英语杂谈：67 Water Resources

Statistics from the Ministry¹ of Water Resources indicate that nearly two-thirds of Chinese cities are suffering from water shortages.

Among them, more than 100 are seriously threatened by the problem.
Han Ying, an official with the Tianjin municipal water administration, says the coastal² city is no exception.

"Tianjin's per capita water resources are below 370 cubic meters. This amount is extremely less than the internationally recognized warning line of 1,000 cubic meters. The city is facing an annual water shortage of 1.3 billion cubic meters."

At present, China is building a massive water diversion project to bring water from the Yangtze River to arid³ cities, including Beijing and Tianjin.

But some experts point out that increasing the water supply alone cannot fundamentally solve the problem.

Wang Hao is an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

"The priority should be given to water conservation and pollution prevention. We must try all means to increase water use efficiency. You know, China's water consumption per unit of GDP is five times that of the most advanced level in the world."

Wang Hao says society should take comprehensive measures to increase water use efficiency to save more water.

"The government should make legislative⁴ and administrative⁵ moves to foster water conservation awareness⁶ and practices. The innovation of water-saving technologies should also be encouraged. Moreover, the government can set up higher water-efficiency standards and promote the use of water-efficient home appliances, such as taps and washing machines."

Wang Hao says residents can also save water by practicing water recycling and re-use.

He stresses that such habits must be formed because they really matter in terms of increasing water use efficiency.

 

1 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

2 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

3 arid   

adj.干旱的；(土地)贫瘠的

参考例句：

• These trees will shield off arid winds and protect the fields.这些树能挡住旱风,保护农田。
• There are serious problems of land degradation in some arid zones.在一些干旱地带存在严重的土地退化问题。

4 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

5 administrative   

adj.行政的，管理的

参考例句：

• The administrative burden must be lifted from local government.必须解除地方政府的行政负担。
• He regarded all these administrative details as beneath his notice.他认为行政管理上的这些琐事都不值一顾。

6 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。