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When the Water Runs Out 节约用水，从点滴开始

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It’s all too easy to turn on the faucet and let the water run without thinking about how we are often guilty of wasting this precious resource. Water shortages in poorer parts of the world are ___1___, but recently this grave environmental problem has even been affecting richer nations, including Taiwan. Shockingly, in a recent United Nations report on countries that ___2___adequate water resources, the island was ranked 18th in the world.

我们很容易把水龙头开着，让水哗啦啦地流，而不去思考我们经常浪费珍贵的水资源。众所皆知，世上有许多贫困地区缺水，但近来这项严重的环境问题也开始对像台湾这样较富裕的国家造成影响。令人吃惊的是，根据联合国最近发表的一项研究报告，台湾在全世界水资源不足国家中名列第18名。

While many in Taiwan believe that water shortages on the island are caused by drought, in fact, this worrying problem is ___3___ due to poor water management. Examples of this include the widespread chopping down of trees that keep water in the ground and the failure to repair pipes that ___4___ huge amounts of water. ___5___, the unreasonably low price of water – around one-sixth of prices in the U.S. – has contributed to an alarming ___6___ of waste among the public. The average Taiwanese uses more than twice as much as the average American: 350 liters per day compared to 150.

多数台湾人都以为干旱是造成台湾本岛缺水的原因，事实上，这个令人忧心的问题主要是由于水资源管理不当所致。不当管理的例子包括大肆砍伐林木，破坏水源涵养，及因（水库的）输送水管失修而导致严重漏水。更糟的是，低到离谱的水价──台湾的水价约为美国的六分之一──养成了民众浪费水的恶习。台湾每人平均每日用水量为350公升，与美国的150公升相比，是美国人用水量的两倍以上。

Water shortages damage the economy, affect public services, and are a serious nuisance for ordinary people. And with shortages ___7___ more frequently, we can’t afford to ignore the situation any longer. So, think about how you can save water. For example, did you know that running the shower for just one minute uses 25 liters of water? That’s equal to 50 small bottles of mineral water! By adopting even simple measures, such as taking shorter showers, you’ll really be helping to protect a resource that we can’t afford to do without.

水荒对国家的经济发展具杀伤力，还会使公共服务受到影响，造成民众生活极大困扰与不便。由于国内水荒日益频仍，我们已不能再继续漠视这个问题，一定要好好思考自己该如何省水。譬如，你知道吗？淋浴一分钟就会耗掉25公升的水，相当于50瓶小瓶矿泉水的水量。大家若能一起努力，采取简易的节水措施，即便只是缩短淋浴时间，也能保护这项生活中绝不可或缺的资源。

−by James Laughton-Smith

Vocabulary

单词发音

all too 太...

guilty [ˋgɪltɪ] adj. 有罪的，犯……罪的[（+of）]

shortage [ˋʃɔrtɪdʒ] n. 缺少; 不足

grave [grev] adj. 严重的; 重大的

adequate [ˋædəkwɪt] adj. 适当的; 足够的

rank [ræŋk] v. 排名第...

drought [draʊt] n. 干旱

widespread [ˋwaɪd͵sprɛd] adj. 普遍的；广泛的

contribute to 促成

alarming [əˋlɑrmɪŋ] adj. 惊人的；令人担忧的

compare ... to 把...同...作比较

economy [ɪˋkɑnəmɪ] n. 经济

nuisance [ˋnjusns] n. 讨厌的人（或事物）；麻烦事

measure [ˋmɛʒɚ] n. 措施；手段

do without  没有...也行

More Information

单词发音

faucet [ˋfɔsɪt] n. 【主美】龙头

precious [ˋprɛʃəs] adj. 宝贵的，珍贵的

chop [tʃɑp] v. 砍，劈

unreasonably [ʌnˋriznəb!ɪ] adv. 不合理地；过分地

can’t afford to  不能冒...之险

ignore [ɪgˋnor] v. 不理会；忽视

adopt [əˋdɑpt] v. 采取；采纳；吸收

7 Global Issues Series - 5.Water Shortages

Answer