英语听力：自然百科 神奇水世界 Water-14

 Today we take our control of water for granted. Modern civilization couldn't exist without it. But there is still only a finite amount of water to go around. In many parts of the world, scarcity¹ has led to a bitter struggle for control over the available supply.

 

And that's true, in even the wealthiest countries. Today Los Angeles is a city with every luxury and convenience. Yet not so long ago at the turn of the last century, Los Angeles was struggling. LA's problem was its location, hemmed² there on three sides by desert and on the fourth by ocean. So it led to the most basic requirement for city life - a reliable water supply. So it came up with a plan to get the water it so needed.

 

250 miles to the north of the growing city, nestled next to the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range was a place called Owens Valley. It was a fertile place where people were settling and building farms. At the heart of it was plentiful³ water, a wide river feeding a huge lake.

 

This valley must have seemed as the answer to Los Angeles' prayers. There was enough water here to easily supply over one million people. There was only one problem. It didn't belong to them. It belonged to the farmers of Owens Valley. We'd have to be taking by stealth.

 

It wasn't long before men appeared in the valley, masquerading as investors⁴. They offered to buy off farmland at seeming irresistible⁵ prices, just to get the water rights that went with it. It wasn't technically⁶ illegal but it was certainly shady. And it worked. In 1913 after 6 years of construction, an aqueduct was opened, and that is it.

 

In a way this aqueduct was a triumph, certainly, as far as Los Angeles was concerned. It allowed millions of people, 200 miles there now, to live in a growing and vibrant⁷ city. But that's not how people here thought. The Owens Valley farmers didn't give up without a struggle.

1 scarcity   

n.缺乏，不足，萧条

参考例句：

• The scarcity of skilled workers is worrying the government.熟练工人的缺乏困扰着政府。
• The scarcity of fruit was caused by the drought.水果供不应求是由于干旱造成的。

2 hemmed   

缝…的褶边( hem的过去式和过去分词 )； 包围

参考例句：

• He hemmed and hawed but wouldn't say anything definite. 他总是哼儿哈儿的，就是不说句痛快话。
• The soldiers were hemmed in on all sides. 士兵们被四面包围了。

3 plentiful   

adj.富裕的，丰富的

参考例句：

• Their family has a plentiful harvest this year.他们家今年又丰收了。
• Rainfall is plentiful in the area.这个地区雨量充足。

4 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

5 irresistible   

adj.非常诱人的，无法拒绝的，无法抗拒的

参考例句：

• The wheel of history rolls forward with an irresistible force.历史车轮滚滚向前，势不可挡。
• She saw an irresistible skirt in the store window.她看见商店的橱窗里有一条叫人着迷的裙子。

6 technically   

adv.专门地，技术上地

参考例句：

• Technically it is the most advanced equipment ever.从技术上说，这是最先进的设备。
• The tomato is technically a fruit,although it is eaten as a vegetable.严格地说，西红柿是一种水果，尽管它是当作蔬菜吃的。

7 vibrant   

adj.震颤的，响亮的，充满活力的，精力充沛的，(色彩)鲜明的

参考例句：

• He always uses vibrant colours in his paintings. 他在画中总是使用鲜明的色彩。
• She gave a vibrant performance in the leading role in the school play.她在学校表演中生气盎然地扮演了主角。