The prolonged drought became a genuine water crisis once the reservoirs fell below a quarter of their normal capacity.
当水库蓄水降到正常容量的四分之一以下时，长期干旱演变成了真正的水危机。
Only after drawing the reader in with this small drama does the author widen the lens to the worldwide collapse of bee populations and the agricultural crisis that may follow.
From a Text Structure and Purpose question · Craft and Structure
Which choice best defines “crisis”?
C — A time of intense difficulty. “crisis” means a time of intense difficulty.
Which word means “a time of intense difficulty”?
D — crisis. “crisis” means a time of intense difficulty.
crisis — a time of intense difficulty. In Chinese: 危机.
crisis is pronounced /ˈkraɪsɪs/.
The prolonged drought became a genuine water crisis once the reservoirs fell below a quarter of their normal capacity. (当水库蓄水降到正常容量的四分之一以下时，长期干旱演变成了真正的水危机。)
emergency, predicament, calamity — all close in meaning to crisis (a time of intense difficulty).
stability, calm — each the opposite of crisis (a time of intense difficulty).
Yes. crisis is on the SAT Prep Basic list — the everyday academic words the SAT assumes you already have. The Digital SAT does not test vocabulary in isolation; words like this one are tested through Words in Context questions, where you choose the word that completes a passage most logically and precisely.
crisis (crisis)