Ｔｈｅ　Ｓｈｏｒｔａｇｅ　ｏｆ　Ｗａｔｅｒ

The world is not hungry，but it is thirsty. It seems strange that nearly 3/4 of the earth is covered with water while we say we are short of（短缺） water. Why？Because about 97% of water on the earth is salty sea water which we cant drink or use for watering plants directly（直接地）. Man can only drink and use the 3% of the fresh water that comes from rivers and lakes. And we cant even use all of that，because some of it has been polluted.

Now more water is needed. The problem is： Can we avoid（避免） a serious water shortage later on？Firstly，we should all learn how to save water. Secondly，we should find the ways to reuse it. Scientists have always been making a study in this field. Today，in most large cities，water is used only once and then runs to the sea or rivers. But it can be used again. Even if every large city reused its water，still there will not be enough water. What can people turn to next？

The sea seems to have the best answer. There is a lot of water in the sea. All that needs to be done is to get the salt out of the sea water. This is expensive，but its already in use in many parts of the world. Scientists are trying to find a cheaper way to do it. So you see，if we can find a way out，well be in no danger of drying up（干涸）.

Tell whether each of the following statements is True or False.

1. The world is neither hungry nor thirsty.

2. Nearly 3/4 of the earth is covered with drinking water.

3. Not all of the water from rivers and lakes can be drunk.

4. We can avoid the water shortage by saving water and reusing it.

5. According to the passage，no matter what we do，we wont avoid the shortage of water.

Key： 1. F 2. F 3. T 4. T 5. F（河北辛集中學 崔增印）