Running Dry Reading Answers

Dec 19, 2022

Running Dry Reading Answers has 13 questions that need to be answered in 20 minutes. Running Dry Reading Answers is about worldwide problems with water shortages. Running Dry Reading Answers comprises three types of questions- choose the correct heading, write yes/no/not given and complete the summary. Candidates are required to choose the correct letter from the given options after reading the IELTS reading passage to decide which heading belongs to which paragraph. Candidates are required to read the passage and decide whether the given statement agrees with the claims of the writer or not. To complete the summary, candidates are required to choose no more than three words from the IELTS Reading passage. Undertaking IELTS Reading practice papers can help candidates practise and prepare on different topics.

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Section 1

Read the Passage to Answer the Following Questions

Running Dry Reading Answers

We have always had problems with water shortages. Worldwide water consumption doubles every 20 years, a solution is urgently needed.

Maps from the State Water Commission in Mexico show 96 overexploited aquifers1. Seawater has polluted another 17 through excessive pumping, while toxic seepage is rapidly spreading, Mexican children develop digestive diseases due to poor water storage Mexico City, built on huge lagoons eight centuries ago, may its 22 million inhabitants do not have enough water, cycling in many cities around the world, less half of the city's waste is treated, the rest sinks into underground lakes or rivers in the gulf. of Mexico, turning rivers into sewers. This represents an extremely difficult outlook for Mexico's future. Mexico's National Water Commission lists around 35 cities that will have to be drastically reduced if more water is not found. It suggests it will happen next week, but it's a ghost haunting Mexico's future.
Most of the water that Mexico depends on is the same as that urgently needed in California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. One prediction is that Corpus Christi, Texas (residents: 277,454 residents) will run out of water around 2018. Now the problem is getting more and more serious. Cantu Suarez, Deputy Director of Mexico’s National Water Agency, said: “In Oaxaca, south of Mexico City, women line up at dawn to fill plastic containers with a passing water wheel. In the north, old aquifers are pumped. The speed is five times the speed limit."
Mexico is just one example of the world’s extreme water shortage; parts of the country are dying, salt-poisoned fields and villages’ wells are drying up; and lawsuits are coming. When he reached the fertile farmland of Baja California, his own water crisis turned into a muddy trickle. Under a complex water agreement with the United States, Mexico can draw water from the Rio Grande, but it must be returned. The repayment is sufficient to flood Delaware’s debt, but since Mexico is already short of water, it is unrealistic to think this might happen.
Most people think that Canada has thousands of lakes and rivers, which are inexhaustible sources of water. Compared with Africa and other arid regions, most of Canada's waters are clear. The cities of Victoria on the west coast and Halifax on the east are still discharging billions of litres of untreated sewage into the ocean. Some experts believe that they contain toxic chemicals, heavy metals, pesticides and sewage. Too many rivers and streams in Canada are seriously polluted by industrial activities.
Humans can live for about a month without food, but they can only live for a few days without drinking water. Since 70% of the human body is made up of water, the weight loss of some rapid diets due to water loss is very high. Only about 2.5% of the world's total water is freshwater, two-thirds of which are enclosed by glaciers and ice sheets. No one knows how much water is in the ground or permafrost2. All life on earth is supported by one percent of the world's water. (About 1.3 gallons) is the world's water, and there is not enough fresh water available for a teaspoon.
Generally speaking, most areas on the earth have enough water to meet human needs; however, a big problem is the rapid population growth in places with insufficient water resources and the abuse of available resources. The world's population accounts for 5.6% of the available fresh water. China has 22% of the world's population, but available fresh water only accounts for 5.7% of the world. We cannot simply send fresh water to the places where it is most needed, such as the Sahara Desert in Ethiopia. , Somalia or India.
In January 2000, the Newfoundland government identified potentially dangerous levels of THM (trihalomethane) in the water sources of more than a dozen communities. In order to solve this problem, scientists have proposed a basic solution-water sterilization. This method can also cause problems. Drinking water for a long time can cause bladder cancer and colon cancer, but health experts believe that the benefits far outweigh these risks. Therefore, the bottled water business is booming. In just ten years, sales in the United States alone rose from $2.6 billion to $7.7 billion. This is equivalent to an increase of 10% in the past 10 years. But is it safe? The testing standards for bottled water in Canada are lower than municipal water supplies. There is no guarantee that bottled water is better than tap water.
At the beginning of the 20th century, there were 1.65 billion people; one hundred years later, there will be more than 6 billion, and the United Nations estimates that it will reach 9 billion by 2050. However, the annual supply of renewable fresh water will remain the same, so the amount of water available for each person is decreasing and The population continues to grow, increasing the possibility of water shortages. Ensuring future water safety is an important challenge that future managers must face.

