Urbanization
Until relatively recently, the vast majority of human beings lived and died without ever seeing a city. The first city was probably founded no more than 5,500 years ago. 1._ . In fact, nearly everyone lived on farms or in tiny rural (乡村的) villages. It was not until the 20th century that Great Britain became the first urban society in history--- a society in which the majority of people live in cities and do not farm for a living.
Britain was only the beginning. 2._ .The process of urbanization--- the migration (迁移) of people from the countryside to the city--- was the result of modernization, which has rapidly transformed how people live and where they live.
In 1990, fewer than 40% of Americans lived in urban areas. Today, over 82% of Americans live in cities. Only about 2% live on farms. 3. .
Large cities were impossible until agriculture became industrialized. Even in advanced agricultural societies. It took about ninety-five people on farms to feed five people in cities. 4. . Until modern times, those living in cities were mainly the ruling elite(精英) and the servants, laborers and professionals who served them. Cities survived by taxing farmers and were limited in size by the amount of surplus food that the rural population produced and by the ability to move this surplus from farm to city.
Over the past two centuries, the Industrial Revolution has broken this balance between the city and the country. 5. . Today, instead of needing ninety-five farmers to feed five city people, one American farmer is able to feed more than a hundred non-farmers.
A．That kept cities very small.
B．The rest live in small towns.
C．The effects of urban living on people should be considered.
D．Soon many other industrial nations become urban societies.
E. But even 200 years ago, only a few people could live in cities.
F. Modernization drew people to the cities and made farmers more productive.
G. Modern cities have destroyed social relations and the health of human beings.
1.E
2.D
3.B
4.A
5.F
【解析】
文章大意：文章的主题是城市化，讲述了城市化由过去城市规模小，农民人口多，到后来现代化之后，城市规模大，农民人口少的现象，体现了产量的增加，社会的变迁。
1.根据前一句“The first city was probably founded no more than 5,500 years ago”可知，此处讲的是以前城市的情况，即第一座城市仅仅是5500年才出现的，甚至200年前，也只有很少一部分人生活在城市中。其他几个选项没有关于以前城市的描述。故选择E
2.根据前一句的“ Britain was only the beginning”可知，英国只是个开始，关键词beginning, 因此后面出现的是soon, 句意为，英国只是个开始，很快，其他工业国家也变成了城市化社会。
3.根据前一句的“Today, over 82% of Americans live in cities. Only about 2% live on farms”目前，超过82%的美国人住在城市，只有2%的人住在农场，在讲完了82%和2%之后，还有剩下的人呢，住在哪里呢？因此可以推断出，下一句讲述的是the rest即，其余的人住在什么地方。因此，选择B，意为，其余的人住在城镇里。
4.推理判断，根据前一句的”It took about ninety-five people on farms to feed five people in cities”可知，要有95个人在农场里工作，才能养活5个城市里的人，因此城市里居住的人肯定要少，规模肯定很小，因此选择A项，意为这种原因导致了城市规模很小。
5.根据后面的“ Today, instead of needing ninety-five farmers to feed five city people, one American farmer is able to feed more than a hundred non-farmers”可知，现在一个美国人在农场里工作，可以养活100多个非农美国人，因此现代化让农民更加多产，让更多的人可以居住在城市里。
阅读快车系列答案科目：高中英语 来源：2012-2013学年湖北省孝感高级中学高二上学期期末考试英语试卷（带解析） 题型：阅读理解
The rapid growth of cities worldwide over the next two decades will cause significant risks to people and the global environment, according to analysis.
Researches from Yale and Stanford predict that by 2030 urban areas will expand by 590,000 square miles—nearly the size of Mongolia—to meet the needs of 1.47 billion more people living in urban areas.
“It is likely that these cities are going to be developed in places that are the most biologically diverse,” said Karen Seto, a famous scientist at Yale University. “They are going to be growing and expanding into forests, biological hotspots, savannas(热带稀缺大草原), coastlines—sensitive and vulnerable places.”
Urban areas, they found, have been expanding more rapidly along coasts. “Of all the places for cities to grow, coasts are the most sensitive. People and buildings along the coast are at risk of flooding and other environmental disasters,” said Seto.
The study provides the first estimate of how fast urban areas globally are growing and how fast they may grow in the future. “We know a lot about global patterns of urban population growth, but we know significantly less about how urban areas are changing,” she said. “Changes in land cover associated with urbanization lead to many environmental changes, from habitats loss and agricultural land conversion(转化) to changes in local and regional climate.”
