2023年12月大學英語六級真題及答案解析和聽力原文卷一

2023年12月大學英語六級真題及答案解析和聽力原文卷一

2023年12月大學英語六級真題卷一

PartIWriting(30minutes)

Directions：Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestowriteanessaycommentingonthe

saying“Respectothers,andyouwillberespected/'Youcanciteexamplestoillustrateyour

views.Youshouldwriteatleast150wordsbutnomorethan200words.

PartIIListeningComprehension(25minutes)

SectionA

Directions:Inthissection,youwillheartwolongconversations.Attheendofeach

conversation,youwillhearfourquestions.Boththeconversationandthequestionswillbe

spokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefour

choicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1witha

singlelinethroughthecentre.

Question1to4arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.

l.A)Theyrewardbusinessesthateliminatefoodwaste.

B)Theyprohibitthesaleoffoodsthathavegonestale.

C)Theyfacilitatethedonationofunsoldfoodstotheneedy.

D)Theyforbidbusinessestoproducemorefoodsthanneeded.

2.A)Itimposedpenaltiesonbusinessesthatwastefood.

B)Itpassedalawaimingtostopoverproduction.

C)ItvotedagainstfoodimportfromoutsideEurope.

D)Itprohibitedthepromotionofbulkfoodsales.

3.A)Ithaswarneditspeopleagainstpossiblefoodshortages.

B)Ithaspenalizedbusinessesthatkeepoverproducingfoods.

C)Ithasstartedanationwidecampaignagainstfoodwaste.

D)Ithasbannedsupermarketsfromdumpingediblefoods.

4.A)Theconfusionoverfoodexpirationlabels.

B)Thesurplusresultingfromoverproduction.

C)Americans'habitofbuyingfoodinbulk.

D)Alackofregulationonfoodconsumption.

Question5to8arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.

5.A)Ithasstartedaweek-longpromotioncampaign.

B)Ithasjustlauncheditsannualanniversarysales.

C)Itoffersregularweekendsalesalltheyearround.

D)Itspecializesinthesaleofladies'designerdresses.

6.A)Pricereductionsforitsfrequentcustomers.

B)Couponsforcustomerswithbulkpurchases.

C)Freedeliveryofpurchasesforseniorcustomers.

D)Priceadjustmentswithinsevendaysofpurchase.

7.A)Mailagiftcardtoher.C)Creditittoheraccount.

B)Allowhertobuyoncredit.D)Givehersomecoupons.

8.A)Refundingforgoodsreturned.C)Prolongedgoodswarranty.

B)Freeinstallingofappliances.D)Complimentarytailoring.

SectionB

Directions:Inthissection,youwillheartwopassages.Attheendofeachpassage,youwill

hearthreeorfourquestions.Boththepassageandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.After

youhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),

C)andD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthe

centre.

Question9to11arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.

9.A)Theyarethin,tall,andunlikerealhumanbeings.

B)Theyhavemorethantwentydifferenthairtextures.

C)Theyhavetwenty-fourdifferentbodyshapesintotal.

D)Theyrepresentpeoplefromvirtuallyallwalksoflife.

10.A)Theydonotreflectyounggirls'aspirations.

B)Theyarenotsoldtogetherwiththeoriginal.

C)Theirflatfeetdonotappealtoadolescents.

D)Theirbodyshapeshavenotchangedmuch.

11.A)lntoystores.B)lnshoppingmalls.

C)OntheInternet.D)AtBarbieshops.

Questions12to15arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.

12.A)Moveablemetaltypebegantobeusedinprinting.

B)Chineseprintingtechnologywasfirstintroduced.

C)Theearliestknownbookwaspublished.

D)MetaltypewasimportedfromKorea.

13.A)lthadmorethanahundredprintingpresses.

B)ltwasthebiggestprinterinthe16thcentury.

C)lthelpedtheGermanpeoplebecomeliterate.

