专业英语八级（阅读）练习试卷1（共75题）

专业英语八级（阅读）练习试卷1（共9套）（共75题）专业英语八级（阅读）练习试卷第1套一、常规阅读理解(本题共7题，每题1.0分，共7分。)Theproblemwiththenature-nurturedebateisthatthisisaninadequatewayofunderstandinghumanfreedom.Likeeveryotherorganism,humansareshapedbybothnatureandnurture.Butunlikeanyotherorganism,wearealsodefinedbyourabilitytotranscendboth,byourcapacitytoovercometheconstraintsimposedbothbyourgeneticandourculturalheritage.Itisnotthathumanbeingshavefloatedfreeofthelawsofcausation.Itisratherthathumansarenotsimplythepassiveendresultofachainofcauses,whethernaturalorenvironmental.Wehavedevelopedthecapacitytointerveneactivelyinbothnatureandculture,toshapebothtoourwill.Toputthisanotherway,humans,uniquely,aresubjectsaswellasobjects.Wearebiologicalbeings,andunderthepurviewofbiologicalandphysicallaws.Butwearealsoconsciousbeingswithpurposeandagency,traitsthepossessionofwhichallowustodesignwaysofbreakingtheconstraintsofbiologicalandphysicallaws.Allnon-humananimalsareconstrainedbythetoolsthatnaturehasbequeathedthemthroughnaturalselection,andbytheenvironmentalconditionsinwhichtheyfindthemselves.Noanimaliscapableofaskingquestionsorgeneratingproblemsthatareirrelevanttoitsimmediatecircumstancesoritsevolutionarilydesignedneeds.Whenabeaverbuildsadam,itdoesn'taskitselfwhyitdoesso,orwhetherthereisabetterwayofdoingit.Whenaswallowfliessouth,itdoesn'twonderwhyitishotterinAfricaorwhatwouldhappenifitflewstillfurthersouth.Humansdoaskthemselvestheseandmanyotherkindsofquestionsquestionsthathavenorelevance,indeedmakelittlesense,inthecontextofevolvedneedsandgoals.Whatmarksouthumansisourcapacitytogobeyondournaturallydefinedgoalssuchastheneedtofindfood,shelteroramateandtoestablishhuman-createdgoals.Ourevolutionaryheritagecertainlyshapesthewaythathumansapproachtheworld.Butitdoesnotlimitit.Similarly,ourculturalheritageinfluencesthewaysinwhichwethinkabouttheworldandthekindsofquestionsweaskofit,butitdoesnotimprisonthem.Ifmembershipofaparticularcultureabsolutelyshapedourworldview,thenhistoricalchangewouldneverbepossible:IfthepeopleofmedievalEuropehadbeentotallydeterminedbytheworldviewsustainedbymedievalEuropeanculture,itwouldnothavebeenpossibleforthatsocietytohavebecomeanythingdifferent.Itwouldnothavebeenpossible,forinstance,tohavedevelopednewideasaboutindividualismandmaterialism,ortohavecreatednewtotalsoftechnologyandnewpoliticalinstitutions.Humanbeingsarenotautomatawhosimplyrespondblindlytowhatevercultureinwhichtheyfindthemselves,anymorethantheyareautomatathatblindlyrespondtotheirevolutionaryheritage.Thereisatensionbetweenthewayacultureshapesindividualswithinitspurviewandthewaythatthoseindividualsrespondtothatculture,justasthereisatensionbetweenthewaynaturalselectionshapesthewaythathumansthinkabouttheworldandthewaythathumansrespondtoournaturalheritage.Thistensionallowspeopletothinkcriticallyandimaginatively,andtolookbeyondaparticularculture'shorizons.InthesixmillionyearssincethehumanandchimpanzeelinesfirstdivergedoneithersideofAfrica'sGreatRiftValley,thebehaviourandlifestylesofchimpanzeeshavebarelychanged.Humanbehaviourandlifestylesclearlyhave.Humanshavelearnedtolearnfrompreviousgenerations,toimproveupontheirwork,andtoestablishamomentumtohumanlifeandculturethathastakenusfromcavearttoquantumphysicsandtotheunravelingofthegenome.Itisthiscapacityforconstantinnovationthatdistinguisheshumansfromallotheranimals.Allanimalshaveanevolutionarypast.Onlyhumansmakehistory.Thehistorical,transformativequalityofbeinghumaniswhytheso-callednature-nurturedebate,whilecreatingconsiderablefriction,hasthrownlittlelightonwhatitmeanstobehuman.Tounderstandhumanfreedomweneedtounderstandnotsomuchwhetherwearecreaturesofnatureornurture,buthow,despitebeingshapedby'bothnatureandnurture,wearealsoabletotranscendboth.1、Whichofthefollowingbestexpressesthethemeofthepassage?A、Humanbeingsareculturalanimalsratherthannaturalanimals.B、Humanbeingsareneithernaturalnorculturalanimals.C、Humanbeingsarelesssusceptibletonaturallawsthannon-humananimals.D、Humanbeingsarenotboundbynaturalandculturalheritages.标准答案：D知识点解析：该文的主题通过主题句(thesissentence)来表达(分别出现在第1段第3句和最后一段最后一句)。因此，选项D为正确答案。2、Abeaverbuildsadambecause______.A、itimitateshumanbehaviorB、ittriestofindabetterwayoflivingC、dam-buildingisrelevanttoitsevolvedneedsandgoalsD、adamhelpsabeavertogobeyonditsevolutionarilydeterminedcircumstances标准答案：C知识点解析：根据第4、5段，其他动物受到自然选择所带来的工具和环境的束缚；没有动物能够超脱周围的环境和进化所决定的需求来做一些不相干的事情，如探索问题等。例如河狸在筑坝时，它没有问自己为什么要这样做以及是否有更好的方法。因此，选项C为正确答案。3、Wecaninferthatthosewhoparticipateinthenature-nurturedebatemostprobably______.A、askquestionsthatareunanswerablebyeithernaturalorculturallawsB、refusetoadmitthathumansareboundbynaturalorculturallawsC、areveryskepticalabouthumanculturalheritageD、subscribetoeitherbiologicalorculturaldeterminism标准答案：D知识点解析：根据最后一段，有关先天还是后天的争论主要是关于人类是由先天决定的还是由后天决定的，因此争论的双方要么赞同生理(先天)决定开始，要么赞同文化(后天)决定一切。因此选项D为正确答案。IamstandingunderHammersmithBridgelookingatsomethingIhaveknownallmylifeasaLondonerbutambeginningtorealisethatIdon'thaveaclueabout.TheRiverThameshasbeenherealotlongerthanthecityitself,butithasbeenkeepingitssecretswellhiddenbeneaththosefamiliarmuddytonesofgreenandbrown.Onagreyafternoonsuchasthisone,thesurfaceoftheriverisparticularlyunforgiving,andatentativedipsoonbringsmeclosetofast-runningwater.ThisisthesortofstuffthatcarriespeopleawaytoawaterydoomandIdon'twantanypartofthat.ButI'mherewithanopenmindatthisfamilybeachpartyinHammersmith,partofaseriesofeventsinSouthEastMarineWeek.Itisnotabeachpartyinthetraditionalsense,needlesstosay,moreanopportunitytogetalittlegentleeducation.Ihadbeenvaguelyaware,overthepastfewyears,thattheriverwasgettingcleanerallthetime.Itsveryappearance,itappears,isdeceptive,becauseitscolourisaresultofthenaturalsiltswhichareconstantlydisturbedfromthebottom.Frombeingariverthatsupportednofishatall,itcannowboastmorethan100