Urbanization(2013·高考北京卷)Until relatively recently，the vast majority of human bei
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Urbanization
(2013·高考北京卷)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.__ 小题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. 小题2:__The process of urbanization—the migration (迁徙) 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.__ 小题3:__
Large cities were impossible until agriculture became industrialized.Even in advanced agricultural societies，it took about ninetyfive people on farms to feed five people in cities._ 小题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. 小题5:_Today，instead of needing ninetyfive farmers to feed five city people，one American farmer is able to feed more than a hundred nonfarmers.| 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 became 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. |
答案
小题1:E
小题2:D
小题3:B
小题4:A
小题5:F |
解析
本文为说明文，介绍了Urbanization(都市化)的形成与发展。
小题1:解析：选E。文章一开始就提到绝大多数的人没有看到城市就死了。第一座城市很可能建于5 500年以前；后一句又提到：几乎每个人都住在农场或者小乡村里。因此中间要填的是E项：甚至是在200年以前，也只有少数的人生活在城市里。
小题2:解析：选D。文章第一段说英国是第一个成为城市化社会的国家。第二段接着说英国仅仅是个开始，这是因为许多别的工业国家也开始效仿英国，成为城市化的社会，因此D项为正确答案。
小题3:解析：选B。现在有超过82%的美国人住在城市里，大约有2%的人住在农场；剩下大约16%的人住在别的地方，即B项所描述的：其余的住在小城镇里。
小题4:解析：选A。上一句提到：即使在先进的农业社会，也需要大约95个农民养活5个城市人，这只有一个结果：这使得城市很小。
小题5:解析：选F。前一句提到：在过去的两百年里，工业革命打破了城乡之间的平衡。后一句提到：现在的情况不是需要95个农民养活5个城市人，在美国1个农民就能养活100多个非农民。那中间只能填F项：现代化把更多的人吸引到城市里来，使得农民更加多产。 |
举一反三
Recently, an almost literal case of lifeboat ethics(伦理) occurred. On Aug. 4, Graham and Sheryl Anley, while boating off the coast of South Africa, hit a rock. As the boat threatened to sink the husband got off, but his wife was trapped in the boat. Instead of freeing his wife and getting her to shore, Graham grabbed Rosie, their pet dog. With Rosie safe and sound, Graham returned for Sheryl. All are doing fine.
It"s a great story, but it doesn"t strike me as especially newsworthy. News is supposed to be about something fairly unique, and recent research suggests that, in the right circumstances, lots of people also would have grabbed their Rosie first.
We have strange relationships with our pets. We lavish our pets with adoration and better health care than billions of people receive. We speak to pets with the same high-pitched voices that we use for babies. As an extreme example of our feelings about pets, the Nazis had strict laws that guaranteed the humane treatment of the pets of Jews being shipped to death camps.
A recent paper by George Regents University demonstrates this human involvement with pets to an astonishing extent. Participants in the study were told a situation in which a bus is out of control, bearing down on a dog and a human. Which do you save? With responses from more than 500 people, the answer was that it depended: What kind of human and what kind of dog?
Everyone would save a brother, grandparent or close friend rather than a strange dog. But when people considered their own dog versus people less connected with them—a distant cousin or a hometown stranger—votes in favor of saving the dog came rolling in. And an astonishing 40% of respondents, including 46% of women, voted to save their dog over a foreign tourist.
What does a finding like this mean? First, that your odds aren"t so good if you find yourself in another country with a bus bearing down on you and a cute dog. But it also points to something deeper: our unprecedented(史无前例的) attitude toward animals, which got its start with the birth of humane societies in the 19th century.
We prison people who abuse animals, put ourselves in harm"s way in boats between whales and whalers and show sympathy to Bambi and his mother. We can extend empathy to an animal and feel its pain like no other species. But let"s not be too proud of ourselves. As this study and too much of our history show, we"re pretty selective about how we extend our humaneness to other human beings.
小题1:What is the function of the first paragraph?| A．To create a relaxing mood for readers. | | B．To present the theme of this essay straightly. | | C．To lead in the main topic of this essay. | | D．To raise problems that will be solved later. |
小题2:The author mentions Nazi laws in the third paragraph _______________. | A．to show how cruel the Nazis were to the Jews | | B．as an example to persuade people not to love pets | | C．to illustrate the strange relationship between human and pets | | D．as an example to display the humaneness of the Nazis |
小题3:Which of the following is true according to the article?| A．The story of the Anleys and their dog was too unique to be newsworthy. | | B．Most people surveyed choose to save their own dog rather than a human. | | C．It was in the 19th century that human beings started to love their pets. | | D．Human beings are more and more concerned with animals nowadays. |
小题4:What does the author mainly argue for?| A．Pets are of great significance to us human beings. | | B．We should rethink about our attitude towards animals and mankind. | | C．It is kind of human beings to extend humaneness to animals. | | D．We should be selective when showing attitude toward other human beings. |
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It’s really true what people say about English politeness: it’s everywhere. When squeezing past someone in a narrow passage, people say “sorry”. When getting off a bus, English passengers say “thank you” rather than the driver. In Germany, people would never dream of doing these things. After all, squeezing past others is sometimes unavoidable, and the bus driver is only doing his job. I used to think the same way, without questioning it, until I started traveling to the British Isles, and here are some more polite ways of interacting with people in UK.