D)ltproducedsome20millionvolumesintotal.

14,A)ltpushedhandwrittenbooksoutofcirculation.

B)ltboostedthecirculationofpopularworks.

C)ltmakewritingaveryprofitablecareer.

D)ltprovidedreaderswithmorechoices.

15.A)ltacceleratedtheextinctionoftheLatinlanguage.

B)ltstandardizedthepublicationofgrammarbooks.

C)ltturnedtranslationintoawelcomeprofession.

D)ltpromotedthegrowthofnationallanguages.

Sectionc

Directions:inthissection,youwillhearthreerecordingsoflecturesortalksfollowedby

threeorfourquestions.Therecordingswillbeplayedonlyonce,afteryouhearaquestion,you

mustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).Thenmarkthe

correspondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughcentre.

Questions16-18arebasedontherecordingyouhavejustheard.

16.A)Theygetboreda代erworkingforaperiodoftime.

B)Theyspendanaverageofoneyearfindingajob.

C)Theybecomestuckinthesamejobfordecades.

D)Theychooseajobwithoutthinkingitthrough.

17.A)Seeiftherewillbechancesforpromotion.

B)Findoutwhatjobchoicesareavailable.

CJWatchafilmaboutwaysofjobhunting.

D)Decidewhichjobismostattractivetoyou.

18.A)Thequalificationsyouhave.C)Thecultureofyourtargetcompany.

B)Thepayyouaregoingtoget.D)Theworkenvironmentyouwillbein.

Questions19-22arebasedontherecordingyouhavejustheard.

19.A)ltisasimportantasChristmasforAfrican-Americans.

B)ltisaculturalfestivalfoundedforAfrican-Americans.

C)ltisanancientfestivalcelebratedbyAfrican-Americans.

D)ItisareligiousfestivalcelebratedbyAfrican-Americans.

20.A)TourgeAfrican-Americanstodomoreforsociety.

B)TocallonAfrican-Americanstoworshiptheirgods.

C)TohelpAfrican-Americanstorealizetheirgoals.

D)ToremindAfrican-Americansoftheirsufferings.

21.A)Faithinself-determination.

B)Thefirstfruitsoftheharvest.

C)Unityandcooperativeeconomics.

D)Creativeworkandachievement.

22.A)Theyreciteaprinciple.

B)Theytakeasolemnoath.

C)Theydrinkwindfromtheunitycup.

D)Theycallouttheirancestors'names.

Questions23-25arebasedontherecordingyouhavejustheard.

23.A)Itisoneoftheworld'smosthealthydiets.

B)Itcontainslargeamountsofdairyproducts.

C)Itbegantoimpacttheworldinrecentyears.

D)Itconsistsmainlyofvariouskindsofseafood.

24.A)Itinvolved13,000researchersfromAsia,EuropeandAmerica.

B)ItwasconductedinsevenMid-Easterncountriesinthe1950s.

C)Itisregardedasoneofthegreatestresearchesofitskind.

D)Ithasdrawntheattentionofmedicaldoctorstheworldover.

25.A)Theycaremuchabouttheirhealth.

B)Theyeatfoodswithlittlefat.

C)Theyuselittleoilincooking.

D)Theyhavelowermortalityrates.

PartIIIReadingComprehension(40minutes)

SectionA

Directions:Inthissection,thereisapassagewithtenblanks.Youarerequiredtoselectone

wordforeachblankfromalistofchoicesgiveninawordbankfollowingthepassage.Readthe

passagethroughcarefullybeforemakingyourchoices.Eachchoiceinthebankisidentifiedbya

letter.PleasemarkthecorrespondingletterforeachitemonAnswerSheet2withasingleline

throughthecentre.Youmaynotuseanyofthewordsinthebankmorethanonce.