Aquifer: underground soil that produces groundwater for wells and springs
Ground that is permanently frozens

Section 2

Solution With Explanation

Question 1-4:

There are eight paragraphs A-H in this reading passage.
Which paragraph contains the following information?
Write the correct letter A-H in boxes 1-4 on your answer sheet.

(Guide: There are eight paragraphs in this reading passage marked A to H. Candidates need to read the questions 1 to 4, and write the suitable paragraph as the answer. )

Question 1. Where most of the world’s fresh water is produced?

Answer: E
Keywords: "The most localized freshwater". Search for these keywords or their synonyms in an article.
Keyword Location: Paragraph E, Line three
Supporting Sentence: Paragraph E states: "Of all the water in the world, only about 2.5% is freshwater, and two-thirds are contained in glaciers and polar ice caps." Check your answers by comparing the general meaning and questions of the paragraphs.
Explanation: According to the third line of paragraph E, just around 2.5% of the world's water is freshwater. Polar ice caps and glaciers provide two thirds of the world's freshwater.

Question 2. How Mexican women get water?

Answer: B
Keyword: "Mexican women, fetch water". Search for these keywords or synonyms in an article.
Keyword Location: Paragraph B
Supporting Sentence: "In Oaxaca, south of Mexico City, women line up at dawn to fill a few plastic containers from a passing waterwheel."
Explanation: The amount of water needed in Arizona, California, and New Mexico is noted in paragraph B. This water is used by the inhabitants of Mexico. By 2018, Corpus Christi, Texas, would reportedly run out of water, according to reports. According to additional reports, the women in Oaxaca line up early in the morning only to fill a few containers from a nearby water wheel.

Question 3. The impact of garbage in Mexican rivers.

Answer: B
Keywords:“effect of waste, Mexican rivers”
Keyword Location: Paragraph A
Supporting Sentence: “Like many cities in the world, less than half of the city’s waste is treated. The rest sinks into underground lakes or flows toward the Gulf of Mexico, turning rivers into sewers.”
Explanation: The water quality in Mexico is very polluted, as stated in paragraph A. For its 22 million citizens, Mexico is unable to supply clean water. The remaining portion of the water that is not cleaned enters the Gulf of Mexico, converting rivers into sewage systems. All of these portend poorly for Mexico City's future.

Question 4. Mexico’s financial commitment to its water resources.

Answer: C
Keywords: "Mexico, financial commitments, water"
Keyword Location: Paragraph C
Supporting Sentence: “According to the complex water transaction with the United States, Mexico can draw water from the Rio Grande, but must pay a fee. President Vicante Fox promised to repay the debt...”
Explanation: The status of Mexico only represented a portion of the global water crisis, as indicated in paragraph C. Salt-poisoned farms and dried village wells devastate large portions of the planet. Mexico was forced to enter into a complicated water agreement as a solution. It limited the amount of water it could take from the Rio Grande and required repayment.

Question 5-8:

Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in the reading passage?

YES, If the statement reflects the claims of the writer
NO, If the statement contradicts the claims of the writer
NOT GIVEN, If it is possible to say what the writer thinks about this

(Guide: Candidates need to read the passage, and mark the questions Yes/No/Not Given based on the statements)

Question 5. Unhealthy water can cause illness in Mexican children.

Answer: YES
Keyword: Scan the keywords-diseases and children-to find them (or their synonyms read in detail as "...children suffer from digestive diseases due to poor water retention."
Keyword Location: Paragraph A, last lines
Supporting Sentence: According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Mexican children are contracting digestive diseases due to poor water storage.
Explanation: The last sentence of paragraph A explains that the contaminated water in Mexico is what is sickening the kids. Only a portion of the water in Mexico is treated. The remainder is dumped into sewage systems. In order to survive, women can only fill plastic containers in the early morning. Children are developing gastrointestinal disorders, according to the World Health Organization, as a result of poor water storage and conditions.

