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阅读理解
In a survey released on Thursday, more than 7,000 Beijing residents assessed the capital as average in terms of living conditions．Most agreed that it is convenient to live in Beijing as far as the facilities for shopping, leisure time activities, education and medical care are concerned．But they do not agree that life is comfortable here．
Such a survey sends a message that how a city functions to provide its citizens with suitable living conditions is a concern for many urbanites(都市人) although it will take some time before this concern finds a place on the agenda(议程)of city planners and administrators．
In the past more than two decades, economic development has always been considered as the top priority for most cities．The focus on economic growth has left almost no room on the agenda of urban planners and administrators for attention to suitable living conditions for their urban residents．
Economic development is undoubtedly the important foundation for improving living conditions, and has improved living standards considerably for most urban residents in the past two decades．But when it is made the ultimate goal of our life, and people are forced to give up their living comforts for the realization of a certain growth rate, the quality of urban life can be negatively affected．
There are instances of development just for the sake of being considered development. Witness the destroy of buildings still in sound quality to make room for new structures, repeated change of bricks on pavements and the re- paving of roads．These economic activities lead to noise and environmental pollution and traffic jams．They worsen living conditions and even make it impossible for residents in many cities to lead a normal life．
To a certain extent, some part of a city’s economic growth is achievable only at the expense of the living environment for urbanites．
It is high time the city authorities gave a thought to the relationship between economic growth and living conditions in the cities．Beijing, for example, as a capital city, may put more efforts into developing its service sector, tourism and culture industry, which is not likely to cause pollution．Precaution needs to be employed in the considerations for city renovations and construction projects, which tend to affect the life of residents negatively．
If the concern for making life easier and more comfortable is always on the minds of the city authorities and on their working agenda, economic development can be realized with suitable living standards．
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