首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
The Health Risks of Small Apartments A) New York City has a housing problem. Currently, it has 1.8 million one- and two-pers
The Health Risks of Small Apartments A) New York City has a housing problem. Currently, it has 1.8 million one- and two-pers
admin
2022-07-18
80
问题
The Health Risks of Small Apartments
A) New York City has a housing problem. Currently, it has 1.8 million one- and two-person households, and only one million studios and one-bedroom apartments. The obvious solution seems to be to develop more small residential units.
B) In January, Bloomberg’s office announced the winner of its 2012 competition to design and build a residential tower of micro-units—apartments between 250 and 370 square feet—on a city-owned site at East 27th street in Manhattan. According to the Mayor’s press release, the winning proposal, by the Brooklyn-based firm nARCHITECTS, was chosen for its innovative layout and building design, with nearly 10 foot ceilings and Juliet balconies that give residents "substantial light and air".
C) But as New York City’s "micro-apartment" project inches closer to reality, experts warn that micro-living may not be the urban panacea (灵丹妙药) we’ve been waiting for. For some residents, the potential health risks and crowding challenges might outweigh the benefits of affordable housing. And while the Bloomberg administration hails the tiny spaces as a "milestone for new housing models", critics question whether relaxing zoning rules and experimenting with micro-design on public land will effectively address New York’s apartment supply problem in the long run.
D) "Sure, these micro-apartments may be fantastic for young professionals in their 20’s," says Dak Kopec, director of design for human health at Boston Architectural College and author of Environmental Psychology for Design. "But they definitely can be unhealthy for older people, say in their 30’s and 40’s, who face different stress factors that can make tight living conditions a problem."
E) Home is supposed to be a safe haven, and a resident with a demanding job may feel trapped in a claustrophobic (导致幽闭恐怖症的) apartment at night—forced to choose between the physical crowding of furniture and belongings in his unit, and social crowding, caused by other residents, in the building’s common spaces. Research, Kopec says, has shown that crowding-related stress can increase rates of domestic violence and substance abuse.
F) For all of us, daily life is a sequence of events, he explains. But most people don’t like adding extra steps to everyday tasks. Because micro-apartments are too small to hold basic furniture like a bed, table, and couch at the same time, residents must reset their quarters throughout the day: folding down a Murphy bed (墨菲隐壁床) , Of hanging up a dining table on the wall. What might seem novel at the beginning ends up including a lot of little inconveniences, just to go to sleep or make breakfast before work. In this case, residents might eventually stop folding up their furniture every day and the space will start feeling even more constrained.
G) Susan Saegert, professor of environmental psychology at the CUNY Graduate Center and director of the Housing Environments Research Group, agrees that the micro-apartments will likely be a welcome choice for young New Yorkers who would probably otherwise share cramped space with friends. But she warns that tiny living conditions can be terrible for other residents—particularly if a couple or a parent and child squeeze into 300 square feet for the long term, no matter how well a unit is designed.
H) "I’ve studied children in crowded apartments and low-income housing a lot," Saegert said, "and they can end up becoming withdrawn, and have trouble studying and concentrating." In these situations, modern facilities—such as floor to ceiling windows, extra storage and a public roof deck—won’t compensate for a fundamental lack of privacy in a child’s home every day.
I) She also doubts whether it’s a valid public goal to develop smaller units on city land. "In New York, property is just gold," she points out. "Isn’t this something a developer could do in a Brooklyn neighborhood like DUMBO and make a lot of money?" By the same token, if micro-apartments are indeed the wave of the future, Saegert argues, they increase the "ground rent," or dollar per square foot that a developer earns. So over time, New Yorkers may actually face more expensive housing, paying the same amount to rent a studio in the neighborhood where they used to be able to afford a one-bedroom.
J) Beyond the economic impact of smaller spaces, our homes also serve an important role in communicating our values and goals, or what scientists call "identity claims." We tend to feel happier and healthier when we can bring others to our space to telegraph who we are and what’s important to us.
K) "When we think about micro-living, we have a tendency to focus on functional things, like is there enough room for the fridge," explained University of Texas psychology professor Samuel Gosling, who studies the connection between people and their possessions. "But an apartment has to fill other psychological needs as well, such as self-expression and relaxation, which might not be as easily met in a highly confined space."
L) On the other hand, Eugenie L. Birch, professor of urban research and education and chair of the Graduate Group in City Planning at the University of Pennsylvania, says this certainly isn’t the first time we’ve had this debate over micro-living. New York has grappled with the public health costs of crowded living conditions and minimum apartment standards throughout its history.
M) "Over time, New York City developers conceived of many ways to address the need for affordable housing," said Birch. "They built slums in the 19th century that reformers fought against. Other solutions have been boarding houses, shelters, and what came to be known as single room occupancy units."
