The Aral Sea, roughly translated as “Sea of Islands,” is a good example of just how badly humans can screw things up. Sharedby Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in Central Asia, the Aral Sea used to cover more than 66,000 square kilometers, and more than 1,534islands once dotted its waters. It was one of the four largest inland seas in the world. There was a thriving fishing industry, and lifewas healthy in towns around the edge of the lake. Now the Aral Sea is mostly a desert wasteland. A graveyard of ships stranded in thedust is a reminder of the past.
         In order to grow cotton in the desert, the former Soviet Union built a system of canals and diverted water from the two majorrivers that used to feed the Aral Sea. Without fresh water from the rivers, the lake water turned salty. Fish and plants could not survive.In a matter of years, the entire ecosystem was dying. The lake began to shrink. It became two smaller lakes, and by 2004, it was only 25% of its original size.
          The soil in the cotton fields is also slowly being ruined. Adding too much water to the desert brings a layer of salt to the surface.From the air, the ground looks white, as if it were covered with snow. Mixed with farm chemicals, the salt blows in the air forhundreds of miles.   
          The consequences of this mismanagement go far beyond a dry lake. The formerly vibrant fishing industry is dead. Drinkingwater in the region is badly polluted with salt and chemicals used on the cotton crops. Lung diseases, cancer, and dead infants havebecome common.
          Governments have been reluctant to let the water flow back into the Aral Sea. They say they have to think of the income fromthe cotton and the farmers who depend on the crops for work.
          Scientists doubt that the sea will ever recover. Togian Ibragimova, the deputy mayor of Muynak, a town near the Aral Sea, told aBBC reporter that she hopes people will at least learn from the mistakes made with the Aral Sea. “It could easily happen again,” shesaid. “Human beings can be very stupid.”
【題組】45. What is the main idea of this passage?
(A) The salty water from the Aral Sea is not fit to be used to irrigate cotton fields.
(B) Due to human follies, the Aral Sea was turned into a desert wasteland.
(C) The environment must be put before economic growth.
(D) The Aral Sea has been destroyed to the extent that it is unlikely to recover.