China plans to accelerate its development of "sponge cities" even though 19 of 30 cities in a pilot program suffered waterlogging this summer.
It will not show immediate effects and its success will take time, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said in a statement posted on its website.
The sponge city idea aims to allow cities to absorb and store rainwater using their own resources to prevent floods in the rainy season, and release this water for use during dry times. It also intends to help ease water shortages.
文中的sponge cities就是“海绵城市”的意思，其中sponge用作名词，意为“海绵”，如：The sponge soaked in the water on the desk.（海绵将书桌上的水吸了进去。）它还可以用作动词，表示“吸收掉”的意思，如：Sponge the mud spots off the car.（用海绵擦去车上的污泥。）
第三段中的短语rainy season意为“雨季”，如：The river is navigable during the rainy season.（该河在雨季可以通行。）
