters to write reports boosting Beijing's credibility among Olympic athletes overseas. Some Olympic teams say they plan to avoid Beijing's possibly toxic air by showing up for only their events or wearing face masks, moves that would undoubtedly damp China's elaborately planned festivities.
    'We need help from the media,' said Mr. Du. 'Tell them what you see with your own eyes.'

参考译文：

    想要在北京奥运会期间奋力将令人尴尬的污染问题控制住，中国政府决定赶在奥运会开幕前关闭一批分布在广袤华北地区的工厂。
    为了减轻空气污染，华北地区的六个省市和自治区－－河北、内蒙古、山东、山西、天津和北京已经在着手清理高污染工厂并限制发电站的生产。这六个省市和自治区的总面积超过了法国、德国和意大利的国土面积总和。虽然污染源远离北京，但却是首都浓雾天气的形成原因之一。
    北京市环保局副局长杜少中表示，北京正与周边省区市紧密合作，“以确保奥运会期间空气质量良好”。北京奥运会将于8月8日开幕。
    杜少中还特别呼吁媒体发表报导、改善北京在外国运动员中的形像。一些奥运代表队曾表示，为免受北京不良空气的影响，他们只会在有相关比赛时在运动场露面，或是戴上口罩。而这样的做法无疑有损中国苦心经营的此次运动盛会。
    杜少中称，我们需要媒体的帮助，希望记者将自己的亲眼所见告诉外国运动员。