单选题 From the upstairs windows in Colin MacQueen"s house there isn"t a view of the sea but he can clearly see the ships towering over the roofs of flats and houses. The view is pretty spectacular. But it"s what he cannot see that worries MacQueen. Like many cities across the UK, Southampton has poor air quality, and while the government and local authorities are looking to take action on cars, maritime fuel—the dirtiest and most polluting of all diesels—is on no one"s radar. Not only do the giant cruise liners churn out pollutants at sea, they also keep their engines running when they are docked in places like MacQueen"s home town.
Britain is in the midst of something of a seafaring renaissance, with a growth in seagoing freight and an explosion in the holiday cruise market. Around the country, docks including those at Plymouth, Liverpool, Greenwich, Orkney, Edinburgh and Hull are proposing or working on expansions to accommodate more and bigger cruise and cargo ships.
The number of Britons taking cruise holidays is estimated to surpass 2 million this year, double the number a decade ago. Globally, some 25 million people set sail last year, up by 10 million in a decade.
"More and more places are opening up for tourists: there are now 50 ports in the UK and Ireland that people on cruises can visit, and 19 cruise ports they can drive to to start their holiday. It"s convenient and easy, and you can take all your luggage in the car right to the ship. Everything is on board for the whole family and you sail to great places. It"s a bit like the aviation industry: once everyone had to go to Heathrow or Gatwick, but then the regional airports opened up and it all became more accessible. The same thing is happening with cruises."
For maritime towns, the issue is fraught, given the benefits the great ships bring. A campaign to stop the construction of a cruise terminal in Greenwich, south east London, failed last year, despite evidence of its impact on air quality. "Unlike for airports, railways and roads, the Department for Transport does not provide clear guidance on which ports should be prioritised for expansion, but generally supports growth," said Melissa Moore, policy head at the Marine Conservation Society. "This lack of strategy, and competition between ports, results in most trying to develop to attract cruise liner and shipping business."
"Ever-larger ships necessitate the expansion of navigational channels, which can result in habitat removal and smothering as well as increased CO2, sulphur and nitric oxides emissions in the region. These big ships can be moored for several days as they load up, with engines idling. There is clearly a tightrope to be walked between quality of life for people and jobs and benefits to a city. "

单选题 The word "renaissance" (para. 2) is closest in meaning to ______.

单选题 Ten years ago, approximately ______ people took cruise holidays worldwide.

单选题 Which of the following is NOT a reason for the popularity of cruises?

单选题 The last sentence "There is clearly a tightrope to be walked between quality of life for people and jobs and benefits to a city." probably means ______.

单选题 Which of the following statements is NOT true?