美国有线新闻 CNN 开普敦即将“断水”

Meantime, Cape¹ Town, the second most populated city in South Africa, is running out of water. Drought is a natural disaster that South Africans prone² to. And for years, the amount of water being used in the country has exceeded the amount that's been conserved³.

同时，南非人口排名第二大城市开普敦即将“断水”。干旱是南非易遭受的自然灾害。多年来，南非的用水量一直超过其储水量。

In Cape Town, the population has been growing. It's now more than 4 million people and the drought the area is facing is the worst in more than 100 years. The reservoir of the city's largest dam is almost completely dried up.

开普敦的人口一直在增长。现在其人口已经超过400万人，而该地区正面临着100多年来最严重的干旱。开普敦市最大水坝的蓄水池几乎已经完全干涸了。

People are being told to limit their showers to 90 seconds. Some are recycling bath water to flush their toilets. And starting in February, people will have to limit their water use to 13 gallons per person per day.

人们被告知将洗澡时间限制在90秒内。有些人回收洗澡水冲洗厕所。从二月份开始，人们每天的用水量必须限制在13加仑。

The city's mayor has criticized residents, most of them, for not reducing the amount of water they used though they know there's a problem. Some residents have criticized the city for not doing enough to prepare for the drought. One person CNN spoke⁴ to says everyone she knows who can afford to leave is getting out until things get better and it's hope that will lessen⁵ the strain on the city's dwindling⁶ water supplies.

开普敦市长对居民进行了批评，因为大多数当地居民在知道有问题的情况下，并没有减少用水量。一些居民指责市政府应对干旱的准备不足。CNN采访的一名居民表示，在她认识的人中，能离开的人都已经离开了，直到情况好转后才会回来，希望这能缓解该市水资源供应短缺的压力。

1 cape   

n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风

参考例句：

• I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
• She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。

2 prone   

adj.(to)易于…的，很可能…的；俯卧的

参考例句：

• Some people are prone to jump to hasty conclusions.有些人往往作出轻率的结论。
• He is prone to lose his temper when people disagree with him.人家一不同意他的意见,他就发脾气。

3 conserved   

v.保护，保藏，保存( conserve的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He conserved his energy for the game. 他为比赛而养精蓄锐。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Under these conditions, the total mechanical energy remains constant, or is conserved. 在这种条件下，总机械能保持不变或机械能保存。 来自辞典例句

4 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

5 lessen   

vt.减少，减轻；缩小

参考例句：

• Regular exercise can help to lessen the pain.经常运动有助于减轻痛感。
• They've made great effort to lessen the noise of planes.他们尽力减小飞机的噪音。

6 dwindling   

adj.逐渐减少的v.逐渐变少或变小( dwindle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The number of wild animals on the earth is dwindling. 地球上野生动物的数量正日渐减少。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He is struggling to come to terms with his dwindling authority. 他正努力适应自己权力被削弱这一局面。 来自辞典例句