A
(2019·沈阳教学质量监测)Encouraging life to bloom(兴旺) in the middle of a desert is no easy task. But one company in the United Arab Emirates has come up with a plan to provide drinking water for the state’s citizens. The company intends to drag icebergs from Antarctica to the gulf coast in order to harvest its fresh water.
The company plans to source the massive blocks of ice from Heard Island, around 600 miles off the coast of mainland Antarctica. It will then transport them around 5，500 miles to Fujairah, one part of the UAE. One iceberg could provide enough water for one million people over five years, according to the company.
The company’s director says they have already travelled the transportation route and checked the possibility of the scheme, according to reports in Gulf News. Speaking to the site about what he is calling the UAE Iceberg Project, Abdullah Mohammad Sulaiman Al Shehi said, “We have made the technical and financial plan. We will start the project at the beginning of 2018. We want it mainly for the water. It could also be good for tourism and the weather.”
The UAE is one of the driest countries in the world, due to its extremely arid climate, which receives less than four inches of rainfall per year. Despite that, it consumes more water than double the global national average, putting the country at severe risk of droughts over the next 25 years.
An average iceberg contains more than 20 billion gallons of water, according to the company. The iceberg takes a long time to melt as 80 percent of it is under the water, while the white ice above reflects sunlight and deflects(使转向) its heat. Blocks of ice will be placed in giant tanks, before being processed. “This is the purest water in the world，” Mr. Al Shehi added.
【解题导语】 本文是一篇说明文，文中介绍了阿联酋有一家公司计划把南极洲的冰山运到附近的海湾，以解决国内的缺水问题。
1．What can we learn about the UAE project?
A．It will help the UAE harvest fresh water.
B．It will encourage life to boom in Antarctica.
C．It will put the UAE at severe risk of droughts.
D．It will completely change the climate in the UAE.
A 解析：细节理解题。根据文章第一段中的“The company intends to drag icebergs from Antarctica to the gulf coast in order to harvest its fresh water.”可知，这个项目会给阿联酋带来淡水。故选A项。
2．Where could the block of ice come from?
A．The Atlantic Ocean. B．Fujairah.
C．The Gulf. D．Heard Island.
D 解析：细节理解题。根据文章第二段中的“The company plans to source the massive blocks of ice from Heard Island, around 600 miles off the coast of mainland Antarctica.”可知，这个公司计划从Heard Island上获取冰山。source在本句中表示 “从……获得”。
3．Which of the following may NOT benefit from the project?
A．The local people. B．Antarctica.
C．The weather. D．Tourism.
B 解析：细节理解题。根据文中第二段中的“One iceberg could provide enough water for one million people over five years”和第三段中的“It could also be good for tourism and the weather.”可知，冰山可以为人们带来淡水，这个项目对旅游业和气候也有利，结合题目要求可知选B项。
4．The author mentions the nature of ice in the last paragraph to show ．
A．the process of the project
B．the possibility of the plan
C．the purpose of the company
D．the comments on the scheme
B 解析：推理判断题。根据最后一段中提到的冰山含有大量的水且融化需要很长时间，再结合 “Blocks of ice will be placed in giant tanks, before being processed.”可以推知，作者在该段提及冰的特性意在表明该计划的可实施性，故选B项。
