Why are New York, Paris and Seoul losing people? To some observers, particularly the champions of the small and the suburban, this suggests an increasing irrelevance. To me, that’s missing the point.
The shrinking of big-city populations has been both oversold and misinterpreted. Population is growing in some global cities, like Shanghai, London and Chicago. And in global cities where population is falling or stagnating, from New York to Manila, there is an inflow of highly educated 20- to 35-year-olds, along with an outflow of the very young and the old. What’s happening is a brutal triage: apartments that once held families now hold one single investment banker. And the space required by that single banker for offices, restaurants and shops can be two, three, four times more than that required by the family he or she replaces.
This is, in part, why the urban glamour zone is expanding in all these cities, often dramatically. Shanghai has built 5,000 high-rises in just the past seven years, New York has transformed Times Square from derelict to prime real estate, and despite more than a decade of warnings about its imminent demise, Hong Kong’s property market still has so much momentum, it’s continuing to eat up more of its famous harbor. In global cities, fewer people often means more intense economic activity. If anything, the elites who populate these glamour zones need more specialized services than ever, because the more countries one operates in, the more complex the challenges become. Indeed, one of the most powerful but overlooked forces in the world economy today is the simple fact that firms, from agriculture to finance, are buying more services. Consider that while U.S. output grew at a 4.1 percent rate from 1999 to 2003, the U.S. output for finance, insurance and real estate grew 7.6 percent overall. Most economists have yet to pick up on the power of this trend, or what it means for big cities.
The general rule is that the most complex and international services （high-end law, accounting, finance and management） congregate in the center, while more standardized and national segments of those same services get farmed out to midsize cities. Thus Goldman Sachs has moved a whole series of more standardized jobs including automated mass trading to New Jersey and Connecticut, but is building what is probably the world’s largest private trading floor in the Wall Street area.
42. What can be inferred from the first paragraph?
43. Shanghai, London and Chicago are mentioned in Paragraph 2 to show （ ）.
44. The smaller population needs more space in big cities because single bankers （ ）.
45. What do Shanghai, New York and Hong Kong have in common?
46. How do most economists respond to firms’ buying more services?
47. What is true about Goldman Sachs?
问题1选项
A.The author disagrees with some observers.
B.Most cities try to control their population growth.
C.People are moving to small cities and suburbs.
D.The size of the population is unrelated to that of the city.
问题2选项
A.why population loss in big cities is misunderstood
B.why well-educated people are moving in
C.that the population in some big cities increases
D.that the number of old people and children decreases
问题3选项
A.want two apartments
B.have diversified needs
C.are ready to start families
D.want to live more comfortably
问题4选项
A.Their central business districts are spreading.
B.Their real estate markets are declining.
C.They are warned about their speedy development.
D.They transform squares into high-rises.
问题5选项
A.They overestimate the consequence of the trend.
B.They haven’t realized the influence of the trend.
C.They worry much about the trend.
D.They show no interest in the trend.
问题6选项
A.It builds the largest farm in America.
B.It offers more automated services.
C.It constructs the highest building in the Wall Street.
D.It moves simple jobs to mid-sized cities.