People thank each other everywhere in England, all the time. When people buy something in a shop, customer and shop assistant in most cases thank each other twice or more. In Germany, it would be exceptional to hear more than one thank you in such a conversation. British students thank their lecturers when leaving the room. English employers thank their employees for doing their jobs, as opposite to Germans, who would normally think that paying their workers money is already enough.
Another thing I observed during my stay was that English people rarely criticize others. Even when I was working and mistakes were pointed out to me, my employers emphasized several times but none of their explanations were intended as criticism. It has been my impression that by avoiding criticism, English people are making an effort to make others feel comfortable. This also is showed in other ways. British men still open doors for women, and British men are more likely to treat women to a meal than German men. However, I do need to point out here that this applies to English men a bit more than it would to Scottish men! Yes, the latter are a bit tightfisted.
小题1:What is the author’s attitude towards English politeness?| A．He thinks it is unnecessary. | B．He thinks little of it. | | C．He appreciates it very much. | D．He thinks it goes too far. |
小题2:What can be inferred from the passage?| A．German men never treat a woman to dinner. | | B．The author think it’s unnecessary to say “thank you” to the bus driver. | | C．In Germany, employers often say “thank you” to employees for their job. | | D．Germans think it is unnecessary to thank workers because payment is enough. |
小题3:We can learn from the last paragraph that Scottish men ______.| A．like to fight with each other | | B．treat women in a polite way | | C．are as generous as English men | | D．are unwilling to spend money for women |
小题4:The author develops the text through the method of ______.| A．making comparisons | B．telling stories | C．giving reasons | D．giving examples |
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One period of our lives when better results are demanded of us is, strangely enough, childhood． Despite being young we are expected to achieve good grades, stay out of trouble, make friends at school, do well on tests, perform chores at home and so on． It’s not easy．
The good news is that being likeable can help a child perform better． Likeable children enjoy many advantages, including the ability to cope（对付） more easily with stresses of growing up．
In her book Understanding Child Stress, Dr． Carolyn Leonard states that children who are likeable and optimistic are able to gain support from others． This leads to focus and resilience, the ability to recover from or adjust early to life stress; a child who has adequate emotional armor can continue down the path to success． Much research shows that resilience has enabled children to succeed in school, avoid drug abuse, and develop a healthy self-awareness．
Why does a likeable child more easily handle stress and do better in his or her life? Because likeability helps create what’s known as a positive feedback loop（回馈圈）． The positive feelings you want to see in other people are returned to you, creating constant encouragement and motivation to deal with the daily stress of life．
This feedback loop continues into adulthood． To return once again to the example of teaching, learning becomes easier with a likeable personality． Michael Delucchi of the University of Hawaii reviewed dozens of studies to determine if likeable teachers received good ratings because of their likeability or because they in fact taught well． Delucchi found that “Students who perceive（察觉） a teacher as likeable, in contrast to（比照） those who do not, may be more attentive to the information that the teacher delivers and they’ll work harder on assignments, and they will learn more．”
You may have noticed this pattern in your own life when you try to give some advice． The more positive your relationship with that person, the more he or she seems to listen, and the more you feel certain that that person has heard you and intends to act on your words．
小题1:The writer implies in the first paragraph that __________．| A．children are expected much than we usually think | | B．life is not easy for every one of us | | C．better education results in smarter children | | D．to be a likable child is almost impossible |
小题2:According to Dr． Leonard, likeable children __________．| A．can cope more easily with stress independently | | B．know how to avoid trouble and unpleasant events | | C．are always optimistic and ready to help those in need | | D．can achieve more and understand themselves better |
小题3:The term “emotional armor” in paragraph 3 means __________．| A．mental support from friends | B．mental support from adults | | C．failures in life | D．ability to handle life stress |
小题4:The main purpose of the studies done by Michael Delucchi is to find __________．| A．if a likeable teacher has a positive personality | | B．if a likeable teacher draws more attention | | C．how a teacher’s likeability gains popularity | | D．how a likeable teacher’s teaching style is formed |
小题5:The passage aims at proving that __________．| A．likeable people do better in life generally | | B．likeable people do better in their childhood | | C．social creatures enjoy more advantages | | D．likeable people give better advice |
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MANY of us enjoy doing it: you turn on the camera on your mobile phone and hold it at a high angle (角度), making your eyes look bigger and your cheekbones more marked out. You turn to your best side and click.
