706 外語（英）水平考試-暨南大學(xué)2023年招收攻讀碩士學(xué)位研究生入學(xué)考試試題

考試科目：外語（英）水平考試共18頁，第頁2023年招收攻讀碩士學(xué)位研究生入學(xué)考試試題A卷********************************************************************************************招生專業(yè)與代碼：英語語言文學(xué)（050201），外國語言學(xué)及應(yīng)用語言學(xué)（050211）考試科目名稱及代碼：外語（英）水平考試考試科目代碼：[706]考生注意：所有答案必須寫在答題紙（卷）上，寫在本試題上一律不給分。PartI.GrammarandVocabulary(30points)Directions:Thereare30incompletesentencesinthissection.Foreachsentencethereare4choicesmarkedA,B,CandD.ChoosetheonethatbestcompletesthesentenceandwriteyouranswerontheANSWERSHEET.1.Thesuspectwas_________ofthecrimewhenhewasfound“notguilty”bythecourt.A.adjournedB.acquittedC.ambushedD.appeased2.Butthemedicationproduced

_________

andIfeltconstantlyonthevergeofnausea.A.larkB.ledgeC.lassitudeD.loiter3.HeavyrainfallinthesouthofEnglandmeansthatfloodingis____.A.imminentB.momentousC.transientD.prospective4.Mrs.Hartleyhasahabitofaskingquestions________.A.butthennottolistentotheanswersB.andthennotlistentotheanswersC.andthennotlisteningtotheanswersD.andthendoesn’tlistentotheanswers5.Whentheragehadpassedandhehadcometohimself,hewouldshowadeep

______

andagreehumblytoanypunishmentitwasproposedtoinflictonhim.A.penitenceB.perfidyC.perjuryD.pillage6.Heredityaccountsfor50%to60%ofawoman’s________toalcoholism,aboutthesameasformen.A.devastationB.vulnerabilityC.pharmacyD.fibrosis7.Themurderofyoungchildrenwasa_______crimeandshouldbepunishedseverely.A.hoarseB.hecticC.haughtyD.heinous8.Thefloorisan________

white,almostbeautiful,and—mostimportant—empty.A.immaculateB.immenseC.impregnableD.impartial9.Thegreatestobstacletoeconomicandenvironmentalimprovementsinthedevelopingcountriesistheir__________foreigndebts.A.reminiscentB.degenerativeC.mammothD.ethical10.Itseemsthatallthosesubwaytokensbecame_______

whenNewYorkstartedusingmagneticcardsinstead.A.obsequiousB.obsoleteC.odiousD.ostensible11.They_______theirweekendsinthesuburb.A.nearlyalwaysspendB.nearlyarealwaysspendingC.spendnearlyalwaysD.nearlyalwaysarespending12.However,peopleremainedconcernedaboutthehighcostoffoodandothergoodsdueto

______

inflation.A.radicalB.remorsefulC.rampantD.remunerated13.Doctorsconsidergoingtobedearlytobemorehealthful__________.A.thantostayuplateB.thanstayinguplateC.tostayinguplateD.thanstayinguplate14.SeveraltimesadayinalabintheSwedishcityofLink?ping,roadaccidentsare______

andtheconsequencesareanalyzed.A.simulatedB.slanderedC.smearedD.snubbed15.Fear,whetherduetoa

________

workenvironment,jealousco-workers,oryourpersonalinsecurity,doesnotenhanceperformance.A.tipsyB.treacherousC.temporalD.tangible16.GeneralMotors,onceregardedasanE.V.leaderamongtraditionalcarmakers,was

_________tracklastyearbyarecallofitselectricBolt.A.kickedoffB.turnedoffC.cutoffD.knockedoff17.Thespherewasconstructedfromfiveconcentricrings,eachinscribedwith________

symbols—thebull,thescorpion,etcetera—andseeminglyrandomnumbersandletters.A.zephyrB.zodiacC.zymeD.zest18.Thebulletsrainover,theyarenotfired