differenttypes.IwasawarethattheThamesoccasionallyplayedhosttoawell-publiciseddolphinorseal,butthisdiversitywasnewstome.Itisalltheresult,Iwasinformed,ofthefactthattheNorthSeapoursuptherivertwiceaday,bringingwithitalltheteeminglifeofthosesaltydepths.Itookadeepbreathandwentforalightdredgewithanet.Theresultsdidn'tlooklikemuchatall,butwhencarefullysiftedmysamplewasteemingwithtinyshrimps,whicharethebasicfoodstuffoftheriver,thetinylittlefellowsholdingthekeytothefoodchain,Therewere,thankfully,betterfishermenherethanme,andtherewasgreatexcitementwhensomeonecapturedaflounder.Granted,itwasaboutaninchlong,buttheflounderwasotherwiseperfectineverydetail.Furtherexcitementwastofollow,withthecaptureoftheshellofacrab,butthatdidnotlastlong.TheshellbelongedtoaChineseMittenCrab-so-calledbecauseitappearstohavemittensonitsclaws.RachelHillfromtheEnvironmentAgencyexplainedtomethatitateeverythinginitspath,sufferednoeffectivepredators,andcausedhavocbyitshabitofburrowingintotheriverbanks,whichareconsequentlybeingeroded.Furthermore,thefactthatitwasonlyashellmeantthatsomewherenottoofarawaytheformeroccupantwasgoingaboutitsbusinessonlythistimeitwouldbebigger.Thisunwantedvisitor,adelicacyintherestaurantsofChinatown,isheretostay.Furtherupthebeach,enthusiasticvolunteerswerecopingwithanothermenace,thisoneofhumanmaking.Theamountofrubbishonthisrelativelysmallstretchoftheriverwasastonishinganddepressing.Thereweretheexpectedplasticbottlesandhamburgercartons,tossedawaycarelesslybyidiots.Tomysurprise,therewasalsothewheelfromacar,completewithtyro.Themostsinisteritemswerealsoamongthesmallest:slimwhitestickswhichlookedasiftheymighthavecomefromachild'slollipopbutare,infact,cottonbuds.ThethoughtoccurredthatthousandsofLondonersmustcometothebanksoftheThameseachmorningtocleanouttheirears.Bytheendoftheafternoon,allthisrubbishhadbeenclearedawayinaquiteastonishingnumberofblackbags,butitwouldhavebeenbetterhaditnotbeenthereinthefirstplace.Therewas,however,greatcauseforoptimisminthebehaviourofthekidswhowerepresent.Theyhuddledexcitedlyroundmicroscopestolookattinyshrimpsandgobiestransformedintofearsome-lookingcreatures.Theylistenedintentlyasitwasexplainedtothemhowimportantitwastokeeptheriverclean.Eventheverysmallestwhowerepaintingtheirfishyfacemasksmighthavegoneawaywiththeideathatfishareagoodthingandworthlookingafter.Itoccurredtomethatifthegrown-upspersistinbehavinglikehumanChineseMittenCrabs,thenitwillbedowntothecominggenerationstoensurethatthegoodworkwhichhasalreadybeendoneonthisgreatriverisnottobewasted.4、Theauthorwantedtofindout______.A、whatcausesthemuddysurfaceoftheRiverThamesB、whatchildrencanlearnaboutthehistoryoftheRiverThamesC、thediversityoffishintheRiverThamesD、whatwasthereundertheRiverThames标准答案：D知识点解析：在第1段第2句，作者说泰晤士河下总是藏着什么秘密，而且文章主要是关于从河底打捞上来的东西和它们的意义。选项D为正确答案。5、WhichofthefollowingposesathreattotheRiverThames?A、FishthatcomefromtheNorthSea.B、Tinyshrimps.C、Flounders.D、ChineseMittenCrabs.