Water pollution is a major global problem which requires ongoing evaluation and
revision of water resource policy at all levels. It has been suggested that water
pollution is the leading worldwide cause of deaths and diseases, and that it accounts
for the deaths of more than 14,000 people daily. An estimated 580 people in India
die of water pollution related illness every day. About 90 percent of the water in the
cities of China is polluted. As of 2007, half a billion Chinese had no access to safe
drinking water. In addition to the acute problems of water pollution in developing
countries, developed countries also continue to struggle with pollution problems. For
example, in the most recent national report on water quality in the United States, 44
percent of assessed stream miles, 64 percent of assessed lake acres, and 30
percent of assessed bays and estuarine square miles were classified as polluted.
The head of China’s national development agency said in 2007 that one quarter the
length of China’s seven main rivers were so poisoned the water harmed the skin.
Water is typically referred to as polluted when it is impaired by anthropogenic
contaminants and either does not support a human use, such as drinking water, or
undergoes a marked shift in its ability to support its constituent biotic communities,
such as fish. Natural phenomena such as volcanoes, algae blooms, storms, and

earthquakes also cause major changes in water quality and the ecological status of
water.
1. What is the leading worldwide cause of deaths and diseases?
2. How many people die every day by water pollution?
3. How many percent of the water in the cities of China is polluted?
5. What phenomena cause major changes in water quality and the ecological status
of water?

One of the most urgent environmental problems in the world today is the shortage of clean water. Having clean drinking water is basic human right. But acid rain, industrial pollution and garbage have made many sources of water undrinkable. Lakes, reservoirs and even entire seas have become vast pools of poison. Lake Baikal in Russia is one of the largest lakes in the world. It contains a rich variety of animals and plants, including 1,300 rare species that do not exist anywhere else in the world. But they are being destroyed by the massive volumes of industrial effluent which pours into the lake everyday. Even where law existed, the government did not have the power to enforce them. Most industries simply ignore the regulations. The Mediterranean Sea occupies 1% of the world’s water surface. But it is the dumping ground for 50% of all marine pollution. Almost 16 countries regularly throw industrial wastes a few miles off shore.

Water is free to everyone. A few years ago people thought that the supply of clean water in the world was limitless. Today, many water supplies have been ruined by pollution and sewage. Clean water is now scarce, and we are at last beginning to respect this precious source. We should do something now.

1. According to the writer, one environmental problem in the world today is ________ .

A. acid rain B. industrial pollution.

C. safe water shortage. D. population explosion .

2. Many sources of water are not drinkable because of _______ .

A. acid rain. B. industrial pollution.

C. garbage D. all A, B, C, are correct

3. What is serious problem of Lake Baikal in Russia?

A. It contains a rich variety of animals and plants.

B. It is polluted by massive volumes of industrial wastes discharged into it .

C. It has 1,300 rare species that do not exist anywhere else in the world .

D. The government did not have the power to enforce laws and regulations.

4. How many countries throw industrial waste into the Mediterranean Sea regularly?

A. nearly 16 B. exactly 16.

C. exactly 15 D. less than 15.

5. What is the message to the reader?

A. We should take action to protect our water resources.

B. We should take all water resources into account.

C. We should limit the use of water resources.

D. We should encourage people to use safe water.

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions.

Early peoples had no need of engineering works to supply their water. Hunters and nomads camped near natural sources of fresh water, and populations were so sparse that pollution of the water supply was not a serious problem. After community life developed and agricultural villages became urban centres, the problem of supplying water became important for inhabitants of a city, as well as for irrigation of the farms surrounding the city. Irrigation works were known in prehistoric times, and before 2000 BC the rulers of Babylonia and Egypt constructed systems of dams and canals to impound the flood waters of the Euphrates and Nile rivers, controlling floods and providing irrigation water throughout the dry season. Such irrigation canals also supplied water for domestic purposes. The first people to consider the sanitation of their water supply were the ancient Romans, who constructed a vast system of aqueducts to bring the clean waters of the Apennine Mountains into the city and built basins and filters along these mains to ensure the clarity of the water. The construction of such extensive water-supply systems declined when the Roman Empire disintegrated, and for several centuries local springs and wells formed the main source of domestic and industrial water.

The invention of the force pump in England in the middle of the 16th century greatly extended the possibilities of development of water-supply systems. In London, the first pumping waterworks was completed in 1562; it pumped river water to a reservoir about 37 m above the level of the River Thames and from the reservoir the water was distributed by gravity, through lead pipes, to buildings in the vicinity.

Increased per-capita demand has coincided with water shortages in many countries. Southeast England, for example, receives only 14 per cent of Britain's rainfall, has 30 per cent of its population, and has experienced declining winter rainfall since the 1980s.

In recent years a great deal of interest has been shown in the conversion of seawater to fresh water to provide drinking water for very dry areas, such as the Middle East. Several different processes, including distillation, electrodialysis, reverse osmosis, and direct-freeze evaporation, have been developed for this purpose. Some of these processes have been used in large facilities in the United States. Although these processes are successful, the cost of treating seawater is much higher than that for treating fresh water

Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a process of convertinging seawater to freshwater?

A. Water evaporation

B. Purification method

C. Steaming and cooling

D. Dissolving chemicals