1、专业英语八级（阅读）练习试卷 13及答案与解析 0 People are moving to cities in droves. In 1950, two-thirds of the worlds population lived in the countryside. New York was then the only settlement with more than 10 million people. Today there are 20 such megacities, and more are on the way. Most of these megacities are in
2、 developing countries that are struggling to cope with both the speed and the scale of human migration. Estimates of the future spread of urbanization are based on the observation that in Europe, and in North and South America, the urban share of the total population has stabilized at 75%-85%. If th
3、e rest of the world follows this path it is expected that in the next decade an extra 100 million people will join the cities of Africa, and 340 million the cities of Asia: the equivalent of a new Bangkok every two months. By 2030 nearly two-thirds of the worlds population will be urban. In the long
4、 run, that is good news. If countries now industrialising follow the pattern of those that have already done so, their city-dwellers will be both more prosperous and healthier. Man is gregarious species, and the Words “urbane“ and “civilised“ both derive from the advantages of living in large settle
5、ments. History also shows, though, that the transition can be uncomfortable. The slums of Manchester were, in their time, just as awful as those of Nairobi today. But people moved there for exactly the same reason: however nasty conditions seemed, the opportunities of urban life outstripped those of
6、 the countryside. The question is how best to handle the change. If there is one thing that everybody agrees on, it is that urbanization is unstoppable. Migrants attempting to escape poverty, and refugees escaping conflict, are piling into cities in what the executive director of UN-HABITAT, Anna, T
7、ibailjuka, describes as “premature urbanization.“ Dr Tibaijuka believes it might be possible to slow the pace of migration from the countryside with policies that enhance security and rural livelihoods. There is room for debate, though, over whether better rural development in any form can seriously
8、 slow the pace of urbanisation - or even whether such a slowdown would be a good thing. Michael Mutter, an urban planning adviser at the British governments Department for International Development (DFID), says that the relevant indicators suggest that in many countries the effective “carrying capac
9、ity“ of rural areas has been reached. As happened in Europe in the 18th century, population growth and technological improvements to agriculture are creating a surplus population. That surplus has to go somewhere to earn its living. Indeed, some people go so far so to argue that governments, interna
10、tional donors and aid agencies spend too much on rural development and neglect the cities. Most countries have a rural development policy, but only a few have urban ones. DFID, for example, spends only 5% of its budget directly on urban development. Moreover, these critics point out that, although r
11、ural areas often have worse sanitation, illiteracy and homelessness than cities, such figures are deceptive. Being illiterate, homeless or without access to a flush toilet are far more serious problems in a crowded city than in the countryside. Of the many lessons being learnt from past urban-develo
12、pment failures, one of the most important is that improvements must involve local people in a meaningful way. Even when it comes to the poorest slumdwellers, some governments and city authorities are realizing that people are their own greatest assets. Slumdwellers International is a collection of “
13、grassroots“ federations of people living in slums. Its idea is simple. Slum-dwellers in a particular place get together and form a federation to strengthen local savings and credit schemes, and to lobby for greater co- operation with the authorities. Such federations are having a big impact on slum-
14、upgrading schemes around the world. By surveying local needs and acting as voices for slum-dwellers, these federations have been able to show the authorities that slum-dwellers are not simply a homogenous and anonymous mass of urban poor, but are real people in need of real services. They have also
