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Stamping Down on Water Use 了解水足迹，珍惜水资源

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繁體中文譯本

It covers approximately 70 percent of the earth’s surface and accounts for around 60 percent of our total body weight. Water is an ever-present substance in our lives. Indeed, it even makes its presence felt in ways we can’t directly see. For example, did you know that it takes almost 11,000 liters of water just to produce an average pair of jeans? This surprising stat is an example of a “water footprint.”

覆盖了大约百分之七十的地球表面，且占了我们体重的百分之六十，水在我们生活中可说是无所不在。的确，即使是在我们无法直接注意到的地方，水也能凸显出自己的重要性。举例来说，你知道生产一件普通的牛仔裤会消耗掉11,000公升的水吗？这惊人的统计资料只是「水足迹」的一个例子。

The water footprint concept is relatively recent, having only been introduced in 2002. It refers to how much water a particular product takes to manufacture or how much water a service uses up, both directly and indirectly. Without water footprint, we would have no idea how much of this precious resource is draining away as the result of our everyday purchases and activities.

水足迹的概念于2002年被提出，算是个很新的观念。它指的是某项服务或生产某件商品所消耗掉的总水量，无论直接或间接都算在内。若没有水足迹，我们不会察觉到日常活动和商品如何消耗这项珍贵资源。

So, what can we do to reduce our own water footprint? The first step is to minimize our direct water usage, by taking measures like installing water-saving toilets or simply taking shorter showers. As far as cutting down on our indirect water consumption goes, we could choose products that have a smaller water footprint. For instance, eating chicken instead of beef would be a step in the right direction, as chicken’s water footprint is one quarter of beef’s.

那么该如何缩小我们的水足迹呢？第一步便是将我们的直接用水降到最低。我们可以安装省水马桶，或是缩短洗澡时间。至于减少间接耗水量，我们不妨选择水足迹较小的商品。举例来说，以鸡肉取代牛肉会是个不错的方向，因为鸡肉的水足迹只有牛肉的四分之一。

With the planet’s population increasing at an alarming rate, and more people leading materialistic lifestyles, water consumption levels are higher than ever, and many countries’ water resources are being stretched to the limit. Being aware of our water footprint will hopefully influence us to live more sustainable lives, so that future generations don’t end up living on a dried-up planet.

随着地球人口以惊人的速度暴增，再加上人们日渐注重物质生活，水资源的消耗程度也不断升高，许多国家的水资源都近乎匮竭。希望藉由注意自身的水足迹能使我们更接近永续生活，让后世不用生活在干枯的星球上。

−by David Vickers

Vocabulary

单词发音

make its presence felt 使人感到它的存在; 凸显....的存在发挥影响力

relatively [ˋrɛlətɪvlɪ] adv. 相对地, 比较地; 相当

manufacture [͵mænjəˋfæktʃɚ] v. 〔用机器大量〕制造﹐生产

indirectly [͵ɪndəˋrɛktlɪ] adv. 间接地

resource [rɪˋsors] n. 资源；物力，财力

purchase [ˋpɝtʃəs] n. 买，购买

minimize [ˋmɪnə͵maɪz] v. 使减到最少

install [ɪnˋstɔl] v. 安装，设置

cut down on 削减

consumption [kənˋsʌmpʃən] n. 消耗；用尽

materialistic [mə͵tɪrɪəlˋɪstɪk] adj. 实利主义的﹐物质主义的

More Information

单词发音

stamp down  踩扁 to put down by force or authority

recent [ˋrisnt] adj. 新的，最近的

account for（在数量、比例上）占 to form the total of an amount of something

jean [dʒɪn] n. 牛仔裤

stat  统计数值  statistic

refer to 意指  to mention or talk about someone or something

drain away  排去; 流掉 to flow away

as far as something goes 就...而言 to the degree something is considered or exists

stretch [strɛtʃ] v. 延伸;  过度使用 to extend

sustainable [səˋstenəb!] adj. 能长期保持的; 能长期维持的; 能持续的

Reading Questions

1. Which of the following is an example of a water footprint?

A. A pair of jeans that is resistant to water.

B. A device that uses water to measure the size of a person’s feet.

C. A hamburger that requires 2,400 liters of water to produce it.

D. A bit of evidence at a crime that can identify the suspect.

2. According to the article, why are water consumption levels increasing?

A. There is less water available to people nowadays.

B. People are buying more things than ever before.

C. Limits for how much water people can consume have increased.

D. The world population has started to decrease.

3. How does the author feel about water footprints?

A. He thinks it is a pointless statistic that should be ignored.

B. He thinks that the planet will dry up in the future.

C. He feels that it is impossible to change the way people use water.

D. He hopes it will cause people to conserve water whenever possible.

Calculate Your Water Footprint

Water, The World Water Crisis

The World Water Crisis

Answer