3.The German city of Hamburg has announced plans to become car-free within the next two decades.It is an ambitious idea,but city officials obviously feel that the personal motorcar does not fulfill a function that walking,biking and taking public transport cannot.The goal of Hamburg's project is to replace roads with a green network,which will allow people to navigate through the city without the use of cars.
Banishingthe car from urban areas is becoming a common trend in many European cities.London imposes a"congestion charge"on private vehicles entering the city centre during rush hours.Copenhagen is building bicycle superhighways radiating out from the city centre.These developments combined may make worrying reading for driving enthusiasts.Is the time of the personal car over?
In the century since the Ford Model T was introduced in 1908,global vehicle numbers have swollen to well over a billion.But according to recent research,the growth may have stopped.
According to Professor Michael Sivak,at the University of Michigan,"motorization"in the US might have reached a peak in 2008,and that the figures have been on the decline since.
"New York,Washington,Boston,Philadelphia,each have more than thirty percent of households without a light duty vehicle,"says Sivak.In fact,the figures show that fifty-six percent of households in New York (which top the list) don't have a car."I think that will be surprising to most people.It was surprising to me,and I am in the business."
Sivak thinks a number of factors could be contributing to the trend,including workingfrom home and the movement of populations back to city centers.In China,Beijing and Shanghai are looking at plans to limit the number of new vehicles being registered to control prouth.It's a movement more cities are looking towards,particularly in the US.
56.Why does Hamburg launch the"car-free"program?A
A.To build a greener environment.
B.To fix a worldwide road network.
C.To call on people to take exercise.
D.To replace the public transport.
57.The underlined word"banishing"in Paragraph 2 can best be replaced by"C"
A.putting out
B.giving away
C.driving away
D.setting out
58.Professor Michael Sivak uses the examples in Paragraph 5D
A.to prove the number of cars has been increasing sharply
B.to persuade American people to give up their way of life
C.to introduce to the readers a new trend in buying cars
D.to show many Americas have already abandoned cars
59.What does Michael Sivak think of the result of his research?B
A.Terrifying
B Amazing
C.Exciting
D.Disappointing.
60.What can be learned from the last paragraph?C
A.Most people like to work in the countryside.
B.It is only big cities that are taking action.
C.Many factors contribute to the trend.
D.Effective rules have come into effect.
分析 本文主要讲的是德国城市汉堡已经宣布计划在接下来的二十年里,将成为一个没有车的国家,并且这一运动已经在北京、上海,特别是在美国纷纷兴起.
解答 56.A.细节理解题.根据第一段的最后一句"The goal of Hamburg's project is to replace roads with a green network,which will allow people to navigate through the city without the use of cars"可知,该项目是为了创建一个绿色的环境.故选A.
57.C.词义猜测题.根据下文内容可知,伦敦市向高峰期进入市中心的私家车征收"交通拥堵费";哥本哈根正在建设从城市中心散开的自行车高速公路.这两个例子是为了说明使汽车远离市区正在成为许多欧洲城市的共同趋势.因此该词可用drive away替代,表示"使离去".故选C.
58.D.推理判断题.根据第四段最后一句中的"‘motorization'in the US might have reached a peak in 2008,and the figures have been on the decline since then"及第五段的前两句可知,Michael Sivak举例是想说明许多美国人已经放弃使用汽车了.故选D.
59.B.细节理解题.根据第五段中的"I think that will be surprising to most people.It was surprising to me"可知,Michael对该研究结果感到吃惊.故选B.
60.C.细节理解题.根据最后一段第一句中的"Sivak thinks a number of factors could be contributing to the trend"可知,汽车使用量减少的趋势是由很多因素造成的.故选C.
点评 本文是新闻报道类阅读理解文章,阅读此类文章主要是要了解:
①新闻报道了什么事件;②事件是因为什么而发生的,相关背景如何;③文段中指出的事件发生过程中的突出细节是 什么;④事件造成的后果是什么;⑤事件的本质是什么,透过事件的表面现象,我们看到了什么社会问题.通过这样的梳理,我们就可以把新闻的脉络理清楚.这类材料命题点往往落在事实细节上.