15、been able to apply pressure for improvements in security of tenure- either through temporary guarantees of residency or, better still, formal ownership. Such secure tenure gives people an incentive to improve their dwellings and is thus the crucial first step to upgrading a slum into a suburb. Over
16、the past six years, South Africas government has been pursuing an active programme of housing improvement. The government quickly realized that, with the poor in the majority, providing social housing for all would be impossible. The minister for housing, Sakie Mthembi-Mahanyele, says the approach t
17、hat has worked so far has been a combination of government, the private sector and the poor themselves. The poor, says Mrs Mthembi-Mahanyele, have responsibilities, and the government meets them halfway. Those with an income are expected to contribute some of it to the building of their houses. Thos
18、e without are asked to contribute “sweat equity“ by helping to build with their own hands. South Africa has also transferred ownership of more than 380,000 council houses, worth more than 28 billion rand ($2.7 billion) to private individuals. With these houses as collateral for loans, owners have al
19、ready started to upgrade and improve their properties. There is still a long way to go. An estimated 2-3 million more houses are needed. She adds that the government is still wrestling with financial institutions to get a better deal for the poor. 1 The passage is mainly concerned with _. （ A） the s
20、ide effects of urbanization （ B） megacities in developing countries （ C） the causes behind immigration to cities （ D） ways to slow down the pace of immigration 2 It can be inferred from the passage that Nairobi is _. （ A） a megacity with slums （ B） a palace of hunger and conflict （ C） an industriali
21、zed city （ D） a rural area with a surplus population 3 Anna Tibaijuka (para. 5) and Michael Mutter (para.7) seem to differ over _. （ A） the benefits of urbanization （ B） the process of urbanization （ C） the causes of urbanization （ D） the cost of urbanization 4 According to the passage, some slumdwe
22、llers are not interested in improving their environments because they _。 （ A） are unsure of their residency （ B） dislike urbanization （ C） are used to the president environment （ D） are homogeneous and anonymous 4 Few material things in life are more exciting than the right kind of hotel room. The k
23、ind with a large television and a well-stocked video collection; with a minibar laden with jelly beans and paprika-flavoured crisps; with a bathroom decked with fluffy white towels, robes and a collection of miniature bottles of shampoo; with a thick room-service menu offering all-night dining. The
24、chance to stay in a nice hotel can be capable of convincing even the inconsolable that life is worth living. The best hotel rooms achieve their distinctive charm in part because they combine the advantages of a modern commercial environment, and all the newness and shininess we associate with them,
25、with the advantages of home where we can wander around naked, pick our noses with impunity and feel private and unwatched. For a few nights, the place we call home resembles an idealised version of what our own homes might be like, if only we could afford to repair the cracks in the walls and change
26、 all the furniture. To stay in one of the Ian Shrager hotels - St. Martins Lane or Sanderson in London, for example - feels like stepping into a shiny and perfect magazine world. With their brisk efficiency and soothing colour schemes, these hotels allow us to think of life as something that might f
27、or ever be beautiful, calm and comprehensible. Good hotels are also a profound source of a feeling of love. How might a word generally used only in relation to what we get from a parent or a romantic companion be applied to something we might be offered by a hotel? Perhaps we could define love as a