____________,butshrewdlyaimedfromallsides.A.haphazardB.odiousC.haughtyD.handicapped19.__________thefinancialmeanstoremainindependent,ThomasEdisonwascompelledtoseekemploymentasanighttelegraphoperator.A.HewasdeprivedofB.DeprivedofC.ThathewasdeprivedofD.Althoughhewasdeprivedof20.Fiveminuteslater,Zoehadmeoutfittedina_______

flannelshirtandjeansthreesizestoobig,brightredsneakers,andafloppyrainbowhat.A.oozedB.raggedC.moppedD.mocked21.Soon,asweetsmoke

___________

throughtheairandintoitsnostrils.A.interceptedB.detestedC.saturatedD.wafted22.WhenJoeneedsatallladder,hewillborrow____________.A.hisneighborladderB.ladderofhisneighbor’sC.thatofhisneighbor’sD.onefromhisneighbor23.Recognizingillintentionsand

_______

motivesinotherscanbedifficultforus.A.ulteriorB.stationaryC.vulgarD.toxic24.Thelawalsoexpandedthepaymentstofamilieswithlowornoincome,providingfinancial

______

forfamilies,manystillreelingfromflood-relatedjoblosses.A.tornadoB.salvationC.delinquencyD.momentum25.Theimaginationisimportant,asitallowsusto

______allkindsofpossibilitiesinthefutureandtounderstandthepastinawaythathasrealsurvivalvalue.A.speakofB.complainofC.conceiveofD.approveof26.SecuritiesandExchangeCommission'swebsitehasawarningthat________

canusesocialmedia“toappearlegitimate,tohidebehindanonymity,andtoreachmanypeopleatlowcost.”A.splintersB.sponsorsC.swindlersD.successors27.Moderna,whichhasmadebillionsofdollarsfromaCOVID-19vaccinebasedonmessengerRNAtechnology,lastweekaccuseditsmainrivalof

______

thecompany’spatentsforasimilarmRNAshot.A.wadingB.invokingC.mufflingD.infringing28.Withtheintroductionoftheelectroniccomputer,thereisnocomplicatedproblem_______canbesolvedinafewhours.A.thatB.whichC.butD.what29.Whilethenewmodelmayhaveprovedcapableof

_________

humanodorperceptionwhengivensinglemolecules,itwouldnotfaresowellintherealworld.A.embroideringB.riggingC.yelpingD.mimicking30.Yettheresearchonlivertransplantsandsurvivalratesforcannabisusersisfrustratingly_____.A.scribbledB.scrumptiousC.sedateD.scantPartII.Cloze(20points)Directions:Thereare20blanksinthefollowingpassage.Decidewhichofthechoicesgivenbelowwouldbestcompletethepassageifinsertedinthecorrespondingblanks.WriteyouranswersontheANSWERSHEET.Humansareluckytoliveahundredyears.Oaktreesmayliveathousand;mayflies,intheiradultform,asingleday.Buttheyareallaliveinthesameway.Theyare1cellswhichembodyflowsofenergyandstoresofinformation.Theirmetabolismsmakeuseofthatenergy,2itfromsunlightorfood,tobuildnewmoleculesandbreakdownoldones,usingmechanismsdescribedinthegenesthey3andmay,ormaynot,passon.

Itisthisendlesslyrepeated,neverquiteperfect4whichexplainswhyoaktrees,humans,andeveryotherplant,fungusorsingle-celledorganismyouhaveeverseenorfeltthe5ofareallaliveinthesameway.Itisthemostfundamentalofallfamilyresemblances.Gofarenough6anycreature’sfamilytreeandyouwillfindanancestorthatsitsinyourfamilytree,too.Travelfurtherandyouwillfind7scientistscallthelastuniversalcommon8,luca.Itwasnotthefirstlivingthing.Butitwastheonewhich9thelifethatexiststoday.

