2017年12月英语四级考试真题及答案4（第2套）

Section C

Directions:There are 2 passages in this section.Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements.For each of them there are four choices marked A),B),C)and D).You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.

Passage One

Questions 46 and 50 are based on the following passage.

Nobody really knows how big Lagos is.What's indisputable is that it's growing very quickly.Between now and 2050,the urban population of Africa could triple.Yet cities in sub-Saharan Africa are not getting richer the way cities in the rest of the world have.Most urban Africans live in slums(贫民窟);migrants are often not much better off than they were in the countryside.Why?

The immediate problem is poverty.Most of Africa is urbanising at a lower level of income than other regions of the world did.That means there's little money around for investment that would make cities liveable and more productive.Without upgrades and new capacity,bridges,roads and power systems are unable to cope with expanding populations.With the exception of South Africa,the only light rail metro system in sub-Saharan Africa is in Addis Ababa,Ethiopia.Traffic jam leads to expense and unpredictability,things that keep investors away.

In other parts of the world,increasing agricultural productivity and industrialisation went together.More productive farmers meant there was a surplus that could feed cities;in turn,that created a pool of labour for factories.But African cities are different.They are too often built around consuming natural resources.Government is concentrated in capitals,so is the money.Most urban Africans work for a small minority of the rich,who tend to be involved in either cronyish(有裙带关系的)businesses or politics.Since African agriculture is still broadly unproductive,food is imported,consuming a portion of revenue.

So what can be done?Though African countries are poor,not all African cities are.In Lagos,foreign oil workers can pay as much as$65,000 per year in rent for a modest apartment in a safe part of town.If that income were better taxed,it might provide the revenue for better infrastructure.If city leaders were more accountable to their residents,they might favour projects designed to help them more.Yet even as new roads are built,new people arrive.When a city's population grows by 5%a year,it is difficult to keep up.

46.What do we learn from the passage about cities in sub-Saharan Africa?

A)They have more slums than other cities in the world.

B)They are growing fast without becoming richer.

C)They are as modernised as many cities elsewhere.

D)They attract migrants who want to be better off.

47.What does the author imply about urbanisation in other parts of the world?

A)It benefited from the contribution of immigrants.

B)It started when people's income was relatively high.

C)It benefited from the accelerated rise in productivity.

D)It started with the improvement of peopled livelihood.

48.Why is sub-Saharan Africa unappealing to investors?

A)It lacks adequate transport facilities.

B)The living expenses there are too high.

C)It is on the whole too densely populated.

D)The local governments are corrupted.

49.In what way does the author say African cities are different?

A)They have attracted huge numbers of farm labourers.

B)They still rely heavily on agricultural productivity.

C)They have developed at the expense of nature.

D)They depend far more on foreign investment.

50.What might be a solution to the problems facing African cities?

A)Lowering of apartment rent.

B)Better education for residents.

C)More rational overall planning.

D)A more responsible government.

【参考答案】

46-50：BBACD

【参考译文】

没有人知道拉各斯有多大。无可争辩的是，它发展得很快。从现在到2050年，非洲城市人口将增加两倍。然而，撒哈拉以南非洲的城市并没有像世界其他地区的城市那样变得更加富裕。大多数非洲人生活在城市贫民窟；移民往往并不比他们更好的城市。为什么？

眼前的问题是贫困。非洲大部分地区的城市化水平低于世界其他地区。这意味着，几乎没有资金用于投资，而这些投资将使城市更适宜居住，生产效率更高。没有升级和新容量，桥梁、道路和电力系统无法应付人口的不断增长。除南非外，撒哈拉以南非洲地区轻轨地铁系统位于埃塞俄比亚首都亚的斯亚贝巴。交通堵塞会导致支出和不可预测性，这些都是让投资者望而却步的因素。

在世界其他地区，农业生产率的提高与工业化同步进行。高产的农民意味着有剩余的粮食可以供给城市；反过来，这也为工厂创造了劳动力。但非洲城市则不同。它们往往是围绕着消耗自然资源而建立的。政府集中在首都，资金也是如此。大多数城市的非洲人少数富人,往往是参与要么有裙带关系的企业或政治。由于非洲的农业基本上仍是非生产性的，粮食是进口的，消耗了一部分收入。

那么我们能做些什么呢?虽然非洲很穷，但并非所有的非洲城市都很穷。在拉各斯，外国石油工人每年可以支付高达6.5万美元的租金，租住在该市一个安全地段的一套普通公寓。如果对这些收入征收更好的税，它可能会为更好的基础设施提供收入。如果城市领导人对他们的居民更负责任，他们可能会支持旨在帮助他们的项目。然而，即使修建了新的道路，也会有新的人到来。当一个城市的人口以每年5%的速度增长时，很难跟上。

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2017年12月英语四级考试真题及答案汇总（第2套）