We use an average of 158 liters of water a day in Britain, for which we pay a ba

We use an average of 158 liters of water a day inBritain, for which we pay a bargain price of 28p a liter, but much of this isjust cash down the drain, according to water companies.

Most are campaigning to cut the amount we use. And thefrontline weapon in their campaign is the water meter (计量器). They want us all to have one and one company isseeking powers to make this compulsory.

The Government is anxious for us to use less water,too. Elliot Morley, the Environment Minister, says he is impressed by thesavings when a meter is installed. In most homes, consumption drops by 20percent.

He also thinks consumers get a good deal from meters.He said, “Most people would find that they would either be exactly the same orbetter off with water meters and it is a fairer way of paying for water.”

At present, only 25% of households have meters andmost of those are in East Anglia. They are installed by water companies, andhouseholds then have about ￡43 added to each bill tocover the cost of installing and reading the meter.

Barrie Clarke, a spokesman for Water UK, said, “Wewant everyone to be more water wise—to think about the amount of water theyuse. But with our climate change and different weather patterns, over time itwill make economic and environmental sense to think how we use water. This maymean meters.”

Mr. Clarke believes the easiest way to save water isto use less in the garden. In one hour, a sprinkler uses the same amount ofwater as the average family of four uses in a day—about 632 liters. He saidthat gardeners should water in the evening so that it dose not evaporatein the heat of the day and that every household should have a water butt tocollect rainwater for use in the garden.

1.Which of the following is NOT the advantage ofinstalling water meters?

A．Waterconsumption drops.

B．It’s fairer to pay for water.

C．They’re installed for free.

D．People aremore water wise.

2.The passage implies that ________.

A．water metersare welcome by British people

B．people willbe better off with water meters

C．everyone hasbecome wiser to use water now

D．saving wateris both good to economy and environment

3.How many liters of water does an average family offour use in a day after installing a meter in Britain?

A．about 126liters                        B．about 158liters

C．about 506liters                         D．about 632liters

4.The underlined word “evaporate” in the lastparagraph means _________.

A．change intosteam and disappears

B．absorb theheat of the day

C．sink into thesoil

D．turn into ice

5.According to Mr. Clarke, some good ways to savewater are as follows EXCEPT ________.

A．using less onthe garden

B．using asprinkler

C．watering inthe evening

D．gatheringrainfall for garden use

试题答案

【答案】

1.C

2.D

3.C

4.A

5.B

【解析】

试题