首页
登录
职称英语
Freshwater life itself has never come easy in the Middle East. Ever since Th
Freshwater life itself has never come easy in the Middle East. Ever since Th
游客
2023-09-10
9
管理
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." [br] 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://tihaiku.com/zcyy/3002187.html
相关试题推荐
[originaltext]Centuriesago,duringtheMiddleAges,mostofthelandinEu
ToPacificpeoplethecoconutpalmistileTreeofLife,andlifeitselfoft
ToPacificpeoplethecoconutpalmistileTreeofLife,andlifeitselfoft
ToPacificpeoplethecoconutpalmistileTreeofLife,andlifeitselfoft
[originaltext]Centuriesago,duringtheMiddleAges,mostofthelandinEu
[originaltext]Centuriesago,duringtheMiddleAges,mostofthelandinEu
[originaltext]Centuriesago,duringtheMiddleAges,mostofthelandinEu
Womenwhoapplyforjobsinmiddleorseniormanagementhaveahighersucces
Womenwhoapplyforjobsinmiddleorseniormanagementhaveahighersucces
FreshwaterlifeitselfhasnevercomeeasyintheMiddleEast.EversinceTh
随机试题
TheancientChineseboardgameGowasinventedlongbeforetherewasanywrit
Americanculturehasbeenenrichedbythevaluesandbeliefsystemsofvirtu
由于进口是国民收入的递增函数,所以净出口是国民收入的递减函数。()
在审核借款凭证时,信贷员应确认贷款合同的( )等正确、真实无误。A.用途
阳和汤的功效是()(2002,2003,2004)A.温经散寒,益气活血
工程完工验收后,交建设单位保管的施工企业工程技术档案的内容不包括()。A、有关
证券公司申请取得开展融资融券业务资格时,应当具有( )资格。A.资产管理业务
儿童一进商场就被漂亮的玩具吸引,儿童在这一刻出现的心理现象是( )。A、注意
水喷雾系统管道的连接,应采用()。A.沟槽式连接件(卡箍) B.螺纹连接
根据《标准设备采购招标文件》中的通用合同条款,卖方交付合同约定的全部设备后,买
最新回复
(
0
)