第1题:A
第2题:C
第3题:B
第4题:A
第5题:B
第6题:D
第1题:
【选项释义】
What can be inferred from the first paragraph? 从第一段可以推断出什么？
A.The author disagrees with some observers. A.作者不同意一些观察者的观点。
B.Most cities try to control their population growth. B.大多数城市都试图控制人口增长。
C.People are moving to small cities and suburbs. C.人们正在向小城市和郊区迁移。
D.The size of the population is unrelated to that of the city. D.人口规模与城市规模无关。
【考查点】推理判断题。
【解题思路】根据题干关键词the first paragraph可以定位到文章第一段第二、三句“对于一些观察者，特别是小城市和郊区的支持者，这表明它们正在变得越来越无关紧要。对我来说，这样的观点忽略了关键问题（that’s missing the point）”，说明作者认为一些观察者的观点忽略了关键。因此A选项“作者不同意一些观察者的观点。”正确。
【干扰项排除】
B选项“大多数城市都试图控制人口增长。”，C选项“人们正在向小城市和郊区迁移。”和D选项“人口规模与城市规模无关。”在文中均无法体现，属于无中生有。
第2题:
【选项释义】
Shanghai, London and Chicago are mentioned in Paragraph 2 to show（ ）. 第二段提到上海、伦敦和芝加哥是为了说明（ ）。
A.why population loss in big cities is misunderstood A.为什么大城市的人口减少会被误解
B.why well-educated people are moving in B.为什么受过良好教育的人迁入大城市
C.that the population in some big cities increases C.一些大城市的人口在增加
D.that the number of old people and children decreases D.老人和儿童的数量减少了
【考查点】推理判断题。
【解题思路】根据题干关键词Shanghai, London and Chicago可以定位到文章第二段第二句“在一些全球城市，如上海、伦敦和芝加哥，人口正在增长（Population is growing）”，说明上海、伦敦和芝加哥是作为全球城市人口增长的例子。因此C选项“一些大城市的人口在增加”正确。
【干扰项排除】
A选项“为什么大城市的人口减少会被误解”，上海、伦敦和芝加哥的例子是为了说明人口的减少被夸大了的例子，而不是被误解，属于曲解原文；
B选项“为什么受过良好教育的人迁入大城市”，由And in global cities where population is falling or stagnating, from New York to Manila, there is an inflow of highly educated 20- to 35-year-olds（而在一些全球城市，人口在下降或停滞，从纽约到马尼拉，受过高等教育的20到35岁年轻人涌入）可知，受过良好教育的人迁入大城市的例子是纽约和马尼拉，而不是上海、伦敦和芝加哥，属于张冠李戴；
D选项“老人和儿童的数量减少了”，由And in global cities where population is falling or stagnating, from New York to Manila, there is an inflow of highly educated 20- to 35-year-olds, along with an outflow of the very young and the old.（而在一些全球城市，人口在下降或停滞，从纽约到马尼拉，受过高等教育的20到35岁年轻人涌入，同时也有年轻人和老年人流出。）可知，老人和儿童数量减少的例子是纽约和马尼拉，而不是上海、伦敦和芝加哥，属于张冠李戴。
第3题:
【选项释义】
The smaller population needs more space in big cities because single bankers（ ）. 人口较少的大城市需要更多的空间，因为单身银行家（ ）。
A.want two apartments A.想要两套公寓
B.have diversified needs B.需求多样化
C.are ready to start families C.准备组建家庭
D.want to live more comfortably D.希望生活得更舒适
【考查点】事实细节题。
【解题思路】根据题干关键词single bankers可以定位到文章第二段最后一句“一个单身银行家所需要的办公室、餐厅和商店的空间可能是他或她所取代的家庭所需空间的两倍、三倍、四倍（the space required by that single banker for offices, restaurants and shops can be two, three, four times more）”，说明单身银行家由各种各样的空间需求。因此B选项“需求多样化”正确。
【干扰项排除】
A选项“想要两套公寓”，C选项“准备组建家庭”和D选项“希望生活得更舒适”在文中均没有提及，属于无中生有。
第4题:
【选项释义】
What do Shanghai, New York and Hong Kong have in common? 上海、纽约和香 港有什么共同点？
A.Their central business districts are spreading. A.它们的中心商业区都在扩张。
B.Their real estate markets are declining. B.它们的房地产市场都在衰退。
C.They are warned about their speedy development. C.它们的快速发展受到警告。
