Part A: Reading Comprehension
Directions: Read the following text. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D. Mark your answers on the ANSWER SHEET. (40 points)
Text 2
For the first time in history more people live in towns than in the country. In Britain this has had a curious result. While polls show Britons rate “the countryside” alongside the royal family, Shakespeare and the National Health Service (NHS) as what makes them proudest of their country, this has limited political support.
A century ago Octavia Hill launched the National Trust not to rescue stylish houses but to save “the beauty of natural places for everyone forever.” It was specifically to provide city dwellers with spaces for leisure where they could experience “a refreshing air.” Hill’s pressure later led to the creation of national parks and green belts. They don’t make countryside any more, and every year concrete consumes more of it. It needs constant guardianship.
At the next election none of the big parties seem likely to endorse this sentiment. The Conservatives’ planning reform explicitly gives rural development priority over conservation, even authorising “off-plan” building where local people might object. The concept of sustainable development has been defined as profitable. Labour likewise wants to discontinue local planning where councils oppose development. The Liberal Democrats are silent. Only Ukip, sensing its chance, has sided with those pleading for a more considered approach to using green land. Its Campaign to Protect Rural England struck terror into many local Conservative parties.
The sensible place to build new houses, factories and offices is where people are, in cities and towns where infrastructure is in place. The London agents Stirling Ackroyd recently identified enough sites for half a million houses in the London area alone, with no intrusion on green belt. What is true of London is even truer of the provinces.
The idea that “housing crisis” equals “concreted meadows” is pure lobby talk. The issue is not the need for more houses but, as always, where to put them. Under lobby pressure, George Osborne favours rural new-build against urban renovation and renewal. He favours out-of-town shopping sites against high streets. This is not a free market but a biased one. Rural towns and villages have grown and will always grow. They do so best where building sticks to their edges and respects their character. We do not ruin urban conservation areas. Why ruin rural ones?
Development should be planned, not let rip. After the Netherlands, Britain is Europe’s most crowded country. Half a century of town and country planning has enabled it to retain an enviable rural coherence, while still permitting low-density urban living. There is no doubt of the alternative-the corrupted landscapes of southern Portugal, Spain or Ireland. Avoiding this rather than promoting it should unite the left and right of the political spectrum.
26. Britain’s public sentiment about the countryside
27. According to Paragraph 2, the achievements of the National Trust are now being
28. Which of the following can be inferred from Paragraph 3?
29. The author holds that George Osborne’s preference
30. In the last paragraph, the author shows his appreciation of
答案与解析 (Answers)
26. [A] is not well reflected in politics.
解析：第一段末尾明确指出，“this has limited political support”（这在政治上得到的支持有限），说明民众的情感没有在政治中得到充分反映。
27. [D] gradually destroyed.
解析：第二段提到，“every year concrete consumes more of it”（每年混凝土都在吞噬更多的乡村），暗示以前保留下来的成就正在被蚕食和破坏。
38. [C] Ukip may gain from its support for rural conservation.
解析：第三段提到 Ukip “sensing its chance”（察觉到了机会）并站在了保护乡村的一边，暗示其可以通过此举获得选民支持。
29. [A] shows his disregard for the character of rural areas.
解析：第五段批评乔治·奥斯本偏爱农村开发而非城市更新，作者反问“为什么破坏农村保护区”，说明奥斯本忽视了农村地区的特点。
30. [C] the town-and-country planning in Britain.
解析：最后一段指出半个世纪的“town and country planning”让英国保留了“令人羡慕的乡村连贯性”，体现了作者的高度赞赏。
核心长难句精解 (Highlighted Sentences)
1. 让步转折结构：
"While polls show Britons rate “the countryside” alongside the royal family... as what makes them proudest of their country, this has limited political support."
【解析】While 引导让步状语从句，表“虽然...但是...”。主句 this has limited political support 是核心，揭示了民意与政治现状的断层。
【翻译】虽然民调显示英国人将“乡村”与皇室、莎士比亚以及国民医疗服务体系并列为让他们对国家最感自豪的事物，但这一情感在政治上得到的支持却非常有限。
"While polls show Britons rate “the countryside” alongside the royal family... as what makes them proudest of their country, this has limited political support."
【解析】While 引导让步状语从句，表“虽然...但是...”。主句 this has limited political support 是核心，揭示了民意与政治现状的断层。
【翻译】虽然民调显示英国人将“乡村”与皇室、莎士比亚以及国民医疗服务体系并列为让他们对国家最感自豪的事物，但这一情感在政治上得到的支持却非常有限。
2. 比较级与强调：
"The London agents Stirling Ackroyd recently identified enough sites for half a million houses in the London area alone, with no intrusion on green belt."
【解析】with no intrusion on 意为“没有侵犯...”。这句话作为论据，有力地驳斥了“必须破坏绿带才能解决住房危机”的观点。
【翻译】伦敦代理机构斯特林·阿克罗伊德最近仅在伦敦地区就确定了足以建造 50 万套房屋的选址，且完全没有侵入绿带。
"The London agents Stirling Ackroyd recently identified enough sites for half a million houses in the London area alone, with no intrusion on green belt."
【解析】with no intrusion on 意为“没有侵犯...”。这句话作为论据，有力地驳斥了“必须破坏绿带才能解决住房危机”的观点。
【翻译】伦敦代理机构斯特林·阿克罗伊德最近仅在伦敦地区就确定了足以建造 50 万套房屋的选址，且完全没有侵入绿带。
3. 现在完成时与结果表达：
"Half a century of town and country planning has enabled it to retain an enviable rural coherence, while still permitting low-density urban living."
【解析】has enabled it to retain 使用完成时态，总结了过去五十年的成就。enviable（令人羡慕的）表达了作者积极的评价。
【翻译】半个世纪的城乡规划使英国得以保留令人羡慕的乡村连贯性，同时依然允许低密度的城市生活。
"Half a century of town and country planning has enabled it to retain an enviable rural coherence, while still permitting low-density urban living."
【解析】has enabled it to retain 使用完成时态，总结了过去五十年的成就。enviable（令人羡慕的）表达了作者积极的评价。
【翻译】半个世纪的城乡规划使英国得以保留令人羡慕的乡村连贯性，同时依然允许低密度的城市生活。