Inthepast12months,Nigeriahassufferedfromashrinkingeconomy,aslidingcurrency,

andaprolongedfuelshortage.Now,Africa'slargesteconomyisfacingafoodcrisisas

majortomatofieldshavebeendestroyedbyaninsect,leadingtoanationwideshortageand

escalatingprice.

Theinsect,Tutaabsoluta,hasdestroyed80%offarmsinKaduna,Nigeria'slargest

tomato-producingstate,leadingthegovernmenttheretodeclareastateof26.Theinsect,

alsoknownasthetomatoleafminer,devastatescropsby27onfruitsanddiggingintoand

movingthroughstalks.It28incrediblyquickly,breedingupto12generationsperyearif

conditionsarefavorable.Itisbelievedtohave29inSouthAmericaintheearly1900s,and

laterspreadtoEuropebeforecrossingovertosub-SaharanAfrica.

InNigeria,wheretomatoesareastapleoflocaldiets,theinsect'seffectsaredevastating.

Retailpricesfora30oftomatoesatlocalmarketshaverisenfrom$0.50to2.50.Farmersare

reportingsteeplossesandanew$20milliontomato-pastefactoryhas31productiondueto

theshortages.

Giventhemoth〃sabilityalsotoattackcropslikepepperandpotatoes,AuduOgbeh,Nigeria's

ministerofagriculture,haswarnedthatthepestmay“createseriousproblemsforfood32

“inthecountry.Ogbehsaysexpertsareinvestigatinghowtocontrolthepest“sdamageand

preventitsspread,whichhasgonelargely33untilnow.

Despitebeingthecontinent'ssecond-largestproduceroftomatoes,Nigeriais34on$1

billionworthoftomato-pasteimportseveryyear,asaround75%ofthelocalharvestgoesto

wastethankstoalackofproperstoragefacilities.Afurther35inlocalsuppliesisyetanother

unwelcomesetbacktotheindustry.

A)dependent1)originated

B〕embarkingJ)reduction

C)emergencyK)reproduce

D)feedingL)security

E)grazesM)terror

F)haltedN)unchecked

G)handfulO)untouched

H)multitude

SectionB

Directions:Inthissection,youaregoingtoreadapassagewithtenstatementsattachedtoit.

Eachstatementcontainsinformationgiveninoneoftheparagraphs.Identifytheparagraphfrom

whichtheinformationisderived.Youmaychooseaparagraphmorethanonce.Eachparagraphis

markedwithaletter.AnswerthequestionsbymarkingthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet

2.

Who“sreallyaddictingyoutoTechnology?

A.”NearlyeveryoneIknowisaddictedinsomemeasuretotheInternet/'wroteTony

SchwartzinTheNewYorkTimes.It'sacommoncomplaintthesedays.Asteadystreamofsimilar

headlinesaccusetheNetanditsoffspringapps,socialmediasitesandonlinegamesofaddicting

ustodistraction.

B.There'slittledoubtthatnearlyeveryonewhocomesincontactwiththeNethasdifficulty

disconnecting.Manyofus,likeSchwartz,struggletostayfocusedontasksthatrequiremore

concentrationthanittakestopostastatusupdate.Asonepersonironicallyputitinthe

commentssectionofSchwartz'sonlinearticle,“AsIwasreadingthisveryexcellentarticle,I

stoppedatleasthalfadozentimestocheckmyemail.”

C.There'ssomethingdifferentaboutthistechnology:Itisbothinvasiveandpersuasive.But

who〃satfaultforitsoveruse?Tofindsolutions,it'simportanttounderstandwhatwe“redealing

with.Therearefourpartiesconspiringtokeepyouconnected:thetech,yourboss,yourfriends

andyou.

D.Thetechnologiesthemselves,andtheirmakers,aretheeasiestsuspectstoblameforour

diminishingattentionspans.NicholasCarr,authorofTheShallows:WhattheInternetIsDoingto

OurBrains,wrote,“Thenetisdesignedtobeaninterruptionsystem,amachinegearedto

dividingattention.''

