There has been a dramatic increase in the number of natural disasters over the past few years, and it is assumed that global warming and climate change could cause even more disasters in the future. Some of the world’s leading cities are facing disasters like floods and heat waves.

    London

    London’s flood defences are getting older. Since 1982, the Thames Barrier(水闸)has protected the city from the threat of flooding, but it was only designed to last until 2030 and close once every two or three years. About 26 years later the barrier now closes five or six times a year and according to Environment Agency predictions, by 2050 the barrier will be closed on almost every tide if the problem is not addressed.

    There are 26 underground stations, 400 schools, 16 hospitals, an airport and 80 billion worth of property in London’s flood risk area, so large scale flooding would be disastrous.

    Paris

    Over a six week period in July and August 2003, more than 1 1,400—mainly elderly people—died in France from dehydration(脱水)and extremely high body temperature in a deadly heat wave. Heat waves of similar intensity(强度)are expected every seven years by 2050, so what can be done to make sure such a disaster does not happen again?

    One solution is to have air-conditioners installed in elderly care homes. But this is considered a short-term solution, as the increase in demand for electricity also increases carbon emissions(排放).

 In Paris the local authorities are encouraging architects to design new types of buildings such as the building “Flower Tower,” which uses a covering of bamboo to act as a natural air-conditioner.

Shanghai

    Shanghai is the fastest growing city on Earth. It has a population of 18 million and is only 4 meters above sea level. Sea levels are predicted to rise by 20 cm within the next century.

    An estimated 250，000 people move to Shanghai every year in search of work, placing extra demands on energy consumption. China relies heavily on coal—fired power stations, but these emissions increase temperatures and, in turn, warmer seas increase the risk of typhoons.

1.What problem should be settled now in London?

A．How to protect the city’s property

B．Where to build its flood defences

C．How to use the Thames Barrier to protect the city

D．How to improve the function of the old flood defences

2.Which of the following measures can’t solve the heat wave disaster in Paris?

A．Putting up new types of buildings with a covering of bamboo

B．Having air-conditioners installed in elderly care homes

C．Forbidding the city to build“Flower Tower”

D．Encouraging architects to design new types of buildings

3.The major threats to Shanghai are           ．

A．increasing population and coal-fired power stations

B．rising sea levels and typhoons

C．extremely high temperature and rising sea levels

D．extra demands on energy consumption and typhoons

4.The purpose of the passage is       ．

A．to tell us how to protect the big cities

B．to give advice on how to defend natural disasters

C．to explain what causes flood and heat waves

D．to warn us of the increasing natural disasters in big cities

5.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A．Big Cities Facing Big Disasters

B．Big Disasters in the Future

C．The Increase of Natural Disasters

D．Solutions to Natural Disasters

As China becomes increasingly urbanized (城市化), it has to find space for its urban and rural citizens as both groups become increasingly integrated. Experts suggest a possible model way may be “re-inventing” a “garden city”.
China’s mega-cities are bursting at the borders and the country is now undergoing the quickest and biggest urbanization in the history of mankind. It is estimated that by 2025, China will have 400 million more people living in its cities, raising its urban population to 900 million. Besides, new satellite towns are mushrooming on the urban fringes while city ring roads are rippling outwards into the countryside at amazing speed. Satellite maps collected by Professor Joshua Bolchover at the University of Hong Kong bring the problem sharply into focus. They track the changing rural-urban framework in the past 30 years, and suggest that cities are cruelly destroying surrounding rural land and rapidly reducing the amount of arable (可耕种的) land, which gives way to new residential blocks, new industrial zones, new financial centers and the other inevitable signs and signatures of economic growth.
This, however, is not sustainable growth pattern, especially when China has the world’s largest population to feed. So concerned urban planners are starting to note the social and physical effects of diaspora (大移居) when replaced rural communities are forced into the cities.
On the other hand, a trend of thought is gradually taking shape and this is the concept of the “garden city”, a combination of country and city that is being proposed by architects and city planners. Hua Li, from Tao Architects, is among the many professionals with such a voice. His argument is supported by a long-term study on this subject. As Hua says, the answer is to preserve patches of productive farmland within urban boundaries. Less transportation means we have fresh agricultural products at lower costs and less carbon emission in the city. And urban farmland can also be showcased for agricultural tourism and education.
The concept is already practiced at the grassroot level. Agriculture has gone into the air, up to roof and balcony in some communities in the cities. It’s common to see organic “hanging garden” on the roof of some traditional courtyard home. According to some people, the rooftop project translate to tangible (=" practical)" benefits, such as safe, nutritious vegetables, a cooler home in summer. Some say thanks to the tomatoes they plant that are natural insect killers, there’re fewer mosquitoes. Apart from these, it also contributes to better bonding with neighbors. Zhang, a doctor in Beijing, began creating his hanging garden five years ago. Since his garden became home to 30 kinds of vegetables and fruit --- all enough to feed his family, neighbors have enjoyed dropping by for a relaxing chat or just to see how well the lovely vegetables and fruit are doing.
Although people like Zhang are still rare and the greening of roof space with vegetables and fruit takes skill and energy, with more positive media exposure and advanced technology there is the prospect that garden city will become common practice in the near future. By then, cities will no longer look so gray when seen from the satellites.
【小题1】Some experts suggest re-inventing a “garden city” because ______.