There it is – your selfie.
Over the past year, “selfie” has become a well-known term across the globe. This August the Oxford dictionary added the word to their online dictionary and defined it as: “A photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website.”
Today it’s not difficult to find social networking pages full of photos people have taken of themselves and their friends. And selfie culture has become especially related to young people. As many as 91 percent of teenagers have posted photos of themselves online, according to a recent survey by the US Pew Research Center.
So what are the reasons for the rise of selfie culture?
“The cult (狂热) of the selfie celebrates regular people,” Pamela Rutledge, a professor at the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology, told Vogue magazine. “There are many more photographs available now of real people than models.”
Posting selfies also allows you to control your image online. “I like having the power to choose how I look, even if I’m making a funny face,” Samantha Barks, 19, a high school student in the US, told Vogue.
In addition to self-expression and documentation (记录), selfies “allow for an close friendship for long-distance friends, because you can see each other’s faces every day”, wrote Casey Miller at The Huffington Post.
But US psychologist Jill Weber is concerned that selfies might lead to social problems. “There’s a danger that your self-esteem (自尊心) may start to be tied to the comments and ‘likes’ you get when you post a selfie, and they aren’t based on who you are – they’re based on what you look like,” Weber told Vogue. “When you get nothing or a negative response, your confidence can plummet.”
小题1:The first paragraph is intended to _________.| A．explain why selfie is popular | B．describe how to make selfie | | C．show the importance of selfie | D．introduce the topic of selfie |
小题2:How many reasons for the rise of selfie culture are mentioned in the passage?小题3:What is Jill Weber’s opinion about selfies?| A．Comments on selfie are based on who you are. | | B．Selfies have more disadvantages than advantages. | | C．Others’ response to selfies might affect one’s self-esteem. | | D．Selfies shouldn’t be encouraged for they lead to social problems. |
小题4:The underlined word “plummet” in the last paragraph is closest in meaning to __________.| A．go down | B．calm down | C．pick up | D．build up |
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Men are spending more and more time in the kitchen encouraged by celebrity (名人) chefs like Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver, according to a report from Oxford University.
The effect of the celebrity role models, who have given cooking a more manly picture, has combined with a more general drive towards sexual equality and men now spend more than twice the amount of time preparing meals than they did in 1961.
According to the research by Prof. Jonatahn Gershuny, who runs the Centre for Time Research at Oxford, men now spend more than half an hour a day cooking, up from just 12 minutes a day in 1961.
Prof. Gershuny said, “The man in the kitchen is part of a much wider social trend. There has been 40 years of sexual equality, but there is another 40 years probably to come.”
Women, who a generation ago spent nearly two hours a day cooking, now spend just one hour and seven minutes—a great fall, but they still spend far more time in the kitchen than men.
Some experts have named these men in aprons as “Gastrosexuals (men using cooking skills to impress friends)”, who have been inspired to pick up a kitchen knife by the success of Ramsay, Oliver as well as other male celebrity chefs such as Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Marco Pierre White and Keith Floyd.
“I was married in 1974. When my father came to visit me a few weeks later, I was wearing an apron when I opened the door. He laughed,” said Prof. Gershuny. “That would never happen now.”
Two-thirds of adults say that they come together to share at least three times a week, even if it is not necessarily around a kitchen or dining room table. Prof. Gershuny pointed out that the family meal was now rarely eaten by all of its members around a table—with many “family meals” in fact taken on the sofa in the sitting room, and shared by family members. “The family meal has changed a lot, and few of us eat—as I did when I was a child—at least two meals a day together as a family. But it has survived in a different format.”
小题1:What is one reason behind the trend that men spend more time cooking than before?| A．The improvement of cooks’ status. | | B．The influence of popular female chefs. | | C．The change of female’s view on cooking. | | D．The development of sexual equality campaign. |
小题2:What does the author think about the time men and women spend on cooking?| A．Men spend more time cooking than women nowadays. | | B．Women spend much less time on cooking than before. | | C．It will take 40 years before men spend more time at the stove than women. | | D．There is a sharp decline in the time men spend on cooking compared with 1961. |
小题3:How did Prof. Gershuny see the family meal according to the passage?| A．It has become a thing of the past. | | B．It is very different from what it used to be. | | C．It shouldn’t be advocated in modern times. | | D．It is beneficial to the stability of the family. |
小题4:Which is the best title for the passage?| A．The Changes of Family Meals | | B．Equality between Men and Women | | C．Cooking into a New Trend for Men | | D．Cooking—a Thing of the Past for Women |
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