核心词汇 (Target Vocabulary)
学习 11A 全球水危机与水资源保护核心学术词汇，点击语音按钮听美音发音，掌握核心释义与真题例句。
consumption
[kənˈsʌmpʃn]
n.
B2
The using up of a resource, especially water, food, or energy.
消耗；消费；消耗量
"Agricultural irrigation accounts for seventy percent of global freshwater consumption."
crisis
[ˈkraɪsɪs]
n.
B2
A time of intense difficulty, trouble, or danger requiring urgent solutions.
危机；紧要关头
"Depleted subterranean aquifers have plunged arid agricultural provinces into severe water crisis."
dedication
[ˌdedɪˈkeɪʃn]
n.
B2
The quality of being dedicated or committed to a task or purpose.
奉献；专注；敬业
"Community water masters demonstrated steadfast dedication to preserving shared irrigation canals."
divert
[daɪˈvɜːt]
v.
B2
To cause someone or something to change course or turn from one direction to another.
使转向；转移；改道
"Engineers built earthen dams to divert seasonal monsoon runoff into underground catchment wells."
extent
[ɪkˈstent]
n.
B2
The area covered by something; the degree, scope, or scale of an issue.
程度；范围；广度
"Hydrological surveys revealed the staggering extent of wetland loss across southern Europe."
inherit
[ɪnˈherɪt]
v.
B1
To receive money, property, or problems from someone who has died or preceded you.
继承；经由遗传或前人遗留获得
"Future generations risk inheriting dried-up riverbeds and saline farmland unless we act now."
shortage
[ˈʃɔːtɪdʒ]
n.
B2
A state or situation in which something needed cannot be obtained in sufficient amounts.
短缺；不足
"Leaky urban pipes caused chronic drinking water shortages throughout the metropolitan district."
surpass
[səˈpɑːs]
v.
C1
To exceed, be greater than, or do better than expectations.
超过；胜过；优于
"Global freshwater extraction rates threaten to surpass natural precipitation replenishment."
whereby
[weəˈbaɪ]
conj.
C1
By which or through which; according to the terms of which.
凭借；借此；由于
"The city adopted an innovative quota system whereby excessive household consumption incurred higher tariffs."
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Saving Water
西班牙拉曼恰、印度干旱村落与南非德班：全球水资源枯竭危局下的三大破局方案
Paragraph A
As farming in the region has increased, Lamacha has witnessed an explosion of well-digging in the past 40 years that has lowered the water table and diverted water from rivers. The number of wells has grown from 1,500 in 1960 to an official count of 21,000 today. Some experts say the real number, which includes illegal wells, could surpass 50,000. A global problem. Lamacha is just one of many places facing water shortages. This century, many countries will face the same dilemma that has confronted the people of Spain. How do you balance human needs with the requirements of natural systems that are vital for sustaining life on Earth? The United Nations recently outlined the extent of the water crisis. Due to water scarcity, 5 billion people will face severe water shortages by 2050 if consumption continues at current rates. Today, lack of access to clean water means that an estimated 2.1 billion people drink water that is unsafe. More than 3 million people die each year from diseases related to unclean water. All over the world, humans are pumping water out of the ground faster than it can be replenished. To address this issue, water conservationists, such as Regendrosing in India and Neil McCloud in South Africa, are searching for innovative ways to improve their local water situations. A hero in a thirsty land. On arriving at the Indian village of Goratoli, Regendrosing was greeted by a group of about 50 people. He smiled and addressed the villagers.
Paragraph B
How many households do you have? 80. It's been four years without much rain, set a woman, and we don't have a proper dam to catch the water. Do you have any spots where a dam could go? Asked sing? Yes, two spots. I would like to help you sing told them, but the work has to be done by you. You will have to provide one third of the project through your labor and the remaining two-thirds I will arrange. The villagers clapped, the women started to sing, and the group hiked to a place in the nearby rocky hills. Sing, examine the area, and after a few minutes, declared it an ideal sight.
Paragraph C
His organization would provide the engineering, advice, and materials. The villagers would supply the work. The nine-meter high-earth and dam, known as a Johod, could be finished in three months before the start of the rainy season. If the rains were plentiful, the dam would not only provide water for drinking and agriculture, but would also replenish dry wells. You will not see the results immediately, but soon the dam will begin to raise the water level in your wells. Sing told the villagers. In recent years, sings Johod's have sprung up all over Rajasthan, and estimated 4,500 dams in about 1,000 villages, all built using local labor and native materials.
