2. 外语
  3. A hundred years ago, the largest city in the world was London, with a population of 6. 5 million. Today, it is【C1】______(dwarf)b

A hundred years ago, the largest city in the world was London, with a population of 6. 5 million. Today, it is【C1】______(dwarf)b

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问题
   A hundred years ago, the largest city in the world was London, with a population of 6. 5 million. Today, it is【C1】______(dwarf)by Tokyo. With barely a quarter the population of London a century ago, the Tokyo metropolitan area has since mushroomed to 34 million, propelling it to the first place in the global city league table. Tokyo’s【C2】______(phenomenon)growth is largely due to a single factor: migration from the countryside to the city. It is just one of many to have overtaken London, which with a population of 7. 5 million today doesn’t even make the top 20.
   This rural-to-urban migration can now be seen in scores of cities around the【C3】gl______. And it has brought us to a pivotal moment in human history. In 1900, most people lived in the countryside, with a little over 10 percent of the world’s population living in cities. From next year, the UN Population Division【C4】pred _____ that for the first time in history, more people will live in cities than in the countryside, and the biggest growth will be in "megacities" , with populations over 10 million.
   The meteoric growth of megacities—there are now 20 in total—has brought with it huge environmental and social problems. Cities occupy just two percent of the land surface of the Earth but consume three-quarters of the resources. Their【C5】inh______ are making ruinous demands on soils and water supplies for food and on forests for timber and paper.

   Returning the world’s population to the countryside isn’t an option. Dividing up the planet into plots of land on which we could all survive self-sufficiently would create its own natural disasters, not to mention being highly unlikely to ever happen. If we are to protect what is left of nature, and meet the 【C6】dem ______ to improve the quality of living for the world’s developing nations, a new form of city living is the only option. The size of a city creates economies of scale for things such as energy generation, recycling, and public transport. It should even be possible for cities to【C7】______(part)feed themselves. Far from being parasites on the world, cities could hold the key to sustainable living for the world’s booming population—if they are built right.
   Fortunately, governments, planners, architects, and engineers are beginning to wake up to this idea, and are dreaming up new ways to green the megacities. Their【C8】appr______rely on two main principles: recycle whatever possible and remove as many cars as possible. So as well as developing energy-efficient buildings, emphasis is being placed on increasing the use of public transport and redesigning how cities are organized to integrate work and living areas into a single neighborhood, rather than separating cities into residential, commercial, and industrial zones.
   The big ideas are still being defined, but many cities already have showcase eco—projects. For example, at the new home of Melbourne city council in Australia, hanging gardens and water fountains cool the air, wind turbines and solar cells generate up to 85 percent of the electricity used in the building, and rooftop rainwater collectors【C9】sup______70 percent of its water needs. In Berlin, Germany’s new Reichstag parliament building cut its carbon dioxide emission by 9. 4 percent by relying on carbon-neutral vegetable oil as its energy source. In San Diego, California, garbage trucks run on methane extracted from the landfills they deliver to. In Austria, 1500 free bicycles have been distributed across Vienna. Reykjavik in Iceland is among the pioneers of hydrogen-powered public transport, and Shanghai is subsidizing the【C10】inst______of 100, 000 rooftop solar panels. The Chinese city is also about to put many of these ideas to the best by creating the first purpose-built eco-city from scratch.
【C4】
选项
答案predicts
解析 (根据上下文和单词开头提示pre-可知，联合国人口部门预计，从明年开始，世界上的城市居民人口会首次超过农村居民人口，最大的增长将见于百万级大城市中。)
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本试题收录于： A类竞赛（研究生）题库大学生英语竞赛（NECCS）分类
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A类竞赛（研究生）

大学生英语竞赛（NECCS）

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