2014年4月27日托福阅读真题P1+题目+答案：Urban Development in the United States in the Nineteenth Century

4月27日考试的三篇托福阅读真题分别为：Economic Decline in Europe During the Fourteenth Century、The Climate of Japan、Urban Development in the United States in the Nineteenth Century。具体真题，请不要错过以下内容。

2014年4月27日托福阅读真题+题目+答案：Urban Development in the United States in the Nineteenth Century

In discussing the growth of cities in the United States in the nineteenth century, one cannot really use the term “urban planning,” as it suggests modern concerns for spatial and service organization which, in most instances, did not exist before the planning revolution called the City Beautiful Movement that began in the 1890s. While there certainly were urban areas that were “planned” in the comprehensive contemporary sense of the word before that date, most notably Washington, D.C., these were the exception. Most “planned” in the nineteenth century was limited to areas much smaller than a city and was closely associated with developers trying to make a profit from a piece of land. Even when these small-scale plans were well designed, the developers made only those improvements that were absolutely necessary to attract the wealthy segment of the market. Indeed, it was the absence of true urban planning that allowed other factors to play such an important role in shaping the nineteenth-century American city.

1. Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.

A.Understanding the growth of cities in nineteenth-century America requires recognizing how the City Beautiful Movement of the 1890s changed “urban planning.”

B.For the most part, there was no “urban planning,” as that term is understood today, before the beginning of the City Beautiful Movement in the 1890s.

C.Concerns for spatial and service organization had little impact on the growth of cities before the 1890s when the City Beautiful Movement began.

D.The growth of cities in nineteenth-century America resulted in the creation of the City Beautiful Movement in the 1890s and the rise of the term “urban planning.”

2. According to paragraph 1, Washington, D.C. was

A.a typical nineteenth-century American city

B.a city that was planned in separate sections by land developers

C.the very first city in America to be described as “planned”

D.one of the few cases of true urban planning in America before the 1890s

3. Select the TWO answer choices that, according to the paragraph 1, best describe most urban plans in the nineteenth century. To receive credit, you must select TWO answers.

A.They were created to profit land developers.

B.They typically affected only part of a city rather than the whole city.

C.Their success sometimes directly led to other necessary improvements in cities.

D.They were carefully reviewed by city governments.

Three forces particularly affected the configuration of urban and suburban areas in the nineteenth century: economics, transportation technology, and demographics. Added to these was the characteristic American preference both for independent living, usually associated with having an individual, free-standing home for one’s family, and for rural living. Economics affected urbanization in two ways. First, economic considerations influenced location decisions for business and industry, which often preempted choice sites. Second, industrial growth generated higher incomes for large segments of the population, which in turn provided more money for larger homes and commuter transportation. Related to economics (since costs to individuals always played a role) were improvements in transportation, from the first horse-drawn buses of the 1820s to electrified street railways at the end of the century. Each transport innovation extended the distance that a person could reasonably travel as a commuter or shopper, while constant system improvements and increased ridership lessened costs.

4. In paragraph 2, the author mentions the characteristic American preference both for independent living and for rural living to

A.identify one of the factors that affected the configuration of urban and suburban areas in America in the nineteenth century

B.explain which of the three forces mentioned—economics, transportation technology, and demographics—was the most important in shaping American cities and suburbs

C.explain how decisions were made in American nineteenth-century cities and suburbs about locations for businesses and factories

D.provide evidence showing that industrial growth was able to generate higher incomes for much of the population in nineteenth-century cities and suburbs in America

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