标准答案：D知识点解析：根据第3段后半部分，ChineseMittenCrab在河岸掘洞，使河岸松动。因此选项D为正确答案。6、WhichofthefollowingisNOTtrueoftheriverThames?A、Itisnotsafetoswiminit.B、Itlooksdirtierthanitreallyis.C、Itisnotcleanenoughtosupportalargevarietyoffish.D、Itisusedbysomepeopleasakindofdumpingground.标准答案：C知识点解析：选项A不是答案：根据第1段最后两句，泰晤士河水流湍急，在这儿游泳有溺水身亡的危险；选项B不是答案：根据第2段第4句，河水看上去浑浊是因为河底淤泥泛上河面的结果；选项C是答案；根据第2段最后几句，泰晤士河内现在有100多种鱼类；选项D不是答案；根据第4段，从河底打捞上来的是人们扔进河里的垃圾。因此，该题答案应选C。7、HowdoestheauthorfeelabouttheconditionoftheRiverThames?A、Worriedbuthopeful.B、Pessimistic.C、Uncaringandindifferent.D、Extremelysatisfied.标准答案：A知识点解析：根据最后一段，作者感到还有希望，因为孩子们对保护鱼类感兴趣；如果成年人不停止他们的破坏行为，保护泰晤士河的任务将落在未来几代人的身上。可见作者对未来还是抱有希望。选项A为正确答案。专业英语八级（阅读）练习试卷第2套一、常规阅读理解(本题共10题，每题1.0分，共10分。)WeliveinsouthernCaliforniagrowinggrapes,afirstgenerationofvintners,ourhomeadjacenttothevineyardsandthewinery.It'saveryprettyplace,andinordertoearnthemoneytorealizeourdreamofmakingwine,weworkedformanyyearsinabusinessthatdemandedseveralhouseholdmoves,anincredibleamountofrisk-takingandlongabsencesfrommyhusband.Whenitwastime,wetradedinouroldlife,cinchedupourbeltsandbeganthecreationofthewinery.Wemakesmallamountsofpremiumwine,andourlivesaredictatedbytherhythmofnatureandfiledemandsofthelovingvines.ThevinesstartsproutingtinygreentendrilsinMarchandApril,andthebabygrapesbegintoforminminiature,soperfectthattheycanbedippedingoldtoformjewelry.Thegrapesswellandripeninearlyfall,andwhentheirsugarcontentisattherightlevel,theyareharvestedcarefullybyhandandcrushedinsmalllots.Thewineisfermentedandtendeduntilitisreadytobebottled.Thevinesshedtheirleavesandareprunedandmadereadyforthedormantmonthsandthenextvintage.Itsoundsnice,doesn'tit?Livinginthecountry,ourdaysspentintheancientroutineofthevineyard,knowingthatthecourseofourlivesasvintnerswaschoreographedlongageandthatifwepracticeddiligently,ourwinewouldbegoodandwewouldbesuccessful.Fromthestartweknewtherewasapricefortheprivilegeofbecomingawine-akingfamily,connectedtothelandandthecapricesofnature.Weworkhardatsomethingwelove,weareslowtopanicoverthedailyemergencies.Wearenimbleatsolvingproblemsastheyarise.Somehazardstocompletingasuccessfulvintageareexpected:rainjustbeforeharvestingcancausemold;electricityunexpectedlyinterruptedduringthecoldfermentationofwhitewinecandamageit;adelayedpaymentfromamajorclientwhenthemoneyisneeded.Thereareoutsideinfluencesthatdisruptproductionandtakepatience,goodwillandperseverance.Forexample,theBureauofAlcohol,TobaccoandFirearmsregulateseveryfacetofthewinebusiness.Awinery'srecordsareauditedasoftenastwoorthreetimesayearandeverylabel—newlywrittenforeachyear'svintage—mustbeapproved.Butthegreatestthreattothewinery,andonethatalmostmadeusloseheart,cameoutofalawyer'simagination.Ourlittlewinerywasservednoticethatwewerenamedinalawsuitaccusingusofendangeringthepublichealthbyusingleadfoilsonourbottles(itwastheonlymaterialuseduntilrecently)