雅思词汇课文（16）· The Global Water Crisis 全球水资源危机

环境主题，约 350 词，融入 30 个雅思核心词。

🎧 课文朗读音频（约 1 分钟）

📖 课文 Text

The Global Water Crisis

Water is essential to life, yet billions of people lack access to clean drinking water. According to the United Nations, over two billion people live in countries where water supply is inadequate. By 2030, nearly half of the world's population could be living in areas facing water scarcity.

The causes are multiple. Climate change is altering rainfall patterns, leading to prolonged droughts in regions such as the Sahel and the American Southwest. Population growth increases demand, particularly in megacities. Agriculture consumes roughly 70 per cent of all fresh water used globally, often through inefficient irrigation systems. Industry and households add to the strain.

Groundwater, the hidden source that feeds wells and springs, is being depleted at an alarming rate. In India, the Ogallala Aquifer in the United States and parts of the Middle East, water tables are falling by metres each decade. Once these ancient reserves are exhausted, they may take centuries to replenish.

The consequences are severe. Crop yields decline, food prices rise, and people are forced to migrate. Water-related conflicts, once rare, are becoming more frequent. Rivers that once flowed into the sea now dry up — the Colorado, the Yellow River and the Indus all fail to reach their deltas for parts of the year.

Solutions exist but require political will. Leaky pipes lose 30 per cent of supplied water in many cities. Drip irrigation can cut agricultural use by half. Desalination, once prohibitively expensive, is becoming viable, though it remains energy-intensive. Rainwater harvesting and wastewater recycling offer additional sources.

The crisis is not inevitable. Water can be conserved, priced more accurately and distributed more fairly. But without urgent action, water scarcity will define the coming century.

📝 生词表 New Words and Expressions

🧠 课文理解 Comprehension

1. By 2030, nearly how many people could face water scarcity?

• A. one quarter
• B. nearly half
• C. one third
• D. nearly all

2. What percentage of fresh water does agriculture consume?

• A. 30 per cent
• B. 50 per cent
• C. 70 per cent
• D. 90 per cent

3. The Ogallala Aquifer is mentioned as an example of...

• A. a successful desalination plant
• B. groundwater being depleted rapidly
• C. a river drying up
• D. efficient irrigation

4. What does the passage say about leaky pipes?

• A. they are harmless
• B. they lose about 30 per cent of supplied water in many cities
• C. they only exist in poor countries
• D. they are too expensive to repair

5. The writer's overall tone is...

• A. optimistic that technology will solve everything
• B. concerned but believes solutions exist with political will
• C. completely pessimistic
• D. unconcerned

✏️ 词汇练习 Vocabulary Practice

Fill in the blanks with the correct word from the list. Change the form where necessary.

| scarcity / drought / deplete / migrate / conserve / urgent / consequence / viable |

1. prolonged ______ destroyed the harvest across the region.
2. The country faces a severe water ______ as reservoirs dry up.
3. Overfishing has ______ fish stocks to dangerously low levels.
4. Many birds ______ south for the winter.
5. We must ______ energy by switching off unused lights.
6. Doctors said the patient needed ______ surgery.
7. The most serious ______ of deforestation is the loss of biodiversity.
8. The plan proved financially ______ and was approved by the board.

✅ 答案 Answers

Comprehension

1. B　2. C　3. B　4. B　5. B

Vocabulary

1. drought　2. scarcity　3. depleted　4. migrate　5. conserve　6. urgent　7. consequence　8. viable