Pre-Reading Task

Think about the following questions and then discuss them with your partner or group.

Ê Does your community have a water problem? What is the problem?

If not, why?

Ë What is the cause of the problem? If not, why?

Ì What could be the solutions?

THE WATER CRISIS

Water, not oil, is the most precious fluid in our life. It is the substance from which every life on earth has sprung and continues to depend. If we run short of oil and other fossil fuels, we can use alternative energy sources. If we have no clean, drinkable water, we are doomed. As we enter a complex new century, we are falling far short of the most basic humanitarian goals: sufficient and affordable clean water, food and energy for everyone.

On a planet that is 71% water, less than 3% of it is fresh. Most of that is either in the form of ice and snow in Greenland and Antarctica or in deep groundwater aquifers. And less than 1% of that water— .01% of all the earth’s water—is considered available for human needs; even then, much of it is far from large populations. At the dawn of the 21st century, more than 1 billion people do not have access to safe drinking water. Some 2.4 billion, 40% of the world’s population, lack adequate sanitation, and 3.4 million die each year from water-related diseases.

The global governmental neglect behind those numbers is “the most critical failure of the 20^th century” and the major challenge for the 21st. Governments, NGOs and local communities must address this problem first as their top priority. We are facing a world water gap right now, and the crisis will only get worse. The consequences of failing to bridge the gap will be higher food prices and expensive food imports for water-scarce countries that are predominantly poor. Then people of these countries will face problems of hunger and thirst, which in turn are linked to political instability and low rates of economic growth.

The planet is not actually running out of water, of course. But its people are having an increasingly difficult time managing, allocating and protecting the water that exists. In some areas, the hydrological cycle by which the fresh water of rain and snow eventually evaporates, condenses in clouds and falls again may be taking longer to complete as humans use water faster than nature can renew it.

Post-Reading Tasks

Task 1: Identifying main ideas

Match the following main ideas with the paragraphs.

Main Ideas Paragraphs

a. Some serious consequences may be caused 1

by the problems of the water gap.

b. There are some statistics concerning global 2

water resources.

c. Here are the major causes of water problems. 3

d. The world population is running short of the 4

most important substance.

Task 2: Finding details

A. Complete the following pie chart and table according to the information in Paragraph 2.

Figure 1: Substances on Earth

Task 3: Vocabulary

Select the appropriate meaning of the italicized words.

¶ If we run short of oil and other fossil fuels, we can use alternative

energy sources. (lines 2-3)

a. that can be used instead of something

b. that look exactly the same

c. that are less harmful

· If we have no clean, drinkable water, we are doomed. (lines 3-4)

a. are likely to survive

b. can no longer live

c. will probably be weakened

¸ At the dawn of the 21st century, more than 1 billion people do not have access to safe drinking water. (lines 11-12)

a. are not able to protect

b. should not overuse

c. cannot find

¹ Governments, NGOs and local communities must address this problem first as their top priority. (lines 16-17)

a. write to

b. think about

c. link with

º The consequences of failing to bridge the gap will be higher food prices and expensive food imports for water-scarce countries that are predominantly poor. (lines 18-20)

a. that have an inadequate water supply

b. that face water-pollution problems

c. that have plenty of water resources

» But its people are having an increasingly difficult time managing, allocating and

protecting the water that exists. (lines 24-26)

a. consuming

b. sharing

c. importing

Task 4: Identifying references

What do these words refer to?

¶ The word “that” (line 7) refers to _____________ .

· The word “it” (line 10) refers to ______________ .

¸ The word “its” (line 24) refers to _____________ .

¹ The word “it” (line 28) refers to _____________ .

Task 5: Summary cloze

Complete the following passage by choosing the correct answers from the choices given.

Water is the most __________ substance in human life. No other fluids can

serve as a(n) __________ to water. Our lives will be __________ if we don’t have clean

· ¸

and drinkable water to consume. Of all the earth’s water, only __________ percent is

available for our needs. However, a large number of __________ do not have access to

that amount. Most governments and organizations do not realize the importance of

__________. Consequently, a lot of hungry and thirsty people in poor countries are

facing the problems of __________ and __________. According to the author, the

¼ ½

actual cause of water problems is that some parts of the __________ cycle is broken as

people lack skills in __________ the available water.

Extension Tasks

Ê Discuss in small groups what you should do as a member of the world community to help solve the water crisis problem.

Ë In small groups, search for information from the Internet or any other source about the water crisis problem. Prepare to present the information to the class.

WORD LIST

access (n.)

adequate (adj.)

allocate (v.)

alternative (adj.)

alternative (n.)

aquifer (n.)

consequence (n.)

critical (adj.)

doom (v.)

(usually passive)

doom (n.)

fluid (n.)

fossil fuel (n.)

humanitarian (adj.)

humanitarian (n.)

instability (n.)

precious (adj.)

predominantly (adv.)

priority (n.)

sanitation (n.)

scarce (adj.)

a means of approaching, entering and making use of something

enough, sufficient

decide officially that a particular amount of money, time, etc. should be used for a particular purpose

that can be used instead of another one

choice or something that you can choose to do or use instead of something else

an underground layer of earth that yields water

result

very important, dangerous

make someone or something certain to fail, die or be

destroyed

the end of something especially by destruction or death, that will soon come and that you cannot avoid

a liquid

a natural material that can be burned to produce heat or energy and is produced by the very gradual decay of animals or plants over millions of years

concerned with improving bad living conditions and preventing the unfair treatment of people

a person who is involved in or concerned with improving people’s lives and reducing suffering

uncertainty in a situation that is caused by the possibility of sudden change

valuable and important and not to be wasted

mostly, mainly, largely

the thing that you think is most important and that needs attention before anything else

the protection of public health by removing and treating waste, dirty water, etc.

not enough

www.No-Poor.com

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