托福阅读常见考题：城市化话题如何作答?

 　　在2014年4月27日的托福阅读考试中出现了19世纪美国城市发展的文章，新东方谢真真老师指出：近几年的托福考试中，城市化话题涉及到建设、发展和特点，考到伦敦、芝加哥、日本、法国和中国等，但是，话题重复意味着词汇的重复，建议学生在备考中积累学科词汇，提升英语实力，以不变应万变。那么关于城市化话题需要了解哪些背景知识?面对这样的托福考题该如何作答呢?

　　托福阅读真题再现：

　　版本一：

　　19世纪美国城市发展。全文讲了几个原因及其影响!主要有交通运输发展，经济发展，domes¹什么影响版本二：

　　美国的城市规划。第二段有讲到Washington DC版本三：

　　关于美国的“urban planning”的政策，对人们生活的影响的好与坏新东方谢真真老师解析：

　　重复2011年11月26日题，涉及到美国19世纪美国城镇发展的三个因素，economic, demographic和transportation，还涉及到人们进城打工等因素，后文分别讨论三种因素发挥的作用以及城市化带来的影响，本文是原因和影响混合型文章。因果型文章结构在托福中非常常见，学生在阅读的时候重点要关注原因或影响是什么，以及原因是如何发挥作用，影响体现在什么方面等，最后一题一般都直接对应原因或影响。

　　近几年的托福考试中，城市化话题涉及到建设、发展和特点，考到伦敦、芝加哥、日本、法国和中国等，但是，话题重复意味着词汇的重复，建议学生在备考中积累学科词汇，提升英语实力，以不变应万变。

　　托福阅读城市化话题背景知识阅读：

　　Urbanization occurs as individual, commercial, social and governmental efforts reduce time and expense in commuting² and transportation and improve opportunities for jobs, education, housing, and transportation. Living in cities permits the advantages of the opportunities of proximity³, diversity, and marketplace competition. However, the advantages of urbanization are weighed against alienation⁴ issues, stress, increased daily life costs, and negative social aspects that result from mass marginalization.

　　Cities are known to be places where money, services, wealth and opportunities are centralized. Many rural inhabitants come to the city for reasons of seeking fortunes and social mobility⁵. Businesses, which provide jobs and exchange capital are more concentrated in urban areas. Whether the source is trade or tourism, it is also through the ports or banking⁶ systems that foreign money flows into a country, commonly located in cities.

　　Economic opportunities are just one reason people move into cities, though they do not go to fully⁷ explain why urbanization rates have exploded only recently in places like China and India. Rural flight is a contributing factor to urbanization. In rural areas, often on small family farms or collective farms in villages, it has traditionally been difficult to access manufactured goods, though overall quality of life is very subjective⁸, and may certainly surpass that of the city. Farm living has always been susceptible⁹ to unpredictable environmental conditions, and in times of drought, flood or pestilence¹⁰, survival may become extremely problematic.

　　Cities offer a larger variety of services, such as specialist services that aren't found in rural areas. Supporting the provision of these services requires workers, resulting in more numerous and varied¹¹ job opportunities. Elderly individuals may be forced to move to cities where there are doctors and hospitals that can cater¹² for their health needs. Varied and high quality educational opportunities are another factor in urban migration¹³, as well as the opportunity to join, develop, and seek out social communities.

　　Urbanization can be planned urbanization or organic. Planned urbanization, i.e.: planned community or the garden city movement, is based on an advance plan, which can be prepared for military, aesthetic¹⁴, economic or urban design reasons. Examples can be seen in many ancient cities; although with exploration came the collision of nations, which meant that many invaded cities took on the desired planned characteristics of their occupiers. Many ancient organic cities experienced redevelopment for military and economic purposes, new roads carved through the cities, and new parcels of land were cordoned¹⁵ off serving various planned purposes giving cities distinctive¹⁶ geometric designs. UN agencies prefer to see urban infrastructure¹⁷ installed before urbanization occurs. Landscape planners are responsible for landscape infrastructure (public parks, sustainable urban drainage systems, greenways etc.)which can be planned before urbanization takes place, or afterward¹⁸ to revitalize an area and create greater livability within a region. Concepts of control of the urban expansion are considered in the American Institute of Planners.