E.OnlineserviceslikeFacebook,Twitterandthelike,arecalledoutasmastersof

manipulation—makingproductssogoodthatpeoplecan"tstopusingthem.Afterstudyingthese

productsforseveralyears,Iwroteabookabouthowtheydoit.Ilearneditallstartswiththe

businessmodel.Sincetheseservicesrelyonadvertisingrevenue,themorefrequentlyyouuse

them,themoremoneytheymake.It"snowonderthesecompaniesemployteamsofpeople

focusedonengineeringtheirservicestobeasengagingaspossible.Theseproductsaren^thabit-

formingbychance;it〃sbydesign.Theyhaveanincentivetokeepushooked.

F.However,asgoodastheseservicesare,therearesimplestepswecantaketokeepthem

atbay.Forexample,wecanchangehowoftenwereceivethedistractingnotificationsthattrigger

oururgetocheck.AccordingtoAdamMarchick,CEOofmobilemarketingcompanyKahuna,less

than15percentofsmartphoneuserseverbothertoadjusttheirnotificationsettings-meaning

theremaining85percentofusdefaulttotheappmakers“everypresettrigger.GoogleandApple

havemadeitfartoodifficulttoadjustthesesettingssoit“suptoustotakestepsensureweset

thesetriggerstosuitourownneeds,nottheneedsoftheappmakers”.

G.WhilecompanieslikeFacebookharvestattentiontogeneraterevenuefromadvertisers,

othertechnologieshavenosuchagenda.Takeemail,forexample.Thissystemcouldn'tcareless

howoftenyouuseit.Yettomany,emailisthemosthabit-formingmediumofall.Wecheckemail

atallhoursoftheday—we"reobsessed.Butwhy?Becausethat"whatthebosswants.For

almostallwhite-collarjobs,emailistheprimarytoolofcorporatecommunication.Aslow

responsetoamessagecouldhurtnotonlyyourreputationbutalsoyourlivelihood.

H.Yourfriendsarealsoresponsiblefortheaddiction.Thinkaboutthisfamiliarscene.People

gatheredaroundatable,enjoyingfoodandeachother'scompany.There'slaughterandabitof

kidding.Then,duringanintervalintheconversation,someonetakesouttheirphonetocheck

whoknowswhat.Barelyanyonenoticesandnoonesaysathing.

I.Now,imaginethesamedinner,butinsteadofcheckingtheirphone,thepersonbelches

(打嗝)一loudly.Everyonenotices.Unlessthemealtakesplaceinabeerhouse,thisisconsidered

badmanners.Theimpoliteactviolatesthebasicrulesofetiquette.Onehastowonder:Why

don'tweapplythesamesocialnormstocheckingphonesduringmeals,meetingsand

conversationsaswedotootherantisocialbehaviors?Somehow,weacceptitandsaynothing

whensomeoneoffends.

J.Therealityis,takingone'sphoneoutatthewrongtimeisworsethanbelchingbecause,

unlikeotherminoroffense,checkingtechiscontagious.Onceonepersonlooksattheirphone,

otherpeoplefeelcompelledtodothesame,startingachainreaction.Themorepeopleareon

theirphones,thefewerpeoplearetalkinguntilfinallyyouwretheonlyoneleftnotreadingemail

orcheckingTwitter.Fromasocietalperspective,phonecheckingislesslikebelchinginpublicand

morelikeanotherbadhabit.Ourphonesarelikecigarettes—somethingtodowhenwe”re

anxious,boredorwhenourfingersneedsomethingtotoywith.Seeingothersenjoyasmoke,or

sneakaquickglance,istootemptingtoresistandsooneveryoneisdoingit.

K.Thetechnology,yourboss,andyourfriends,allinfluencehowoftenyoufindyourself

using(oroverusing)thesegadgets.Butthere'sstillsomeonewhodeservesscrutiny—theperson

holdingthephone.

