Question

What do you do if your nation has a severe water shortage and happens to be located in a desert? If you have the resources, you turn to technology, which is what a company in the oil-rich United Arab Emirates (阿联酋) (UAE for short) is planning to do. The country, which gets less than four inches of rain per year, could solve its issue with water shortage by dragging icebergs from Antarctica to its shores. The first such attempt will begin in 2018.

Once the iceberg is at UAE shores, the ice above the waterline would be cut off and crushed into drinking water, which would then be stored in large water tanks. The iceberg would also have a broader impact, says Abdullah Mohammad Sulaiman Al Shehi:

“Cold air out from an iceberg close to the shore of the Arabian Sea would cause rainstorms across the Arabian Gulf and the southern region of the Arabian Peninsula all year round. As the rising air expands, cools and condenses (冷凝) due to the decrease in air pressure, water vapor (水蒸气) is collected in the clouds, which becomes heavy and falls as rain.” More icebergs will bring more water vapor and clouds, creating a profound (巨大的)effect on the regional climate over a decade, turning the desert into “green meadows(草地)”. The melting iceberg would also add fresh water to the Arabian sea, returning biodiversity. There would also be a boost(兴旺) for tourism from all the people interested in looking at the icebergs. The Emirates Iceberg Project comes from a group of efforts by NABL called “Filling the Empty Quarter”. The project aims to dramatically influence the deserts of the “Empty Quarter”, the planet’s largest sand desert. The region is also the richest oil-producing area in the world, including parts of Saudi Arabia, Oman, UAE and Yemen.

1.What is the UAE planning to do according to the text?

A. To collect fresh sea water from Antarctica.

B. To drag icebergs from Antarctica to the country.

C. To make icebergs from Antarctica melt.

D. To get 20 billion gallons of fresh water from icebergs.

2.What Al Shehi said reflects the effect of icebergs on_______.

A. the weather    B. the industry

C. the biodiversity    D. the tourism

3.According to the text, the deserts of the “Empty Quarter” are______.

A. turning into green meadows

B. the resource of salt in the Arabian sea

C. the empty area without population

D. abundant in oil as a matter of fact

4.According to the text, icebergs to be dragged to UAE’ shores will _________.

A. bring water vapor and sand

B. add salt water to the Arabian sea

C. become “green meadows”

D. attract people interested in looking at the icebergs

Answer

1. B

2. A

3. D

4. D

【解析】

本文是记叙文。主要讲了阿联酋人为了解决水资源的短缺问题，决定要从南极运一座冰山。

1.细节理解题。由第一段的“The country, which gets less than four inches of rain per year, could solve its issue with water shortage by dragging icebergs from Antarctica to its shores.”可知阿联酋计划从南极拖一座冰山到自己国家，选B。

2.推理判断题。由第三段的 “Cold air out from an iceberg close to the shore of the Arabian Sea would cause rainstorms across the Arabian Gulf and the southern region of the Arabian Peninsula all year round. As the rising air expands, cools and condenses (冷凝) due to the decrease in air pressure, water vapor (水蒸气) is collected in the clouds, which becomes heavy and falls as rain.”可知，A1 Shehi从靠近阿拉伯海岸的冰山出来的冷空气全年都会引起横跨阿拉伯海湾和阿拉伯半岛南部地区的暴雨。随着上升的空气膨胀，由于气压的降低而冷却和凝结，水蒸气被收集在云层中，随着降雨而变重和下降。因此推断A1 Shehi说得话反映出了冰山对天气的影响，选A。

3.细节理解题。由最后一段的“The region is also the richest oil-producing area in the world, including parts of Saudi Arabia, Oman, UAE and Yemen.”可知“Empty Quarter”事实上含有丰富的石油，选D。

4.细节理解题。由最后一段的“There would also be a boost(兴旺) for tourism from all the people interested in looking at the icebergs.”可知，所有对冰山感兴趣的人的到来也会促进旅游业的发展，选D。