In 2018，a severe drought brought Cape Town close to "Day Zero"，when it could have become the world's first major city to run out of water.Dam levels in South Africa's Western Cape fell to below a fifth of capacity and the province suffered its worst water crisis in 100 years.
   "The water supply was dwindling and it just wasn't raining，" recalls Thinus Booysen，a professor at Stellenbosch University，who had created a device in 2015 designed to help homeowners cut their power usage.Seeking to reduce water waste，Booysen figured he could adapt the device to measure water usage instead of electricity use.
   Soon，Booysen launched a start-up，Bridging the Internet of Things （BridgloT），to develop his idea.Called Count Droputa，the device reports water usage once a minute while many conventional devices only record data once an hour.The system uses an app in the user's cellphone and sends short messages in real time. "Within minutes，we would be able to tell the user， 'Something has burst，or something is leaking，'" he says.
   Then Booysen discovered that a key issue was maintenance （維修），with the poorest schools using by far the most water.Leaking toilets could waste 1，000 liters of water per day. "We found that the biggest problems are things like children not closing taps properly，but often that would be because the taps just don't close，" Booysen explains.During the test，the invention saved one school more than three million liters of water in three months.Another reduced its water usage 55 percent in four months.
   Businesses including Cape Talk radio station and Africa's largest food company，Shoprite，became sponsors，partnering with the Western Cape Education Department to install （安裝） test devices in 350 schools.They saved more than S2.7 million and almost 550 million liters of water in 17 months.Booysen has looked at expanding to government buildings，hospitals and hotels.There are plans to roll out the device across Africa.

（1）What does the underlined word "dwindling" in Paragraph 2 probably mean？
A．Beginning.
B．Continuing.
C．Expanding.
D．Decreasing.
（2）Which words can best describe Booysen？
A．Proud but determined.
B．Cautious and friendly.
C．Creative and caring.
D．Strict but generous.
（3）What do we know about Count Dropul?？
A．It works smartly to help save water.
B．It was designed by Booysen in 2015.
C．It will soon be tested in 350 schools.
D．It cuts power usage efficiently.
（4）What will Booysen probably do next？
A．Become a member of Shoprite.
B．Further promote his new invention.
C．Stop water pollution in Cape Town.
D．Travel around Africa for better ideas.

【考點】記敘文；科技．

【答案】D；C；A；B