Ⅰ.阅读理解
With over 4.1 billion people, or around 55 percent of the world's population, living in urban areas, cities and towns worldwide are getting increasingly jammed. In addition to spending hours stuck in traffic, residents are also exposed to high air pollution levels caused by transportation emissions (排放). Now, Saudi Arabia hopes to overturn urban living with “The Line” — a futuristic city designed around nature, without cars, roads and crowded places!
The totally different city, announced on January 10, 2021, is the brainchild of Saudi Crown Prince (王储) Mohammed bin Salman (MBS). Located in Neom, a 10, 000-square-mile high-tech planned development on the Red Sea coast. The Line will be the base of MBS's Saudi Vision 2030. The strategic plan aims to diversify Saudi Arabia's oil-dependent economy into other fields, like tourism, and create exciting job opportunities for its citizens.
The 105-mile-long city, expected to cost between D|S100 billion and D|S200 billion, will be built along a straight line and comprise several self-sustaining communities. To ensure all services are within a short, five-minute walk, each community will feature a three-layer infrastructure (基础设施).
There will be no cars or roads on the top “pedestrian layer”, so residents can freely walk and bike in the surrounding green spaces. The second “service layer” will include all essential daily services, such as schools, medical clinics, leisure facilities, and grocery stores. The third “spine layer” will house ultra-high-speed transportation and autonomous vehicles transporting residents across communities in less than 20 minutes. The entire city will be powered with renewable clean energy sources such as solar and wind, and possibly even hydrogen.
If all goes according to the plan, construction of this groundbreaking, complex infrastructure project will start before the end of this year. In addition to providing up to a million residents with a clean and stress-free living environment, the Line is expected to create 380,000 new jobs, promote economic diversification, and contribute a shocking D|S48 billion to Saudi Arabia's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2030. More importantly, MBS believes it will provide governments worldwide a blueprint for how people and planet can co-exist in harmony.
语篇解读:本文是一篇说明文。文章主要介绍了沙特阿拉伯王储MBS预设的有关未来低碳生活的蓝图“The Line”计划——一个围绕自然设计的未来主义城市。
1.Where can you purchase a bike if living in The Line?
A.Pedestrian layer. B. Service layer.
C.Spine layer. D.The green spaces.
解析:选B 推理判断题。根据第四段第二句可知,“服务层”将包括基本的日常生活服务,由此可以推知,可以在“服务层”购买自行车。故选B。
2.Which of the following can best describe the project of “The Line”?
A.Widely-accepted. B.Ill-considered.
C.Risk-taking. D.Mind-blowing.
解析:选D 推理判断题。根据最后一段最后两句可知,The Line项目预计的效果和影响是惊人的,它将为世界各国政府提供一个人类与地球和谐共存的蓝图,所以可以推断它是非常令人兴奋的。故选D。
3.What does MBS think is the most important effect of “The Line”?
A.To facilitate Saudi economic diversification.
B.To offer a model for nature-man integration.
C.To boost the government's finances.
D.To create more job opportunities.
解析:选B 细节理解题。根据最后一段最后一句可知,MBS认为The Line工程为人与自然的和谐共存提供了一个模型。故选B。
4.What might be the best title of the text?
A.Saudi Vision for Environmental Protection
B.The Construction of The Line Is Underway
C.MBS:An Influential Leader of Saudi Arabia
D.MBS' Vision of a Futuristic Zero Carbon City
解析:选D 标题归纳题。根据第一段最后一句和全文内容可知,本文主要介绍了沙特阿拉伯王储MBS预设的有关未来低碳生活的蓝图“The Line”计划——一个围绕自然设计的未来主义城市。D项“MBS的未来零碳城市愿景”适合作为文章标题。故选D。