Mekong River at its lowest in 100 years,threatening food supply

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海词积累

4. spawn /spɔːn/ v. 产卵

5. disperse /dɪ΄spзːs/ v. 散布；传播

6. collapse /kə΄læps/ v. 坍塌

7. sediment /΄sedɪmənt/ n. 沉积物

8.larvae/΄lɑːviː/n.幼虫；幼体（larva的复数形式）

A severe drought that has caused water levels in Southeast Asia's Mekong River to drop to their lowest in more than 100 years could havedevastatingconsequences for fish， as well as the tens of millions of people living and working along the river， experts warn.

This year， the dry conditions in the Mekong region persisted due to warm Pacific Ocean currents known as the El Niño effect. But climate change is also a driving factor， experts say， causing themonsoonseason to shorten considerably. The situation was made worse byhydropowerdam operators upstream， in China and Laos， withholding water for their own purposes.

Many rice farmers in the region have been unable to plant their main crop， raising fears of a heavily diminished harvest this fall. Less water flow could also have a devastating impact on fish reproduction in the Mekong River basin.This is normally the time when fish use rising water levels tospawnand todispersetheir young， but there is little evidence of this happening so far this year.

Perhaps even more alarming， experts expect that droughts and disruptions to the water flow of the Mekong will become more common， and they warn that it could eventually lead to thecollapseof the entire ecosystem.

Originating in the Tibetan highlands， the Mekong River flows through six Asian countries，including China， Myanmar， Thailand， Laos，Cambodia， and Vietnam， before emptying into the South China Sea. The river basin is home to the largest inland fishery in the world and more than 60 million people depend on it for their livelihoods.

Few rivers in the world rise and fall with the seasons as much as the Mekong， which can drop up to 40 feet in some places at the end of the dry season. When the monsoon rains arrive，they normally produce a flood pulse that brings with itsedimentessential to agriculture as well as enormous amounts oflarvaeand tiny fish，including many critically endangered species such as the Mekong giant catfish， that are swept into the Tonle Sap Lake and other floodplains where they can mature.

—From National Geographic

Reading Check

1. How many reasons are there for the drought of Mekong River this year?

A. One. B. Two. C. Three. D. Four.

2. What does the underlined word “diminished” mean in paragraph 3?

A. Damaged. B. Decreasing. C. Affected. D. Disappointing.

3. What's the attitude of experts to water flow of Mekong River in future?

A. Optimistic. B. Neutral. C. Worried. D. Puzzled.

Language Study

Sentences for writing

1. 水流的减少对于湄公河流域的鱼类的繁殖也有着毁灭性的影响。

Less water flow could also __________________devastating __________________fish reproduction in the Mekong River basin.

2. 湄公河流域是世界上最大的内陆渔业发源地，超过6000万的人都依靠这条河流维持生计。

The river basin _________ _________ _________the largest inland fishery in the world and more than 60 million people __________________it for their livelihoods.

Cultural Background

电影《湄公河行动》剧情简介

在金三角湄公河上一处被称为“鬼门关”的河段，两艘来自中国的商船遭到不明身份之人的枪击袭击。 未过多久，泰国军方召开新闻发布会，指责中国商船贩卖毒品。 虽然发布会宣称船员全部逃亡，但是十三具遭受残忍杀害的中国船员尸体很快被人发现。 这起胆大妄为的案件令中国警方大为震惊，云南省缉毒总队队长高刚（张涵予 饰）受命带特别行动小组前往泰国，并与情报员方新武（彭于晏饰）合作接洽。 根据现有资料显示，这件案子由盘踞在金三角的大毒枭糯卡所为。 糯卡贪婪残忍，胆大包天，是湄公河流域上一颗惊扰运输安全的毒瘤。 为了将这个恶棍绳之以法，中国、老挝、缅甸开展了三国联合巡逻，集中对糯卡的制毒窝点进行扫荡。而高刚等人也深入最危险境地，与丧失人性的贩毒分子进行惨烈对决…… 该片根据真实事件改编。