Question

    There are lots of great watery wonders in the world, but some are disappearing.

The Dead Sea

At 430 meters below sea level, the Dead Sea is Earth's lowest point on land. It is popular for its wonderful buoyancy*. The high salt content makes swimming more like floating.

Now the Dead Sea is actually dying. People are using water from the Jordan River, which takes water away from the Dead Sea. Since 1930, its surfing area has reduced by almost 40 percent.

Venice, Italy

With waterways instead of streets. This "Floating City" has attracted visitors for centuries. But no visit to Venice is complete without a ride on one of its famous gondolas, human powered water taxis. Water creates Venice. But water will also kill the city.

Built on soft earth, Venice has slowly been sinking for centuries. Now, with

rising sea levels caused by human activities, it's sinking faster. The city may disappear in the next 100 years.

Great Barrier Reef

Covering more than 2,300 kilometers of Australia's northeast coast, Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest reef ecosystem, and an ideal place for scuba divers*. Thousands of colorful coral and fish make homes in the blue sea water. It's like a big underwater party!

Sadly, the party might be over soon. The reef is dying. Human activities are

changing the weather. Warming ocean water kills the coral, and this causes problems up the food chain. The reef system might be gone by 2030.

1.If you swim in the Dead Sea, it’s easy to _______?

A.Float in the water . B.Sink in the water.

C.Disappear in the water. D.Kill in the water.

2.Which of the following is the shared cause of the problems all the three places are facing?

A.Water loss. B.Sea pollution.

C.Warming seas. D.Human activities.

3.If Tom wants to visit all the following places before they are gone, and he can only afford one in the next 10 years, where must he go?

A.The Dead Sea. B.Venice. C.Italy. D.Great Barrier Reef

Answer

1.A

2.D

3.D

【解析】

这是一篇说明文，本文介绍了三个水上奇观。一是：死海；二是：威尼斯；三是：大堡礁。文章介绍了它们消失的原因——人类活动。

1.

细节理解题。根据第二段“The high salt content makes swimming more like floating”可知在死海游泳很容易漂浮起来。故选A。

2.

细节理解题。根据第三段“People are using water from the Jordan River, which takes water away from the Dead Sea”人们正在使用约旦河的水，这条河将死海的水带走。由第五段“Now, with rising sea levels caused by human activities, it's sinking faster”现在，随着人类活动引起的海平面上升，它下沉的速度越来越快。以及第七段“Human activities are changing the weather. Warming ocean, water kills the coral, and this causes problems up the food chain”人类活动正在改变天气。海洋变暖，水杀死了珊瑚，这导致了食物链的问题。可知，这三个地方面临的问题的共同原因是因为人类活动造成的。故选D。

3.

推理判断题。根据第三段“Since 1930, its surfing area has reduced by almost 40 percent”；第五段“The city may disappear in the next 100 years”；最后一段“the reef system might be gone by 2030”到2030年，珊瑚礁系统可能会消失。可知，如果汤姆想在这些地方消失之前游览一下，而且在接下来的15年里他应该先去大堡礁。因为大堡礁将会在（2030-2020=10）10年后消失，故选D。