Part A: Reading Comprehension
Text 4
Navigating beyond the organised pavements and parks of our urban spaces, desire paths are the unofficial footprints of a community, revealing the unspoken preferences, shared shortcuts and collective choices of humans. Often appearing as trodden dirt tracks through otherwise neat green spaces, these routes of collective disobedience cut corners, bisect lawns and cross hills, representing the natural capability of people (and animals) to go from point A to point B most effectively.
Urban planners interpret desire paths as more than just convenient shortcuts; they offer valuable insights into the dynamics between planning and behaviour. Ohio State University allowed its students to navigate the Oval, a lawn in the centre of campus, freely, then proceeded to pave the desire paths, creating a web of effective routes students had established.
Yet, reluctance persists among other planners to integrate desire paths into formal plans, citing concerns about safety, environmental impact, or primarily, aesthetics. A Reddit webpage devoted to the phenomenon, boasting nearly 50,000 members, showcases images of local desire paths adorned with signs instructing pedestrians to adhere to designated walkways, underscoring the rebellious nature inherent in these human-made tracks. This clash highlights an ongoing struggle between the organic, user-driven evolution of public spaces and the desire for a visually curated and controlled urban environment.
The Wickguasgeck Trail is an example of a historical desire path, created by Native Americans to traverse the forests of Manhattan and move between settlements quickly. This trail, when Dutch colonists arrived, was widened and made into one of the main trade roads across the island, known at the time as de Heere Straat, or Gentlemen’s Street. Following the British assumption of control in New York, the street was renamed Broadway. Notably, Broadway stands out as one of the few areas in NYC that defies the grid-based system applied to the rest of the city, cutting a diagonal across parts of the city.
In online spaces, desire paths have sparked a fascination that can approach obsession, with the Reddit page serving as a hub. Contributors offer a wide array of stories, from little-known new shortcuts to long-established alternate routes.
Animal desire paths, such as ducks forging trails through frozen ponds or dogs carving direct routes in gardens, highlight the adaptability of these trails in both human and animal experiences. As desire paths criss-cross through both physical and virtual landscapes, they stand as a proof of the collective insistence on forging unconventional routes and embracing the spirit of communal choice.
36. According to Paragraph 1, desire paths are a result of
37. It can be inferred that Ohio State University
38. The images on the Reddit webpage reflect
39. The example of the Wickguasgeck Trail illustrates
40. It can be learned from the last paragraph that desire paths
答案解析 (Answers & Explanations)
36. [C] the tendency to pursue convenience.
解析：细节推理题。第一段描述了“期望路径（desire paths）”通常是人们抄近路（cut corners）、穿过草坪等走出来的。段末总结说，这代表了人们“最有效地从A点走到B点（go from point A to point B most effectively）”的自然能力。抄近路和最有效的走法，其本质就是“追求便利的倾向（the tendency to pursue convenience）”，选 [C]。
37. [D] takes a positive view of desire paths.
解析：细节推断题。第二段指出，俄亥俄州立大学允许学生在草坪上自由行走，然后直接“铺设了这些期望路径（proceeded to pave the desire paths）”，创造了一个学生建立的有效路线网。将学生自发走出的土路变成正式的道路，说明该大学对“期望路径”持包容、认可的态度，即“对期望路径持积极看法（takes a positive view of desire paths）”，选 [D]。
38. [A] conflicting opinions on the use of desire paths.
解析：细节推理题。第三段描写了Reddit网页上的图片：当地的期望路径旁边立着牌子，指示行人遵守指定的走道（adhere to designated walkways）。这说明官方（指示牌）反对人们走这些自发的小路，而人们依然走。随后一句话点题：“这种冲突（This clash）突显了公众空间中有机的、用户驱动的演变与视觉规划和受控的城市环境之间的持续斗争”。这就反映了在期望路径使用上的“矛盾/冲突的意见（conflicting opinions）”，选 [A]。
39. [D] the recognition of desire paths.
解析：例证题。第四段举了 Wickguasgeck 小径的例子。这条原本由美洲原住民为了在森林中快速移动（move quickly）而走出来的“期望路径”，后来被荷兰人拓宽成主要贸易道路，再后来变成了大名鼎鼎的百老汇大道（Broadway），甚至无视了纽约其余地区的网格系统。从小土路变成了标志性的主干道，这说明了这条自发走出的路最终得到了官方和历史的彻底“认可/承认（the recognition of desire paths）”，选 [D]。
40. [D] show a shared trait in humans and animals.