L.Ihaveaconfession.EventhoughIstudyhabit-formingtechnologyforaliving,

disconnectingisnoteasyforme.I〃monlinefarmorethanl〃dlike.LikeSchwartzandso

manyothers,Ioftenfindmyselfdistractedandofftask.IwantedtoknowwhysoIbeganself-

monitoringtotrytounderstandmybehavior.That'swhenIdiscoveredanuncomfortabletruth.I

usetechnologyasanescape.Whenl"mdoingsomethingl"drathernotdo,orwhenl〃m

someplacel〃drathernotbe,Iusemyphonetoportmyselfelsewhere.Ifoundthatthisabilityto

instantlyshiftmyattentionwasoftenagoodthing,likewhenpassingtimeonpublictransportation.

Butfrequentlymytechusewasnotsobenign.WhenIfaceddifficultwork,likethinkingthrough

anarticleideaoreditingthesamedraftforthehundredthtime,forexample,amoresinister

screenwoulddrawmein.Icouldeasilyescapediscomfort,temporarily,byansweringemailor

browsingthewebunderthepretenseofso-called“research."ThoughIdesperatelywantedto

layblameelsewhere,Ifinallyhadtoadmitthatmybadhabitshadlessto

dowithnew-agetechnologyandmoretodowithold-fashionedprocrastination拖延）.

M.It"seasytoblametechnologyforbeingsodistracting,butdistractionisnothingnew.

AristotleandSocratesdebatedthenatureof"akrasia”-ourtendencytodothingsagainstour

interests.Ifwe“rehonestwithourselves,techisjustanotherwaytooccupyourtimeandminds.

Ifweweren'tonourdevices,we〃dlikelydosomethingsimilarlyunproductive.

N.Personaltechnologyisindeedmoreengagingthanever,andthere'snodoubtcompanies

areengineeringtheirproductsandservicestobemorecompellingandattractive.Butwouldwe

wantitanyotherway?Theintendedresultofmakingsomethingbetteristhatpeopleuseitmore.

That'snotnecessarilyaproblem,that'sprogress.

O.Theseimprovementsdon'tmeanweshouldn'tattempttocontrolouruseoftechnology.

Inordertomakesureitdoesn'tcontrolus,weshouldcometotermswiththefactthatit”s

morethanthetechnologyitselfthat'sresponsibleforourhabits.Ourworkplaceculture,social

normsandindividualbehaviorsallplayapart.Toputtechnologyinitsplace,wemustbe

consciousnotonlyofhowtechnologyischanging,butalsoofhowitischangingus.

36.Onlineservicesaresodesignedthatthemoretheyareused,themoreprofitthey

generate.

37.Theauthoradmitsusingtechnologyasanescapefromthetaskathand.

38.Checkingphonesatdinnersisnowacceptedasnormalbutnotbelching.

39.Tomakeproperuseoftechnology,weshouldnotonlyincreaseourawarenessofhowit

ischangingbutalsohowitisimpactingus.

40.MostofusfindithardtofocusonourimmediatetasksbecauseofInternetdistractions.

41.Whenonepersonstartscheckingtheirphone,theotherswillfollowsuit.

42.Thegreatmajorityofsmartphoneusersdon"ttakethetroubletoadjusttheirsettings

tosuittheirownpurposes.

43.TheInternetisregardedbysomeasdesignedtodistractourattention.

44.Theauthorattributeshistechaddictionchieflytohishabitofputtingoffdoingwhathe

shoulddorightaway.

45.White-collarworkerscheckemailroundtheclockbecauseitisrequiredbytheir

employers.

SectionC

Directions:Thereare2passagesinthissection.Eachpassageisfollowedbysomequestions

orunfinishedstatements.ForeachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA）,B）,C）andD）.You

shoulddecideonthebestchoiceandmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2witha

singlelinethroughthecentre.

