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
考研
Most people may drink only two liters of water a day, but they consume about 3 000 if the water that goes into their food is tak
Most people may drink only two liters of water a day, but they consume about 3 000 if the water that goes into their food is tak
admin
2017-11-14
61
问题
Most people may drink only two liters of water a day, but they consume about 3 000 if the water that goes into their food is taken into account. The rich gulp down far more, since they tend to eat more meat, which takes far more water to produce than grains. So as the world’s population grows and incomes rise, farmers will need a great deal more water to keep everyone fed; 2 000 more cubic kilometers a year by 2030, according to the International Water Management Institute (IWMI). Yet in many farming regions, water is scarce and likely to get scarcer as global warming worsens. The world is facing not so much a food crisis as a water crisis, argues Colin Chartres, IWMI’s director-general.
The solution, Mr. Chartres and others contend, is more efficient use of water or, as the sloganeers put it, "more crop per drop". Some 1.2 billion people live in places that are short of water. Farming accounts for roughly 70% of human water consumption. So when water starts to run out, farming tends to offer the best potential for thrift. But governments rarely charge farmers a market price for water. So they are usually more wasteful than other consumers—even though the value they create from the water is often less than households or industry would be willing to pay for it.
The pressing need is to make water go further. Antoine Frerot, the head of the water division of Veolia Environment, promotes recycling of city wastewater to be used in industry or agriculture. This costs less and cuts pollution.
Yet as Mr. Frerot himself concedes, there are many even cheaper ways to save water. As much as 70% of water used by farmers never gets to crops, perhaps lost through leaky irrigation channels or by draining into rivers or groundwater. Investment in drip irrigation, or simply repairing the worst leaks, could bring huge savings.
Fanners in poor countries can usually afford such things only if they are growing cash crops, says David Molden of IWMI. Even basic kit such as small rainwater tanks can be lacking. Ethiopia, for example, has only 38 cubic meters of storage capacity per inhabitant, compared to almost 5 000 in Australia. Yet modest water storage can hugely improve yields in rain-fed agriculture, by smoothing over short dry spells. Likewise, pumping water into natural aquifers for seasonal storage tends to be much cheaper than building a big dam, and prevents the great waste of water through evaporation.
Agronomists are beginning to devise tools to help monitor the efficiency of water use. Some have designed algorithms that use satellite data on surface temperatures to calculate the rate at which plants are absorbing and transpiring water. That allows governments and development agencies to concentrate their efforts on the most prodigal areas.
Raising yields does not always involve greater water consumption, especially when farms are inefficient. It would take little extra water to double cereal output in many parts of Africa, Mr. Molden argues. IWMI reckons that some three-quarters of the extra food the world needs could be provided simply by bringing yields in poor countries closer to those of rich ones. That is more realistic than the absolute alternative; giving up meat and other thirsty products altogether.
[A] cultivating cash crops
[B] leaking irrigation system
[C] expenses and efficiency
[D]surface temperature data
[E] low water price
[F] water shortage
[G] food crisis
The water use rate of plants is computed with
选项
答案
D
解析
题目对应信息在倒数第二段第二句:Some have designed algorithms that use satellite data on surface temperatures to calculate the rate at which plants are absorbing and evaporating water.大意是,一些农学家设计了一些算法,利用地表温度卫星数据来计算植物吸收和蒸发水分速度。题干中water use rate of plants“植物对水的利用速度”概括了原文the rate…evaporating water“植物吸收和蒸发水速度”的说法。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/JvIZ777K
0
考研英语一
相关试题推荐
JusthowmuchdoestheConstitutionprotectyourdigitaldata?TheSupremeCourtwillnowconsiderwhetherpolicecansearchthe
Thegreatrecessionmaybeover,butthiseraofhighjoblessnessisprobablybeginning.Beforeitends,itwilllikelychanget
Teachersneedtobeawareoftheemotional,intellectual,andphysicalchangesthatyoungadultsexperience.Andtheyalsoneed
Teachersneedtobeawareoftheemotional,intellectual,andphysicalchangesthatyoungadultsexperience.Andtheyalsoneed
Teachersneedtobeawareoftheemotional,intellectual,andphysicalchangesthatyoungadultsexperience.Andtheyalsoneed
WhenPaulGorski,thefounderofanorganizationcalledEdChange,visitscollegesanduniversitiestoadvisethemoncampusdive
Socialsciencehasweighedinonthe"tigermom"debate,anditlookslikeeveryoneisright:Bothover-protectiveandlaid-back
TheaverageBritishpeoplegetsix-and-a-halfhours’sleepanight,accordingtotheSleepCouncil.Ithasbeenknownforsomet
Thehighestanxietymomentintheholidayseasonmustbethemomentjustbeforeyourlovedonesunwraptheirgifts.Theribbonc
【F1】Whenadiseaseofepidemicproportionsripsintothepopulace,scientistsimmediatelygettowork,tryingtolocatethesour
随机试题
简述完全性和部分性葡萄胎的特点和区别。
“观乎人文,化成天下”,文化对人的熏陶和滋养,就如_________一般,所到之处,生机勃勃,绿意盎然。中国传统文化之所以是我们最深厚的软实力,正是因为其________着中华民族最深沉的精神追求,代表着中华民族独特的精神标识,为中华民族生生不息、发展壮大
在20世纪前期曾经实行过二元君主制政体的国家是()
Theoneaccidentsituationwhereimmediateactionmustbetakeniswhenapersonstopsbreathing.Thismightbetheresultofdr
A.癌细胞团中可见角化珠B.癌细胞团漂浮在黏液中C.黏液将癌细胞核推向一侧D.癌细胞排列成条索状E.癌细胞形成乳头鳞状细胞癌的组织学表现是
案例1995年3月20日,N钢铁公司煤气车间抢险班在煤气管道搭头施工中,由于安全措施不到位,防护不周密,造成严重的煤气中毒事故,10人中毒,1人死亡。在事故发生的前两天,即3月18日,N钢铁公司煤气车间召开生产调度会,对20000m3
某企业2016年的有关资料如下:2016年销售收入1500万元,销售净利率20%。假定该企业流动资产仅包括速动资产与存货,非经营收益为60万元,非付现费用为150万元,经营活动现金净流量为350万元,该企业适用的所得税税率为25%。要求:计算该企
教师要充当__________、团体的领导者、模范公民、__________、__________、亲密朋友、心理辅导者等多种角色。
在采用线性探测法处理冲突所构成的散列表上进行查找,可能要探测多个位置,在查找成功的情况下,所探测的这些位置的键值()。
Asummaryofthephysicalandchemicalnatureoflifemustbegin,notontheEarth,butintheSun;in【C1】______attheSun’sver
最新回复
(
0
)