阅读理解

　　Napoga is a 12-year-old girl in Ghana(加纳)，Africa．It is hard for her family to get clean water．Every morning，she leaves home at half past five to get clean water for her family in a village far away．It takes her six hours to get enough clean water for daily cooking and drinking．She has no time to go to school or to play with her friends．Millions of people in the world are like Napoga．They can't get enough clean water to keep healthy．

　　Earth Day is April 22．But on all other days，we must also remember it．The water we use is the most important natural resource(自然资源)on the earth．

　　Water covers 70％ of the earth's surface．But most of that is sea water．We can't use it for very many things．Fresh water covers only 1％ of the earth's surface．

　　You probably feel lucky that your life isn't as hard as Napoga's．But that doesn't mean you don't have to worry about water．We all face serious water problems．One of them is water pollution．All kinds of things from cars，factories，farms and homes make our rivers，lakes，and oceans dirty．Polluted water is very bad for people to drink．And dirty water is bad for fish，too．Now, 34％ of all kinds of fish are dying out．

　　How do cars and factories make our water dirty? First，they pollute the air．Then，when it rains，the rain water comes down and makes our drinking water dirty．Dirty rain，called acid rain(酸雨)，is also bad for plants，animals and buildings．

　　Scientists say that in 30 years，more than half of the people in the world won't have enough clean water．We have to learn how to save more water for ourselves and our children．Here is some advice for saving water：

　　●Turn off the water while you brush your teeth．You can save as much as 450 liters(升)each month．

　　●Leaky taps(漏水的龙头)waste a lot of water．Fix them right away!

　　●You can easily cut your 10-minute showers in half-and you'll be just as clean．

　　●When you wash dishes，don't let the water run．

　　●Only wash clothes when you have a lot to wash．If your washing machine isn't full，you're wasting water!

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

　　Humans have always dreamed of finding a way to leave traffic jams(交通堵塞)behind．Well, dream no longer．The flying car and pod car(豆荚车)can help cut down on traffic jams．

　　The world’s“first flying car”, called the Terrafugia Transition, has made its first flight in the skies of the US．It can fly 640 km through the air without adding more gas, the car maker, Terrafugia Inc, says．

　　As a light airplane, it is not easy for the Terrafugia Transition to fly in poor weather．However, it has the advantage of being able to continue the journey by road if conditions take a turn for the worse．

　　This is the first proven flying car with foldable wings．These allow it to perfectly transfer from air to road．

　　However, there are a few problems．The car/plane, which is expected to go on sale as early as 2011, will cost about ＄194, 000(1.33 million yuan)．Drivers will also need a driver’s and pilot’s license．

　　For those afraid of heights, or who don’t want to fly, the pod car is a great way to travel．Imagine using a button to stop the small pod-shape car．The doors open, you climb into the passenger seat, and enter your personal number．Minutes later, the doors slide open and you have reached the place where you’re going．

　　Cities around the world are looking into pod-car systems, as pod cars do not need human drivers．They are designed for one person or small groups traveling together．Passengers simply type their place into the pod car’s computer and the pod car takes them directly there．

　　Because pod cars do not make unnecessary stops and use electricity, they save a lot of energy and do not pollute the air．Pod cars also provide passengers with faster service and more privacy than a subway or bus．

　　While flying cars and pod cars may be a dream available to a few, many humans are still dreaming bigger dreams, such as teleportation(瞬间位移术)．It is most widely found in works of science fiction．

　Telep ortation is a method of transportation, in which, objects or information are dematerialized(使消失), and then recreated in another place．Maybe one day, teleportation could become a reality and people could avoid traffic jams for ever!

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)