首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
Freshwater life itself has never come easy in the Middle East. Ever since The Old Testament (旧约全书), God punished man with 40 day
Freshwater life itself has never come easy in the Middle East. Ever since The Old Testament (旧约全书), God punished man with 40 day
admin
2010-08-21
61
问题
Freshwater life itself has never come easy in the Middle East. Ever since The Old Testament (旧约全书), God punished man with 40 days and 40 nights of rain. Water supplies here have been dwindling. The rainfall only comes in winter and drains quickly through the semiarid land, leaving the soil to bake and to thirst for next November.
The region’s accelerating population, expanding agriculture, industrialization, and higher living standards demand more freshwater. Drought and pollution limit its availability. War and mismanagement waste it. Said Joyce Start of the Global Water Summit Initiative, based in Washington, D.C. "Nations like Israel and Jordan are swiftly sliding into that zone where they are suing all the water resources available to them. They have only 15 to 20 years left before their agriculture, and ultimately their food security, is threatened."
I came here to examine this crisis in the making, to investigate fears that "water wars" are imminent, that water has replaced oil as the region’s most contentious commodity. For more than two months I traveled through three river valleys and seven nations—from southern Turkey down the Euphrates River to Syria, Iraq, and on to Kuwait; to Israel and Jordan, neighbors across the valley of the Jordan; to the timeless Egyptian Nile.
Even amid the scarcity there are haves and have-nots. Compared with the United States, which in 1990 had freshwater potential of 10,000 cubic meters (2.6 million gallons) a year for each citizen, Iraq had 5,500, Turkey had 4,000, and Syria had more than 2,800. Egypt’s potential was only 1,100. Israel had 460. Jordan had a meager 260. But these are not firm figures, because upstream use of river water can dramatically alter the potential downstream.
Scarcity is only one element of the crisis. Inefficiency is another, as is the reluctance of some water-poor nations to change priorities from agriculture to less water-intensive enterprises. Some experts suggest that if nations would share both water technology and resources, they could satisfy the region’s population, currently 159 million. But in this patchwork of ethnic and religious rivalries, water seldom stands alone as an issue. It is entangled in the politics that keep people from trusting and seeking help from one another. Here, where water, like truth, is precious, each nation tends to find its own water and supply its own truth.
As Israeli hydrology professor Uri Shamir told me: "If there is political will for peace, water will not be a hindrance. If you want reasons to fight, water will not be a hindrance, lf you want reasons to fight, water will give you ample opportunities."
The author’s tone in the article can be described as ______.
选项
A、depressing
B、urgent
C、joking
D、mocking
答案
B
解析
观点态度题。通读全文可知,作者分析了水的重要性和中东国家缺水的原因及后果,字里行间都表现出作者的紧迫感,所以B(紧迫的)正确。A(压抑的),C(开玩笑的),D(嘲笑的)均不正确。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/9f7K777K
0
大学英语六级
相关试题推荐
A、Hecan’tfindhisnewapartment.B、Hehadabiggerapartmentbefore.C、Hefindsthenewapartmenttoobig’forhim.D、He’sloo
Oceanographyhasbeendefinedtheapplicationofall【S1】______sciencestothestudyofthesea.Beforethenine
Oceanographyhasbeendefinedtheapplicationofall【S1】______sciencestothestudyofthesea.Beforethenine
A、Shewantstoleavethetheatrebeforethemovieisover.B、Shedoesn’tknowthewaytothetheatre.C、Shewantstogoearlyto
IknewamanwhocollectedEnglishwords.HelivedinanupturnedwatertankinthemiddleoftheAustraliadesert.Unbelievably
IknewamanwhocollectedEnglishwords.HelivedinanupturnedwatertankinthemiddleoftheAustraliadesert.Unbelievably
Womenwhoapplyforjobsinmiddleorseniormanagementhaveahighersuccessratethanmen,accordingtoanemploymentsurvey.
随机试题
以体液免疫为主,主要以调理素抗体实现免疫保护效应的细菌是()
A.条件(1)充分,但条件(2)不充分B.条件(2)充分,但条件(1)不充分C.条件(1)和(2)单独都不充分,但条件(1)和条件(2)联合起来充分D.条件(1)充分,条件(2)也充分E.条件(1)和条件(2)单独都不充分,条件(1)和条件(2)联
管理者可以使用哪些不同的沟通方式?管理者可以利用什么标准来评估这些沟通方式?
TomandJackhavereturnedbut______studentsofthegrouphaven’tcomebackyet.
对于患甲类传染病死亡的尸体,正确的处理方法是
关于好氧生物膜处理法,下列说法错误的是()。
【背景资料】A公司承包某厂车间扩建机电安装工程,工程范围有桥式起重机安装、车间内通风空调风管安装、动力电气线路、消防管道安装等。桥式起重机安装高度为18m,通风空调风管和消防管道安装标高为24m,风管在现场制作,电气线路敷设于电缆沟,并与该厂变、
固定资产核算系统的初始设置内容主要包括( )。
已知y1(x)=ex,y2(x)=u(x)ex是二阶微分方程(2x一1)y"一(2x+1)y’+2y=0的两个解,若u(一1)=e,u(0)=一1,求u(x),并写出该微分方程的通解.
嵌入式系统的调试方法中有一种使用驻留监控软件的调试方法。所谓驻留监控软件是一段固化在【77】ROM中的程序。它是一种成本较低的调试方法,不需要专门的硬件调试和【78】设备。
最新回复
(
0
)