Online Class Notes (Nemo)[Joey]

Saving water
We need it to drink, wash, cook and flush the toilet. Farmers need it to grow our food. Factories need it to make the products (and their packaging) that we buy. Power stations need it to produce the energy we use. Yes – it’s water! And we use a lot.

That’s OK – there’s a lot of water on our planet!

True! But did you know that we can’t use most of it? That’s because it’s salt water (in seas and oceans) or freshwater which is ice or in the ground. In total, we can use less than 1 per cent of all the water on the planet!

So why is it a problem now?

Well, the world’s population is increasing really fast, so more and more people are using water, and more and more water’s being used to make food, products and energy for those people! And we mustn’t forget that things like climate change and pollution are also bad for our water supply. We’re starting to use more water than our planet can give us – which means one day, we might not have enough. So let’s start saving water now!

Seven ways to save water
Turn off the tap. Don’t leave the water running when you’re not using it, for example when you’re brushing your teeth.
Don’t play with water. It’s fun but it wastes a lot of water.
Take a shower instead of a bath. Baths use more water than showers. But try not to spend more than five minutes in the shower!
Water plants carefully. Don’t water them when the sun is strong. Morning or evening’s better.
Don’t waste food. If you make a meal, don’t make too much, or eat the rest the next day!*****
Don’t waste products. Reduce, reuse, recycle instead! Reduce the number of plastic bags you get. Reuse things like boxes and bottles. Recycle instead of throwing in the bin!
Don’t waste energy. For example, turn off lights when you leave a room.
What other ways can you think of?

Vocabulary

increase (v): to (make something) become larger in amount or size
增大；增加；增强
Incidents of armed robbery have increased over the last few years.
持械抢劫案近几年增多了。
The cost of the project has increased dramatically/significantly since it began.
该项目自开始以来成本就急剧上升。
Gradually increase the temperature to boiling point.
逐步加热至沸点。
Increased/Increasing efforts are being made to end the dispute.
正在尽更大努力来结束这场争端。

waste (v):to use too much of something or use something badly when there is a limited amount of it
浪费；未好好利用
You waste a lot of water by taking a bath instead of a shower.
洗盆浴而不洗淋浴，你会浪费大量的水。
Come on, let’s get started – we’ve wasted enough time already.
快点儿，我们开始吧——我们已经浪费了不少时间了。
Don’t waste your money on such junk.
别在这种垃圾上浪费你的钱。

factory (n): a building or set of buildings where large amounts of goods are made using machines
工厂
a car/shoe/textile factory
汽车／制鞋／纺织厂
a factory worker/manager
工厂工人／经理

supply (v): to provide something that is wanted or needed, often in large quantities and over a long period of time
供应，提供，供给
Electrical power is supplied by underground cables.
电力是由地下电缆输送的。
At the beginning of the semester, students are supplied with a list of books that they are expected to read.
在学期初，学生们拿到了一份阅读书目清单。