Question

【题目】Attempt a guess at the following question: In the English-speaking world, which country has the least affordable homes? You are wrong if you guessed the US, even with the housing bubble （气泡） and main sadness. Nor is it the UK, where prices have risen because demand is far from supply. According to a recent survey of 227 cities around the globe, you must go south of the equator （赤道） to Australia to find the priciest homes．

The report measured a city’s housing market along the following guidelines. An “affordable” home required three times or less of the average family’s income to purchase. At four times earnings, a home fell into the “unaffordable” category. And a “seriously unaffordable” home needed five times a family’s income. In Australia, homes in the least affordable city cost just about 9.5 times the average income. Sydney, Perth, and Melbourne were only a little under this figure．

Australian officials offered little comment, apart from a general statement on the dismal findings. These prices make the possibility that many Australians will one day own a home largely unbelievable. Land rationing （配给制） and excessive development charges have raised prices, and the problem will only be solved through urgent action by the Rudd government．

Some American cities were also included on the least affordable list, four of which were in California. America is still involved in a mortgage（抵押）crisis, though, affecting the affordability of homes. Yet a number of US cities garnered “affordable” status, namely Dallas and Kansas. Australia had no cities listed in the top fifty places with affordable homes．

The survey suggests that you can find affordable homes in most places, just not if you’re Australian and choose to live down under．

【1】To buy an affordable house, you should pay _____．

A. 3 times or less of the average family’s income

B. 4 times or less of the average family’s income

C. 5 times or less of the average family’s income

D. 9.5 times or less of the average family’s income

【2】What caused the prices of houses to increase in Australia?

A．The rising family’s income．

B．The demand over supply.

C．The excessive development charges．

D．The decrease of land．

【3】The underlined word “dismal” in Paragraph 3 may mean _____．

A． cheerful B． satisfactory

C． difficult D．sad

【4】What might be the most suitable title for the passage?

A． Affordable Houses B． A House is a Dream First

C． Housing Bubble D． Homes Too Expensive

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】A

【2】C

【3】D

【4】D

【解析】

试题分析：本文讲述了说英语的国家中哪个国家最实惠。通过调查报告表明：澳大利亚南部找到最昂贵的家园。美国有几个城市被列入了实惠的名单。

【1】A细节理解题。根据第二段An “affordable” home required three times or less of the average family’s income to purchase.“可知，买一个经济房需要三倍或者低于平均家庭收入。所以选A。

【2】C细节理解题。根据“Land rationing （配给制） and excessive development charges have raised prices”可知土地配给（配给制）和过度开发成本使价格上升。所以选C。

【3】D猜测词义题。A快乐的；B满意的；C困难的；D悲伤的、惨淡的。句意为澳大利亚官员除了在惨淡的结果方面的一般性发言外还提供一点意见。根据句意选D。

【4】D主旨大意题。本文通过一系列的调查，通过说明美国、澳大利亚一些房价问题，说明房子太贵这一主题。所以选D。