2016届高考英语二轮专题总复习精选综合能力专练：单项填空9_高考复习指南

2016届高考英语二轮专题总复习精选综合能力专练：单项填空9

　　Ⅲ．阅读理解

　　The amount of water in the world is finite (有限的)．The number of people is growing fast and water use is growing even faster．Global water consumption rose six times between 1900 and 1995—more than double the rate of population growth．

　　As important as quantity is quality—with pollution increasing in some areas，the amount of usable water declines．

　　And the wider effects of water shortages are just as frightening as the prospect of having too little to drink．

　　Seventy percent of the water used worldwide is used for agriculture．Much more will be needed if we are to feed the world’s growing population．And consumption will rise further as more people expect Western-style lifestyles and diets—one kilogram of grain-fed beef needs at least 15m3 of water，while a kilo of cereals (谷物) needs only up to 3m3．

　　New technology can help，however，especially by cleaning up pollution and so making more water usable，and in agriculture，where water use can be made far more efficient．Drought-resistant (抗旱的) plants can also help．

　　The optimists say “virtual water” may save the day—the water contained in crops which can be exported from water-rich countries to dry ones．But the amounts involved would be huge，and the energy needed to transport the water would be enormous．

　　In any case，it is not just us who need water，but every other species that shares the planet with us．We have to rethink how much water we really need if we are to learn how to share the earth’s supply．While dams and other large-scale schemes play a big role worldwide，there is also a growing recognition of the value of using the water we already have more efficiently rather than harvesting ever more from our rivers．For millions of people around the world，getting it right is a matter of life and death．