learn chinese in hong kong – Obtaining Fresh water from icebergs

Mandarin Lesson

Obtaining Fresh water from icebergs

The concept of obtaining fresh water from icebergs that are towed to populated areas and arid regions of the world was once treated as a joke more appropriate to cartoons than real life. But now it is being considered quite seriously by many nations, especially since scientists have warned that the human race will outgrow its fresh water supply faster than it runs out of food.

Glaciers are a possible source of fresh water that has been overlooked until recently. Three-quarters of the Earth’s fresh water supply is still tied up in glacial ice, a reservoir of untapped fresh water so immense that it could sustain all the rivers of the world for 1,000 years. Floating on the oceans every year are 7,659 trillion metric tons of ice encased in 10000 icebergs that break away from the polar ice caps, more than ninety percent of them from Antarctica.

從冰山中獲取淡水

把冰山拖到世界上人口稠密的地區和乾旱地帶，再從中獲取淡水，這個想法曾一度被認為是一個笑話，更適合於卡通畫，而非現實生活。然而現在，許多國家正相當認真地考慮這件事情，特別是在科學家們發出警告之後。科學家們認為人類將在耗盡糧食之前首先耗盡淡水資源。

冰川是一個直到最近以前一直被忽視的可能的淡水源。全球四分之三的淡水還鎖在冰川的冰塊中。冰川就是一個蓄水池，其中未開發的淡水量是如此巨大，足夠支持全世界的江河1000年。每年有7，659萬億公噸冰漂流在海洋中。它們包含在10，000座從極地冰帽中斷裂出來的冰山中。這些冰山的90%以上來自南極。

Cóng bīngshān zhōng huòqǔ dànshuǐ

Bǎ bīngshān tuō dào shìjiè shàng rénkǒu chóumì dì dìqū hé gānhàn dìdài, zài cóngzhōng huòqǔ dànshuǐ, zhège xiǎngfǎ céng yīdù bèi rènwéi shì yīgè xiàohuà, gèng shìhé yú kǎtōng huà, ér fēi xiànshí shēnghuó. Rán’ér xiànzài, xǔduō guójiā zhèng xiāngdāng rènzhēn dì kǎolǜ zhè jiàn shìqíng, tèbié shì zài kēxuéjiāmen fāchū jǐnggào zhīhòu. Kēxuéjiāmen rènwéi rénlèi jiàng zài hào jìn liángshí zhīqián shǒuxiān hào jìn dànshuǐ zīyuán. Bīngchuān shì yīgè zhídào zuìjìn yǐqián yīzhí bèi hūshì de kěnéng de dànshuǐ yuán. Quánqiú sì fēn zhī sān de dànshuǐ hái suǒ zài bīngchuān de bīng kuài zhōng. Bīngchuān jiùshì yīgè xù shuǐ chí, qízhōng wèi kāifā de dànshuǐ liàng shì rúcǐ jùdà, zúgòu zhīchí quán shìjiè de jiānghé 1000 nián. Měinián yǒu 7,659 wàn yì gōngdùn bīng piāoliú zài hǎiyáng zhōng. Tāmen bāohán zài 10,000 zuò cóng jídì bīng mào zhōng duànliè chūlái de bīngshān zhōng. Zhèxiē bīngshān de 90%yǐshàng láizì nánjí.