 

1 domes   

n.圆屋顶( dome的名词复数 )；像圆屋顶一样的东西；圆顶体育场

参考例句：

• The domes are circular or ovoid in cross-section. 穹丘的横断面为圆形或卵圆形。 来自辞典例句
• Parks. The facilities highlighted in text include sport complexes and fabric domes. 本书重点讲的设施包括运动场所和顶棚式结构。 来自互联网

2 commuting   

交换（的）

参考例句：

• I used the commuting time to read and answer my mail. 我利用上下班在汽车中的时间来阅读和答复给我的函电。
• Noncommuting objects are as real to the mathematicians as commuting objects. 对于数学家来说，不可交换的对象与可交换的对象是一样真实的。

3 proximity   

n.接近，邻近

参考例句：

• Marriages in proximity of blood are forbidden by the law.法律规定禁止近亲结婚。
• Their house is in close proximity to ours.他们的房子很接近我们的。

4 alienation   

n.疏远；离间；异化

参考例句：

• The new policy resulted in the alienation of many voters.新政策导致许多选民疏远了。
• As almost every conceivable contact between human beings gets automated,the alienation index goes up.随着人与人之间几乎一切能想到的接触方式的自动化，感情疏远指数在不断上升。

5 mobility   

n.可动性，变动性，情感不定

参考例句：

• The difference in regional house prices acts as an obstacle to mobility of labour.不同地区房价的差异阻碍了劳动力的流动。
• Mobility is very important in guerrilla warfare.机动性在游击战中至关重要。

6 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。

7 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

8 subjective   

a.主观(上)的，个人的

参考例句：

• The way they interpreted their past was highly subjective. 他们解释其过去的方式太主观。
• A literary critic should not be too subjective in his approach. 文学评论家的看法不应太主观。

9 susceptible   

adj.过敏的，敏感的；易动感情的，易受感动的

参考例句：

• Children are more susceptible than adults.孩子比成人易受感动。
• We are all susceptible to advertising.我们都易受广告的影响。

10 pestilence   

n.瘟疫

参考例句：

• They were crazed by the famine and pestilence of that bitter winter.他们因那年严冬的饥饿与瘟疫而折磨得发狂。
• A pestilence was raging in that area. 瘟疫正在那一地区流行。

11 varied   

adj.多样的，多变化的

参考例句：

• The forms of art are many and varied.艺术的形式是多种多样的。
• The hotel has a varied programme of nightly entertainment.宾馆有各种晚间娱乐活动。

12 cater   

vi.(for/to)满足，迎合；(for)提供饮食及服务

参考例句：

• I expect he will be able to cater for your particular needs.我预计他能满足你的特殊需要。
• Most schools cater for children of different abilities.大多数学校能够满足具有不同天资的儿童的需要。

13 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

14 aesthetic   

adj.美学的，审美的，有美感

参考例句：

• My aesthetic standards are quite different from his.我的审美标准与他的大不相同。
• The professor advanced a new aesthetic theory.那位教授提出了新的美学理论。

15 cordoned   

v.封锁，用警戒线围住( cordon的过去式 )

参考例句：

• Police cordoned off the area until the bomb was defused. 警方封锁了这个地区直到炸弹被拆除为止。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Police cordoned off the road and diverted commuter traffic. 警察封锁了道路并分流交通。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 distinctive   

adj.特别的，有特色的，与众不同的

参考例句：

• She has a very distinctive way of walking.她走路的样子与别人很不相同。
• This bird has several distinctive features.这个鸟具有几种突出的特征。

17 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。

18 afterward   

adv.后来；以后

参考例句：

• Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterward. 让我们先去看戏，然后吃饭。
• Afterward,the boy became a very famous artist.后来，这男孩成为一个很有名的艺术家。