填空题
As the world's urban population gets bigger, cities are struggling
to provide the basic services that their residents need. One of the most
pressing problems is public transport. Now let's look at the crisis facing the
city of London. In no time in history has there been such a
mass migration of people from countryside to city as is happening now. By the
year 2030, it's estimated that more than two thirds of the world's population
will be living in cities, twice as many as today. This means that the problems
faced by cities to-day-overcrowding, poor housing, unemployment, poverty, and
lack of food and water will be twice as bad in the this century, unless we find
solutions soon. Another crucial issue facing cities today is
how to provide good transport links to service the commercial, cultural and
leisure needs of their inhabitants. Today, many of the world's major cities are
already struggling to cope with out-of-date transport infrastructures. How they
will cope with the additional demands placed on them has not yet been
addressed. London is a good example of the problems facing many
major urban centres. It was the world's first megacity and the first with a
population of a million people. Its expansion was made possible by the invention
of the steam engine, which, among other things, powered the world's first
underground railway. Today, London has one of the world's most
extensive transport systems. But, because it was the first city to build a
railway network, much of the infrastructure-the trains and buses, the tracks and
tunnels-is now hopelessly out-of-date, and needs urgent modernization.
London's future success depends very much on transport. The city lies at
the heart of Britain's road and rail networks and problems in London can rapidly
affect other areas of the country. On an average morning, over ground trains
bring passengers to stations on the outskirts of the city, and they then
continue their journeys by underground, bus or taxi. Over a
million people travel into central London every day from outside the city. They,
and the people who live in London, want a public transport system that is
frequent, safe, reliable, affordable and environmentally friendly. What they
often get, however, falls far short of that ideal. Commuters complain about
delays, unreliability, cost and pollution, while businesses worry about the
problems their staff have getting to work on time. Companies also face high
costs for delivering goods and services in a city where congestion means that
cars today travel at the same speed as horse-drawn carriages did in the last
century. Yet car ownership continues to grow. The proportion of
London households that own a car grew from just over 10 per cent in the early
1950s to over 60 per cent today. 20 per cent of house-holds now own two or more
cars. As the city has become increasingly congested and
polluted, there has been a growing realization that action is needed. However,
precisely what should be done is hotly debated. Some people have called for
cleaner fuels and strict controls on exhaust emissions. Others say more effort
must be put into persuading people not to use their cars, perhaps by charging
people to drive into London. There does seem to be agreement on one thing,
though-that until London's public transport system is improved, people will
continue to use their cars. This raises the all important
questions of where the money is going to come from. Until about 10 years ago,
most public transport in Britain was owned and paid for by the government. But
in the last decade, most train and bus networks have been privatized.
The government says that the private sector should take most, but not
all, of the responsibility for public transport. In London, the underground
railway system known as the "Tube" is likely to be where this policy is first
put into practice. The government admits that it cannot afford to modernize the
Tube system alone. Instead, it wants to form a partnership with private
companies, so that they provide some of the money. Mark
each statement as either true (T) or false (F) according to the
passage.
填空题
Sydney is the first city in the world to have a million people.
填空题
Transport is playing a crucial role in London's future success.
填空题
The government used to pay for most public transport.
填空题
In history has there been such a mass migration of people from countryside to city as is happening now.
填空题
How they will cope with the additional demands placed on them has been addressed.