3 . Keeping The Taps Running in Thirsty Cities

Water covers 71% of Earth’s surface yet only 2% of it is accessible as a source of fresh water. ______ on this limited resources is rising, a trend likely to continue.

It is important to recognize that it is not just city residents who ______ water. Agriculture, industry and tourism often require more water than the municipal water supply. Globally, 70% of fresh water is ______ for agriculture, but locally in heavily irrigated(灌溉)areas this can increate to 90%. A healthy environment also requires fresh water, and the quality of available water is as important as its ______.

Water stress is not always caused by physical shortages in dry areas. ______ for water resources between different users within river catchments or basins can also be a cause.

Every thirsty city operates within its own context, _____ to the challenge of providing adequate water supplies. Cape Town, ______, has faced three years of drought during which winter rains failed to materialize. At the end of the 2017 rainy season the city faced the ______ of its dams running dry during 2018. The dams were only 37% full—in the same week four years before they were full to the top. In January 2018, it was ______ that Cape Town would reach Day Zero, when it would be forced to turn off the taps, in April. This was despite the city reducing its water use by more than half, from 1.2 billion litres a day in 2015 to fewer than 600 million litres, and working ______ with industry and agriculture to reduce demand.

On February 1, the authorities put in place a strict limit of 50 litres of water per person per day. ______, in Britain this is considered enough for a five-minute shower of half a washing machine cycle on full load.

In addition, a ban was placed on using ______ water for gardens, water management devices were installed at household with a high water use and the water pressure was reduced to cut demand and leaks. At the same, the city launched a media ______ to change habits and introduced higher duties. This is not without its costs; agriculture and tourism, both significant areas of employment, have ______. It is a classic example of the problem of water economics-the cost of water is low but the cost of a lack of water is very high.

Crises such as the Cape Town drought are in danger of becoming the new norm. The ______ of Day Zero must serve as a wake-up call for cities across the world to develop cost-effective water management strategies to cope with an uncertain future.

1.

A．Impact

B．Pressure

C．Impression

D．Observation

2.

A．recycle

B．waste

C．consume

D．apply

3.

A．restored

B．abstracted

C．separated

D．preserved

4.

A．change

B．source

C．origin

D．volume

5.

A．Competition

B．Protection

C．Construction

D．Regulation

6.

A．contributing

B．regarding

C．responding

D．referring

7.

A．in addition

B．for example

C．on the contrary

D．as a result

8.

A．prospect

B．illustration

C．symptom

D．security

9.

A．reported

B．presented

C．predicted

D．explained

10.

A．respectively

B．increasingly

C．restrictively

D．extensively

11.

A．By comparison

B．In other words

C．To our surprise

D．What’s more

12.

A．feasible

B．drinkable

C．inevitable

D．influential

13.

A．campaign

B．statement

C．presentation

D．advertisement

14.

A．invaded

B．liberated

C．suffered

D．proceeded

15.

A．change

B．theory

C．record

D．threat

4 . A rainforest is an area covered by tall trees with the total high rainfall spreading quite equally through the year and the temperature rarely dipping below l6℃. Rainforests have a great effect on the world environment because they can take in heat from the sun and adjust the climate. Without the forest cover，these areas would reflect more heat into the atmosphere，warming the rest of the world. Losing the rainforests may also influence wind and rainfall patterns，potentially causing certain natural disasters all over the world.
In the past hundred years，humans have begun destroying rainforests in search of three major resources（资源）：land for crops，wood for paper and other products，land for raising farm animals. This action affects the environment as a whole. For example，a lot of carbon dioxide（二氧化碳）in the air comes from burning the rainforests. People obviously have a need for the resources we gain from cutting trees but we will suffer much more than we will benefit.There are two main reasons for this. Firstly，when people cut down trees，generally they can only use the land for a year or two. Secondly，cutting large sections of rainforests may provide a good supply of wood right now，but in the long run it actually reduces the world’s wood supply.
Rainforests are often called the world’s drug store. More than 25％ of the medicines we use today come from plants in rainforests. However，fewer than l％of rainforest plants have been examined for their medical value. It is extremely likely that our best chance to cure diseases lies somewhere in the world’s shrinking rainforests.
1. Rainforests can help to adjust the climate because they      

A．reflect more heat into the atmosphere

B．bring about high rainfall throughout the world

C．rarely cause the temperature to drop lower than l6℃

D．reduce the effect of heat from the sun on the earth

2. What does the word “this” underlined in the third paragraph refer to?

A．We will lose much more than we can gain.

B．Humans have begun destroying rainforests.

C．People have a strong desire for resources.

D．Much carbon dioxide comes from burning rainforests.

3. It can be inferred from the text that

A．we can get enough resources without rainforests

B．there is great medicine potential in rainforests

C．we will grow fewer kinds of crops in the gained land

D．the level of annual rainfall affects wind patterns

4. What might be the best title for the text?

A．How to Save Rainforests

B．How to Protect Nature

C．Rainforests and the Environment

D．Rainforests and Medical Development