单选题 Humanity uses a little less than half the water available worldwide. Yet occurrences of shortages and droughts are causing famine and distress in some areas, and industrial and agricultural by-products are polluting water supplies. Since the world's population is expected to double in the next 50 years, many experts think we are on the edge of a widespread water crisis. But that doesn't have to be the outcome. Water shortages do not have to trouble the world, if we start valuing water more than we have in the past. Just as we began to appreciate petroleum more after the 1970s oil crises, today we must start looking at water from a fresh economic perspective. We can no longer afford to consider water a virtually free resource of which we can use as much as we like in any way we want. Instead, for all uses except the domestic demand of the poor, governments should price water to reflect its actual value. This means charging a fee for the water itself as well as for the supply costs. Governments should also protect this resource by providing water in more economically and environmentally sound ways. For example, often the cheapest way to provide irrigation water in the dry tropics is through small-scale projects, such as gathering rainfall in depressions and pumping it to nearby cropland. No matter what steps governments take to provide water more efficiently, they must change their institutional and legal approaches to water use. Rather than spread control among hundreds or even thousands of local, regional, and national agencies that watch various aspects of water use, countries should set up central authorities to coordinate water policy.

单选题 What is the real cause of the potential water crisis?

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】解析：根据文章第一段第四、五句“But that doesn’t have to be the outcome．Watershortages do not have to trouble the world， if we start valuing water more than we have inthe past．”可知，今天，如果人类珍惜水资源的话，大范围的水资源危机不会成为现实。这一问题不会困扰人类的。可见，水资源危机的真正原因是人类不重视、珍惜水资源。据此判断，答案是D。

单选题 As indicated in the passage, the water problem______.

单选题 According to the author, the water price should______.

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】解析：根据文章第二段第一句“Instead，for all uses except the domestic demand ofthe poor，governments should price water to reflect its actual value．”可知，作者呼吁希望水价能够真正反映其实际价值，当然，除了那些贫困人口的家庭用水以外。据此判断，答案是C。

单选题 The author says that in some hot and dry areas it is advisable to______.

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】解析：根据文章第三段第二句“For example，often the cheapest way to provide irri-gation water in the dry tropics is through small—scale projects，such as gathering rainfall indepressions and pumping it to nearby cropland．”可知，作者呼吁，在干旱的热带地区建设小型的、廉价的灌溉体系，例如在低洼地区收集雨水，然后抽送到附近的农田里。据此判断，答案是C。

单选题 In order to raise the efficiency of the water supply, measures should be taken to______.

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】解析：根据文章最后一段第二句“Rather than spread control among hundreds oreven thousands of local，regional，and national agencies that watch various aspects of wa—ter use，countries should set up central authorities to coordinate water policy．”可知，作者呼吁各国政府将水资源管理集中化，而不是由若干个管理部门来分散地管理。据此判断，答案是B。