The computer laboratory is an essential ______ for students.

A. source
B. force
C. resource
D. reinforce

After a ______ debate, members of the committee finally voted to approve the funding.

A. contentious
B. abstentious
C. contented
D. contended

The rate of population growth reached a peak in 1999 and declined in ______ years.

A. consequent
B. frequent
C. infrequent
D. subsequent

I’m feeling a little depressed at the moment, but I’m sure good times are ______.

A. in the corner
B. at the corner
C. around the corner
D. on the corner

Thousands of soldiers are working to ______ food and blankets to the refugees.

A. contribute
B. distribute
C. attribute
D. distract

As we were __________ giving up hope, a letter arrived.

A. on the point of
B. for the point of
C. to the point of
D. in the point of

Already there are many ______ fuel vehicles on the market, powered by anything from solar power to natural gas.

A. alterable
B. alternate
C. alterative
D. alternative

Britain is ______ its effort to secure the release of the hostages.

A. densifying
B. intensifying
C. identifying
D. classifying

The problems _______ the new government are enormous.

A. conforming
B. conferring
C. affronting
D. confronting

Water is life. We depend on it to keep us and the (1)_____healthy. Nonetheless, many people take water as a natural resource for granted. Today, the situation has changed. As the population of the world increases, and with it the demand for water, there is growing concern that our water supplies will not be as (2)____as we think. Eighty countries now have water shortages and 2 billion people lack access to clean water. One billion people lack enough water to simply meet their basic needs.While nearly 70 percent of the world is covered by water, only 2.5 percent of it is fresh. This tiny amount of fresh water available on the planet has remained fairly constant over time and is (3)____unevenly around the world. The growth of the world population, therefore, (4)____competition for a clean supply of water every year. Worse still, humans are not efficient users. According to the United Nations, water use has grown at more than twice the (5)____of population increase in the last century. The reality is that an increasing number of regions are (6)____with water scarcity. By 2025, two-thirds of the world’s population may face water shortages.An adequate and (7)____water supply is essential to the future of every country. To increase and conserve supplies of fresh water, many countries have been working at technological (8)____, one of which is in the process of desalination. New filtration systems have been developed to (9)____traditional heating methods. Thus the expected (10)____can be achieved: lower costs.A.abundant B. complicated C. conflict D. confronted E. distributedF.environment G. highlight H. innovations I. intensified J. outcomeK. rateL. reliableM. replace N. sources O. subsequent