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    Two people in inner tubes enjoy a water slide at a vibrant water park.
     

    Dynamic Earth and dynamic human development come together—where?
    ::动态地球和动态人类发展走到一起——在哪里?

    At a  water  park! There may be nothing as fun as a water park on a hot  day . Fun is one of the uses of water. What are some others?
    ::在水上公园!在热天,可能没有什么比水上公园好玩的了。乐趣是用水的用途之一。还有什么其他的呢?

    Water Consumption
    ::水的消耗量

    Globally, humans consume about four trillion cubic meters of water per  year .  This is about six times higher than it was in the year 1900.  Of course, the human  population  has also increased in that time, but modern life in developed countries is also more resource-intensive.  The average person needs about 4 liters per day of drinking water.  In places with indoor plumbing, households might consume a few hundred liters per day for bathing, cleaning, and flushing toilets (in less-developed areas, people use a lot less).  But in many countries, the daily per-capita usage of water is over 2,000 liters.  What do people use all of that water for?
    ::从全球来看,人类每年消耗大约4万亿立方米的水,这比1900年高出约6倍。当然,当时人口也有所增加,但发达国家的现代生活也更需要资源。平均人每天需要4升饮用水。在有室内管道的地方,住户每天消耗几百升水洗澡、清洁和冲洗厕所(在欠发达地区,人们用量要少得多 ) 。 但在许多国家,每天人均用水量超过2 000升。 人们用这些水做什么?

    How We Use Water
    ::我们如何用水

    The image below shows how people use water worldwide ( Figure   ). The greatest use is for agriculture and then industry. Municipal use is last, but it is also important. Municipal use refers to water used by homes and businesses in communities.
    ::下图显示全世界人民如何用水(图)。 最大的用水是农业,然后是工业。 市政用水是最后的,但也很重要。 市政用水是指社区家庭和企业用水。

    Global water use chart showing agricultural (69%), industrial (23%), and municipal (7%) usage.
     
    In this global water use chart, see how much is used in agriculture. Why do you think so much water is used in agriculture?

    Agriculture
    ::农业 农业 农业

    Many crops are grown where there isn’t enough rainfall for plants to thrive. For example, crops are grown in  deserts  of the American Southwest. How is this possible? The answer is  irrigation .  Irrigation  is any way of providing extra water to plants. Most of the water used in agriculture is used for irrigation.  Livestock also use water.  Many crops are grown mainly to feed livestock, rather than feeding humans directly.
    ::许多作物都是在雨量不足,无法让植物生长的地方种植的。 比如,农作物是在美国西南部的沙漠里种植的。这怎么可能? 答案是灌溉。灌溉是给植物提供额外水的任何方式。 农业用水大多用于灌溉。 牲畜也用水。 许多作物主要用于养殖牲畜,而不是直接喂人。

    Irrigation can waste a lot of water. The type of irrigation pictured below ( Figure   ) is the most wasteful. The water is sprayed into the air and then falls to the ground. But much of the water never reaches the crops. Instead, it evaporates in the air or runs off the fields. Irrigation water may cause other problems. The water may dissolve agricultural chemicals such as  pesticides . When the water soaks into the ground, the dissolved chemicals do too. They may enter   or run off into  rivers  or  lakes . Salts in irrigation water can also collect in the  soil . The soil may get too salty for plants to grow.
    ::灌溉会浪费大量的水。下面(图)所描绘的灌溉类型是最浪费的。水喷入空气中,然后倒在地上。但大部分水从未到达作物。相反,它蒸发在空气中或从田地流出。灌溉水可能会引起其他问题。水可能会溶解农药等农用化学品。当水渗入地面时,溶解的化学物质也会溶解。它们可能进入或流出河流或湖泊。灌溉水中的盐也可以在土壤中收集。土壤可能太咸,无法生长。

    An overhead irrigation system watering crops in a field under a cloudy sky.
     
    Overhead irrigation systems like this one are widely used to irrigate crops on big farms. What are some drawbacks of irrigation?