Andthenthereareviruses.Invirusesthe10betweenmetabolismandgenesthatbindstogetheralllife11youarerelated,frombacteriatobluewhales,isbroken.Viralgeneshavenocells,nobodies,nometabolismoftheirown.The12particles,“virions”,inwhichthosegenescomepackaged—thedot-studdeddisksofcoronaviruses,thesinister,sinuouswindingsofEbola,thebacteriophageswiththeirscience-fictionlanding-legsthat13microbes—areentirelyinanimate.Anindividualanimal,orplant,embodiesandmaintainsthe14metabolismthatmadeit.Avirionisjustanarrangementofmatter.

Thevirusisnotthevirion.Thevirusisaprocess,notathing.Itistrulyaliveonlyinthecellsofothers,avirtualorganism15borrowedhardwaretoproducemorecopiesofitsgenome.Somebidetheirtime,lettingthecelltheysharethelifeof16.Othersimmediatelysetaboutproducingenoughvirionstosplittheirhostsfromstemtostern.

Thevirushasnoplanor17.Thesimplestpurposesofthesimplestlife—tomaintainthedifferencebetweenwhatisinsidethecellandwhatisoutside,to18onechemicalorawayfromanother—areentirelybeyondit.Itcopiesitselfinwhateverwayitdoessimplybecauseithascopieditselfthatwaybefore,inothercells,inotherhosts.