The researchers examined studies that used satellite data to map urban growth and found that from 1970 to 2000 the world’s urban footprint had grown by at least 22,400 square miles—half the size of Ohio.
“This number is numerous, but, in actuality, urban land expansion has been far greater than what our analysis shows because we only looked at the published studies that used satellite data,” said Seto. “We found that 48 of the most populated urban areas have been studied using satellite data, with findings in journals. This means that we’re not tracking the physical expansion of more than half of the world’s largest cities.”
Half of urban land expansion in China is driven by a rising middle class, whereas the size of cities in India and Africa is driven primarily by population growth. “Rising incomes translate into rising demand for bigger homes and more land for urban development, which has a great effect on biodiversity conservations, loss of carbon sinks and energy use.”
【小题1】According to the passage, the most dangerous place for city expansion is the _____.
| A．forest | B．desert | C．savannas | D．coastline |
| A．diverse in plants | B．beautiful in scenery |
| C．easily damaged | D．very productive |
| A．urbanization is a good way to improve people’s standards of living |
| B．cities develop very fast and more and more people come to live in cities |
| C．more and more agricultural farmlands are used to make room for local animals |
| D．in the past, researchers focused their attention on the expanding urban areas |
| A．growing population | B．rising middle class |
| C．unique living patterns | D．economic development |
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科目：高中英语 来源：2012-2013学年安徽省宿松县复兴中学高二第一次月考英语试卷（带解析） 题型：阅读理解
The income gap between China's rural and urban residents(居民) has continued to widen during the past few years in spite of rapidly rising rural incomes, Agricultural Minister Sun Zhengcai said here on Wednesday.
The income ratio(比率) between urban and rural residents was 3.28:1 in 2006, against 3.23:1 in 2003, said Sun in his report on the promotion of building a new countryside in 2007. Sun also said the net income of rural residents in different regions also varied widely. The income gap is only one of several problems in rural areas, according to Sun's report. While listing the achievements in rural areas in recent years, Sun believed that rural development still followed behind urban development.
"We have bigger pressure to ensure the supply of major agricultural products such as grain," he said. "China's urbanization(都市化) has been speeded up and more rural residents have gone to urban areas," he said.
"In this case, more agricultural producers become farm produce consumers, which created more pressure for supply," he said.
Another problem facing China's agricultural development is inadequate application of science and technology.
"Only 30 percent of scientific and technological achievements have been applied to agricultural production, which is 40 percentage points lower than developed countries," he said.
Despite increased government spending in rural areas, the infrastructure(基础下部组织) is still poor and easily hit by disasters.
According to Sun, the government spent 431.8 billion yuan ($59.15 billion) on agriculture, rural areas and farmers this year, an increase of 80.1 billion yuan over the previous year.
China set aside 11.38 billion yuan to promote a new rural cooperative medical care system and 27.98 billion yuan to support the new compulsory education mechanism in rural area to ensure that all citizens shared the fruits of China's reform and opening-up, Sun said.
【小题1】Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?
| A．Because of the rapidly rising rural incomes, the income gap between China's rural and urban residents will disappear this year. |
| B．The net income of rural residents in different regions is the same. |
| C．The government has taken measures to develop the economy in the rural areas. |
| D．Because of the rapidly rising rural incomes, the supply of major agricultural products is enough. |
| A．be made full use of | B．be made little use of | C．be not made full use of | D．be made good use of |
| A．431.8 billion yuan | B．511.9 billion yuan | C．351.7 billion yuan | D．80.1 billion yuan |
| A．The income gap | B．The inadequate application of science and technology |
| C．The supply of major agricultural products | D．China's urbanization |
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科目：高中英语 来源：2013届湖北省武汉市武昌区高三上学期期末调研测试英语试卷（带解析） 题型：阅读理解
Researchers at Yale, Texas A&M and Boston University predict that by 2030 urban areas will expand by more than 463,000 square miles, or l．2 million square kilometers． That is equal to 20,000 American football fields becoming urban every day for the first three decades of this century．
The growth in urban areas will go with the construction of roads and buildings, water and sanitation facilities, and energy and transport systems that will transform land cover and cities globally． Recent estimates suggest that between $25 trillion（万亿） and $30 trillion will be spent on infrastructure（基础设施） worldwide by 2030, with $100 billion a year in China alone．
"Considering the long life and near unavoidability of infrastructure investments, it will be critical for current urbanization-related policies to consider their lasting impacts," said Karen Seto, lead author of the study． "We have a huge opportunity to shape how cities develop and their environmental impacts．"
