Protect the water

导读：美国曾经享有世界优质水的美誉，人们可以直接从水龙头喝水，但现在因污染导致水质很不纯净。3月22日是世界水日（World Water Day），让我们一起来保护水源吧。

Every day， millions of people spend hours walking to find safe water. Safe and clean water changes lives. Yet more than 750 million people around the world are living without it. The U.S. once had one of the safest water supplies in the world. People could drink water right from the tap， but this trust is getting shattered due to pollution. “We often don’t think about where our water comes from，” said Steve Fleischli， director for the Natural Resources Defense Council（NRDC） Water Program in Los Angeles. “Does it come from a nearby river， lake， stream or wetland？ Yes， you may have a water treatment plant， but if your water source is not protected， people face a real risk.”

Not only the leaking or pouring accidents but also our daily waste causes pollution. Chemicals from soaps and shampoos get washed down the drain and sewage treatment plants are not always able to remove them. People think bottled water is safer， but that’s not always true. The quality of city tap water is regulated far more closely than bottled water.

Vocabulary

shatter v. 破碎

leak v. 测漏

toxic adj. 有毒的

sewage n. 污水

（What can you do to protect the water？）