Thatiswhy,askedwhethervirusesarealive,EckardWimmer,achemistandbiologistwhoworksattheStateUniversityofNewYork,StonyBrook,offersayes-and-no.Viruses,hesays,“19betweennonlivingandlivingphases”.Heshouldknow.In2002hebecamethefirstpersonintheworldtotake20nonlivingchemicalsandbuildavirionfromscratch—avirionwhichwasthenabletogetitselfreproducedbyinfectingcells.1.A.madefromB.madeforC.madeupofD.madeuseof2.A.beingB.tobeC.beenD.be3.A.inheritedB.influenceC.indicateD.in4.A.motionB.reproductionC.generosityD.blessing5.A.presenceB.wildnessC.preferenceD.regard6.A.ofB.inC.upD.with7.A.whatB.thatC.whichD.where8.A.attendantB.avengerC.ancestorD.ancillary9.A.adjustintoB.adapttoC.setthesealonD.setthetemplatefor10.A.operationB.linkC.eternityD.disease11.A.inwhichB.forwhichC.towhichD.aswhich12.A.heartyB.tinyC.hostileD.prudent13.A.takeoverB.digoutC.spongedownD.preyon14.A.restlessB.enlightenedC.fascinatedD.relentless15.A.runningtoB.runningatC.runningagainstD.runningon16.A.liveonB.livingonC.liveatD.livingat17.A.argueB.desireC.gatherD.deny18.A.movetowardsB.moveonC.moveagainstD.moveover19.A.separateB.alternateC.balanceD.differentiate20.A.awayofB.akindofC.anarrayofD.asortofPartIII.ReadingComprehension(30points)Directions:Inthissection,therearethreepassagesfollowedbyquestionsorunfinishedstatements,eachwithfoursuggestedanswersmarkedA,B,C,andD.ChoosethebestanswerandwritetheletterofyourchoiceontheANSWERSHEET.Questions1–5arebasedonthefollowingpassages.Passage1isadaptedfromJamesPlatt,Poverty,originallypublishedin1884.Passage2isadaptedfromWillReason,Poverty,originallypublishedin1909.Associetiesbecamemoreindustrializedandurbaninthelatenineteenthcentury,discussionsaroseregardingtherootcausesofpoverty.Passage1Theaimofcharitablepersonsshouldnotbesomuchthegivingwithmoneyinhand,orreligiousteachingontheirlips,asthesympathetic,friendlyintercourseofmanwithman,womanwithwoman,irrespectiveofclass,andactuatedbythedesiretostimulatehopeandenergy,andtoshowthelowestoutcastthattheworld,eventothem,maybemademoreenjoyable,iftheyhavethedesiretolivealifemoreinharmonywiththebetterpartoftheirnature;andsointime,bydegrees,asthechildistaughttowalk,stepbystep,wemayimprovethelowesttypesofhumanity.Toobtainbetterdwellingsforthepoor,itisessentialforthepoorerclasstofeelawantfor,andadesiretohave,housesbetter,cleaner,andmorewholesomethanthosetheynowinhabit.Toomany,atpresent,wantonlyandmaliciously,butmorefrequently,throughneglectandapathy,injurethehousesinwhichtheylive.Manyofthemprefertobeuncomfortable.Themanormenthatarewantedtosolvethisdifficultquestion,theonlytrueorrealreformers,willbethosewhostudyhowtoalterthecharacter,estimateoflife,theidealofexistenceamongstthepoor.Fromtheclergyofalldenominations,fromeverymanwhohasinfluenceoverthemasses,wewantthemoralcouragetotellthepoornottomarryuntiltheyareinapositiontosupportawifeandfamily,tobereasonablyindustrious,uniformlythrifty,andunswervinglysober.Therealreformer,theonlysaviorofsociety,isthemanwhowilltellthepoorhowtheymaybecomelessso,byteachingthemhowtoearnmoreorspendless,notbyrobbingothersofwhattheyhave.Wemustraisethestatusofthepoorerclass,improvetheirindividuality,givethemahighercharacter,andthuspreparethewayforawell-workinghumanitythatshouldresultinwell-workinginstitutions.Wemustregeneratetheentiresocialfabric,throughtheworkingofjusterlaws,pureraims,noblerinstincts—throughindividualcooperationofthemany,asone,incontributingtothewelfareofall.Passage2Itisclear,therefore,thatthereadjustmentofdistributionmustbeeffectedthroughareadjustmentoftheownershipandmanagementoftheessentialfactorsofproduction.Itisnotpossibletoeffectthisreadjustmentonthebasisofunrestrictedcompetition,becauseinthecaseontheprimefactorofproduction,thelandmonopolyiscaused,notbyanyartificialarrangement,butbythesimplenaturalfactthatitisessentialandrestrictedinquantity.Theonlycoursethatremainsistofindsomewayofdemocratizingthemonopolyvalue,sothateveryonebenefitsbyhisdueshareofwhathasnotbeenmadebytheindustryofanyandisindispensabletotheindustryofall.Thiscannotbeeffectedbyparcelingitouttoindividuals,forveryobviousreasons.Itwouldhavetobecontinuallyredistributed,itwouldbeimpossibletoequatethevalueofthedifferentparts,andsuchdistributionwoulddestroyitsproductiveefficiency.Wethereforemustlooktosomemeansofcollectiveownershipanduseofthesenaturalforces,andalsoofallthevaluethataccruesnotfromindividualenergy,industryorskill,butfromtheconditionswhichsocietyitselfaffords.