Question 6. Mexicans moved to other cities due to lack of water.

Answer: No
Keywords: cities, forced exodus
Keyword Location: Paragraph A, last lines
Supporting Sentence: A forced exodus from parched cities seems far-fetched, and no one suggests it will happen next week but it is a spectre haunting Mexico’s future.
Explanation: Mexico's water and drainage infrastructure is completely devastated, as stated in the last sentence of paragraph A. It only contains some of the water that has been treated. The other components build up in the Gulf, where water becomes sewage. About 35 localities are on the list provided by the Mexican National Water Commission as having to downsize in order to meet water needs. The most unsettling thought that undoubtedly crosses their minds is the concept that cities will be compelled to shrink.

Question 7. Without American water, Mexico's food crops will die.

Answer: NOT GIVEN
Explanation: The passage does not provide any information that is relevant to the question.

Question 8. Canada’s drinking water is polluted by industry.

Answer: YES
Keywords: drinking water, Canada, contaminated, industry-find them or their synonyms. Carefully read "...too many rivers are polluted by industrial activities"
Keyword Location: Paragraph D, last lines
Supporting Sentence: Far too many rivers and streams in Canada have been badly contaminated by industrial activity.
Explanation: Last lines of paragraph D explains Canada may seem to be a place filled with pristine water due to its immense waterfalls. It actually contains litres of raw sewage in its oceans. Poor water quality is the product of years of maltreatment.

Question 9-13:
Complete the summary of photographs F-H below:
Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.

Write your answer in boxes 9-13 on your answer sheet.

The main problem facing cities with insufficient water supply is the increase in water supply 9) ____________. Canada accounts for 10) ___________ of the world’s fresh water supply. 11) _______ The process has solved the problem of water pollution in some cities. Some health experts believe that urban water is the cause of 12) _____________ pollution. Not everyone is satisfied with urban drinking water, which increases the demand for 13) _____________.

Question 9:

Answer: Population(s)
Keyword: The keyword in the first sentence is "main problem, city, bad water".
Keyword Location: Section F
Supporting Sentence:The huge problem, however, is the rapidly increasing populations in places that lack adequate water resources, as well as mismanagement of available resources.
Explanation: The planet does have enough water to meet human requirements, as Section F explains. However, the biggest problem is the growing population over time in areas with a water shortage.

Question: 10

Answer: 5.6%
Keyword: "Canada, the world's freshwater."
Keyword Location: Paragraph F
Supporting Sentence: “Canada, which accounts for only 0.5% of the world’s population, has 5.6% of available fresh water.”
Explanation: According to Section F, Canada's water supply is 5.6% larger than its tiny 0.5% share of the world's population. However, only 5.7% of the world's freshwater supply is found in China, a country with 22% of the world's population.

Question 11:

Answer: Sterilisation
Keyword: "treatment of water pollution, process".
Keyword Location: In paragraph G
Supporting Sentence: In January 2000, the Newfoundland government identified a dozen of its communities with high levels of potentially dangerous THMs (trihalomethanes) in water supplies. In an attempt to solve this issue the main solution put forward by scientists is sterilization of the water.
Explanation: In paragraph G, it is stated that in January 2000, the Newfoundland government recognised twelve of its municipalities as having THMs in their water systems. The main proposal made by scientists to address this problem is to sterilise the water.

Question 12:

Answer: Cancer(s)
Keywords: “risky pollution, fitness experts, purpose” are the important phrases.
Keyword Location: In paragraph G
Supporting Sentence: “Drinking such (treated/sterilised) water over a protracted length can cause bladder and colon cancers.”
Explanation: As stated in paragraph G, scientists discovered a means to treat the THMs found in water by sterilisation. However, drinking treated or sterilised water frequently increases your risk of developing bladder and colon cancer.

Question 13:

Answer: Bottled water
Keyword: "not everyone drinks city water, total demand (increase or demand for something)".
Keyword Location: Paragraph G
Supporting Sentence:As a result, the bottled water business is booming. In just one decade, sales have surged from $2.6 billion to $7.7 billion in the United States of America alone.
Explanation: In paragraph G, it is said that since THMs were found in the water, scientists developed a method of treating the water by sterilisation. Drinking sterile water often, however, can potentially increase your risk of developing bladder or colon cancer. However, consumers can drink filtered water by purchasing bottled water. Thus, its sales have also greatly increased.

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