1 . Holding hands, people jumped into the water, and floated around in Boston’s Charles River recently. That is something that would not have been possible years ago because the river was so polluted. In the 1960s, the music group The Standells even sang about the river in their popular song, “Dirty Water.”
The swimmers were getting their once-a-year chance to cool off from the summer heat in the Charles River. It is called “City Splash.” For a few days each year, the state of Massachu-setts allows public swimming on Boston’s part of the nearly 130-kilometer Charles River.
The event is in its fifth year. It is a chance for the nonprofit Charles River Conservancy to show its efforts to build a “swim park.” Their idea is to build floating docks where swimmers can jump safely into the river—without touching the risky bottom. These docks would be in areas where the water quality would be tested repeatedly.
Boston is one of the cities hoping to follow the model of Copenhagen, Denmark. That city opened the first of its three floating harbor baths in the early 2000s. On sunny days, people swim in the harbor baths surrounded by tall buildings and cars on the highways. At night the area is filled with people enjoying music and food.
Just recently Paris opened public swimming in a once-polluted canal. New York London, Berlin and other cities are planning similar features for their waterways.
In Boston, the Charles River Conservancy still needs to raise several million dollars. It also needs to get approvals from city, state and federal agencies. The group’s spokeswoman, S. J. Port, said the biggest problem has already been taken care of: The Charles is now one of the cleanest city rivers in America.
The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency announced this month that the river earned a “B” grade for water quality last year—an “A” being the best grade. It means the Charles River met the requirement for swimming 55 percent of the time.
1. What is the function of floating docks?| A．They are places for swimmers to rest. |
| B．They let swimmers get into the river safely. |
| C．They surround swimmers in a safe area of the river. |
| D．They are used to test the water quality repeatedly. |
| A．Paris. | B．Boston. |
| C．Copenhagen. | D．Berlin. |
| A．The pollution of Charles River. |
| B．Lack of money to treat pollution. |
| C．Getting approvals from governments. |
| D．Meeting the requirement of “A” grade. |
| A．The water in Charles River reaches drinking standard. |
| B．People can swim in Charles River at any time. |
| C．This summer is the hottest in Boston. |
| D．Charles River flows through Boston. |