“Todealwithcauseswemuststrikeattheerrorofdistribution,bygraduallysubstitutingpublicownershipforprivateownershipofthemeansofproduction.Innootherwaycanwesecureforeachworkerinthehivethefullrewardofhislabor.Solongasbetweentheworkerandhisjustwagestandstheprivatelandlordandtheprivatecapitalist,solongwillpovertyremain,andnotpovertyalone,butthemoraldegradationswhichinevitablyarisefromthedevotionoflabortotheserviceofwaste,”writesL.G.Chiozzain“RichesandPoverty.”Herewetouchthegreatestcontroversyofthepresenttime,andanothervolumewouldbeneededtoexamineallthereasonsforandagainstsuchasocialadjustment.Butitisclearthatunlesssomewayofeffectingitisfound,consistentwithfairnesstoall,poverty,undeservedandunavoidable,mustbethelotofmany,whileequallyundeservedincomewillcontinuetobereaped,withoutconsciousorintentionalfraudontheirpart,bymanyothers.Asthepovertyreactsonthecharacterforilleffect,soalsoitistobefearedthattheunearnedrichesalsoproducequalities,ofadifferentandmoresubtlenature,butequallyinimical(不利的)tothetruewell-beingbothoftheindividualsconcernedandofthecommunity.1.InPassage1,PlattsuggeststhatonewayasocietycanreducepovertyistoA.providein-demandtechnicaltrainingtocitizensinneedofmarketableskills.B.redistributewealthdirectlyfromcertaintypesofrichmen.C.teachthatthebenefitsofbudgetingoutweighthebenefitsofhandouts.D.instructchildreninfinancialmattersfromayoungage.2.InPassage2,Reasonimpliesthatevenlydistributingwealthandpropertyamongindividualswouldhavewhatconsequence?A.Neithertherichnorthepoorwouldreapbenefits.B.Allpartiestotheeconomywouldimprovetheirposition.C.Therichwouldtakeadvantagetocreatetheirownmonopolies.D.Thepoorwouldbeabletopurchasepropertyatdecreasedvalue.3.ReasoninPassage2wouldmostlikelycharacterizethepositiontakenbyPlattintheunderlinedsentence(“Manyof...uncomfortable”)asA.anaccuratedescriptionoftherootcauseofthecurrenteconomicsituationofthepoorerclass.B.aflawedassumptionthatgeneralizesthenegativebehaviorofafew.C.asurprisingbutrealisticstatementconsistentwiththeeconomictrendsofthetimes.D.anoffensivecharacterizationoftherichthatisnotapplicabletootherclassesofsociety.4.BothauthorswouldmostlikelyagreethatanysocialchangesundertakentofightpovertywouldbeA.likelytocompletelysolvetheproblemsoffinancialinequality.B.astopgapmeasureneededtopreventthewealthyfromkeepingtheirmoney.C.unsuccessfulwithoutadrasticchangeinthemindsetofthepoor.D.partialsolutionsthatwouldpresentnewsetsofchallenges.5.Whichchoicebestdescribesthewaythetwoauthorscharacterizeeffectivewaystoreducepoverty?A.Plattbelievesthatfinancialeducationisthekeytoreducingpovertyinasociety,whileReasonbelievesthatfinancialeducationisirrelevantifindividualsdonotparticipate.B.Plattbelievesthatpovertywillbereducedonlyifthosewhoarepoortrulydesiretoliftthemselvesoutofpoverty,whileReasonbelievesthatpovertywillbereducedonlyifsociety’swealthisredistributed.C.Plattbelieveswageregulationfrommajorindustryisastepintherightdirection,whileReasonbelievesthatsuchregulationwillbeineffective.D.Plattbelievestrainingclergytoministertothepooristhemosteffectivewayofimprovingthelivesofthoseinpoverty,whileReasonbelievesthatunearnedrichesareanecessaryfeatureofasociety.Questions6–10arebasedonthefollowingpassageandsupplementarymaterial.ThispassageisexcerptedfromDanGlass,“WhatHappensifGPSFails?”?2016byTheAtlantic.Despiteitsname,theGlobalPositioningSystemisnotaboutmaps;it’sabouttime.Eachsatelliteintheconstellation(24areneeded,plustheU.S.hasseveralspares)hasmultipleatomicclocksonboard,synchronizedwitheachotherandtoCoordinatedUniversalTime(UTC)—thetimestandardusedacrosstheworld—downtothenanosecond.ThesatellitescontinuallybroadcasttheirtimeandpositioninformationdowntoEarth,whereGPSreceiversinequipmentfromiPhonestoautomatedtractorsacquiresignalsandusetheminusculedifferencesintheirarrivaltimetodetermine

