阅读理解。
Rivers are one of our most important natural resources (自然资源). Many of the world's great cities
are located on rivers, and almost every country has at least one river flowing through. That plays an
important part in the lives of its people.
Since the beginning of history, people have used rivers for transportation. The longest one in the
United States is the Mississippi. The lifeline of Egypt is Nile. To the people of India, the Ganges is great,
but it is also important for transportation; ships can travel along it for a thousand miles. Other great rivers
are the Congo in Africa and the Mekong in Southeast Asia. The greatest of all for navigation (航海),
however, is the Amazon in Brazil. It is so wide and so deep that large ships can go about two thousand
miles upon it.
Besides transportation, rivers give food to eat, water to drink, water for crops, and chances for fun
and recreation for the people who live along their banks. In order to increase the supply of water for crops,
engineers sometimes build a dam (大坝) across a river and let a lake form behind the dam. Then people
can use the water not only to irrigate (灌溉) their fields but also to make electricity for their homes and
industries. However, large cities and industries that are located upon rivers often make problems. As the
cities grow in size and industries increase in number, the water in the rivers becomes polluted with
chemicals and other materials. People are learning the importance, however, of doing more to keep their
rivers clean if they want to enjoy the benefits (利益) of this natural resource.
1. The greatest river for navigation is . [ ]
A. the Amazon
B. the Nile
C. the Mekong
D. the Mississippi
2. Which of the following is WRONG according to the passage? [ ]
A. The Nile is in India.
B. Almost every country has at least one important river.
C. Many cities are located on rivers.
D. Rivers play an important part in the lives of people.
3. From a dam, people can use the water for . [ ]
A. keeping the rivers clean
B. only making electricity
C. washing clothes
D. irrigating and making electricity
4. The water in the river is polluted because of . [ ]
A. people's drinking water too much
B. people's swimming in the river too much
C. chemicals and other materials
D. people's building a dam across a river
5. The best title of the passage is ______. [ ]
A. Rivers in Cities
B. The Importance of Rivers
C. Transportation
D. Natural Resources
