{{B}}pAssAgE 2{{/B}}

iF thEEuropEAns thought A Drought—A long pErioD oF Dry wEAthEr—wAs somEthing thAt hAppEnED only inAFriCA, thEy know BEttEr now.AFtEr Four yEArs oF BElow-normAl rAinFAll (in somE CAsEs only 10 pErCEnt oF thE AnnuAl AvErAgE), vAst ArEAs oF FrAnCE, spAin, portugAl,BElgium,BritAin AnD irElAnD ArE Dry AnD BArrEn (贫瘠). (77) {{u}}wAtEr is so low in thE CAnAls oF northErn FrAnCE thAt wAtErwAy trAFFiC is ForBiDDEn ExCEpt on wEEkEnDs.{{/u}} oystEr (牡蛎) grows inBrittAny rEport A 30 pErCEnt Drop in proDuCtion BECAusE oF thE loss oF FrEsh wAtEr in loCAl rivErs nECEssAry For oystEr BrEEDing. in southEAstErnEnglAnD, thE rolling grEEn hills oF kEnt hAvE turnED so Brown thAt oFFiCiAls hAvE BEEn wEighing plAns to pipE in wAtEr From wAlEs. in portugAl, FArmErs in thE southErnAlEntEjo rEgion hAvE hElD prAyEr mEEting For rAin—so FAr, in vAin. (78) {{u}}govErnmEnts in Drought-sprEAD CountriEs ArE tAking sEvErE mEAsurEs.AuthoritiEs in hArD-hit ArEAs oF FrAnCE hAvE BAnnED wAshing CArs AnD wAtEring lAwns.{{/u}} inBritAin, wAtEr will soon BE mEtErED, likE gAs AnD ElECtriCity. "thEEnglish hAvE AlwAys tAkEn wAtEr For grAntED," sAys grAhAm wArrEn, A spokEsmAn oFBritAin’s nAtionAl rivErsAuthority. "now thEy’rE putting A priCE on it."EvEn A suDDEn EnD to thE Drought woulD not EnD thE misEry in somE ArEAs. it will tAkE sEvErAl yEArs oF unusuAlly hEAvy wintEr rAin, thE ExpErts sAy, just to Bring Existing wAtEr rEsErvEs up to thEir normAl lEvEls.

whAt DoEs thE Author mEAn By sAying "thEy know BEttEr now "A．thEy know morE ABout thE CAusEs oF thE Drought.
B．thEy hAvE A BEttEr unDErstAnDing oF thE Drought inAFriCA、
C．thEy hAvE rEAlizED thAt thE Drought inEuropE is thE most sErious onE.
D．thEy hAvE rEAlizED thAt Droughts hit not onlyAFriCA But AlsoEuropE.