UNIT 1: WATER CRISIS

UNIT 1
WATER CRISIS

Facts about "Water Crisis":

- One-sixth of the world's population in the world does not have

access to safe drinking water.

- Every 20 seconds, a child dies from a water-related disease.

- While the average African family uses 5 gallons per day, each
American uses 100 to 175 gallons of water per day.

Pre-reading Questions:

1. What does the picture say?

2. What uses does water have?
3. What happens if there is no water?


 UNIT 1: WATER CRISIS

Living under a Blue Crisis

Although two-thirds of our planet is water, we face a serious water

shortage. The water crisis1 is the most severe2 and most invisible
dimension of the ecological crisis of the earth. In 1998, 28 countries
experienced water shortage. This number is expected to rise to 56 by
2025. Between 1990 and 2025 the number of people living in countries
without adequate water will rise from 131 million to 817 million.

During the past century, while world population has tripled3, the use
of fresh water for human consumption, agriculture, and other
activities has increased sixfold. Some rivers that formerly reached the
sea no longer do so—all of the water is used by human before it
reaches the river’s mouth. Half the world’s wetlands4 have
disappeared in the same period, and today 20 percent of freshwater
species are endangered or extinct.

Worse still, world water use will increase by about 50 percent in the
next 30 years. It is estimated5 that, by 2025, 4 billion people—half the
world’s population at that time—will live under conditions of severe
water stress, with conditions particularly severe in Africa, the Middle
East, and South Asia.

Currently, an estimated 1.1 billion people lack access to safe water,

and 2.6 billion are without adequate sanitation6. These numbers are
likely to grow worse in the coming decades.

1
a difficult or dangerous situation
2
very bad; very serious
3
to increase by three times
4
an area of very wet muddy land with wild plants
5
to say what you think an amount or value will be
6
state of being clean


 UNIT 1: WATER CRISIS

Reading Comprehension

A. Choose the correct answer for each question:

1. In 20th century, the world population increased by …………. times.
a. two
b. three
c. four

2. Which part of the world will face severe water crisis in near future?
a. Europe
b. Africa
c. America

3. During the 20th century, ………………………

a. some wetlands have disappeared
b. the world population has increased sixfold
c. some river water has reached the sea

4. We understand from paragraph 3 that ……….

a. Africans are more in danger of water shortage
b. most river waters are used by people
c. water consumption is increased in near future

B. Read the sentences; put T for TRUE or F for FALSE. If a sentence is false,
change it and make it true:
1. In 2025, only 131 countries experience water shortage.
2. The number of countries facing water shortage is increasing.
3. Due to the world population, the water of all rivers is used by people.
4. Only poor countries face water problem.


 UNIT 1: WATER CRISIS

C. Read the passage and find the following information:

Paragraph Answer
number
1. The earth's most serious ecological problem
2. The number of people estimated to live without
safe water
3. The fields in which fresh water is used
4. The number of people predicted to live under
severe condition of water crisis by 2025

D. Match two halves of each sentence:

1. If the world population increases, a. but also many species are dying.
2. Most parts of the world are b. but water shortage is a real
covered by water, crisis.
3. Many water lands not only are c. they cannot reach the sea any
disappearing, longer.
4. When all rivers are used up, d. the use of water will rise.

E. In each sentence, circle the best answer. The words in italics are from the
passage:
1. Water crisis is an invisible problem. It is not ………..easily.
a. seen b. accessed c. increased

2. If animals disappear, they don’t ……….. anymore.

a. increase b. grow c. live

3. In future, people will live with water shortage. In other words, they do
not have ………water.
a. severe b. enough c. inadequate


 UNIT 1: WATER CRISIS

Vocabulary Comprehension

F. Match the words with their definitions:

( ) dimension a. good enough
( ) ecological b. relating to the environment
( ) adequate c. a period of ten years
( ) access d. something that no longer exists
( ) extinct e. the use of something such as fuel or energy
( ) consumption f. the right to use something
( ) decade g. part of a situation

G. Odd Word Out: for each group, circle the word that does not belong. The
words in italics are vocabulary items from the passage:
1. a. at present b. former c. now d. currently
2. a. rise b. decrease c. expand d. increase
3. a. specifically b. especially c. formerly d. particularly

Vocabulary Skill
Synonyms
Synonyms are words with similar meanings. For example, "rise"
and "increase". Learning synonyms is a good way to increase our
vocabulary and improve our comprehension as well as writing.

H. Read the sentences below. Circle words that are synonyms for the underlined
words:
1. Water crisis is an important dimension of the present ecological crisis.
There are also some other aspects that the world will face in near future.

2. As a nation, our water consumption is terribly increasing. So we should

be careful about its use in our daily activities.

3. The water crisis is growing worse. In coming decades, it is believed that

this situation is becoming more severe.


 UNIT 1: WATER CRISIS

Grammar Focus
Verb
A verb is often defined as a word which shows action, event or state of
being. The verb is the heart of a sentence - every sentence must have a
verb. Recognizing the verb is often the most important step in understanding
the meaning of a sentence.
In the sentence: "Today many people use unsafe water", use is the verb and
it shows the action of the sentence.
In the sentence: "Many children in Africa are thirsty", there is no action but a
state of being expressed by the verb are.

I. Read the first paragraph of the passage, find the verbs and write them here:
line 1 ………………………..

line 2 ………………………..

line 3 ………………………..

line 4 ………………………..

line 5 ………………………..

J. Read the following sentences, then circle the verbs.

1. The number of thirsty people is growing.

2. World water use will increase in near future.

3. The world is faced with a serious water shortage.

4. The global water crisis affects the poor societies.

5. Everyone should be careful about water use in everyday activities.


 UNIT 1: WATER CRISIS

Cloze

K. Complete the passage by filling in the blanks with the words in the box:
worse - serious – access – problem - regions – developing

More than two billion people worldwide live in ……………. facing water
scarcity. The global water crisis affects the poor above all, as two thirds of
the 1.1 billion people with inadequate ……………. to water live in the
……………. world. For example, in India this is a particularly ……………. crisis.
Millions of Indians currently lack access to clean drinking water, and the
situation is only getting …………….. Unfortunately, despite its seriousness, the
global water crisis is known as an invisible ……………. of the modern life.

Pair work

L. According to the above passage, answer the following questions in pairs:

1. Which group of people is more in danger of water crisis?

2. Why is the current water crisis called an invisible problem?

M. Pay attention to the words in the left column; then circle their correct
meanings in the right column.

Word Meaning
region zone/ farm
affect influence/ provide
scarcity richness/shortage
inadequate scarce/ enough


 UNIT 1: WATER CRISIS

Reading the picture

N. According to the passage, mark the world parts whose people will be faced
with much severe water crisis in near future:

Discussion

O. Discuss the following question with your classmates:

- Do you think that our country is experiencing water crisis? If yes, in what
ways? If not, why not?