PassageOne

Questions46to50arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

YoumayhaveheardthatCoca-Colaoncecontainedaningredientcapableofsparking

particulardevotioninconsumers:cocaine.The"Coca"inthenamereferredtotheextractsof

cocaleafthatthedrink"originator,chemistJohnPemberton,mixedwithhissugarysyrup漿汁）.

Atthetime,cocaleafextractmixedwithwinewasacommontonic（滋補品），and

Pemberton^ssweetbrewwasawaytogetaroundlocallawsprohibitingthesaleofalcohol.But

theotherhalfofthenamepresentsanotheringredient,lessinfamous（名聲不好的）,perhaps,

butalsostrangelypotent:thekolanut.

InWestAfrica,peoplehavelongchewedkolanutsasstimulants,becausetheycontain

caffeinethatalsooccursnaturallyintea,coffee,andchocolate.Theyalsohaveheartstimulants.

HistorianPaulLovejoyrelatesthatthecultivationofkolanutsinWestAfricaishundredsof

yearsold.Theleafy,spreadingtreeswereplantedongravesandaspartoftraditionalrituals.

Eventhoughthenuts,whichneedtostaymoist,canbesomewhatdelicatetotransport,traders

carriedthemhundredsofmilesthroughouttheforestsandgrasslands.

Europeansdidnotknowofthemuntilthe1500s,whenPortugueseshipsarrivedonthe

coastofwhatisnowSierraLeone.AndwhilethePortuguesetookpartinthetrade,ferryingnuts

downthecoastalongwithothergoods,by1620,whenEnglishexplorerRichardJobsonmadehis

wayuptheGambia,thenutswerestillpeculiartohiseyes.

Bythelate19thcentury,kolanutswerebeingshippedbythetonnetoEuropeandtheUS.

Manymadetheirwayintomedicines,intendedasakindofenergyboost.Onesuchpopular

medicinaldrinkwasVinMariani,aFrenchproductconsistingofcocaextractmixedwithredwine.

ItwascreatedbyaFrenchchemist,AngeloMariani,in1863.SowhenPembertoncreatedhis

drink,itrepresentedanongoingtrend.Whencocaineeventuallyfellfromgraceasabeverage

ingredient,kola-extractcolasbecamepopular.

Thefirstyearitwasavailable,Coca-ColaaveragednineservingsadayacrossalltheAtlanta

sodafountainswhereitwassold.Asitgrewmorepopular,thecompanysoldrightstobottlethe

soda,soitcouldtraveleasily.Todayabout1.9billionCokesarepurchaseddaily.It'sbecomeso

iconicthatattemptstochangeitstastein1985—sweeteningitinamoveprojectedtoboost

sales—proveddisastrous,withwidespreadangerfromconsumers.Xoca-ColaClassic“returned

tostoreshelvesjustthreemonthsafterthe“NewCoke“wasreleased.

Thesedays,theCoca-Colarecipeisacloselyguardedsecret.Butit"ssaidtonolonger

containkolanutextract,relyinginsteadonartificialimitationstoachievetheflavour.

46.WhatdowelearnaboutchemistJohnPemberton?

A)Heusedastrangelypotentingredientinafoodsupplement.

B)Hecreatedadrinkcontainingalcoholwithoutbreakinglaw.

C)Hebecamenotoriousbecauseofthecocadrinkhedeveloped.

D)Heriskedbreakinglocallawtomakeadrinkwithcocaleaves.

47.Whatdoesthepassagesayaboutkolanuts?

A)TheircommercialvaluewasfirstdiscoveredbyPortuguesesettlers.

B)Theycontainsomekindofenergyboostnotfoundinanyotherfood.

C)ManywereshippedtoEuropeinthelate19thcenturyformedicinaluse.

D)TheywerestrangetotheEuropeanswhenfirstimportedfromWestAfrica.

48.Howcomekola-extractcolasbecamepopular?

