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Economic recovery has partly caused the country's air quality to fall in the first half of the year, the first such fall since 2005, figures from environmental authorities showed on Monday.

Ninety-one percent of the days in the first six months recorded air quality reaching or exceeding the national standard of Grade II in 113 major cities. That’s a drop of 0.3 percentage points compared with the same period last year, according to an environmental quality report released by the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

The amount of inhalable particles, a major air pollution index, was also 0.091 milligrams per cubic meter in these cities, rising from 0.002 milligrams per cubic meter over the same period last year, the ministry reported.

"It was the first time for these cities to record a fall in the number of days with good air quality and a rise in the concentration of inhalable particles since 2005," ministry spokesman Tao Detian said. That means the country is still facing "a grave situation in fighting pollution", he said.

The worsening urban air pollution was mainly caused by sandstorms that occurred frequently in spring, said Chai Fahe, vice-president of the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences.

"More construction and industrial projects that started this year due to economic recovery, as well as the rapid increase in automobiles, should also be blamed," he said.

Questions:

1. How many days in the first six months of this year were reported as exceeding the national Grade II standard for air pollution?

2. This was the first time for cities to record a drop in the number of days with good air quality since what year?

3. What is being blamed for worsening urban pollution?

Answers:

1. 91 percent of the days in the first half of 2010.

2. 2005.

3. spring sandstorms, and more construction and industrial projects, as well as an increase in the number of automobiles on the roads.

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（中国日报网英语点津 Helen 编辑）

About the broadcaster:

Nelly Min is an editor at China Daily with more than 10 years of experience as a newspaper editor and photographer. She has worked at major newspapers in the U.S., including the Los Angeles Times and the Detroit Free Press. She is fluent in Korean and has a 2-year-old son.