题型:任务型阅读 题类:真题 难易度:普通
2013年高考英语真题试卷(北京卷)
UrbanizationUntil relatively recently, the vast majority of human being lived and died without ever seeing a city. The first city was probably founded no more than 5,500 years ago.In fact, nearly everyone lived on farms or in tiny rural (乡村的) villages. It was not until the 20th century that Great Britain became the first urban society in history—a society in which the majority of people live in cities and do not farm for a living.Britain was only the beginning..The process of urbanization—the migration (迁徙) of people from the countryside to the city—was the result of modernization, which has rapidly transformed how people live and where they live.In 1900, fewer than 40% of Americans lived in urban areas. Today, over 82% of Americans live in cities. Only about 2% live on farms.Large cities were impossible until agriculture became industrialized. Even in advanced agricultural societies, it took about ninetyfive people on farms to feed five people in cities.Until modern times, those living in cities were mainly the ruling elite (精英) and the servants, laborers and professionals who served them. Cities survived by taxing farmers and were limited in size by the amount of surplus(过剩)food that the rural population produced and by the ability to move this surplus from farm to city.Over the past two centuries, the Industrial Revolution has broken this balance between the city and the country.Today, instead of needing ninetyfive farmers to feed five city people, one American farmer is able to feed more than a hundred nonfarmers.
A. That kept cities very small. B. The rest live in small towns. C. The effects of urban living on people should be considered D. Soon many other industrial nations became urban societies. E. But even 200 years ago, only a few people could live in cities. F. Modernization drew people to the cities and made farmers more productive. G. Modern cities have destroyed social relations and the health of human beings. |
Before there was the written word, there was the language of dance. Dance expresses love and hate, joy and sorrow, life and death, and everything else in between.
{#blank#}1{#/blank#}We dance from Florida to Alaska, from north to south and sea to sea. We dance at weddings, birthdays, office parties and just to fill the time.
"I adore dancing," says Lester Bridges, the owner of a dance studio in Iowa. "I can't imagine doing anything else with my life." Bridges runs dance classes for all ages. "Teaching dance is wonderful. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}It's great to watch them. For many of them, it's a way of meeting people and having a social life."
{#blank#}3{#/blank#}"I can tell you about one young couple," says Bridges. "They're learning to do traditional dances. They arrive at the class in low spirits and they leave with a smile. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}"
So, do we dance in order to make ourselves feel better, calmer, healthier? Andrea Hillier says, "Dance, like the pattern of a beating heart, is life. Even after all these years, I want to get better and better.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} I find it hard to stop! Dancing reminds me I'm alive."
A. So why do we dance? B. Dance in the U.S.is everywhere. C. If you like dancing outdoors, come to America. D. My older students say it makes them feel young. E. I keep practicing even When I'm extremely tired. F. Dancing seems to change their feeling completely. G. They stayed up all night long singing and dancing. |
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