"withoutwarningconsumersofapossiblerisk."Thereitwas,out"winery'snamelistedwiththeindustry'sgiants.Imusthaveaskedahundredtimes:"Whogetsthemoneyifthelawsuitissuccessful?"Theanswerwas,andIneverwasabletoassimilateit,theplaintiffsandtheirlawyerswhofiledthesuit!Sincethelawsuitwasbroughtonbehalfofconsumers,itseemedtomethatconsumersmustgetsomethingifitwasprovedthataleadfoilwasdangeroustothem.Weweretoldoneofthetwoconsumerclaimantswasanemployeeofthefirmfilingthesuit!Thereareattorneyswhofocustheircareersonlawsuitslikethis.Itisanimmensedangertothesmallbusinessman.Cashreservescanbeusedupintheblinkofaneyewheninthecompanyoflawyers.Aslongasit'spossibleforanyonetosueanybodyforanything,weareallindanger.Aslongasthelegalprofessionallowsmemberstopracticelawdishonorablyandlawyersarecongratulatedforwinningbigmoneyinthisway,we'llallbeplaguedwithacorruptiblejusticesystem.1、ThegrapesareharvestedonadatethatA、mayvary.B、istraditionallyset.C、dependsontheapprovaloftheregulatorybureau.D、isdeterminedbytheavailabilityofthepickers.标准答案：A知识点解析：推断题。根据第二段第三句“…whentheirsugarcontentisattherightlevel，theyareharvestedcarefullybyhandandcrushedinsmalllots.”可知收获的日期依赖葡萄的含糖量，所以选[A]“不确定”。而[B]传统上固定的”；[C]“依赖审查局的批准”；[D]“由采摘葡萄的人决定”，都不符合文意。2、Accordingtotheauthor,thelifeofvintnersismostcontrolledbyA、theBureauofAlcohol,TobaccoandFirearms.B、unexpectedchangesintemperature.C、thesugarcontentofthegrapes.D、thetempooftheseasons.标准答案：D知识点解析：细节题。第二段提到“ourlivesaredictatedbytherhythmofnature”(大自然的节奏(变动决定我们的生活)，[D]“大自然的节奏”其实就是“自然规律”，符合题意。[A]是外界干扰因素；[B]“意外的天气变化”不起决定性作用；[C]“葡萄的含糖量”决定葡萄是否成熟。3、Whatdosetheword"dormant"inParagraph2mean?A、Longlasting.B、Active.C、Latent.D、Temporary.标准答案：C知识点解析：推断题。第二段最后一句介绍了葡萄从落叶、停止生长到下一年收获的自然过程，依照逻辑推断dormantmonth是指葡萄的生长休眠期，因此[C]“休眠的”符合题意。4、Thewritercomplainsthatwhenshequestionedthelawyers,sheA、nevergotananswer.B、nevergotasimpleanswer.C、makesnosenseoftheanswershegot.D、misunderstandstheanswershegot.标准答案：C知识点解析：推断题。根据题干定位于第七段，根据第二句“Theanswerwas，andIneverwasabletoassimilateit…”(这个回答是……，但我从没有弄明白过)，故[C]“不明白她得到的答案的意思”符合题意。而[A]“从没得到答案”，[B]“从没得到明确的答案”和[D]“误解她所得到的答案”都不符合assimilate的意思。5、ThewriterthinksthatthelegalprofessionA、strivestoprotectconsumers.B、connivesatthedishonorablepractice.C、doesagoodjobofpolicingitsmembers.D、ispartofanincorruptiblesystem.标准答案：B知识点解析：细节题。最后一段指出，只要法律允许律师的不诚实行为，助长只为赚钱不顾正义的腐败风气，我们都会是这种腐败法律体系的受害者。可知，现在的法律纵容了不诚实行为，故[B]为答案。Foraboutthreecenturieswehavebeendoingscience,tryingscienceout,usingsciencefortheconstructionofwhatwecallmoderncivilization.Everydispensableitemofcontemporarytechnology,fromcanallockstodialtelephonestopenicillin,waspiecedtogetherfromtheanalysisofdataprovidedbyoneoranotherseriesofscientificexperiments.Threehundredyearsseemsalongtimefortestinganewapproachtohumandevelopmentlongenoughtosettlebackforcriticalappraisalofthescientificmethod,maybeevenlongenoughtovoteonwhethertogoonwithitornot.Thereisanargument.Voiceshavebeenraisedinprotestsincethebeginning,risinginpitchandviolenceinthenineteenthcenturyduringtheearlystagesoftheindustrialrevolution,summoningurgentcrowdsintothestreetsanydaythesedaysontheissueofnuclearenergy.Giveitback,saysomeofthevoices,itdoesn'treallywork,we'dtrieditanditdoesn'twork,gobackthreehundredyearsandstartagainonsomethingelselesschancyfortheraceofman.Theprincipaldiscoveriesinthiscentury,takingallinall,aretheglimpsesofthedepthofourignoranceaboutnature.Thingsthatusedtoseemclearandrational,mattersofabsolutecertainty—Newtonianmechanics,forexample—haveslippedthroughourfingers,andweareleftwithanewsetofgiganticpuzzles,cosmicuncertainties,ambiguities;someofthelawsofphysicsareamendedeveryfewyears,somearecanceledoutright,someundergorevisedversionsoflegislativeintentasiftheywereactsofCongress.JustthirtyyearsagowecallitabiologicalrevolutionwhenthefantasticgeometryoftheDNAmoleculewasexposedtopublicviewandthelinearlanguageofgeneticswasdecoded.Forawhile,thingsseemedsimpleandclear,thecellwasaneatlittlemachine,amechanicaldevicereadyfortakingtopiecesandreassembling,likeatinywatch.Butjustinthelastfewyearsithasbecomealmostunbelievablycomplex,filledwithstrangepartswhosefunctionsarebeyondtoday'simagination.Itisnotjustthatthereismoretodo,thereiseverythingtodo.Whatliesahead,orwhatcanlieaheadiftheeffortsinbasicresearcharecontinued,ismuchmorethantheconquestofhumandiseaseortheimprovementofagriculturaltechnologyorthecultivationofnutrientsinthesea.Aswelearnmoreaboutfundamentalprocessesoflivingthingsingeneralwewilllearnmoreaboutourselves.6、Whatcan’tbeinferredfromthefirstparagraph?A、Manyvaluableitemswereproducedinthepast.B、Mansupportsscientificprogressunanimously.C、Someheldhostileattitudetowardscienceinthepast.D、Threehundredyearsisnotlongenoughinscience.标准答案：B知识点解析：细节题。第一段谈的是在过去的300年里，人们不断地研发、尝试和利用科学，以此建立起了现代文明，[A]符合文意；每一项的发明都需要一系列科学实验，每一种促进人类进步的新途径都需要长时间的验证讨论后方可达成一致，也就是说，人类在支持科学进步上并不是统一的，[B]与文意不符，故为答案；根据文中“…criticalappraisalofthescientificmethod，”可柞出[C]；根据第三句和第四句可推出[D]。7、TheprincipaldiscoveryinthiscenturyshowsA、manhasoverthrownNewton’slawsofphysics.B、manhassolvedanewsetofgiganticpuzzles.C、manhaslostmanyscientificdiscoveries.D、manhasgivenupsomeoftheonceacceptedtheories.标准答案：D知识点解析：细节题。从第二段后半部分推断，[A]“人类已推翻了牛顿物理理论”不符合文意，文中没用overthrow一词；[B]“人类已解决一组重大难题”文中未提；[C]“人类已失去了很多科学发现”文中也没表述；[D]“人类已经放弃了一些以前接受的理论”符合文中的“somearecanceledoutright”，故为答案。8、Inthepastfewyears,scientistshavefoundA、manhasmuchtolearnaboutDNAB、theexposureofDNAtothepublicisunnecessary.C、thetinycellinDNAisaneatlittlemachine.D、manknowsnothingaboutDNA标准答案：A知识点解析：推断题。第三段是关于DNA的发现，人们以为已经认识了这种细胞，但在最近几年发现这种细胞复杂得难以想象，也就是说，人们还需要对DNA加深了解，故选[A]。[B]“对公众展示DNA没有必要”显然不正确，且文中未提及；[C]是旧有的、不完全的认识；[D]过于绝对。9、Thewriter’smainpurposeinwritingthispassageistotellthatscienceA、hasgreatlyimprovedman’slifeB、isjustatitsbeginningC、hasmadeprofoundprogressD、hasdonetoolittletohumanbeings标准答案：B知识点解析：推断题。