28、kind of attentiveness; a sensitivity by one person to anothers existence. Advertisements for the Four Seasons hotel chain constantly emphasize the love that is showered on its guests; we see a maid hunting for just the right pillow, so that sleep of guests will be deep and soul- restoring-the kind o
29、f care we might last have experienced when we were ill as a child and pampered in bed by a devoted parent who brought toast soldiers and allowed us to watch television all day. Hotel rooms can be wonderful places in which to think. It is no coincidence that many of the 20th Centurys greatest novels
30、were written in hotel rooms. An unfamiliar setting offers an opportunity to escape our habits of mind: lying in bed, the room quiet except for the occasional swooshing of an elevator in the innards of the building, we can draw a lien under what preceded our arrival, and we can overfly great and igno
31、red stretches of our experience. All that said, there can be nothing worse than finding that one is not happy in a beautiful hotel, I recall going to stay at the Old Cataract in Aswan, Egypt, with a girlfriend a few years ago. The setting was idyllic, and yet one day at lunch, we managed to have an
32、argument (about nothing) in the hotel dining room, which spoilt the entire experience. We tell into a deep sulk and returned to our room. It had been cleaned in our absence. The bed had fresh linen. There were flowers on the chest of drawers and new towels in the bathroom. I tore one from the pile a
33、nd went to sit on the veranda, closing the French windows violently. The trees were throwing a gentle shade, the crisscross patterns of the palms occasionally rearranging themselves in the afternoon breeze. But there was no pleasure in such beauty. It had become irrelevant that there were soft towel
34、s, flowers and attractive views. My mood refused to be lifted by any external prop; it even felt insulted by the perfection of the hotel. The misery of that afternoon was a reminder of the fickle nature of our spirits. When we encounter a picture of a beautiful hotel, and imagine that happiness must
35、 naturally accompany such magnificence, we should remember how quickly it can be made insignificant by one sulk. And yet, of course, that should never be enough to stop us checking in. 5 In a nice hotel one can enjoy which of the following advantages of home? （ A） A sense of ownership. （ B） Closenes
36、s to family members. （ C） Privacy. （ D） A sense of belonging. 6 Love in a nice hotel is closest to which of the following? （ A） Brotherly love. （ B） Romantic love. （ C） Sexual love. （ D） Parental love. 7 All of the following explains why one can think better in a nice hotel EXCEPT _. （ A） one is lit
37、tle distracted by the environment （ B） one is in an better mood （ C） one need not be preoccupied with what happened before he arrived （ D） one is able to reflect on his entire life 8 The information contained in the last few paragraphs is most valuable to someone who _. （ A） believes that living in
38、a nice hotel is always a happy experience （ B） often stays at hotels with idyllic settings （ C） wants to enjoy the modem commercial environment （ D） has often been disappointed by hotel life 专业英语八级（阅读）练习试卷 13答案与解析 【知识模块】 阅读 1 【正确答案】 B 【试题解析】 主旨题。本文主要讨论了发展中国家大城市中的一些问题。都市化是一种趋势，人们因此而从中受益。但是在这过程中会有一些问题
39、。如发展中国家大城市所面临的移民问题以及对城市发展重视不够等问题。文章还讨论了一些大城市发展过程中的经验教训，并用南非的例子来说明政府怎样来改善大城市居民的生活。 【知识模块】 阅读 2 【正确答案】 A 【试题 解析】 推理题。根据文章第 4段，历史上的曼彻斯特和今天的内罗毕一样，都存在着贫民窟，但人们以同样的理由进入曼彻斯特，因为城市的机会要大于农村。因此我们可以推断，内罗毕是一个条件并不完善的大城市，选项 A正确答案。 【知识模块】 阅读 3 【正确答案】 C 【试题解析】 推理题。 Anna Tibaijuka认为，人们涌入城市是为了逃避饥饿和动荡，因此这样的都市化是不成熟的； Mic
40、hael Mutter则认为，人们涌入城市是因为农村的承受能力已经饱和，剩余人口要另谋生路。因此选 C为正确答案。 【知识模块】 阅读 4 【正确答案】 A 【试题解析】 细节题。根据第 10段，一些贫民窟居民联盟通过施加压力来争取贫民窟居民的永久居住权和所有权，这样人们才有积极性来改变自己的居住环境。因此选项 A正确答案。 【知识模块】 阅读 【知识 模块】 阅读 5 【正确答案】 C 【试题解析】 根据第 2段第 1句，人们在客房里可以像在家里一样不受到外界的注目。选项 C为正确答案。 【知识模块】 阅读 6 【正确答案】 D 【试题解析】 根据第 3段。酒店里的爱是一种关照，使人们感受到小时候大人的关爱。选项 D为正确答案。 【知识模块】 阅读 7 【正确答案】 B 【试题解析】 根据第 4段第 2句，在客房里，除了电梯的声音一切都是安静的：人们可以不去思考进驻酒店以前所发生的事情；人们可以重新审视一生中辉煌和被忽 略的经历。文章没有提到人们的心情。所以选项 B为正确答案。 【知识模块】 阅读 8 【正确答案】 A 【试题解析】 在文章最后几段，作者以亲身经历说明再好的旅馆也有不愉快的时候，因此选项 A为正确答案。 【知识模块】 阅读