D.They transform squares into high-rises. D.它们把广场变成了高楼。
【考查点】事实细节题。
【解题思路】根据题干关键词Shanghai, New York and Hong Kong可以定位到文章第三段第一句“在某种程度上，这就是为什么城市魅力区在所有这些城市都在扩张（the urban glamour zone is expanding in all these cities），而且往往是戏剧性的扩张”，接着举了上海、纽约和香 港的例子，说明它们的共同点是城市魅力区都在扩张，因此A选项“它们的中心商业区都在扩张。”正确。
【干扰项排除】
B选项“它们的房地产市场都在衰退。”由Shanghai has built 5,000 high-rises in just the past seven years, New York has transformed Times Square from derelict to prime real estate, and despite more than a decade of warnings about its imminent demise, Hong Kong’s property market still has so much momentum（仅过去七年，上海已经建造了5000座高楼，纽约将时代广场从废弃区转变为黄金房地产区，尽管多年来一直有关于香 港房地产市场即将灭亡的警告，但它的势头依然强劲）可知，它们的房地产市场正蓬勃发展，属于反向干扰；
C选项“它们的快速发展受到警告。”，由despite more than a decade of warnings about its imminent demise（尽管多年来一直有关于香 港房地产市场即将灭亡的警告）可知，文章只提到香 港受到了警告，不是三座城市的共同点，属于以偏概全；
D选项“它们把广场变成了高楼。”，由Shanghai has built 5,000 high-rises in just the past seven years, New York has transformed Times Square from derelict to prime real estate（仅过去七年，上海已经建造了5000座高楼，纽约将时代广场从废弃区转变为黄金房地产区）可知，文章说的是上海建造高楼，纽约将广场变成黄金房地产区，不是说它们都将广场变成了高楼，属于曲解原文。
第5题:
【选项释义】
How do most economists respond to firms’ buying more services? 大多数经济学家如何看待企业购买更多的服务？
A.They overestimate the consequence of the trend. A.他们高估了趋势的后果。
B.They haven’t realized the influence of the trend. B.他们没有意识到这一趋势的影响。
C.They worry much about the trend. C.他们对趋势忧心忡忡。
D.They show no interest in the trend. D.他们对趋势不感兴趣。
【考查点】事实细节题。
【解题思路】根据题干关键词economists可以定位到文章第三段最后一句“大多数经济学家尚未意识到这一趋势的威力（have yet to pick up on the power of this trend），以及对大城市意味着什么”，说明大多数经济学家还没有意识到这种趋势的影响力。因此B选项“他们没有意识到这一趋势的影响。”正确。
【干扰项排除】
A选项“他们高估了趋势的后果。”，C选项“他们对趋势忧心忡忡。”和D选项“他们对趋势不感兴趣。”在文中均没有提及，属于无中生有。
第6题:
【选项释义】
What is true about Goldman Sachs? 高盛的真实情况是什么？
A.It builds the largest farm in America. A.它在美国建造了最大的农场。
B.It offers more automated services. B.它提供更多的自动化服务。
C.It constructs the highest building in the Wall Street. C.它建造了华尔街最高的大楼。
D.It moves simple jobs to mid-sized cities. D.它把简单的工作转移到中等城市。
【考查点】推理判断题。
【解题思路】根据题干关键词Goldman Sachs可以定位到文章第四段第二句“因此，高盛已将一系列更加标准化的工作，包括自动化的大规模交易，转移到了新泽西州和康涅狄格州（has moved a whole series of more standardized jobs including automated mass trading to New Jersey and Connecticut）”，说明高盛将标准化工作转移到了中等城市。因此D选项“它把简单的工作转移到中等城市。”正确。
【干扰项排除】
A选项“它在美国建造了最大的农场。”在文中没有提及，属于无中生有；
B选项“它提供更多的自动化服务。”，由has moved a whole series of more standardized jobs including automated mass trading to New Jersey and Connecticut（将一系列更加标准化的工作，包括自动化的大规模交易，转移到了新泽西州和康涅狄格州）可知，高盛是将自动化交易转移到中等城市，而不是提供更多自动化服务，属于曲解原文；
C选项“它建造了华尔街最高的大楼。”，由but is building what is probably the world’s largest private trading floor in the Wall Street area（但同时他们正在华尔街地区建造可能是世界上最大的私人交易大厅）可知，高盛是在华尔街地区建造世界上最大的私人交易大厅，而不是建造华尔街最高的大楼，属于偷换概念。
