Instead, for all uses except the domestic demand of the poor, governments should price water to reflect its actual value. This means charging a fee for the water itself as well as for the supply costs.

　　Governments should also protect this resource by providing water in more economically and environmentally sound ways. For example, often the cheapest way to provide irrigation (灌溉) water in the dry tropics is through small-scale projects, such as gathering rainfall in depressions (凹地) and pumping it to nearby cropland.

　　No matter what steps governments take to provide water more efficiently, they must change their institutional and legal approaches to water sue. Rather than spread control among hundreds or even thousands of local, regional, and national agencies that watch various aspects of water use, countries should set up central authorities to coordinate water policy.

　　1. What is the real cause of the potential water crisis?

　　A) The world population is increasing faster and faster.

　　B) Half of the world’s water resources have been seriously polluted.

　　C) Humanity has not placed sufficient value on water resources.

　　D) Only half of the world’s water can be used.

　　2. As indicated in the passage, the water problem ________.

　　A) has been exaggerated by some experts in the field

　　B) is underestimated by government organizations at different levels

　　C) poses a challenge to the technology of building reservoirs

　　D) is already serious in certain parts of the world

　　3. According to the author, the water price should ________.

　　A) correspond to its real value

　　B) be reduced to the minimum

　　C) stimulate domestic demand

　　D) take into account the occurrences of droughts

　　4. The author says that in some hot and dry areas it is advisable to ________.

　　A) build big lakes to store water

　　B) construct big pumping stations

　　C) channel water from nearby rivers to cropland

　　D) build small and cheap irrigation systems

　　5. In order to raise the efficiency of the water supply, measures should be taken to ________.

　　A) centralize the management of water resources

　　B) increase the sense of responsibility of agencies at all levels

　　C) guarantee full protection of the environment

　　D) encourage local and regional control of water resources

　　參考答案

　　1. D 2. A 3. C 4.C 5. B

　　People living on parts of the south coast of England face a serious problem. In 1993, the owners of a large hotel and of several houses discovered, to their horror, that their gardens had disappeared overnight. The sea had eaten into the soft limestone cliffs on which they had been built. While experts were studying the problem, the hotel and several houses disappeared altogether, sliding down the cliff and into the sea.

　　Erosion (侵蝕) of the white cliffs along the south coast of England has always been a problem but it has become more serious in recent years. Dozens of homes have had to be abandoned as the sea has crept farther and farther inland. Experts have studied the areas most affected and have drawn up a map for local people, forecasting the year in which their homes will be swallowed up by the hungry sea.

　　Angry owners have called on the Government to erect sea defenses to protect their homes. Government surveyors have pointed out that in most cases, this is impossible. New sea walls would cost hundreds of millions of pounds and would merely make the waves and currents go further along the coast, shifting the problem from one area to another. The danger is likely to continue, they say, until the waves reach an inland area of hard rock which will not be eaten as limestone is. Meanwhile, if you want to buy a cheap house with an uncertain future, apply to a house agent in one of the threatened areas on the south coast of England. You can get a house for a knockdown price but it may turn out to be a knockdown home.

　　1. What is the cause of the problem that people living on parts of the south coast of England face?

　　A) The disappearance of hotels, houses and gardens.

　　B) The experts’ lack of knowledge.

　　C) The rising of the sea level.

　　D) The washing-away of limestone cliffs.

　　2. The erosion of the white cliffs in the south of England ________.

　　A) will soon become a problem for people living in central England

　　B) has now become a threat to the local residents

　　C) is quickly changing the map of England

　　D) can be stopped if proper measures are taken

　　3. The experts’study on the problem of erosion can ________.

　　A) lead to its eventual solution

　　B) provide an effective way to slow it down

　　C) help to prevent it from worsening

　　D) warn people whose homes are in danger

　　4. It is not feasible to build sea defenses to protect against erosion because ________.

　　A) it is too costly and will endanger neighbouring areas

　　B) the government is too slow in taking action

　　C) they will be easily knocked down by waves and currents

　　D) house agents along the coast do not support the idea

　　5. According to the author, when buying a house along the south coast of England, people should ________.

　　A) be aware of the potential danger involved

　　B) guard against being cheated by the house agent

　　C) take the quality of the house into consideration

　　D) examine the house carefully before making a decision

　　參考答案

　　1. C 2. B 3. A 4.B 5. D