    There has been a dramatic increase in the number of natural disasters over the past few years，and it is assumed that global warming and climate change could cause even more disasters in the future．Some of the world’s leading cities are facing disasters like floods and heat waves．

    London

    London’s flood defenses are getting older．Since 1 982，the Thames Barrier(水闸)has protected the city from the threat of flooding，but it was only designed to last until 2030 and close once every two or three years．About 26 years later the barrier now closes five or six times a year and according to Environment Agency predictions，by 2050 the barrier will be closed on almost every tide if the problem is not addressed．

    There are 26 underground stations，400 schools，1 6 hospitals，an airport and 80 billion worth of property in London’s flood risk area, so large scale flooding would be disastrous．

    Paris

    Over a six week period in July and August 2003，more than 1 1,400---mainly elderly people―died in France from dehydration(脱水)and extremely high body temperature in a deadly heat wave．Heat waves of similar intensity(强度)are expected every seven years by 2050，so what can be done to make sure such a disaster does not happen again?

    One solution is to have air-conditioners installed in elderly care homes．But this is considered a short-term solution，as the increase in demand for electricity also increases carbon emissions(排放)．

    In Paris the local authorities are encouraging architects to design new types of buildings

 such as the building“Flower Tower,”which uses a covering．of bamboo to act as a natural

 air-conditioner．

    Shanghai

    Shanghai is the fastest growing city on Earth．It has a population of 1 8 million and is only 4 meters above sea level．Sea levels are predicted to rise by 20 cm within the next century．

An estimated 250，000 people move to Shanghai every year in search of work, placing extra demands on energy consumption．China relies heavily on coal―fired power stations，but these emissions increase temperatures and，in turn，warmer seas increase the risk of typhoons．

56．Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

    A．Big Cities Facing Big Disasters                    B．Big Disasters in the Future

    C．The Increase of Natural Disasters                D．Solutions to Natural Disasters

 57．What problem should be settled now in London?

    A．How to protect the city’s property．   

    B．Where to build its flood defences．

    C．How to use the Thames Barrier to protect the city．

    D．How to improve the function of the old flood defences．

58．Which of the following measures can’t solve the heat wave disaster in Paris?

    A．Putting up new types of buildings with a covering of bamboo．

    B．Having air-conditioners installed in elderly care homes．

    C．Forbidding the city to build“Flower Tower”

    D．Encouraging architects to design new types of buildings．

59．The major threats to Shanghai are           ．

    A．increasing population and coal-fired power stations

    B．rising sea levels and typhoons

    C．extremely high temperature and rising sea levels

    D．extra demands on energy consumption and typhoons

 60．The purpose of the passage is       ．

    A．to tell us how to protect the big cities

    B．to give advice on how to defend natural disasters

    C．to explain what causes flood and heat waves

    D．to warn us of the increasing natural disasters in big cities