Question

阅读理解 　　It has shined and steamed at the lowest point on Earth since the ancient time．Its silence and curing powers have attracted people from biblical(圣经的)mystics to modern tourists．But the Dead Sea has been quietly dying for years． 　　And the two states next to its shrinking shoreline, Israel and Jordan, face serious economic and ecological challenges in considering how to save a unique natural wonder of the world． 　　They have begun to consider a“Red－Dead”solution－a canal to pump water from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea．But huge costs, and the risk both of damaging the Red's famous coral reefs and weakening the Dead's medicinal minerals, stand in the way． 　　Known as the Dead Sea because nothing can live in it, the world's saltiest body of water has fallen from 390 metres to 417 metres below sea level in the last 50 years．The drop has sped up to a metre a year recently, making a third of its ancient 950 square km size lost．Modern economics are to blame－taking too much Jordan River water that feeds the Dead Sea to rain－starved farmland． 　　Hotels and health spas(旅游胜地)built along the beach below desert cliffs, as well as sites holy to Jews, Christians and Muslims, are now a kilometre or more from the water's edge．Retired Swiss couple Jean and Esther Haensenberger have been spending their yearly“Kur”－a Central European tradition of taking medicinal baths to treat skin illness and stress－at Israel's flagship Dead Sea resort of Ein Gedi since the 1980s．At first, they could walk a few paces from the Ein Gedi Spa to the beach for a float in windless waters so floating that one can read a book while lying on one's back．Now visitors board a tractor－drawn trolley that takes them a kilometre to the water． 　　“It's over twice the distance out today．It's sad that another rare preserve of nature is disappearing．”said Jean Haensenberger as he and his wife rode to the shore,“If the sea keeps going down, will people like us keep coming?” (1) What's the risk the“Red－Dead”solution may have? [　　] A． It may change the nature of the Dead Sea． B． It may destroy the famous coral． C． It may make the medicinal materials disappear． D． It may cost too much money． (2) The main problem the Dead Sea faces is ________． [　　] A． it steams too fast B． it is getting smaller and smaller C． more and more visitors visit it D． it is getting dirtier and dirtier (3) One of the causes that makes the Dead Sea smaller is ________． [　　] A． hotels built along the beach B． the growing tourism C． less and less rainfall D． too much water was taken to farmland (4) What disadvantage has the disappearing Dead Sea brought to the tourists? [　　] A． Tourists won't come to the Dead Sea． B． Its nature is changing． C． Tourists have to go much farther to the water． D． The water in the Dead Sea is becoming saltier and saltier．

Answer 1

答案：1．A;2．B;3．D;4．C;
解析：

(1)	这种拯救死海的方式带来的风险是可能会改变水质，损害珊瑚，破坏海水的药用价值，由第三段They have begun to consider a“Red－Dead”solution－a canal to pump water from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea．But huge costs, and the risk both of damaging the Red's famous coral reefs and weakening the Dead's medicinal minerals, stand in the way．得出拯救死海的办法是从红海中向死海输送水源，但有一定的危害．stand in the way“阻碍”．
(2)	死海海水在迅速减少，面临消失的危险．由首段the Dead Sea has been quietly dying for years得出．
(3)	文中提到大量抽取本应流入死海的河水用于农田灌溉，是其主要原因．由第四段taking too much Jordan River water that feeds the Dead Sea to rain－starved farmland得出．rain－starved缺少雨水的；take…to…把……送入……．
(4)	从最后两段得出，游客抱怨的是他们离海水越来越远．原来只需走几步，现在要坐车走一英里多．(Now visitors board a tractor－drawn trolley that takes them a kilometre to the water．“It's over twice the distance out today．It's sad that another rare preserve of nature is disappearing．”said Jean Haensenberger as he and his wife rode to the shore．)a tractor－drawn trolley拖车；twice the distance两倍的距离．