Nearly half of the increase in high-probability ----defined as greater than 75 percent ---- urban expansion is forecasted to occur in Asia, with China and India absorbing 55 percent of the regional total． In China, urban- expansion is expected to create a l,l00-mile coastal urban corridor from Hangzhou to Shenyang． In India, urban expansion will be gathered around seven state capital cities, with large areas of low-probability growth forecasted for the Himalaya region where many small villages and towns currently exist．
Africa's urban land cover will grow the fastest, at 590 percent above the 2000 level of 16,000 square miles． Urban expansion win be concentrated in that continent's five regions: the Nile River in Egypt; the coast of West Africa on the Gulf of Guinea; the northern shores of Lake Victoria in Kenya and Uganda and extending into Rwanda and Burundi; the Kano region in northern Nigeria; and greater Addis Ababa, Ethiopia．
"Urban expansion is concentrated in． only a few areas where there are large cities and industry," said Seto． "From the northern shore of Lake Victoria down to Rwanda is also a major hotspot of urban expansion．"
In North America, where 78 percent of the total population lives in urban areas, urban land cover will nearly double by 96,000 square miles by 2030．The study also forecasts that 48 of the 221 countries in the study will experience insignificant amounts of urban expansion． "
【小题1】As for China, the expansion of urban area means ．
| A．$ 100 billion will be spent on infrastructure a year |
| B．creating a coastal urban corridor from Hangzhou to Qingdao |
| C．it will become the fastest developing country in the next decade |
| D．it will make up 55% of the increase in urban expansion in Asia |
| A．construction of roads | B．sanitation facilities |
| C．energy systems | D．land cover transformation |
| A．the development of cities | B．urbanization-related policies |
| C．infrastructure in vestments | D．China’s expansion of urban area |
| A．The limitation of urban expansion |
| B．More investment on infrastructure |
| C．The fast development of the third world |
| D．The future urban expansion of the world |
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科目：高中英语 来源：2013届浙江嘉兴第一中学高三适应性考试英语卷（带解析） 题型：阅读理解
As China becomes increasingly urbanized (城市化), it has to find space for its urban and rural citizens as both groups become increasingly integrated. Experts suggest a possible model way may be “re-inventing” a “garden city”.
China’s mega-cities are bursting at the borders and the country is now undergoing the quickest and biggest urbanization in the history of mankind. It is estimated that by 2025, China will have 400 million more people living in its cities, raising its urban population to 900 million. Besides, new satellite towns are mushrooming on the urban fringes while city ring roads are rippling outwards into the countryside at amazing speed. Satellite maps collected by Professor Joshua Bolchover at the University of Hong Kong bring the problem sharply into focus. They track the changing rural-urban framework in the past 30 years, and suggest that cities are cruelly destroying surrounding rural land and rapidly reducing the amount of arable (可耕种的) land, which gives way to new residential blocks, new industrial zones, new financial centers and the other inevitable signs and signatures of economic growth.
This, however, is not sustainable growth pattern, especially when China has the world’s largest population to feed. So concerned urban planners are starting to note the social and physical effects of diaspora (大移居) when replaced rural communities are forced into the cities.
On the other hand, a trend of thought is gradually taking shape and this is the concept of the “garden city”, a combination of country and city that is being proposed by architects and city planners. Hua Li, from Tao Architects, is among the many professionals with such a voice. His argument is supported by a long-term study on this subject. As Hua says, the answer is to preserve patches of productive farmland within urban boundaries. Less transportation means we have fresh agricultural products at lower costs and less carbon emission in the city. And urban farmland can also be showcased for agricultural tourism and education.
The concept is already practiced at the grassroot level. Agriculture has gone into the air, up to roof and balcony in some communities in the cities. It’s common to see organic “hanging garden” on the roof of some traditional courtyard home. According to some people, the rooftop project translate to tangible (=" practical)" benefits, such as safe, nutritious vegetables, a cooler home in summer. Some say thanks to the tomatoes they plant that are natural insect killers, there’re fewer mosquitoes. Apart from these, it also contributes to better bonding with neighbors. Zhang, a doctor in Beijing, began creating his hanging garden five years ago. Since his garden became home to 30 kinds of vegetables and fruit --- all enough to feed his family, neighbors have enjoyed dropping by for a relaxing chat or just to see how well the lovely vegetables and fruit are doing.
Although people like Zhang are still rare and the greening of roof space with vegetables and fruit takes skill and energy, with more positive media exposure and advanced technology there is the prospect that garden city will become common practice in the near future. By then, cities will no longer look so gray when seen from the satellites.