    Industry
    ::工业工业工业

    Almost a quarter of the water used worldwide is used in industry. Industries use water for many purposes. Chemical processes need a lot of water. Water is used to generate electricity. An important way that industries use water is to cool machines and power plants.
    ::几乎全世界用水量的四分之一用于工业。工业用水有多种用途。化学过程需要大量的水。水用来发电。工业用水的一个重要方式是冷却机器和发电厂。

    Household Uses
    ::住户使用

    Think about all the ways people use water at home. Besides drinking it, they use it for cooking, bathing, washing dishes, doing laundry, and flushing toilets. The water used inside homes goes down the drain. From there it usually ends up in a sewer system. At the  sewage treatment  plant, water is treated and prepared for reuse.
    ::想想人们在家里用水的方式。除了饮用水外,他们还用它做饭、洗澡、洗碗、洗衣服、洗衣服和冲厕所。家庭用水从排水沟中排水,从那里到下水道系统。污水处理厂对水进行处理和准备再利用。

    Households may also use water outdoors. If your family has a lawn or garden, you may water them with a hose or sprinkler. You probably use water to wash the car ( Figure   ). Much of the water used outdoors evaporates or runs off into the gutter. The  runoff  water may end up in  storm  sewers that flow into a body of water, such as the ocean.
    ::家庭也可以户外用水。如果家庭有草坪或花园,你可以用水龙头或喷水器给家庭浇水。你可能用水洗车(图 )。户外使用的水大部分蒸发或冲进水沟。径流水可能最终流入下水道,流入海洋等水体。

    Two people washing a white vehicle with soap and water.
     
    What will happen to the water that runs off the car? Where will it go?

    Fun
    ::乐趣

    Fun wasn't on the pie chart ( Figure   ), but it's important, too! There are many ways to use water for fun, from white water rafting to snorkeling. When you do these activities, you don’t actually use water. You are doing the activity on or in the water. What do you think is the single biggest use of water for fun? Believe it or not, it’s golf! Keeping golf courses green uses an incredible amount of water. Since many golf courses are in sunny areas, much of the water is irrigation water. Like any similar sprinkler system, much of this water is wasted. It evaporates or runs off the ground.
    ::有趣的不是在馅饼图表上(图),但它也很重要!水的使用方式很多,从白水漂浮到潜水。当你从事这些活动时,你实际上并不使用水。你正在水中或水中做活动。你认为什么是用水来取乐的最大用途?信不信由你,高尔夫高尔夫高尔夫高尔夫高尔夫高尔夫高尔夫高尔夫高尔夫高尔夫高尔夫高尔夫高尔夫高尔夫高尔夫高尔夫高尔夫高尔夫高尔夫高尔夫高尔夫高尔夫高尔夫高尔高尔高尔高尔高地使用惊人的水量的水量。由于许多高尔夫高尔高尔高尔高尔高地在阳光下地区,所以大部分水都是灌溉水。像任何类似的喷洒系统一样,这些水大量是浪费的。它蒸发或流出地面。

    A green oasis with water in a desert setting, surrounded by sand dunes.
     
    Sunshine brings golfers to the desert, but a lot of water is needed to make the desert green enough to play.

    Environment
    ::环境环境环境

    It's important to leave some water for the environment. In some places, water is used for wildlife  habitat . Human-made lakes create places for fish and water birds. Leaving water in the  ecosystems  keeps the environment good for many  species  of plants and animals.
    ::给环境留下一些水很重要。在有些地方,水被用于野生生物栖息地。 人为的湖泊为鱼类和水鸟创造了场所。 给生态系统留下的水能为许多动植物物种带来良好的环境。

    Summary
    ::摘要

    • People use water for agriculture, industry, and consumption.
      ::人们将水用于农业、工业和消费。
    • Water can also be used for fun and for the environment.
      ::水也可以用于娱乐和环境。
    • Some water must remain in the environment to support ecosystems.
      ::一些水必须留在环境中,以支持生态系统。

    Review
    ::回顾

    1. Why do people use so much more water than they used to?
      ::为什么人们用水量比过去多这么多?
    1. How is water used for agriculture? How can it be used better?
      ::如何将水用于农业,如何更好地加以利用?
    1. Why is it important to have water for fun and for the environment?
      ::为什么必须有水来取乐和保护环境?