根据最后一段作者的结论推断，人类在科学发展方面还需要做大量的研究，这只是一个开始，故选[B]。而[A]“大大改善了人类的生活”；[C]“已经取得长足的进步”和[D]“对人类贡献太少”都不是作者要论述的内容。10、Thewriter’sattitudetowardsscienceisprobablyA、indifferent.B、critical.C、approving.D、neutral.标准答案：C知识点解析：态度题。从全文来看，作者论述了科学的发展和认识是无止境的，人类需要不断地探索，所以作者的态度是“支持的”，应选[C]。[A]“漠不关心的”；[B]“批判的”和[D]“中立的”都不合文意。专业英语八级（阅读）练习试卷第3套一、常规阅读理解(本题共8题，每题1.0分，共8分。)Peoplearemovingtocitiesindroves.In1950,two-thirdsoftheworlds'populationlivedinthecountryside.NewYorkwasthentheonlysettlementwithmorethan10millionpeople.Todaythereare20suchmegacities,andmoreareontheway.Mostofthesemegacitiesareindevelopingcountriesthatarestrugglingtocopewithboththespeedandthescaleofhumanmigration.EstimatesofthefuturespreadofurbanizationarebasedontheobservationthatinEurope,andinNorthandSouthAmerica,theurbanshareofthetotalpopulationhasstabilizedat75%--85%.Iftherestoftheworldfollowsthispathitisexpectedthatinthenextdecadeanextra100millionpeoplewilljointhecitiesofAfrica,and340millionthecitiesofAsia:theequivalentofanewBangkokeverytwomonths.By2030nearlytwo-thirdsoftheworld'spopulationwillbeurban.Inthelongrun,thatisgoodnews.Ifcountriesnowindustrialisingfollowthepatternofthosethathavealreadydoneso,theircity-dwellerswillbebothmoreprosperousandhealthier.Manisgregariousspecies,andtheWords"urbane"and"civilised"bothderivefromtheadvantagesoflivinginlargesettlements.Historyalsoshows,though,thatthetransitioncanbeuncomfortable.TheslumsofManchesterwere,intheirtime,justasawfulasthoseofNairobitoday.Butpeoplemovedthereforexactlythesamereason:howevernastyconditionsseemed,theopportunitiesofurbanlifeoutstrippedthoseofthecountryside.Thequestionishowbesttohandlethechange.Ifthereisonethingthateverybodyagreeson,itisthaturbanizationisunstoppable.Migrantsattemptingtoescapepoverty,andrefugeesescapingconflict,arepilingintocitiesinwhattheexecutivedirectorofUN-HABITAT,Anna,Tibailjuka,describesas"prematureurbanization."DrTibaijukabelievesitmightbepossibletoslowthepaceofmigrationfromthecountrysidewithpoliciesthatenhancesecurityandrurallivelihoods.Thereisroomfordebate,though,overwhetherbetterruraldevelopmentinanyformcanseriouslyslowthepaceofurbanisation--orevenwhethersuchaslowdownwouldbeagoodthing.MichaelMutter,anurbanplanningadviserattheBritishgovernment'sDepartmentforInternationalDevelopment(DFID),saysthattherelevantindicatorssuggestthatinmanycountriestheeffective"carryingcapacity"ofruralareashasbeenreached.AshappenedinEuropeinthe18thcentury,populationgrowthandtechnologicalimprovementstoagriculturearecreatingasurpluspopulation.Thatsurplushastogosomewheretoearnitsliving.Indeed,somepeoplegosofarsotoarguethatgovernments,internationaldonorsandaidagenciesspendtoomuchonruraldevelopmentandneglectthecities.Mostcountrieshavearuraldevelopmentpolicy,butonlyafewhaveurbanones.DFID,forexample,spendsonly5%ofitsbudgetdirectlyonurbandevelopment.Moreover,thesecriticspointoutthat,althoughruralareasoftenhaveworsesanitation