Paragraph D
His movement has caught on, he says, because it puts control over water in the hands of villagers. If they feel a Johod is their own, they will maintain it, said sing. This is a very sustainable, self-reliant system. I can say confidently that if we can manage rain in India and traditional ways, there will be sufficient water for our growing population. Waste not, want not. In 1992, Neil McLeod took over as head of Durban Metro Water Services in South Africa. The situation he found was a catastrophe.
Paragraph E
Durban had 1 million people living in the city, and another 1.5 million people who lived in poverty just outside it. McLeod and his engineers found that the entire city suffered from broken water pipes, leaky toilets, and faulty plumbing. Whereby 42% of the region's water was simply being wasted. We inherited 700 reported leeks and bursts. The water literally just ran down the streets. Demand for water was growing 4% a year, and we thought we'd have to build another dam by 2000, recalls McLeod. McLeod's crew began repairing and replacing water pipes.
Paragraph F
They put water meters on homes, replaced 8 liter toilets with 4 liter models, and changed wasteful showers and faucets. To ensure that the poor would receive a basic supply of water, McLeod installed tanks in homes to provide 190 liters of water a day free to each household. Water consumption in Durban is now less than it was in 1996. Even as 800,000 more people have received service. Through sensible water use, Durban's conservation measures paid for themselves within a year. McLeod says no new dams will be needed in the coming decades, despite the expected addition of about 300,000 inhabitants. In Durban, McLeod has also turned to water recycling.
Paragraph G
At the water recycling plant, wastewater is turned into clean water in just 12 hours. According to McLeod, most people can't tell the difference between the usual drinking water and the treated wastewater. Go to many areas of the world and they're drinking far worse water than this, he says. Some people still hope that new technology, such as desalination of sea water, will solve the world's water problems. But the fact is, water conservation is where the big gains are to be made. Says Sandra Postel, a leading authority on freshwater issues and director of the Global Water Policy Project. The dedication and resourcefulness of people like Regendrousing and Neal McLeod offer inspiration for implementing timely, and lasting solutions to the world's water concerns.
课文配套练习 (Reading Exercises)
严格对应教材 Page 188–193 官方练习：Before You Read 水常识测验、Reading Comprehension 及识别信息来源(Identifying Sources)。
1.
Water Quiz (p.188) What percentage of the Earth’s water is fresh water?
2.
Water Quiz (p.188) What percentage of the world’s fresh water is used for farming?
3.
Water Quiz (p.188) How many liters of water does it take to produce one kilogram of rice?
4.
Water Quiz (p.188) Compared to 100 million years ago, the world today has ______.
5.
Gist (p.192) What could be another title for this reading?
6.
Detail (Para B, p.192) Which of these statements about Castilla-La Mancha is NOT true?
7.
Main Idea (Para G, p.192) What is Rajendra Singh’s solution to water shortages in India?
8.
Paraphrase (Para J, p.192) In paragraph J, what does the phrase '[the] measures paid for themselves' mean?
9.
Inference (Para L, p.192) What did Sandra Postel mean by 'water conservation is where the big gains are to be made'?
10.
Summary Completion (p.192) Due to a rise in ______ in one part of Spain...
11.
Summary Completion (p.192) ...people began to dig more ______...
12.
Summary Completion (p.192) ...lowering the ______ table.
13.
Summary Completion (p.192) In Goratalai, India, residents asked an expert to help build a ______...
14.
Summary Completion (p.192) ...to ______ water levels in village wells.
15.
Summary Completion (p.192) In Durban, South Africa, nearly half of city water was being ______.
16.
Summary Completion (p.192) Major repairs led to a reduction in water ______ in the city.
17.
Summary Completion (p.192) Using less water means the city won’t have to build new ______.
18.
Identifying Sources (p.193) Source for: 'There may be 50,000 or more wells in La Mancha.' (Para B)
19.
Identifying Sources (p.193) Source for: 'La Mancha is just one of many places facing water shortages.' (Para C)
20.
Identifying Sources (p.193) Source for: 'By 2050, 5 billion people will face severe water shortages.' (Para D)
21.
Identifying Sources (p.193) Source for: 'There hasn’t been much rain in Goratalai in four years.' (Para F)
22.
Identifying Sources (p.193) Source for: 'Water conservation holds the most promise...' (Para L)
Critical Thinking · Evaluating Sources on Farm Water
When writing about agricultural water usage, what are the pros and cons of: farmer accounts, government statistics, scientific papers, and environmental NGO reports?