2015年ESL之日常生活 15 Experiencing a Drought

Experiencing a Drought¹ 

Fabian: How long do you think this drought is going to last? 

Lia: I have no idea, but I’m not worried. I grew up in the desert. Not having enough precipitation was just a fact of life. 

Fabian: Yes, but people here aren’t used to getting this little rainfall. Their livelihood² depends on having a reliable water supply for their crops. 

Lia: You make it sound like we’re experiencing another Dust Bowl when the water table is just a little low. 

Fabian: I think it’s a little more serious than that. 

Lia: What we need here is a reservoir³. That would give this town the water reserves it needs in case of a drought. 

Fabian: What we really need are fewer dust storms and more thunderstorms. 

Lia: And for people to stop over farming. That and deforestation are half the problem. 

Fabian: You may be right, but that’s not what people want to hear right now. They need some relief. 

Lia: Maybe the town’s water conservation efforts will make a difference. 

Fabian: Well, I’m certainly willing to stop bathing if it’ll help. 

Lia: I thought you already had. 

 

Script⁴ by Dr. Lucy Tse 

1 drought   

n.旱灾，干旱，久旱

参考例句：

• The plants are growing in again,despite the drought.尽管干旱，植物又长出来了。
• The ground is as hard as stone after the drought.长期干旱后土地硬得就像石头一样。

2 livelihood   

n.生计，谋生之道

参考例句：

• Appropriate arrangements will be made for their work and livelihood.他们的工作和生活会得到妥善安排。
• My father gained a bare livelihood of family by his own hands.父亲靠自己的双手勉强维持家计。

3 reservoir   

n.水库，蓄水池；(人才等的)储藏，汇集

参考例句：

• The town is supplied with water from a reservoir.该城镇由小山中的一座水库供水。
• A large quantity of water is stored in the reservoir.水库存了大量的水。

4 script   

n.剧本，广播稿；文字体系；笔迹，手迹

参考例句：

• It's easy to identify his script.他的笔迹容易辨认。
• The script is massaged into final form.这篇稿子经过修改已定稿。