,illiteracyandhomelessnessthancities,suchfiguresaredeceptive.Beingilliterate,homelessorwithoutaccesstoaflushtoiletarefarmoreseriousproblemsinacrowdedcitythaninthecountryside.Ofthemanylessonsbeinglearntfrompasturban-developmentfailures,oneofthemostimportantisthatimprovementsmustinvolvelocalpeopleinameaningfulway.Evenwhenitcomestothepoorestslumdwellers,somegovernmentsandcityauthoritiesarerealizingthatpeoplearetheirowngreatestassets.SlumdwellersInternationalisacollectionof"grassroots"federationsofpeoplelivinginslums.Itsideaissimple.Slum-dwellersinaparticularplacegettogetherandformafederationtostrengthenlocalsavingsandcreditschemes,andtolobbyforgreaterco-operationwiththeauthorities.Suchfederationsarehavingabigimpactonslum-upgradingschemesaroundtheworld.Bysurveyinglocalneedsandactingasvoicesforslum-dwellers,thesefederationshavebeenabletoshowtheauthoritiesthatslum-dwellersarenotsimplyahomogenousandanonymousmassofurbanpoor,butarerealpeopleinneedofrealservices.Theyhavealsobeenabletoapplypressureforimprovementsinsecurityoftenure--eitherthroughtemporaryguaranteesofresidencyor,betterstill,formalownership.Suchsecuretenuregivespeopleanincentivetoimprovetheirdwellingsandisthusthecrucialfirststeptoupgradingaslumintoasuburb.Overthepastsixyears,SouthAfrica'sgovernmenthasbeenpursuinganactiveprogrammeofhousingimprovement.Thegovernmentquicklyrealizedthat,withthepoorinthemajority,providingsocialhousingforallwouldbeimpossible.Theministerforhousing,SakieMthembi-Mahanyele,saystheapproachthathasworkedsofarhasbeenacombinationofgovernment,theprivatesectorandthepoorthemselves.Thepoor,saysMrsMthembi-Mahanyele,haveresponsibilities,andthegovernmentmeetsthemhalfway.Thosewithanincomeareexpectedtocontributesomeofittothebuildingoftheirhouses.Thosewithoutareaskedtocontribute"sweatequity"byhelpingtobuildwiththeirownhands.SouthAfricahasalsotransferredownershipofmorethan380,000councilhouses,worthmorethan28billionrand($2.7billion)toprivateindividuals.Withthesehousesascollateralforloans,ownershavealreadystartedtoupgradeandimprovetheirproperties.Thereisstillalongwaytogo.Anestimated2-3millionmorehousesareneeded.Sheaddsthatthegovernmentisstillwrestlingwithfinancialinstitutionstogetabetterdealforthepoor.1、Thepassageismainlyconcernedwith______.A、thesideeffectsofurbanizationB、megacitiesindevelopingcountriesC、thecausesbehindimmigrationtocitiesD、waystoslowdownthepaceofimmigration标准答案：B知识点解析：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。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。2、ItcanbeinferredfromthepassagethatNairobiis______.A、amegacitywithslumsB、apalaceofhungerandconflictC、anindustrializedcityD、aruralareawithasurpluspopulation标准答案：A知识点解析：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。3、AnnaTibaijuka(para.5)andMichaelMutter(para.7)seemtodifferover______.A、thebenefitsofurbanizationB、theprocessofurbanizationC、thecausesofurbaniza