anexactposition.WhileGPSwasinitiallyconceivedtoaidnavigation,globallysynchronizedtimeisnowamuchmorecriticalfunctionofthesystem.TelecomnetworksrelyonGPSclockstokeepcelltowerssynchronizedsocallscanbepassedbetweenthem.Manyelectricalpowergridsusetheclocksinequipmentthatfine-tunescurrentflowinoverloadednetworks.ThefinancesectorusesGPS-derivedtimingsystemstotimestampATM,creditcard,andhigh-speedmarkettransactions.Computernetworksynchronization,digitaltelevisionandradio,Dopplerradarweatherreporting,seismicmonitoring,evenmulti-camerasequencingforfilmproduction—GPSclockshaveahandinall.Whatifalltheseflyingclockradioswerewipedout,andeverythingonthegroundstartedblinking12:00?AccordingtoMikeLombardi,ameteorologistattheNationalInstituteforStandardsandTechnology,“Nobodyknowsexactlywhatwouldhappen.”SincesomanyofthesetechnologiesweredesignedspecificallywithGPSinmind,theunsettlingtruth,hesays,is“there’snobackup.”Thebulkofamorepromising,comprehensivebackupsystemalreadyexists,righthereontheground.Afterthe

sextant

(六分儀)butbeforeGPS,navigatorsaroundtheworldusedLongRangeAidstoNavigation,or“LORAN,”aterrestrialsystemoftransmittersandreceivingequipmentfirstdevelopedduringWWII.Bythemid-1990s,Loran“towerchains”providedcoverageforNorthAmerica,Europe,andotherregionsintheNorthernHemisphere.ItsusedeclinedinfavorofthemuchfineraccuracyofGPSafteritbecameavailableforcivilusein1995,buttheU.S.CoastGuardcontinuedworkingonanimprovedsystemusingtheexistinginfrastructure.Ifadopted,“Enhanced”LORAN,oreLoran,couldprovidepositioningaccuracycomparabletoGPS.Broadcastathundredsofthousandsofwatts,thesignalisvirtuallyun-jammable,andunlikeGPS,canevenbereceivedindoors,underwater,andinurbanornaturalcanyons.ItalsoturnsoutthateLorancanprovideaUTCtimesignalwithsub-microsecondtimeresolutionacrossalargegeographicalarea.Thetechnologyisavailable—theCoastGuard

demonstratedaworkingprototype

lastyear—sowhyisn’tAmericausingit?JohnGaramendi,aCaliforniacongressman,askedthisquestionataJuly2015congressionalhearingontheFederalRadio-navigationPlan,thenation’sprimaryplanningdocumentforposition,navigation,andtiming(PNT).“Therearetwokindsoftime,”heopened,“realtime…andthenfederaltime,whichseemstobetheforevertime.TheeLoransystemwasidentifiedasabackup15yearsago,andhereweare,federaltime,notyetdone.”Whyisthesenseofurgencyamongdecisionmakerssooutofsync?Couldsomeofitbesimilartowhypeople

delaybackinguptheircomputerseventhoughthey’vebeentellingthemselvestoforweeks?Howdowedecide,whenpresentedariskwithunknownodds,whenit’stimetosacrificetimeandresourcestopreventit?

Nowisacriticallyimportanttimetoanswerthatquestion,astheworld

hasactuallybeengivenoddsonanother,evenmorecatastrophicriskthanGPSfailure:destructionoftheelectricalpowerinfrastructureitself.OnJuly23,2012,

