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托福阅读训练LakeWaterWheredoesthewaterinalakecomefrom,andhowdoeswaterleaveit?Waterentersalakefrominflowingrivers,fromunderwaterseepsandsprings,fromoverlandflowoffthesurroundingland,andfromrainfallingdirectlyonthelakesurface.Waterleavesalakeviaoutflowingrivers,bysoakingintothebedofthelake,andbyevaporation.Somuchisobvious.Thequestionsbecomemorecomplicatedwhenactualvolumesofwaterareconsidered:howmuchwaterentersandleavesbyeachroute?Discoveringtheinputsandoutputsofriversisamatterofmeasuringthedischargesofeveryinflowingandoutflowingstreamandriver.Thenexchangeswiththeatmospherearecalculatedbyfindingthedifferencebetweenthegainsfromrain,asmeasured(ratherroughly)byraingaugesandthelossesbyevaporation,measuredwithmodelsthatcorrectfortheothersourcesofwaterloss.Forthemajorityoflakes,certainlythosesurroundedbyforests,inputfromoverlandflowistoosmalltohaveanoticeableeffect.Changesinlakelevelnotexplainedbyriverflowsplusexchangeswiththeatmospheremustbeduetothenetdifferencebetweenwhatseepsintothelakefromthegroundwaterandwhatleaksintothegroundwater.Notethewordnet:measuringtheactualamountsofgroundwaterseepageintothelakeandoutofthelakeisamuchmorecomplicatedmatterthanmerelyinferringtheirdifference.Onceallthisinformationhasbeengathered,itbecomespossibletojudgewhetheralake’sflowismainlyduetoitssurfaceinputsandoutputsortoitsundergroundinputsandoutputs.Iftheformeraregreater,thelakeisasurface-water-dominatedlake;ifthelatter,itisaseepage-dominatedlake.Occasionally,commonsensetellsyouwhichofthesetwopossibilitiesapplies.Forexample,apondinhillycountrythatmaintainsasteadywaterlevelallthroughadrysummerinspiteofhavingnostreamsflowingintoitmustobviouslybeseepagedominated.Conversely,apondwithastreamflowinginoneendandouttheother,whichdriesupwhenthestreamdriesup,isclearlysurfacewaterdominated.Bywhatevermeans,alakeisconstantlygainingwaterandlosingwater:itswaterdoesnotjustsitthere,or,anyway,notforlong.Thisraisesthematterofalake’sresidencetime.Theresidencetimeistheaveragelengthoftimethatanyparticularmoleculeofwaterremainsinthelake,anditiscalculatedbydividingthevolumeofwaterinthelakebytherateatwhichwaterleavesthelake.Theresidencetimeisanaverage;thetimespentinthelakebyagivenmolecule(ifwecouldfollowitsfate)woulddependontherouteittook:itmightflowthroughaspartofthefastest,mostdirectcurrent,oritmightcircleinabackwaterforanindefinitelylongtime.Residencetimesvaryenormously.Theyrangefromafewdaysforsmalllakesuptoseveralhundredyearsforlargeones;LakeTahoe,inCalifornia,hasaresidencetimeof700years.TheresidencetimesfortheGreatLakesofNorthAmerica,namely,LakesSuperior,Michigan,Huron,Erie,andOntario,are,respectively,190,100,22,2.5,and6years.LakeErie’sisthelowest:althoughitsareaislargerthanLakeOntario’s,itsvolumeislessthanone-thirdasgreatbecauseitissoshallow-lessthan20metersonaverage.Agivenlake’sresidencetimeisbynomeansafixedquantity.Itdependsontherateatwhichwaterentersthelake,andthatdependsontherainfallandtheevaporationrate.Climaticchange(theresultofglobalwarming?)isdramaticallyaffectingtheresidencetimesofsomelakesinnorthwesternOntario,Canada.Intheperiod1970to1986,rainfallintheareadecreasedfrom1,000millimetersto650millimetersperannum,whileabove-averagetemperaturesspeededuptheevapotranspirationrate(therateatwhichwaterislosttotheatmospherethroughevaporationandtheprocessesofplantlife).Theresulthasbeenthattheresidencetimeofoneofthelakesincreasedfrom5to18yearsduringthestudyperiod.Theslowingdownofwaterrenewalleadstoachainoffurtherconsequences;itcausesdissolvedchemicalstobecomeincreasinglyconcentrated,andthis,inturn,hasamarkedeffectonalllivingthingsinthelake.Paragraph1:Wheredoesthewaterinalakecomefrom,andhowdoeswaterleaveit?Waterentersalakefrominflowingrivers,fromunderwaterseepsandsprings,fromoverlandflowoffthesurroundingland,andfromrainfallingdirectlyonthelakesurface.Waterleavesalakeviaoutflowingrivers,bysoakingintothebedofthelake,andbyevaporation.Somuchisobvious.1.ThephraseSomuchinthepassagereferstoA.thenegativeeffectsofoverlandflow,rain,andevaporationonriverwaterlevelsB.waterthatalakelosestooutflowingrivers,tothelakebed,andtoevaporationC.theimportanceofriverstothemaintenanceoflakewaterlevelsD.theinformationgivenaboutwaysthatwatercanenterorexitalakeParagraph2:Thequestionsbecomemorecomplicatedwhenactualvolumesofwaterareconsidered:howmuchwaterentersandleavesbyeachroute?Discoveringtheinputsandoutputsofriversisamatterofmeasuringthedischargesofeveryinflowingandoutflowingstreamandriver.Thenexchangeswiththeatmospherearecalculatedbyfindingthedifferencebetweenthegainsfromrain,asmeasured(ratherroughly)byraingaugesandthelossesbyevaporation,measuredwithmodelsthatcorrectfortheothersourcesofwaterloss.Forthemajorityoflakes,certainlythosesurroundedbyforests,inputfromoverlandflowistoosmalltohaveanoticeableeffect.Changesinlakelevelnotexplainedbyriverflowsplusexchangeswiththeatmospheremustbeduetothenetdifferencebetweenwhatseepsintothelakefromthegroundwaterandwhatleaksintothegroundwater.Notethewordnet:measuringtheactualamountsofgroundwaterseepageintothelakeandoutofthelakeisamuchmorecomplicatedmatt