In the first half of the 20th century, the fastest urban growth was in Western cities. New York, London and other First World ca

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问题     In the first half of the 20th century, the fastest urban growth was in Western cities. New York, London and other First World capitals were magnets for immigration and job opportunity. In 1950, New York, London, Tokyo and Paris boasted of having the world’s largest metropolitan populations. (Also in the top 10 were Moscow, Chicago, and the German city of Essen. ) By then, New York had alreadly become the first "mega-city," with more than 10 million people. It would not hold on to such exclusivity for long.
    In the postwar period, many large American cities lost population as manufacturing fled overseas and returning soldiers taking advantage of the GI Bill fueled the process of suburbanization. Crime was also a factor. As an example, riot-torn Detroit lost 800,000 people between 1950 and 1996, and its population declined 33. 9 percent between 1970 and 1996. Midwestern cities were particularly hard-hit. St. Louis, for instance, lost more than half its population in the same period, as did Pittsburgh. Cleveland precipitously declined, as did Buffalo, Cincinnati, Minneapolis and many other large cities, emerging as regional players rather than world leaders.
    Meanwhile, while many American cities shrank, population around the world was growing dramatically. In the 20th century, world population increased from 1. 65 billion to six billion. The highest rate of growth was in the late 1960s, when 80 million people were added every year.
    According to the "World population Data Sheet," global population will rise 46 percent between now and 2050 to about nine billion. While developed countries are losing population because of falling birth rates and carefully controlled immigration rates (only the United States reverses this trend, with 45 percent growth to 422 million predicted by 2050), population is exploding in the developing world.
    India’s population will likely grow 52 percent to 1. 6 billion by 2050, when it will surpass China as the world’s most populous country. The population in neighboring Pakistan will grow to 349 million, up 134 percent in 2050. Triple-digit growth rates are forecast for Iraq, Afghanistan and Nepal.
    Africa could double in population to 1. 9 billion by 2050. These growth rates hold despite the world’s highest rates of AIDS infection, and despite civil wars, famines and other factors. Despite strife in the Congo, it could triple to 181 million by 2050, while Nigeria doubles to 307 million.
The decline in population of large American cities in the postwar period was due to all of the following EXCEPT______.

选项 A、suburbanization
B、violence in the cities
C、overseas manufacturing shift
D、controlled immigration

答案D

解析
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