英语听力精选进阶版 13620

Where is the best city to live?

Summary

13 August 2012

If you've ever wished the place you live had better transport or less crime, or more cultural offerings, then you might want to consult the new Global Liveability Survey, which lists the best and worst cities to live in around the world.

Reporter:

Beth McLeod

Report

A slick advert¹ by the Melbourne tourist board shows pictures of its enviable schools, beaches, transport system and nightlife, all of which have helped it earn the number one spot as the world's most liveable city. 

The 140 cities in the survey are judged on five broad categories: stability², healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure³. The top scorers tend to be mid-sized cities in wealthy countries with a low population density⁴. Some seven of the top ten – including Vancouver, Toronto and Sydney – are in Australia or Canada. Vienna, Helsinki and Auckland also made the top ten. 

Of the cities surveyed – and some like Kabul and Baghdad were not included for safety reasons – Dhaka in Bangladesh was rated the least liveable. Lagos, Harare, Algiers and Karachi all scored poorly as well. 

The city that has dropped fastest down the list in the last year is Damascus, due to the ongoing⁵ conflict in Syria, while infrastructure improvements⁶ in China mean that cities like Shanghai and Suzhou have scored better than they did last year.

1 advert   

vi.注意，留意，言及；n.广告

参考例句：

• The advert featured a dolphin swimming around a goldfish bowl.该广告的內容为一条在金鱼缸里游动的海豚。
• Please advert to the contents below.I believe you won't be disappointed.敬请留意后面的内容。相信您一定不会失望的。

2 stability   

n.稳定，稳固

参考例句：

• The situation is tending towards stability.局势趋于稳定。
• She lacks emotional stability.她的情绪不稳定。

3 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

4 density   

n.密集，密度，浓度

参考例句：

• The population density of that country is 685 per square mile.那个国家的人口密度为每平方英里685人。
• The region has a very high population density.该地区的人口密度很高。

5 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

6 improvements   

增加或修改( improvement的名词复数 )； 改进； 改善； 改良

参考例句：

• improvements in efficiency at the factory 工厂效率的提高
• They've spent a lot of money on home improvements. 他们花了很多钱装修家居。