2006年VOA标准英语-Water Shortage Strains Urban Areas in Western U

By Greg Flakus
Dallas, TX
27 September 2006
 
watch Urban Water report

As the populations of urban areas around the world continue to grow, the demand for water has also grown. In the arid¹ areas of the western United States, growth in some metropolitan² areas threatens to outstrip³ the supply of water.  VOA's Greg Flakus reports from Dallas, Texas, where water supplies are being strained. 

The population of Dallas and its suburbs has grown by more than 12 percent in recent years.

The urban area relies for the most part on nearby reservoirs, artificial lakes, for its water.  But drought has reduced the volume of one of the principal lakes, Lake Lavon, which has dropped around five meters in the past two years.

 
Ken⁴ Robinson points to green growth above ground, normally under water
The lake is managed by the US Army Corps⁵ of Engineers.  The chief manager for Lake Lavon is Ken Robinson. "What has happened is that the water gradually goes down and, as it does, the silt⁶ in the bottom of the lake holds the moisture," he explains, "and so you get this green growth coming up on what is essentially⁷, normally under water."

The drop in water level has reduced the lake's recreational and aesthetic⁸ appeal.

"People like to build houses where they have a view of the lake, but they also like to have a lake that has water in it," says Robinson.

 
Jim Parks says water should not be taken for granted
The drop in Lake Lavon's water level has put some strain on the North Texas Municipal Water District, which uses water from the lake to supply one-and-a-half million people in the Dallas area.

Executive Director Jim Parks says lower rainfall over the past couple of years is a reminder⁹ that water should not be taken for granted.  "I think people have come to consider this area of Texas as if it were a semi-tropical area, when, in reality, this part of Texas is more semi-arid."

The water district has imposed mandatory¹⁰ restrictions¹¹ on water usage and is encouraging even more conservation by consumers. But as more houses go up and more people move into the area, the demand for water is growing.

At Texas A and M University, Professor Ron Griffin studies urban water use. He says the abundant water that supported growth in urban areas is reaching its limits. "We have already tapped the cheap sources of water and so, as we proceed further with more and more growth, we will progressively tap more and more expensive sources of water."

 
Professor Ron Griffin says we may need to curtail¹² our water use
Professor Griffin says there is water available to support more urban growth, but not necessarily at current levels of usage. "We can deal with large population increases, but only if we curtail, on a per-person basis, our water use."

He says the rising cost of water will eventually force hard decisions on its use for such things as large lawns and landscaping.

"It will be a gradual process, it won't be an overnight sort of thing," says the professor. "It will be something motivated by the increasing cost of water supply and the expenses that households, cities and industries face."

Jim Parks says the doubling of population projected for the Dallas area over the next 50 years will require a lot more conservation as well as development of new resources.

"It is a multi-faceted program that involves the implementation¹³ of more aggressive conservation, building of new reservoirs, connections to existing reservoirs, using existing supplies, such as lakes to our north and southeast and east of here and pulling all of those things together in order to meet that growth."

Surveys show that most Texans support water conservation and want the state to do more to promote it.

1 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。

2 metropolitan   

adj.大城市的，大都会的

参考例句：

• Metropolitan buildings become taller than ever.大城市的建筑变得比以前更高。
• Metropolitan residents are used to fast rhythm.大都市的居民习惯于快节奏。

3 outstrip   

v.超过，跑过

参考例句：

• He can outstrip his friend both in sports and in studies.他能在体育和学习方面胜过他的朋友。
• It is possible for us to outstrip the advanced countries in the world.我们能超过世界上先进的国家。

4 ken   

n.视野，知识领域

参考例句：

• Such things are beyond my ken.我可不懂这些事。
• Abstract words are beyond the ken of children.抽象的言辞超出小孩所理解的范围.

5 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

6 silt   

n.淤泥，淤沙，粉砂层，泥沙层；vt.使淤塞；vi.被淤塞

参考例句：

• The lake was almost solid with silt and vegetation.湖里几乎快被淤泥和植物填满了。
• During the annual floods the river deposits its silt on the fields.每年河水泛滥时都会在田野上沉积一层淤泥。

7 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

8 aesthetic   

adj.美学的，审美的，有美感

参考例句：

• My aesthetic standards are quite different from his.我的审美标准与他的大不相同。
• The professor advanced a new aesthetic theory.那位教授提出了新的美学理论。

9 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。

10 mandatory   

adj.命令的；强制的；义务的；n.受托者

参考例句：

• It's mandatory to pay taxes.缴税是义务性的。
• There is no mandatory paid annual leave in the U.S.美国没有强制带薪年假。

11 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

12 curtail   

vt.截短，缩短；削减

参考例句：

• The government hopes to curtail public spending.政府希望缩减公共事业开支。
• The minister had to curtail his visit.部长不得不缩短访问日期。

13 implementation   

n.实施，贯彻

参考例句：

• Implementation of the program is now well underway.这一项目的实施现在行情看好。