202 Useful Exercises for IELTS Side1-14-Ex2.3RadioItem3

Narrator: Exercise 2.3. Radio Item 3:
RADIO Announcer: Today's edition of 'PlanetWatch' brings you our latest world environmental report. This week, Troy
ITEM Hartwell takes a brief look at the most precious substance on Earth: water.
3 Troy: The surface of our planet is two-thirds water, of which 97% is seawater and therefore undrinkable; a further
2% is ice - unusable - that is, because it is locked up in the polar icecaps. This leaves a comparatively minute area
of 12,600 cubic kilometres of fresh water, scattered¹ unevenly² about the globe, for drinking, bathing and other
personal use. Of course, by far the largest percentage of available fresh water is used for farming - over 70% -
102APPENDIX 1 - TAPESCRIPTS
while industry consumes up to 25%.
The major problem is that our water is far too easily contaminated in a world which produces a staggering amount
of pesticides³ from agriculture as well as industrial waste from manufacturing plants - a large proportion of which
ends up in the rivers and streams that feed the reservoirs we rely on to supply us with fresh water. In addition,
in many poor and developing countries of the world, sewage is added untreated to flowing and non-flowing water
sources causing devastating⁴ outbreaks of disease and, sadly, more than 25,000 deaths per day. One startling
statistic⁵, which shows the extent of water pollution in a major nation, is taken from a recent United Nations report
which estimates that over 78% of people in China drink from polluted water supplies.
Unfortunately, the enormous efforts that humankind has taken to provide plentiful⁶ fresh water for all - I refer to
the more than 35,000 large dam and hydro-electric turbine construction projects throughout the world - these might
well be ultimately responsible for falling water tables, the shrinking of natural lakes, and shrivelling rivers
everywhere. One consequence of artificially diverting massive amounts of water is the loss of trees, plants and
wildlife that depend on wet areas that are fast drying up. It is clear the 21st century's greatest challenge will be
to reverse these worrying trends towards a drier and, therefore, dirtier world. Troy Hartwell for 'Planet Watch'.
Announcer: School project kits⁷ on this week's topic are available by telephoning this number now: 0171-825-992.
I'll repeat that number ... 0171-825-992

1 scattered   

adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的

参考例句：

• Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来，塞进文件夹里。

2 unevenly   

adv.不均匀的

参考例句：

• Fuel resources are very unevenly distributed. 燃料资源分布很不均匀。
• The cloth is dyed unevenly. 布染花了。

3 pesticides   

n.杀虫剂( pesticide的名词复数 )；除害药物

参考例句：

• vegetables grown without the use of pesticides 未用杀虫剂种植的蔬菜
• There is a lot of concern over the amount of herbicides and pesticides used in farming. 人们对农业上灭草剂和杀虫剂的用量非常担忧。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

5 statistic   

n.统计量；adj.统计的，统计学的

参考例句：

• Official statistics show real wages declining by 24%.官方统计数字表明实际工资下降了24%。
• There are no reliable statistics for the number of deaths in the battle.关于阵亡人数没有可靠的统计数字。

6 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。

7 kits   

衣物和装备( kit的名词复数 )； 成套用品； 配套元件

参考例句：

• Keep your kits closed and locked when not in use. 不用的话把你的装备都锁好放好。
• Gifts Articles, Toy and Games, Wooden Toys, Puzzles, Craft Kits. 采购产品礼品，玩具和游戏，木制的玩具，智力玩具，手艺装备。