A)Cocainehadbecomenotorious.C)Fountainsweresetuptosellthem.

B)Alcoholicdrinkswereprohibited.D)Rightsweresoldtobottlethesoda.

49.WhatisknownaboutthetasteofCoca-Cola?

A)Itwassodesignedastocreateaddictioninconsumers.

B)Itstillreliesontraditionalkolanutextract.

C)Ithasbecomemorepopularamongtheold.

D)Ithasremainedvirtuallyunchangedsinceitscreation.

50.Whatisthepassagemainlyabout?

A)TheevolutionofCoca-Cola.D)Thebusinessstrategyof

B)ThesuccessstoryofCoca-Cola.Coca-Cola.

C)ThemedicinalvalueofCoca-Cola.

PassageTwo

Questions51to55arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

Twentyyearsago,theUrbanLandInstitutedefinedthetwotypesofcitiesthatdominated

theUSlandscape:smallercitiesthatoperatedaroundstandard9-5businesshoursandlarge

metropolitanareasthatranall24hoursoftheday.Analyzingandcomparingcitiesusingthelens

ofthisbasicdividegivesinterestingcontexttohowinvestmentcapitalflowsandhousingprices

haveshifted.

Inrecentyears,manymid-sizedcitieshavebeguntoadoptamiddle-of-the-roadapproach

incorporatingtheexcitementandopportunityoflargecitieswithsmallcities“quietaftermidnight.

These18-hourcitiesarebeginningtomakewavesinrealestaterankingsandattractmorereal

estateinvestment.Whatisunderlyingthisnewmovementinrealestate,andwhydothesecities

havesomuchappeal?

18-hourcitiescombinethebestof24-hourand9-5cities,whichcontributestodowntown

revitalization.Fordecades,manydowntowncoresinsmalltomid-sizedcitieswereabandoned

afterworkhoursbyworkerswholivedinthesuburbs.Movementoutofcitycenterswas

widespread,anddowntowntenantswerepredominantlymadeupoftheworkingpoor.This

generatedlittlecommercefordowntownbusinessesintheevenings,whichmadebusinessand

generatingtaxrevenueformunicipalupkeepdifficult.Withtheriseofanewconceptinurban

planningthataimstomakelifeeasierandmoreconvenient,however,increasingpopularityfor

urbanareasthatcasedtherealestatepushes,inmajorcitieslikeSanFranciscoorNewYork,has

inspiredatypeofforwardthinkingurbanityandinsmallercities.

Transformingdowntownareassothattheyincorporatemodernhousingandimproved

walkabilitytolocalrestaurants,retail,andentertainment—especiallywhencombinedwith

improvedinfrastructureforcyclistsandpublictransit—makesthemappealtoamoreaffluent

demographic.Theseadjustmentsencourageemployersintheknowledgeandtalentindustriesto

keeptheirofficesdowntown.Accesstofoottrafficandproximitytotransitallowthetypeof

entertainment-orientedbusinessessuchasbarsandrestaurantstostayopenlater,whichattracts

bothyounger,creativeworkersandbabyboomersnearingretirementalike.Becauseoftheir

smallersize,mostkeephoursthatallowpeopletoenjoythemselves,thenhavesomequietafter

midnight,asopposedtolargemajorcitieslikeNewYork,wherethebuzzofactivityisongoing.

These18-hourcitiesarerapidlyontheriseandoffergreatopportunitiesforhomeowner

investment.InmanyofthesecitiessuchasDenver,adiverseandvigorouseconomyattractedto

theurbancorehasofferedstableemploymentforresidents.Therighturbanmixhasproppedup

homeoccupancy,increasedpropertyvalues,andattractedsignificantinvestmentcapital.

51.WhatdowelearnaboutAmericancitiestwentyyearsago?

A)Theyweredividedintoresidentialandbusinessareas.

B)Theirhousingpriceswerelinkedwiththeirprosperity.