If you live in a city in North America or Europe, you have probably never thought much about water. Whenever you need some, you turn on the tap and there it is. Millions of people in other parts of the world are not so lucky. They have trouble getting enough clean water for their basic needs. This situation may soon become common all around the world, scientists believe. In fact, they say that the lack of clean water may be one of the biggest issues in the twenty-first century.
The reasons for this are clear. On the one hand. people are using more water than ever before. Over the last fifty years, the population of the world has more than doubled. On the other hand, many sources of surface water such as rivers, lakes, and streams are too polluted and unhealthy for use as drinking water.
This has forced more and more people to drill wells so they can get water form underground. There are enormous amounts of water deep underground in lakes called aquifers. Until recently, scientists believed this underground water was safe from pollution. Then, in the 1980s. people in the United States began to find chemicals in their well water, and scientists took a closer look at what was happening. Weldon Spring, Missouri, for example, was the site of a bomb factory during World War Ⅱ. The factory was destroyed after the war. but poisonous chemicals remained on the ground. Very slowly, these chemicals dripped down through the ground and into the aquifer. Once they did, however, the water form that aquifer was no longer drinkable.
It probably never will be drinkable again, Underground water is not renewed regularly by the rain, like lake or river water. Thus, if a harmful chemical gets into an aquifer, it will stay there for a very long time. Furthermore, it is nearly imp6ssible to remove all the water in an aquifer and clean out the pollutants.
Industrial sites like Weldon Spring are one cause of underground water pollution. There are thousands of such sites in the United States alone, and many others around the world. Underground water pollution is also caused by modern farming methods, which require the use of large amounts of chemicals in the fields. And finally, yet another important cause of underground water pollution is waste. That includes solid waste thrown away in dumps and landfills, and also untreated human and animal waste.
The situation is indeed very serious. Fortunately, there are many aquifers and they are very large. Only a small number have been seriously damaged so far. But if the world does not want to go thirsty in the near future, further pollution must be prevented. Around the world, governments must make real changes in industry, agriculture, and waste disposal.
57. This passage is mainly about ______.
A) pollution problems in general
B) people in North America or Europe are living happier than those in other parts
C) people drilling wells to check chemicals in well water
D) underground water pollution
58. In the first paragraph scientists express the idea that ______.
A) clean water is no longer available for people in Europe
B) there will always be enough water for everyone
C) the water problem will soon be resolved in the twenty-first century
D) many more people may soon. be without clean water
59. One reason for water shortage is that ______.
A) people in Europe dont turn off their taps
B) people drill too many wells and pollute them
C) the population has been continuously rising
D) there is not much underground water
60. In Weldon Spring, people found ______.
A) chemicals in well Water B) many sources of surface water
C) more aquifers than other places D) chemicals in the bomb factory
61. We can infer from this passage that industry, farming, and waste are ______.
A) polluting all aquifers in the United States
B) minor sources of underground water pollution
C) causing problems in bomb factories
D) the three main sources of underground water pollution
参考答案：
57--61 DDCAD
57.主旨题。第一段后半部分引出主旨They have trouble getting enough clean water for their basic needs.This situation may soon become common all around the world，...lack of clean water may be one of the biggest issues in the twenty-first century.。第二段谈及clean water变少的两个主要原因，第三段告诉读者既然可饮用水减少，人们就拼命掘井。然而井水也被污染。第四段说一旦地下水被污染，就不是短时间内可以恢复的。第五段阐述地下水污染的三个主要原因。最后一段再次重申地下水问题的重要性并呼吁全球政府采取措施。因此，正确答案为D项。
58.细节推断题。请看上下文They have trouble getting enough clean water for their basic needs.This situation may soon become common all around the world，...lack of clean water may be one of the biggest issues in the twenty-first century，由此可推断将有越来越多的人喝不上、用不上干净的水，故正确答案D项。
59.细节选择题。第二段讲干净的水减少的原因On the one hand，people are using more water than ever before...population of the world has more than doubled...On the other hand，many sources of surface water...--are too polluted and unhealthy for use as drinking water.，即一方面人均用水量比以前增加，人口翻番;另一方面地表水污染严重，不适合饮用。因此正确答案为C项。
60.细节题。第三段中的people in the United States began to find chemicals in their well water，...Weldon Spring，...，for example，..说明美国科学家发现Weldon Spring这些地方的井水里有化学物质。因此正确答案为A项。
61.推断题。倒数第二段Industrial sites...are one cause of underground water pollution... Underground water pollution is also caused by modern farming methods，which require the use of large amounts of chemicals in the fields.And finally，yet another important cause of underground water pollution is waste中清楚地说明了地下水污染的三大原因，即化学物质、农业化肥和废弃物。因此正确答案为D项。