世界水资源的缺乏World Water Shortage
A new study warns that about thirty percent of the world's people may not have enough water by the year 2025.
一项新的研究结果提出警告：到2025年，世界上将有30%的人没有足够的水饮用。
A private American organization called Population Action International did the new study. It says more than three-hundred-thirty-five-million people lack enough water now. The people live in twenty-eight countries. Most of the countries are in Africa or the Middle East.
这项研究是由美国一家名叫“人口行动”的私立机构进行的。报告说现在世界上有三亿三千五百万人没有足够的水。这些人主要分布在非洲或中东的28个国家。
P-A-I researcher Robert Engelman says by the year 2025, about three-thousand-million people may lack water. At least 18 more countries are expected to have severe water problems. The demand for water keeps increasing. Yet the amount of water on Earth stays the same.
人口行动组织的研究人罗博特.安格曼说，到2025年大约三十亿人缺水。至少还有其他18个国家将可能面临同样严重的水短缺问题。人类对水的需求不断上升，但地球上水的还是保持不变。
Mr. Engelman says the population in countries that lack water is growing faster than in other parts of the world. He says population growth in these countries will continue to increase.
安格曼先生说，水短缺的国家的人口增长率要高于世界其他地区的人口增长率。他还说这些国家的人口出生率将持续增长。
The report says lack of water in the future may result in several problems. It may increase health problems. Lack of water often means drinking waters not safe. Mr. Engelman says there are problems all over the world because of diseases, such as cholera, which are carried in water. Lack of water may also result in more international conflict. Countries may have to compete for water in the future. Some countries now get sixty percent of their fresh water from other countries. This is true of Egypt, the Netherlands, Cambodia, Syria, Sudan, and Iraq. And the report says lack of water would affect the ability of developing to improve their economies. This is because new industries often need a large amount of water when they are beginning.
报告表明，在未来，水资源的缺乏可能会导致一些严重的后果。首先它可能会产生更多的健康问题。水资源的缺乏就意味着饮用水不再有保障。安格曼先生说，诸如霍乱等在水中传播的疾病会使世界出现许多问题。水缺乏也会引起更多的国际纷争。各国可能由于水而发动战争。现在有些国家，例如埃及，荷兰，柬埔寨，叙利亚，苏丹和伊拉克等，60%的纯净水是从国外进口的。报告认为水缺乏将影响发展国家发展经济的能力。这是因为新工业在开始阶段经常需要大量的水。
The Population Action International study gives several solutions to the water problem. One way, it says, is to find ways to use water for more than one purpose. Another way is to teach people to be careful not to waste water. A third way is to use less water of agriculture.
