13.When did you last visit a shopping mall?In many places,the answer would be"last weekend."Some people go even more often.Why?Shopping malls offer goods and services all in one place:food,clothing,things for their houses,entertainment,even medical services.So,are they one of the highlights of modern civilization?Environmental activists would say no and would go even further,arguing that consumer behavior is causing a huge environmental disaster.They cause consumers'ignorance of the side effect of their shopping----urban sprawl (蔓延).
Social scientists agree that patterns of development have changed the landscape a lot.Before 1950,most people lived in towns or cities and either walked to work or took public transportation.Only very wealthy people had automobiles.Farmers lived in rural areas or far-away villages and came into town only when they needed things they couldn't produce themselves.If you stared at the landscape you would see towns surrounded by the countryside.
Now automobiles become affordable and people are quick to make use of them.Ambitious workers could live in suburbs,just outside cities,which have started to grow rapidly.As long as there is lots of cheap land there,no one pays much attention to the usage of that land.Malls,fast food restaurants,cinemas,and such spread out in large,flat buildings.These one-storey buildings and their parking lots take up too much space.Many farmers think they are better off selling their land than growing crops.No one has realized once the land is built up in urban sprawl,the good farming land will be ruined forever.There is no way to preserve it.
Only in recent years have people come to miss the old way of life as they have looked into the problems of unconditional growth.Now people realize that urban sprawl has come with serious environmental problems.The bad effects that sprawl brings about include air and water pollution,loss of agricultural land,traffic jams,and so on.Many scholars think it's time to analyze the problems better so we can develop proper policies to control further sprawl.Some think the best way to do is to educate citizens.
(Note:Answer the questions or complete the statements in NO MORE THAN TEN WORDS)
78.What does the underlined word"They"refer to in the first paragraph?Shopping malls
79.In the past,farmers in the countryside only went to towns or cities tobuy things they couldn't produce themselves.
80.Besides the mobility made possible by automobiles,what other two factors have led to the unconditional growth?.Cheap land/Wrong (Wasteful) land usage and farmers'selling their (farming) land
81.Now people come to realize the importance of protecting environment and dealing with the serious problem brought about by(further) urban sprawl.
分析 本文属于说明文阅读,作者通过这篇文章向我们叙述了城市扩张的副作用,无条件增长的问题使人们意识到城市扩张带来了严重的环境问题,蔓延带来的不良影响包括空气和水的污染,农业用地的损失,交通堵塞等等.因此呼吁读者要有环保意识.
解答 78.Shopping malls.根据文章"They cause consumers'ignorance of the side effect of their shopping----urban sprawl"可知购物中心导致消费者忽视了购物的副作用----城市扩张蔓延;故填Shopping malls.
79.buy things they couldn't produce themselves.根据第二段"Farmers lived in rural areas or far-away villages and came into town only when they needed things they couldn't produce themselves"可知农民住在农村或远离村庄,只有当他们需要的东西,他们不能自己生产才会进城;故填buy things they couldn't produce themselves.
80.Cheap land/Wrong (Wasteful) land usage and farmers'selling their (farming) land.根据下文可得两个因素"lots of cheap land""Many farmers think they are better off selling their land than growing crops"可知大量的廉价土地和许多农民认为他们更好地出售他们的土地比种植作物就是另外两个原因.
81.(further) urban sprawl.根据最后一段"Now people realize that urban sprawl has come with serious environmental problems",现在人们意识到城市扩张带来了严重的环境问题,可知引起的原因是城市扩张,故填urban sprawl.
点评 考察学生的细节理解和推理判断能力,做细节理解题时一定要找到文章中的原句,和题干进行比较,再做出正确的选择.在做推理判断题不要以个人的主观想象代替文章的事实,要根据文章事实进行合乎逻辑的推理判断.