Freshwater is the liquid of life. Without it the-planet would be a 1)barren wasteland. あ)When water is plentiful, it's taken for granted and a great deal of it is wasted. However, water is a precious and often scarce resource in many parts of the worlds. The supply of water is finite, but demand is rising rapidly as population grows and as water use per person increases. In an effort to spur action to meet the 2)impending crisis, the UN General Assembly has proclaimed the period from 2005 to 2015 as the International Decade for Action, "Water for Life".

In theory, some 34,000km³ of freshwater are available globally for human use every year. If evenly distributed this would provide each person with roughly 8,000m³ of water per year (based on the population in 2000). This amount would be enough to 3)meet human needs, if freshwater were evenly distributed. But a)available freshwater supplies are not distributed evenly around the globe, throughout the seasons, or from year to year. For instance, the Congo River and its tributaries account for about 30% of the entire African continent's annual runoff, but the watershed contains only 10% of Africa's population. Two-thirds of the world's population – around 4 billion people - live in areas receiving only one-quarter of the world's annual rainfall.

多くの開発途上国において, 真水の供給は季節性の降雨により提供される。このような雨は, とても急激に流れ出るので, 効率よく使用できない。 India, for example, gets 90% of its annual rainfall during the summer monsoon season, which lasts from June to September. For the other eight months the country gets barely a drop.

Pollution of rivers and lakes reduce accessible fresh water supplies. Each year roughly 450km³ of wastewater are discharged into rivers, streams and lakes. Having safe drinking water would 4)impact people's lives and health. More than 80% of diseases, including typhoid fever and cholera, are associated with b)foul water and improper sanitation. Each year, more than 5 million people die from water pollution-related illnesses. This is the leading cause of death for children under five. To 5)clean and transport dirty water before it can be used again, another 6,000km³ of clean water are needed-an amount equal to about two-thirds of the world's total annual useable fresh water runoff.

The amount of water that people use depends not only on basic needs and how much water is available but also on levels of urbanization and economic development. Withdrawals of water* have grown to meet demand for all types of use-or irrigated agriculture, industry, and other public purposes. As the world continues to urbanize at rapid rates, the demand for potable water for public use is expected to increase, outpacing the capacity of most cities to provide it.

注)　*The removal of water from some type of source, like groundwater, for some use by humans.

• 〔1〕下線部1)～5)に関して，本文に基づき，最も近い意味の語彙を選択肢から選び，記号で答えなさい。
  • 1)
    • (a) destructive
    • (b) ineffective
    • (c) irregular
    • (d) unproductive
  • 2)
    • (a) approaching
    • (b) preventing
    • (c) proceeding
    • (d) surprising
  • 3)
    • (a) demand
    • (b) confront
    • (c) keep
    • (d) satisfy
  • 4)
    • (a) act on
    • (b) affect
    • (c) depend on
    • (d) strike
  • 5)
    • (a) collect
    • (b) dilute
    • (c) store
    • (d) weaken
• 〔2〕下線部 a)とb)に関して, 最も近い意味の語彙を, 本文から選び答えなさい。
• 〔3〕下線部あ）の日本語を英語に訳しなさい。
• 〔4〕下線部の日本語を英語に訳しなさい。