托福考試閱讀文章練習2新

千里之行，始于足下讓知識帶有溫度。第第2頁/共2頁精品文檔推薦托?？荚囬喿x文章練習2備考的路上，哭過、累過、笑過，但只要堅持向前走，終將會拿到屬于我們的證書。以下是我整理的“托福考試閱讀文章練習2”！祝大家備考順當！

Throughoutthenineteenthcenturyandintothetwentieth,citizensofthe

UnitedStatesmaintainedabiasagainstbigcities.Mostlivedonfarmsandin

smalltownsandbelievedcitiestobecentersofcorruption,crime,poverty,and

moraldegradation.Theirdistrustwascaused,inpart,byanationalideology

thatproclaimedfarmingthegreatestoccupationandrurallivingsuperiorto

urbanliving.Thisattitudeprevailedevenasthenumberofurbandwellers

increasedandcitiesbecameanessentialfeatureofthenationallandscape.

Gradually,economicrealityovercameideology.Thousandsabandonedthe

precariouslifeonthefarmformoresecureandbetterpayingjobsinthecity.

Butwhenthesepeoplemigratedfromthecountryside,theycarriedtheirfears

andsuspiciouswiththem.Thesenewurbanities,alreadyconvincedthatcities

wereoverwhelmedwithgreatproblems,eagerlyembracedtheprogressivereforms

thatpromisedtobringorderoutofthechaosofthecity.

Oneofmanyreformscameintheareaofpublicutilities.Waterand

seweragesystemswereusuallyoperatedbymunicipalgovernments,butthegasand

electricnetworkswereprivatelyowned.Reformersfearedthattheprivately

ownedutilitycompanieswouldchargeexorbitantratesfortheseessential

servicesanddeliverthemonlytopeoplewhocouldaffordthem.Somecityand

stategovernmentsrespondedbyregulatingtheutilitycompanies,butanumberof

citiesbegantosupplytheseservicesthemselves.Proponentsofthesereforms

arguedthatpublicownershipandregulationwouldinsurewidespreadaccessto

theseutilitiesandguaranteeafairprice.

Whilesomereformsfocusedongovernmentandpublicbehavior,otherslooked

atthecitiesasawhole.Civicleaders,convincedthatphysicalenvironment

influencedhumanbehavior,arguedthatcitiesshoulddevelopmasterplansto

guidetheirfuturegrowthanddevelopment.Cityplanningwasnothingnew,but

therapidindustrializationandurbangrowthofthelatenineteenthcenturytook

placewithoutanyconsiderationfororder.Urbanrenewalinthetwentieth

centuryfollowedseveralcourses.Somecitiesintroducedplanstocompletely

rebuildthecitycore.Mostothercitiescontentedthemselveswithzoningplans

forregulatingfuturegrowth.Certainpartsoftownwererestrictedto

residentialuse,whileothersweresetasideforindustrialorcommercial

development.

1.Whatdoesthepassagemainlydiscuss?

(A)Acomparisonofurbanandrurallifeintheearlytwentiethcentury

(B)Theroleofgovernmentintwentiethcenturyurbanrenewal

(C)Effortstoimproveurbanlifeintheearlytwentiethcentury

(D)Methodsofcontrollingurbangrowthinthetwentiethcentury

2.Theword"bias"inline2isclosestinmeaningto

(A)diagonal

(B)slope

(C)distortion

(D)prejudice

3.Thefirstparagraphsuggeststhatmostpeoplewholivedinrural

areas

(A)weresuspiciousoftheirneighbors

(B)wereveryproudoftheirlifestyle

(C)believedcitygovernmenthadtoomuchpower

(D)wantedtomovetothecities

4.Intheearlytwentiethcentury,manyruraldwellersmigratedtothecity

inorderto

(A)participateintheurbanreformmovement

(B)seekfinancialsecurity

(C)complywithagovernmentordinance

(D)avoidcrimeandcorruption

5.Theword"embraced"inline11isclosestinmeaningto

(A)suggested

(B)overestimated

(C)demanded

(D)welcomed

6.Whatconcerndidreformershaveaboutprivatelyownedutility

companies?

(A)Theyfearedtheserviceswouldnotbemadeavailabletoallcity

dwellers.

(B)Theybelievedprivateownershipwouldsloweconomicgrowth

(C)Theydidnottrustthecompaniestoobeythegovernment

regulations.

(D)Theywantedtoensurethattheserviceswouldbeprovidedtorural

areas.

7.Theword"exorbitant"inline16isclosestinmeaningto

(A)additional

(B)expensive

(C)various

(D)modified

8.Allofthefollowingwerethedirectresultofpublicutilityreforms

EXCEPT

(A)localgovernmentsdeterminedtherateschargedbyprivateutility

companies

(B)someutilitycompanieswereownedandoperatedbylocalgovernments

(C)theavailabilityofserviceswasregulatedbylocalgovernment

(D)privateutilitycompanieswererequiredtopayafeetolocal

governments

9.Theword"Proponents"inline18isclosestinmeaningto

(A)Experts

(B)Pioneers

(C)Reviewers

(D)Supporters

10.Whydoestheauthormention"industrialization"(line24)?

(A)Toexplainhowfasturbangrowthledtopoorlydesignedci