Few creations of big technology capture the imagination like giant dams. Perhaps it is humankind’s long suffering at the mercy o

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问题     Few creations of big technology capture the imagination like giant dams. Perhaps it is humankind’s long suffering at the mercy of flood and drought that makes the ideal of forcing the waters to do our bidding so fascinating. But to be fascinated is also, sometimes, to be blind. Several giant dam projects threaten to do more harm than good.
    The lesson from dams is that big is not always beautiful. It doesn’t help that building a big, powerful dam has become a symbol of achievement for nations and people striving to assert themselves. Egypt’s leadership in the Arab world was cemented by the Aswan High Dam. Turkey’s bid for First World status includes the giant Ataturk Dam.
    But big dams tend not to work as intended. The Aswan Dam, for example stopped the Nile flooding but deprived Egypt of the fertile silt that floods left—all in return for a giant reservoir of disease which is now so full of silt that it barely generates electricity.
    And yet, the myth of controlling the waters persists. This week, in the heart of civilized Europe, Slovaks and Hungarians stopped just short of sending in the troops in their contention over a dam on the Danube. The huge complex will probably have all the usual problems of big dams. But Slovakia is bidding for independence from the Czechs, and now needs a dam to prove itself.
    Meanwhile, in India, the World Bank has given the go ahead to the even more wrong-headed Narmada Dam. And the bank has done this even though its advisors say the dam will cause hardship for the powerless and environmental destruction. The benefits are for the powerful, but they are far from guaranteed.
    Proper, scientific study of the impacts of dams and of the cost and benefits of controlling water can help to resolve these conflicts. Hydroelectric power and flood control and irrigation are possible without building monster dams. But when you are dealing with myths, it is hard to be either proper, or scientific. It is time that the world learned the lessons of Aswan. You don’t need a dam to be saved.
What is the myth concerning giant dams?

选项 A、They bring in more fertile soil.
B、They help defend the country.
C、They strengthen international ties.
D、They have universal control of the waters.

答案D

解析 从文章第1段的内容可知,好几个巨型水坝工程有弊大于利的预兆。从文章第3段的内容可知,但是巨型水坝往往不如预想的那样发挥作用。从文章的第4段内容可知,控制洪水的神话仍在延续。从文章最后一段内容可知,即使不建造巨型水坝,也有可能利用水力发电,也有可能控制洪水,也有可能实施灌溉。但是,当你迷信神话时,你就很难做到恰当或是科学。是整个世界从阿斯旺水坝中吸取教训的时候了。人类并不需要水坝来拯救自己。据此可知,有关大型水坝的神话是人们相信大型水坝控制了洪水,但事实证明这种神话不对。D项与文章的意思相符,因此D项为正确答案。
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