N) Rolf Pendall, director of the Urban Institute’s Metropolitan Housing and Communities Policy Center asks: Where would all these people be doing business and living without the density? Would they be commuting longer distances or earning less, and is living farther from economic opportunities "better" for them? In that context, Pendall says he welcomes micro-apartments as long as they fit within the larger housing ecology of the city, and don’t ultimately displace other types of units for families.
O) The problem is, there’s often an unconformity between housing standards and actual housing conditions. Countless New Yorkers illegally share apartments, and current zoning rules can create poor living environments—dilapidated (荒废的,要坍塌的) kitchens or dark rooms with a window that opens onto a brick wall. A worst case scenario would yield hundreds of thousands of micro-apartments and poor conditions.
P) For this project, while New York may be taking a step backwards in terms of square footage, Eric Bunge, working at nARCHITECTS, the firm that created the winning micro-apartment design, is firm that the city is taking a big step forward in terms of actual living conditions. "The city sees this initiative as one mechanism in a set of complex issues," Bunge says. "Nobody is claiming that micro-apartments will be a silver bullet."
Q) By his calculus, the East 27th street building does address concerns of mental and physical well-being. For example, residents might be losing physical space, but they’re gaining access to a series of amenities, like a gym with floor-to-ceiling park views, a lobby with a public garden, and yes, a Juliet balcony. And for that, many city dwellers might happily trade away 75 square feet and a freestanding bed.
Regardless of the economic influence of small spaces, our houses play a role in displaying our values and aims, which is called "identity claims".
选项
答案
J
解析
题干意为,撇开狭小空间带来的经济益处不说,住所在展示我们的价值观和目标,即所谓的“身份宣示”上有很大作用。根据题干中的关键词our values and aims和identity claims可定位到J段。该段首句提到,除了小型公寓所带来的经济影响外,我们的房子也在传达我们的价值观和人生目标中发挥重要作用,也就是科学家们所说的“身份宣示”。由此可知,题干是对原文的同义转述,故选J。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/Zgx7777K
0
大学英语六级
相关试题推荐
Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestowriteashortessayentitledHowtoReduceDamageCausedbyNaturalDisasters?You
ThephenomenonthatChinesepeoplepaygreatattentiontochildrencanbesupportedbymanycustomarypractices.Amongthem,"On
A、Arrangingcamerasandbelongings.B、Providingservicesoftransportation.C、Offeringthepracticalexperience.D、Coordinating
A、Theyprovideworseservice.B、Theylosealotofmoney.C、Theyarefastdisappearing.D、Theywillbede-nationalised.B男士介绍说铁路
A、Hedeliveredpublicspeeches.B、HeplayedaroleinEastofEden.C、Hegotseriouslyintoacting.D、HehostedtalkshowsonTV
A、Tenantsneedn’tmaintainthehouse.B、Tenantscancookintheapartments.C、It’smoreflexiblefortenantstochooseroommates
A、Thesadnessofbeinginvolvedinaccidents.B、Waystolimittheuseofprivatecars.C、Theseriouspollutiononmotorroads.D
A、Itisawasteoftime.B、Itisawasteofenergy.C、Itdoesharmtoone’seyesight.D、Itpreventsonefrombeingactive.D
A、Communicationinsurgery.B、Domesticconferences.C、Airportcommunications.D、Thespreadofrumor.C短文提到,英语广泛应用于机场的沟通、国际会议和许多国
随机试题
下列关于骨软骨瘤的叙述正确的是
A.免疫电泳B.免疫固定电泳C.交叉免疫电泳D.对流免疫电泳E.火箭免疫电泳将区带电泳和火箭电泳相结合的技术
患者,男,33岁。双手及膝盖烫伤,有大小不等的水疱,剧烈疼痛。该患者的烫伤已伤及皮肤的
道路工程中的路面等级可划分为高级路面、次高级路面、中级路面和低级路面等,其划分的依据有()。【2005年真题】
下列哪项不构成企业的收入()。
个人进行金融投资主要面临( )税收。
非上市债券的风险报酬率主要取决于()。
试从班级授课制的特点出发,论述实行小班化教学的优越性。
如下图所示,连接在HUB上的4台计算机要求划分在2个VLAN中,HUB上连的交换机应采用的VLAN划分方法是
李氏(Lee)化学公司是全球第三大化学公司,年销售额达280亿美元。李氏生产化工产品、塑料和农用产品,并为180个国家的客户提供服务。李氏在世界各地拥有员工56000人。现诚聘秘书1人。工作职责:准备月报及有关文件等日常秘书工作条件:获英语或秘
最新回复
(
0
)