解析：段落推理题。最后一段第一句提到“动物的期望路径（Animal desire paths）”，比如鸭子在冰面上踏出小径，狗在花园里开辟直接的路线。这突显了这些小径在“人类和动物经验中的适应性（in both human and animal experiences）”。这说明人类和动物都会去开辟这种非常规的捷径，展示了人类和动物中一种“共同的特征（a shared trait in humans and animals）”，选 [D]。
全文翻译
在我们城市空间整齐的人行道和公园之外，"期望路径"是一个社区的非官方足迹，揭示了人们默而不宣的偏好、共享的捷径和集体的选择。这些路径通常是整齐绿地间被踩出的泥土小道，这些集体违抗的路线抄近路、切穿草坪、翻越山丘，代表了人类（和动物）从A点到B点最高效行进的自然能力。
城市规划师将期望路径解读为不仅仅是便利的捷径；它们为规划与行为之间的动态关系提供了宝贵的见解。俄亥俄州立大学允许学生自由穿行校园中心的椭圆草坪，然后沿着被踩出的期望路径铺设路面，创建了一张由学生们自己开辟的高效路线网。
然而，其他规划师仍然不愿将期望路径纳入正式规划，理由是出于安全、环境影响，或者主要是审美的担忧。Reddit上一个专门讨论这一现象的网页拥有近5万名会员，展示了各地期望路径的图片，这些路径旁竖着指示行人走指定人行道的牌子——凸显了这些人造小径固有的叛逆本性。这种冲突彰显了公共空间自然形成的、用户驱动的演变与人们对视觉上精心设计和受控的城市环境的渴望之间持续存在的斗争。
Wickguasgeck小径是一个历史期望路径的实例，由美洲原住民开辟，用于穿越曼哈顿的森林并快速在定居点之间移动。荷兰殖民者到来后，这条小径被拓宽，成为横跨岛屿的主要贸易道路之一，当时被称为de Heere Straat，即"绅士街"。英国人接管纽约后，这条街被重新命名为百老汇。值得注意的是，百老汇是纽约市少数几个不受网格系统约束的区域之一，以对角斜线切过城市的部分区域。
在网络空间中，期望路径引发了近乎痴迷般的迷恋，Reddit页面成为讨论中心。贡献者们提供了各种各样的故事，从鲜为人知的新设捷径到历史悠久的替代路线。
动物的期望路径——如鸭子在结冰池塘上开辟的通道，或者狗在花园中踩出的直达路线——凸显了这些小径在人类和动物体验中的适应性。随着期望路径在物理和虚拟景观中纵横交错，它们证明了集体坚持开辟非传统路线、拥抱共同选择精神的力量。
核心长难句精解 (High-Light)
1. 分词短语作状语的排比：
"Often appearing as trodden dirt tracks through otherwise neat green spaces, these routes of collective disobedience cut corners, bisect lawns and cross hills, representing the natural capability of people (and animals) to go from point A to point B most effectively."
【解析】句首的 `Often appearing...` 是现在分词短语作伴随/状态状语。主句的主语是 `these routes of collective disobedience`，谓语是三个并列的动词 `cut`、`bisect` 和 `cross`。句末的 `representing...` 同样是现在分词短语作结果状语或伴随状语，点明了这种“集体不服从路线”的本质。
"Often appearing as trodden dirt tracks through otherwise neat green spaces, these routes of collective disobedience cut corners, bisect lawns and cross hills, representing the natural capability of people (and animals) to go from point A to point B most effectively."
【解析】句首的 `Often appearing...` 是现在分词短语作伴随/状态状语。主句的主语是 `these routes of collective disobedience`，谓语是三个并列的动词 `cut`、`bisect` 和 `cross`。句末的 `representing...` 同样是现在分词短语作结果状语或伴随状语，点明了这种“集体不服从路线”的本质。
2. 过去分词作后置定语与现在分词的嵌套：
"A Reddit webpage devoted to the phenomenon, boasting nearly 50,000 members, showcases images of local desire paths adorned with signs instructing pedestrians to adhere to designated walkways, underscoring the rebellious nature inherent in these human-made tracks."
【解析】本句结构相当复杂，包含多个修饰成分： 1. 主语 `A Reddit webpage` 后面跟着过去分词短语 `devoted to...` 和现在分词短语 `boasting...` 作定语。 2. 谓语是 `showcases`，宾语是 `images of local desire paths`。 3. `paths` 后面跟了过去分词短语 `adorned with signs`（装饰着指示牌）作定语。 4. `signs` 后面又跟了现在分词短语 `instructing pedestrians to...`（指示行人去……）作定语。 5. 最后，`underscoring...` 是现在分词短语作全句的结果/伴随状语。
"A Reddit webpage devoted to the phenomenon, boasting nearly 50,000 members, showcases images of local desire paths adorned with signs instructing pedestrians to adhere to designated walkways, underscoring the rebellious nature inherent in these human-made tracks."
【解析】本句结构相当复杂，包含多个修饰成分： 1. 主语 `A Reddit webpage` 后面跟着过去分词短语 `devoted to...` 和现在分词短语 `boasting...` 作定语。 2. 谓语是 `showcases`，宾语是 `images of local desire paths`。 3. `paths` 后面跟了过去分词短语 `adorned with signs`（装饰着指示牌）作定语。 4. `signs` 后面又跟了现在分词短语 `instructing pedestrians to...`（指示行人去……）作定语。 5. 最后，`underscoring...` 是现在分词短语作全句的结果/伴随状语。
3. as 引导时间状语从句与同位语：
"As desire paths criss-cross through both physical and virtual landscapes, they stand as a proof of the collective insistence on forging unconventional routes and embracing the spirit of communal choice."
【解析】`As` 引导时间/伴随状语从句（随着期望路径纵横交错……）。主句中 `stand as a proof of` 表示“作为……的证明”。介词 `on` 后面跟了两个由 `and` 连接的并列动名词短语 `forging...` 和 `embracing...`，完美地升华了文章的主题：这代表了人们追求自由选择和开辟新路的集体精神。
"As desire paths criss-cross through both physical and virtual landscapes, they stand as a proof of the collective insistence on forging unconventional routes and embracing the spirit of communal choice."
【解析】`As` 引导时间/伴随状语从句（随着期望路径纵横交错……）。主句中 `stand as a proof of` 表示“作为……的证明”。介词 `on` 后面跟了两个由 `and` 连接的并列动名词短语 `forging...` 和 `embracing...`，完美地升华了文章的主题：这代表了人们追求自由选择和开辟新路的集体精神。