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Dry Times in Taiwan 台湾面临水荒

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Sunny, cloudless weather is always nice, but too much sun and too little rain can lead to problems. Unfortunately, this is exactly what is happening this year in Taiwan, as a drier than average spring has driven water levels at local reservoirs down to alarming levels, and officials are scrambling to come up with solutions to deal with the looming water shortages.

万里无云的晴朗天气总是美好的，但要是太过晴朗无雨可就有问题。不幸地，这就是台湾所遭遇的问题。今年春季的雨量比往年的平均值低，迫使各地水库的水位降至警戒线，政府当局紧急提出应变方法来解决近逼而来的缺水危机。

Areas all over Taiwan have been affected by the lack of rainfall. Taoyuan and Miaoli counties have suffered the most in northern Taiwan, while in southern Taiwan, Tainan and Kaohsiung have reported water shortages. In fact, all of these regions have implemented “phase one” water rationing, which means water pressure is reduced so people will not use excessive amounts of water.

全台各地都受到降雨量不足的影响，桃园县和苗栗县是北台湾最严重的地区，而南台湾的台南市和高雄市也提出缺水警讯。事实上，这些地区都已经实施「第一阶段限水」，也就是降低水压，使供水量变小，如此一来，民众才不会过度用水。

If water levels continue to plummet, the government will be forced to call for “phase two” water-rationing measures. Under the phase two plan, water may not be used for non-essential purposes, such as in public fountains or for street cleaning. Furthermore, water supplies to car washes, swimming pools, and other similar operations that use large amounts of water will be cut by 20 percent.

如果水位仍持续暴跌，政府当局将被迫采取「第二阶段限水」，此项措施将会限制非必要的用水，像是公共场所的喷水池，或是街道洒水清扫等。此外，洗车业、游泳池和其他相关行业的用水量，将被缩减百分之二十的用水量。

President Ma Ying-Jeou has held meetings with various departments in order to figure out exactly how to alleviate the water crisis. Meanwhile, the Taipei City Government has already provided a few solutions to help conserve water. One strategy is to offer monetary rewards to households that cut their monthly water usage by 10 percent or more. While programs like these are effective in the short-term, a long-term answer is still being sought.

马英九总统也与政府各部会商讨，到底该如何舒缓这次缺水危机。同时，台北市政府也提出一些有助储水的因应对策，其中一个办法便是提供奖金，奖励用水量减少百分之十或以上的一般家庭用户，这些措施虽能在短期内见效，但长远之道仍须从长计议。

－by Baxley Aldworth

Vocabulary

单词发音

reservoir [ˋrɛzɚ͵vɔr] n. 蓄水库

scramble [ˋskræmb!] v. 仓促行动; 争夺; 勉强拼凑

loom [lum] v. 隐约地出现

implement [ˋɪmpləmənt] v. 实施；执行

rationing [ˋræʃənɪŋ] n. 定量配给 the act of distributing by allotting or apportioning

plummet [ˋplʌmɪt] v. 骤然跌落; 暴跌

measure [ˋmɛʒɚ] n. 措施；手段

alleviate [əˋlivɪ͵et] v. 减轻；缓和

Idiom

片语发音

come up with (针对问题等)想出; 提供 to think of, develop, or find something

call for 要求 to require; demand

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