abillion-toncloudofelectrifiedgasesblastedoffthefarsideofthesun

atoversixmillionmilesperhour.AccordingtoprofessorDanielBakeratUniversityofColorado,thiscoronalmassejection(CME)“wasinallrespectsatleastasstrongasthe1859CarringtonEvent,”referringtothestrongestsolarstormeverrecorded,whichsetfiretotelegraphstationsandcausedaurorasdowntoCuba.Aswaswidelyreportedtwoyearsago,ifthe2012CMEhadoccurredoneweeklater,itwouldhavehitEarth.6.ThemainpurposeofthepassageistoA.presentaproblemwithacurrenttechnologyandhighlightapotentialsolution.B.provideanoverviewofhowclocksandsatellitesdeterminedistanceandlocation.C.analyzethenegativeimpactsofcertaintechnologiesacrossvariousindustries.D.praisedevelopersfortheirabilitytoanswerthehardquestions.7.WhichofthefollowingbestcharacterizesLombardi’sattitudetoward“flyingclockradios”?A.Heisconfidentabouttheirabilitytohandleamultitudeoftasks.B.HeisconcernedabouthowtheywillinteractwiththeeLoransystems.C.Heisannoyedthatnooneknowsexactlyhowtheywork.D.Heisworriedthattheyhavenoreplacementsystemsincaseofemergency.8.AccordingtoJohnGaramendi,thereasonAmericaisn’tusingtheeLoransystemeventhoughthetechnologyisavailableisthatA.thesystemdoesn’tuserealtime.B.governmentapprovaltakeslongerthanthedevelopmentofthetechnology.C.federaldecision-makersarescaredtochangesystems.D.solarstormsthreatenthesystem.9.AccordingtoFigure1,whichgroupisclosestinpercentagetothepercentageofusers18–29inMay2011whogotlocation-basedinformationontheirsmartphones?A.Ages50+inFeb2012B.Ages50+inMay2011C.Ages30-49inFeb2012D.Ages18-29inFeb201210.WhichstatementissupportedbyFigure2?A.LessthanathirdofNorthAmericanGPSrevenuecomesfromtheAutomotiveindustry.B.GPSrevenuesforSurveying/MappingarelessthanGPSrevenuesforPrecisionAgriculture.C.GPSdevicesarelessimportantfortheAviationindustrythantheyarefortheMarineindustry.D.TheAutomotiveandMarineindustriesmakeupagreaterpercentageofNorthAmericanGPSrevenuesthantherestoftheindustriescombined.Questions11–15arebasedonthefollowingpassage.ThispassageisexcerptedfromJoshuaHammer,“TheDyingoftheDeadSea.”?2005bySmithsonianMagazine.Arefugeoverthemillenniaformessiahs,martyrsandzealots,theDeadSearegionaboundswithsitessacredtoIslam,ChristianityandJudaism.SomeMuslimsbelievethatMoses,whomtheyregardasaprophet,liesburiedinahilltopmosquejustoffthemainroadfromJerusalem.JesusChristwassaidtohavebeenbaptizedintheJordanRiveraftertravelingdowntotheDeadSeafromGalilee.Anddespiteitsname,theDeadSeahelpssupportoneoftheworld’smostcomplexandvibrantecosystems.Fedbyfreshwaterspringsandaquifers,ahalf-dozenoasesalongtheshoreharborscoresofindigenousspeciesofplants,fishandmammals,includingibexandleopards.About500millionbirdsrepresentingatleast300species,includingstorks,pelicans,lesserspottedeagles,lesserkestrelsandhoneybuzzards,takerefugehereduringabiannualgreatmigrationfromAfricatoEuropeandbackagain.EinFeshka,alushexpanseoftamarisk,papyrus,oleanderandpoolsofcrystalwater,wasusedbythelatekingHusseinofJordanasaprivateplaygroundinthe1950sandearly’60s.ButastheDeadSearecedes,thespringsthatfeedtheoasesaremovingalongwithit;manyexpertsbelievethatEinFeshkaandotheroasescouldwitherawaywithinfiveyears.Onereasonforthedecline,accordingtoenvironmentalistsandvariousgovernmentofficials,isawaterpolicyonthepartofIsrael,JordanandSyriathatencouragesunrestrictedagriculturaluse.FromthefirstyearsofIsrael’sexistenceasaJewishstate,forexample,whencollectivefarmingtransformedmuchofitintofertilevineyardsandvegetablefields,bothLaborandLikudgovernmentshavebestowedgenerouswatersubsidiesonthenation’sfarmers.Theresultshavebeendisastrous:today,agricultureaccountsforjust3percentofIsrael’sgrossnationalproductandusesuptohalfofitsfreshwater.Recently,UriSagie,chairmanofIsrael’snationalwatercompany,toldaconferenceofIsraelifarmersthatagrowingandirreversiblegapbetweenproductionandconsumptionlooms.“Thewatersourcesarebeingdepletedwithoutthedeficitbeingrestored,”hewarned.Jordanlavishessimilarwatersubsidiesonitsfarmerswithsimilarconsequences:thekingdomtakesabout71billiongallonsofwaterayearfromtheYarmoukRiverandchannels