雅思閱讀Academic The US City and the Natural Environment 有答案

經(jīng)典word整理文檔，僅參考，雙擊此處可刪除頁眉頁腳。本資料屬于網(wǎng)絡(luò)整理，如有侵權(quán)，請(qǐng)聯(lián)系刪除，謝謝！AcademicReading20-Passage1TheUSCityandtheNaturalEnvironmentA)Whilecitiesandtheirmetropolitanareashavealwaysinteractedwithandshapedthenaturalenvironment,itisonlyrecentlythatbeguntoconsiderthisrelationship.Duringourowntime,thetensionbetweennaturalandurbanizedareashasincreased,asthespreadofmetropolitanpopulationsandurbanlanduseshasreshapedanddestroyednaturallandscapesandenvironments.B)Therelationshipbetweenthecityandthenaturalenvironmenthasactuallybeencircular,withcitieshavingmassiveeffectsonthenaturalenvironment,whilethenaturalenvironment,inturn,hasprofoundlyshapedurbanconfigurations.Urbanhistoryisfilledwithstoriesabouthowcitydwellerscontendedwiththeforcesofnaturethatthreatenedtheirlives.Naturenotonlycausedmanyoftheannoyancesofdailyurbanlife,suchasbadweatherandpests,butitalsogaverisetonaturaldisastersandasfloods,fires,andearthquakes.Inordertoprotectthemselvesandtheirsettlementsagainsttheforcesofnature,citiesbuiltmanydefencesincludingfloodwallsanddams,earthquake-resistantbuildings,andstorageplacesforfoodandwater.Attimes,suchprotectivestepsshelteredurbanitesagainsttheworstnaturalfuries,butoftentheirownactions–suchasbuildingundertheshadowofvolcanoes,orinearthquake-pronezones–exposedthemtodangerfromnaturalhazards.C)Citypopulationsrequirefood,water,fuel,andconstructionmaterials,whileurbanindustriesneednaturalmaterialsforproductionpurposes.Inordertofulfilltheseneeds,urbanitesincreasinglyhadtoreachfarbeyondtheirboundaries.Inthenineteenthcentury,forinstance,thedemandsofcitydwellersforfoodproducedringsofgardenfarmsaroundcities.Inthetwentiethcentury,asurbanthedemandforfooddrovetheriseoflargefactoryfarms.Citiesalsorequirefreshwatersuppliesinordertoexistengineersbuiltwaterworks,dugwellsdeeperanddeeperintotheearthlookingforgroundwater,anddammedanddivertedriverstoobtainwatersuppliesfordomesticandIntheprocessofobtainingwaterfromdistantlocales,citiesoftentransformedthem,makingdesertswheretherehadbeenfertileagriculturalareas.D)Urbaniteshadtoseeklocationstodisposeofthewastestheyproduced.Initially,theyplacedwastesonsiteswithinthecity,pollutingtheair,land,andwaterwithindustrialanddomesticeffluents.Ascitiesgrewlarger,theydisposedoftheirwastesbytomoredistantlocations.Thus,citiesconstructedseweragesystemsfordomesticwastes.Theyusuallydischargedthesewageintoneighbouringwaterways,oftenpollutingthewatersupplyofdownstreamcities.Theairandthelandalsobecamedumpsforwastedisposal.Inthelatenineteenthcentury,coalbecamethepreferredfuelforindustrial,transportation,anddomesticuse.Butwhileprovidinganinexpensiveandplentifulenergysupply,coalwasalsoverydirty.Thecitiesthatuseditsufferedfromairreducedthecleaningtasksofhouseholdersweregreatlyincreased.E)Inthelatenineteenthandearlytwentiethcenturies,reformersbegandemandingurbanenvironmentalcleanupsandpublichealthimprovements.Women'sgroupsoftentooktheleadinagitatingforcleanairandcleanwater,showingagreaterconcernthanmeninregardtoqualityoflifeandhealth-relatedissues.Thereplacementofthehorse,firstbyelectrictrolleysandthenbythecar,broughtaboutsubstantialimprovementsinstreetandairsanitation.Themovementsdemandingcleanair,however,andreductionofwaterwaypollutionwerelargelyunsuccessful.Onbalance,urbansanitaryprobablysomewhatbetterinthe1920sthaninthelatenineteenthcentury,butthecostofimprovementoftenwastheexploitationofurbanhinterlandsforwatersupplies,increaseddownstreamwaterpollution,andgrowingautomobilecongestionandpollution.F)Inthedecadesafterthe1940s,cityfromheavytheysoughttocopewithincreasedautomobileusage,pollutionfromindustrialproduction,newvarietiesofchemicalpesticidesandthewastesofanCleanerfuelsandsmokecontrollawslargelyfreedcitiesduringthe1940sand1950softhedensesmokethattheyhadfrom.Improvedurbanairqualityresultedlargelyfromthesubstitutionofnaturalgasandoilforcoalandthereplacementofthesteamthegreatincreasesinautomobileusageinsomelargercitiesproducedthenewphenomenonofsmog,andairpollutionreplacedsmokeasamajorconcern.G)Duringthesedecades,thesuburbanout-migration,whichhadbeguninthenineteenthcenturywithcommutertrainsandstreetcarsandacceleratedbecauseoftheavailabilityandconvenienceoftheautomobile,nowincreasedtoatorrent,puttingmajorstrainsontheformerlyruralandundevelopedmetropolitanfringes.Toagreatextent,suburbanlayoutsignoredenvironmentalconsiderations,makinglittleprovisionforopenspace,producingendlessrowsofresource-consumingandfertilizer-dependentlawns,contaminatinggroundwaterthroughleakingseptictanks,andabsorbingexcessiveamountsoffreshwaterandenergy.Thegrowthoftheoutercitysincethe1970sreflectedacontinuedpreferenceonthepartofmanypeopleinthewesternworldforspace-intensivesingle-familyhousessurroundedbylawns,forprivateautomobilesoverpublictransit,andforthedevelopmentofpreviouslyuntouchedareas.Withoutbetterplanningforlanduseandlifewill,asithasinthepast,continuetodamageand