This was demonstrated in a study which was conducted in 1999 by the Natural Resources Defense Council. They tested over 100 brands of bottled drinking water and found that about one third of the waters comtained contamination in the form of chemicals. bacteria, and arsenic. The study also,found that up to forty percent of bottled drinking waters come from a city water system.

　　How to Tell If Your Water Is Healthy

　　So how do you tell if the water you are drinking is healthy? With tap water, it is relativety easy. If your water comes from a municipal source. the suppliers are required by law to provide annual water quality reports. If you have a well, you can have an authorized lab test your water. It may cost $lOO or more, but it's a small price to pay for peace of mind. Or you can purchase a kit and test it yourself, but naturallythe results may not be as conclusive or reliable as those produced by authorized labs.

　　When it comes to bottled drinking water. it can be more difficult to know what you are getting. Start by checking the label or the bottle cap. Some may tell you that the water comes from a municipal source or "community water system." which means tap water.

　　If the label doesn't give any information, you can call the bottler and ask.But don't be surprised if you get the run around and are transferred to several different departments. Some states have a bottled water program that tracks bottled drinking water and can tell you the origin of the source water as well as other information.

　　Safe and healthy drinking water has become big business. Thousands of companies are vying for your hard earned cash, and some are not always honest about what their products offer. The initial investment for a home drinking water filtration system can seem expensive at first, but over time, it is usually less expensive than bottled drinking water. And with a wafer filter. you at least know where the water you drink camefrom and how it was treated.

　　Before going out and spending your hard earned money for bottled drinking water that may be no better thanyour own tap water, it is obviously a good idea to do some research. You are likely to decide that a drinking water filtration system and/or purifier is the healthier choice and provides the best value as well.

　　1.In past decades, bottled drinking water was____________________.

　　A) more popular than tap water

　　B) believed to be too expensive

　　C) inconveniently provided

　　D) restricted to few choices

　　2.Now, tap water can also become exceptionally pure and healthy if_________________.

　　A) more fund is provided for protecting water resources

　　B) a right filtration system is installed in your home

　　C) measures are taken to guide the water suppliers

　　D) our environment can be free from pollution

　　3.Operating drinking water filters and purification systems costs______________ every year.

　　A) several hundred dollars

　　B) less than a hundred dollar

　　C) about two hundred dollars

　　D) about a hundred dollar

　　4.One of the disadvantages of bottled water is that the plastic bottles would___________________.

　　A) have to be delivered back to the suppliers

　　B) bring about impact on the environment

　　C) not be as safe as glass bottles

　　D) increase the production cost

　　5.Generally, the companies that use municipal tap water as bottled water___________.

　　A) sell their water at a lower price

　　B) purify the water before bottling

　　C) are severely punished by law

　　D) can escape punishment by law

　　6.The Environmental Protection Agency is responsible for supervising the quality of____________.

　　A) drinking water

　　B) bottled water

　　C) municipal tap water

　　D) underground water

　　7.In a study by____________, many bottled drinking water was found not to be as healthy as expected.

　　A) the Food and Drug Administration

　　B) the Environmental Protection Agency

　　C) the Natural Resources Defense Council

　　D) the National Association for Health Freedom

　　8.It is required that the quality of tap water by a municipal source be provided by its supplier in________________.

　　9.When the bottled water is claimed to come from a"community water system," it is actually_____________________.

　　10.If you need to know any information about the bottled water, you can either ask the bottler for it or get it from the state's__________________.