For most of us, the rain that falls on our roof runs off into the ground or the sewer(下水道) system. But if you want to save a little water and reuse it on your lawns or plants --- or even use it for laundry, dishes, or other needs --- collecting rainwater from your gutter’s downspouts(檐槽的水落管) is a no-brainer.
According to John C. Davis, writing in E / The Environmental Magazine, just about any homeowner can collect rainwater, given that the roof and gutters do most of the work. And since an inch of rain falling on a 2,000-square-foot roof produces some 1,200 gallons of water, you can harvest enough to water your lawn or garden.
Plants and grass actually do better when fed rainwater instead of tap water, which is usually treated with substances that can hold back plant growth. Using rainwater can also extend the life of pipes, since the salts added to tap water may gradually damage the pipes. However, homeowners should set up a water purification system if they do plan to use rainwater for inside needs.
Rainwater harvesting can also be good for the local community, as it reduces the erosion, flooding, and pollution associated with heavy rainfall, and reduces dependence on public water supplies. So some states fund rainwater collection systems in their local communities.
Many varieties of rain barrel(桶) systems, starting at just $100, are available for home use. A typical setup is simply a rain barrel positioned under a gutter’s downspout. Skillful homeowners can make their own water harvesting systems, but buying one is a lot easier. Most garden centres offer a range of choices as well as tips.
小题1:The underlined word “no-brainer” in Para. 1 probably means something that ______.
A．is hard to deal with
B．is very easy
C．is of no real value
D．deserves more attention小题2:From Paragraphs 3 and 4, we can learn _______.
A．how to set up a water harvesting system
B．how a rain barrel system works
C．some advice on saving tap water
D．the benefits of using rainwater小题3:What is the topic of the passage ?
A．Basic gardening skills.
B．Water-saving techniques.
C．Wastewater treatment systems.
D．Roof rainwater collection.
小题1:B
小题2:D
小题3:D
题目分析：这篇文章是关于屋顶雨水的收集，以及回收屋顶雨水的好处，对植物的好处，对水管的好处，还有对我们的社会都是有好处的。
小题1:猜词题;这篇文章是关于怎么收集雨水的，作者认为这是很容易的。所以no-brainer.意思是“很容易”。选B
小题2:段落大意题：文章第三段的句子：Plants and grass actually do better when fed rainwater instead of tap water, 和第四段的句子：Rainwater harvesting can also be good for the local community,可知这两段讲的是回收雨水的好处。选D
小题3:主旨题：从第一段的句子：collecting rainwater from your gutter’s downspouts(檐槽的水落管) is a no-brainer.可知这篇文章是关于屋顶雨水的收集。选D
点评：本文要求考生读懂文章中的每个句子的意思还要推理它们之间的关系，结合自己的生活常识和经验，再通过逻辑推理和判断，理解文章的言外之意，从而揭示文章的深层涵义。任何一篇文章都有其特定的写作目的，读者应当知道如何去做或按照某种方式传递思考问题。推理判断题的答案不可能在文章中直接找到，因此推理时我们务必要忠于原文，在文章中寻找并确定可推论的依据，即：已知部分－推论的前提，从中推测出未知部分－推理的结论，切忌妄加评论，把自己的观点当成作者的观点。