Reading Text on “Water Shortage” with Comprehension Questions

 Today’s headline reads, “Water Shortage – Please Conserve.” What’s all this about? Isn’t water a renewable resource? We could use as much as we want. But, wait a minute. It’s true that water is renewable. The water cycle shows us that. However, we need the right kind of water in the right places all the time which doesn’t always happen. Why?

The water cycle is constantly working. The sun evaporates water into the air from the lakes and oceans. As the air is saturated and cooled, clouds form. Then the water falls to the ground as rain or snow. The water then flows into the ground; into lakes, rivers, and streams; and back to the ocean. Then it starts again.

All life needs portable water to survive. You can go days without food but not without water. If you don’t get the water you need, your body dehydrates. 97% of the water on earth is in the ocean. The salt in the ocean water makes it unusable. Another 2% is frozen in the ice caps and glaciers on the earth. Only 1% of the water on earth is available for us to use. Where you live, the amount of rain that falls, and how water is collected and reserved are all factors which affect the amount of cool, clear water available.

One factor that we can’t change is where it will rain. The amount of rain an area receives affects the amount of water available for use. Some major cities are located in areas where they can get water from the ground. Others use surface water from lakes or rivers. Other cities must get water from faraway places. No matter where we live, we must be careful with the water we have in our area.

A- ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS IN YOUR OWN WORDS.

1. What is the importance of water cycle?
2. Four factors affect the amount of water we have. What are they?
3.  How do different cities get water?

B- ARE THESE SENTENCES TRUE OR FALSE? JUSTIFY.

1. Water cycle sometimes stops and causes problems.
2. The amount of water available for use depends on the amount of rain.
3. 97% of the water on earth is useful.

C- FIND IN THE TEXT WORDS OR EXPRESSIONS THAT MEAN THE SAME AS:

1. to change from liquid to gas (paragraph 2) ……………………………………
2. can’t be used (paragraph 3) ……………………………………….
3. influences (paragraph 4) ………………………………………………………………

D- WHAT DO THE UNDERLINED WORDS IN THE TEXT REFER TO?

1. That (paragraph 1) refers to ………………………………..
2. Others (paragraph 4) refers to ………………………………

E- PICK OUT FROM THE TEXT EXPRESSIONS WHICH SHOW THAT:

The problem lies in the quality of water we have not in its quantity.