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
70
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
Farmers waste more water due to
选项
答案
E
解析
题目对应信息在第二段第四、五句:But governments rarely charge farmers a market price for water.So they are usually more wasteful than other consumers…大意是,政府很少按市场价向农民收水费,所以农民通常比其他消费者更浪费水。所以水价低造成了农民浪费水多。干扰项B中leaking irrigation system“漏水的灌溉系统”只是表象,根本原因是水价低。如果水价高,农民为了省钱也会想办法解决这些水浪费问题的。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/PvIZ777K
0
考研英语一
相关试题推荐
Forthefirsttimeinhistorymorepeopleliveintownsthaninthecountry.InBritainthishashadacuriousresult.Whilepol
Inspiteof"endlesstalkofdifference",Americansocietyisanamazingmachineforhomogenizingpeople.Thereis"thedemocrat
Inspiteof"endlesstalkofdifference",Americansocietyisanamazingmachineforhomogenizingpeople.Thereis"thedemocrat
"TheHeartoftheMatter,"thejust-releasedreportbytheAmericanAcademyofArtsandSciences(AAAS),deservespraiseforaff
Thehighestanxietymomentintheholidayseasonmustbethemomentjustbeforeyourlovedonesunwraptheirgifts.Theribbonc
Thehighestanxietymomentintheholidayseasonmustbethemomentjustbeforeyourlovedonesunwraptheirgifts.Theribbonc
Supposeoneofyourfriends,LiHua,wantstochooseabookoninterviewingskillsbeforeheattendsajobinterview.Writetoh
Familiarasitmayseem,gravityremainsamysterytomodernphysics.Despiteseveraldecadesoftrying,scientistshavefailed
【F1】Aleakedstudyexamininggenetically-modifiedcornrevealsthatthelab-madealternativetoorganiccropscontainsastartli
随机试题
患者余某,女,30岁。患大叶性肺炎4天,现仍发热,呼吸急促或咳嗽,1天前总尿量减少,咽干,烦渴,苔薄黄,脉数。若症见大便不通者可加
动物不能自身合成、必须从饲料中摄取的氨基酸不包括
金钱草具有的功效是()
8岁患儿,食欲差、乏力,近2日高热、头痛,喷射性呕吐,1日来烦躁、嗜睡。查体:嗜睡状,右侧鼻唇沟变浅,心、肺、腹(一),未见卡介苗瘢痕,PPD(++),脑膜刺激征(+),巴氏征(+),脑脊液压力高,外观透明,白细胞100×109/L,单核70%,多核30%
所有湖南来北京的打工人员,都办理了暂住证;所有办理了暂住证的人员,都获得了就业许可证;有些湖南来北京的打工人员当上了门卫;有些业余武术学校的学员也当上了门卫;所有的业余武术学校的学员都未获得就业许可证。如果上述断定都是真的,则除了以下哪项,其余的断
A国是亚洲经济发展最快的国家。A国的B省在过去30年间大力发展各类制造及加工业务,成为A国南方沿海经济第一大省。随着B省经济的快速发展,省内几个主要城市均建造了民用机场。近几年,A国政府开始大力推动铁路网络建设,目标是覆盖全国各主要省市。B省亦开始建设通往
劳动权是人权的重要组成部分,其核心内容包括()。
A、 B、 C、 D、 D
Hippiesweremembersofayouthmovementofthe1960’sand1970’sthatstartedintheUnitedStatesandspreadtoCanada,Great
USWhiteHousespokesmanTonySnowoncesentjournalistsdiggingfortheirdictionaries.Hecalledrecentcriticismbytheforme
最新回复
(
0
)