【小题1】Some experts suggest re-inventing a “garden city” because ______.
| A．it is the only model way to save the cities |
| B．it helps stop destroying the rural areas |
| C．increasing urbanization takes place in China |
| D．China has the largest population to feed |
| A．To show the experts’ concern about the increase of population. |
| B．To persuade people into supporting economic growth in cities. |
| C．To explain the reasons for the change of rural-urban framework. |
| D．To inform the readers of the consequences of quick urbanization. |
| A．benefit the environment and lower living costs |
| B．become a project that needs a long-term study |
| C．lead to more rural communities being replaced |
| D．attract more farmers to take tours in cities |
| A．he achieves his dream to own a hanging garden |
| B．hanging gardens are becoming more popular |
| C．the garden contributes to a better neighborhood |
| D．he is a pioneer to practise the gardening concept |
| A．desperate | B．hopeful | C．disappointed | D．concerned |
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科目：高中英语 来源：2011-2012学年江苏省高三第一次学情调研测试英语试题 题型：阅读理解
As China becomes increasingly urbanized (城市化), it has to find space for its urban and
rural citizens as both groups become increasingly integrated. Experts suggest a possible model
way may be “re-inventing” a “garden city”.
China’s mega-cities are bursting at the borders and the country is now undergoing the quickest and biggest urbanization in the history of mankind. It is estimated that by 2025, China will have 400 million more people living in its cities, raising its urban population to 900 million. Besides, new satellite towns are mushrooming on the urban fringes while city ring roads are rippling outwards into the countryside at amazing speed. Satellite maps collected by Professor Joshua Bolchover at the University of Hong Kong bring the problem sharply into focus. They track the changing rural-urban framework in the past 30 years, and suggest that cities are cruelly destroying surrounding rural land and rapidly reducing the amount of arable（可耕种的）land, which gives way to new residential blocks, new industrial zones, new financial centers and the other inevitable signs and signatures of economic growth.
This, however, is not sustainable growth pattern, especially when China has the world’s largest population to feed. So concerned urban planners are starting to note the social and physical effects of diaspora（大移居）when replaced rural communities are forced into the cities.
On the other hand, a trend of thought is gradually taking shape and this is the concept of the “garden city”, a combination of country and city that is being proposed by architects and city planners. Hua Li, from Tao Architects, is among the many professionals with such a voice. His argument is supported by a long-term study on this subject. As Hua says, the answer is to preserve patches of productive farmland within urban boundaries. Less transportation means we have fresh agricultural products at lower costs and less carbon emission in the city. And urban farmland can also be showcased for agricultural tourism and education.
The concept is already practiced at the grassroot level. Agriculture has gone into the air, up to roof and balcony in some communities in the cities. It’s common to see organic “hanging garden” on the roof of some traditional courtyard home. According to some people, the rooftop project translate to tangible (= practical) benefits, such as safe, nutritious vegetables, a cooler home in summer. Some say thanks to the tomatoes they plant that are natural insect killers, there’re fewer mosquitoes. Apart from these, it also contributes to better bonding with neighbors. Zhang, a doctor in Beijing, began creating his hanging garden five years ago. Since his garden became home to 30 kinds of vegetables and fruit --- all enough to feed his family, neighbors have enjoyed dropping by for a relaxing chat or just to see how well the lovely vegetables and fruit are doing.
Although people like Zhang are still rare and the greening of roof space with vegetables and fruit takes skill and energy, with more positive media exposure and advanced technology there is the prospect that garden city will become common practice in the near future. By then, cities will no longer look so gray when seen from the satellites.
1.What is the purpose of paragraph 2?
A. To show the experts’ concern about the increase of population.
B. To persuade people into supporting economic growth in cities.
C. To explain the reasons for the change of rural-urban framework.
D. To inform the readers of the consequences of quick urbanization.
2.In Hua Li’s opinion, a combination of country and city will __________.
A. benefit the environment and lower living costs
B. become a project that needs a long-term study
C. lead to more rural communities being replaced
D. attract more farmers to take tours in cities
3. Zhang is mentioned (Paragraph 5) to show that __________.
A. he achieves his dream to own a hanging garden
B. hanging gardens are becoming more popular
C. the garden contributes to a better neighborhood
D. he is a pioneer to practise the gardening concept
4.As for the concept of the “garden city”, the writer feels_________.
A. desperate B. hopeful C. disappointed D. concerned
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