水資源問(wèn)題Water Resources Problems
Life on earth depends on water,and there is no substitute for it. The current assumption is that our basic needs for water-whether for drinking, agriculture, industry or the raising of fish--will always have to be met. Given that premise, there are two basic routes we can go. more equitable access to water or more drastic engineering solutions.
地球上的生命依賴于水，而且水是無(wú)法替代的。目前人們的假設(shè)是，不管是飲用水還是農(nóng)業(yè)、工業(yè)、漁業(yè)用水，我們對(duì)水的基本需要能夠得到滿足。在這一前提下，我們有兩條基本道路可走：更合理地利用水資源或建立更多大型的水利工程。
Looking at the engineering solution first, a lot of my research concentrates on what happens to wetlands when you build dams in river basins, particularly in Africa. The ecology of such areas is almost entirely driven by the seasonal change of the river--the pulse of the water. And the fact is that if you build a dam, you generally wreck the downstream ecology. In the past, such problems have been hidden by a lack of information. But in the next century, governments will have no excuse for their blissful ignorance.
先來(lái)看看水利工程問(wèn)題。我的大量研究的焦點(diǎn)在于如果你在河谷(尤其是非洲河谷)建立大壩，這會(huì)對(duì)濕地產(chǎn)生什么影響。該地區(qū)的生態(tài)幾乎完全受控于河流的季節(jié)性變化——河水的漲落。事實(shí)上，如果你在上游建了水壩，通常會(huì)破壞下游的生態(tài)環(huán)境。過(guò)去，這類問(wèn)題由于信息匱乏而鮮為人知。但在下個(gè)世紀(jì)，政府就不能為自己的盲目樂(lè)觀找借口了。
The engineers ability to control water flows has created new kinds of unpredictability too. 'Dams in Africa have meant fewer fish, less grazing and less floodplain agriculture--none of which were anticipated. And their average economic life is assumed to be thirty years. Dams don't exist for ever, but what will replace them is not clear.
工程師控制水流的能力產(chǎn)生了新的不可預(yù)知的結(jié)果。在非洲建水壩意味著漁業(yè)減產(chǎn)，草場(chǎng)減產(chǎn)，洪水泛濫區(qū)農(nóng)業(yè)產(chǎn)量下降，所有這些都是事先未預(yù)料到的。而我們假定水壩的平均經(jīng)濟(jì)效益的壽命為30年，但水壩不會(huì)永遠(yuǎn)存在，我們還不知什么可以替代它。
The key issue in any discussion of water is money. To talk about a water crisis hides intractable problems such as poverty.
有關(guān)水的討論的關(guān)鍵在于錢。談?wù)撍C(jī)掩飾了諸如貧窮這樣棘手的問(wèn)題。
Consider the problems of water supply in Mexico City or Delhi. If you' re rich, you drink mineral water and may even have a swimming-pool--yet millions in such cities can't get safe drinking water. People talk about the coming water crisis. I believe we have one now. It is a water crisis for the poor.
考慮一下墨西哥城或德里的水供應(yīng)問(wèn)題。如果你富有，你可以喝礦泉水，甚至于可以擁有一個(gè)游泳池——而這些城市數(shù)以百萬(wàn)計(jì)的居民卻喝不上安全的飲用水。人們討論著即將到來(lái)的水危機(jī)。我想我們現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)有水危機(jī)了，這是一場(chǎng)窮人的水危機(jī)。
【水資源問(wèn)題Water Resources Problems】相關(guān)文章：
水資源問(wèn)題Water Resources Problems-英語(yǔ)作文08-26
To save water06-11
大學(xué)生就業(yè)問(wèn)題之我見 My View on Employment Problems of College Student12-22
Save Water英語(yǔ)作文07-28
water shortage作文帶翻譯04-08
【優(yōu)秀】Save Water英語(yǔ)作文07-28