Question

【題目】 California has been facing a drought(干旱) for many years now, with certain areas even having to pump freshwater hundreds of miles to their distribution system. Luckily, new research has found deep water reserves under the state which could help solve their drought crisis. Previous drilling of wells could only reach depths of 1,000 feet, but due to new pumping practices, water deeper than this can now be extracted(抽 取). The team at Stanford investigated the aquifers(地下蓄水層) below this depth and found that reserves may be three times what was previously thought.

The aquifers range from 1,000 to 3,000 feet below the ground, which means that pumping will be expensive and there are other concerns. The biggest concern of pumping out water from this deep is the gradual settling down of the land surface. As the water is pumped out, the vacant space left is compacted(壓實) by the weight of the earth above.

Even though pumping from these depths is expensive, it is still cheaper than desalinating (脫鹽) the ocean water in this coastal state. Some desalination factories exist where possible, but they are costly to run and can need constant repairs. Wells are much more reliable sources of freshwater, and California is hoping that these deep wells may be the answer to their severe water shortage.

One problem with these sources is that the deep water also has a higher level of salt than shallower aquifers. This means that some wells may even need to undergo desalination after extraction, thus increasing the cost. The result of a thorough study of groundwater from over 950 drilling logs has just been published. New estimates of the water reserves in the state now go up to 2,700 billion cubic meters of freshwater.

【1】How could California’s drought problem be solved according to some researchers?

A.By building more reserves of groundwater.

B.By drawing water from the depths of the earth.

C.By developing more advanced drilling machines.

D.By improving its water distribution system.

【2】What is mentioned as a consequence of pumping water from deep underground?

A.The sinking of land surface.B.The harm to the ecosystem.

C.The damage to aquifers.D.The change of the climate.

【3】What does the author say about deep wells?

A.They run without any need for repairs.B.They are the final solution to droughts.

C.They are entirely free from pollution.D.They provide a steady supply of freshwater.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】B

【2】A

【3】D

【解析】

這是一篇說明文。主要說明了新的研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，加利福利亞的深水儲備可能有助于解決他們的干旱危機。由于新的抽水方法，現(xiàn)在可以提取比這更深的水。斯坦福大學(xué)的研究小組調(diào)查了低于這個深度的含水層，發(fā)現(xiàn)儲量可能是之前設(shè)想的三倍。同時也說明了深度抽水會產(chǎn)生的問題。

【1】細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第一段中Luckily, new research has found deep water reserves under the state which could help solve their drought crisis. Previous drilling of wells could only reach depths of 1,000 feet, but due to new pumping practices, water deeper than this can now be extracted. The team at Stanford investigated the aquifers below this depth and found that reserves may be three times what was previously thought.（幸運的是，新的研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，該州的深水儲備可能有助于解決他們的干旱危機。以前的鉆井只能達(dá)到1000英尺的深度，但由于新的抽水方法，現(xiàn)在可以提取比這更深的水。斯坦福大學(xué)的研究小組調(diào)查了低于這個深度的含水層，發(fā)現(xiàn)儲量可能是之前設(shè)想的三倍）可知，一些研究人員認(rèn)為，加州的干旱問題可以通過從地球深處取水來解決。故選B。

【2】細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第二段中The biggest concern of pumping out water from this deep is the gradual settling down of the land surface.（從這么深的地方抽水的最大問題是地表的逐漸下沉）可知，從地下深處抽水的后果是地面下沉。故選A。

【3】細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)倒數(shù)第二段中Wells are much more reliable sources of freshwater, and California is hoping that these deep wells may be the answer to their severe water shortage.（水井是更可靠的淡水來源，加州希望這些深井能解決嚴(yán)重的水資源短缺問題）可知，作者認(rèn)為深井提供穩(wěn)定的淡水供應(yīng)。故選D。

細(xì)節(jié)理解題是針對文中某個細(xì)節(jié)、某句話或某部分具體內(nèi)容設(shè)置問題，正確答案的依據(jù)一定在原文中能夠找到，且正確答案通常是對原文的改寫。如第2小題，A選項中sinking可對應(yīng)到原文中的the gradual settling down。對原文句子中的關(guān)鍵詞進(jìn)行替換，把原文中的一些詞換成意義相近的詞是常見的設(shè)置答案的方式。