2022年考研《英语二》阅读精炼（四）

　　[单选题]1、 In January commuters voted Birmingham New Street one of Britain's worst railway stations.Each day nearly 150.000 people move through a structure built for half as many.But by next year it will be transformed.with 400 tonnes of undulating steel cladding and a vaguely eyeball appearance.The station will have"the wow factor",boasts Sir Albert Bore,the leader of Birmingham city council.It will also show how much attitudes to railway stations have changed.Railxvay stations are the chief exception to the rule that Britain invests too little in infrastructure.Of the I 7 big termini managed by Network Rail,the owner of Britain's tracks,11 are being redeveloped or have recently been completed.Five other stations,including Reading and Northampton,are being spruced up by local councils and Network Rail.Somc simply need to be expanded:the number of train journeys has risen by 35%since 2005.But the design of New Street suggests aspirations well beyond more easeful travel.The building would not look out of place in Dubai and is striking,if slightly incongruous,in the grey West Midlands.City planners wanted something monumental,like Grand Central station in New York,says Sir Bernard Zissman,chaiman of the independent design paneL"Twenty or thirty years ago business people were more likely to arrive in a city by car,"explains Jon Neale of Jones Lang LaSatle,a property specialist.Town planners duly carved out motorways and roundabouts to entice them.In 1962 a local politician claimed that a new design for Birmingham,involving an inner ring road,would make it"one ofthe finest city centres in Europe".Cities now measure their appeal by their stations.Businesses cluster around them:at King's Cross,a once-grimy part of north London,a postcode has been created for all the new buildings around the station,which was redeveloped in 2013.John Lewis,an upmarket department store,will open in the mall above New Street(which is indeed called"Grand Central")along with 60 0ther shops.The council hopes it will pull in visitors to the city.Such ambition recalls the stations ofthe 19th century.Those structures"spoke to the corporate sensibility of a city,"says Tristram Hunt,an MP and historian,by combining commerce with the sheen of civic pride.The first New Street station,built in 1851,had the largest single-span roofin the country at the time.It was tom down by enthusiastic 1960s town planners.Now some ofits original lustre may retum. The word"cluster"(Para.5)is closest in meaning to____.

　　A

　　construction

　　B

　　shop

　　C

　　centre

　　D

　　market

　　正确答案：C  

　　答案解析：词汇理解题。解决此类题目的关键是通读对应段落后，在该单词的上下句找到同性词，根据定位词定位到文章的第五段，文章在第四段中已经提出伯明翰的新的城市规划使其成为欧洲的中心.第五段承接了这个内容，因此，选项中可以体现中心的概念为正确选项，刚好C项centre“中心”与之对应，故C项为正确选项。【干扰排除】其他三个选项很难与上下文，特别是伯明翰中心的内容连贯到一起，因此应当排除。

　　[单选题]2、 In January commuters voted Birmingham New Street one of Britain's worst railway stations.Each day nearly 150.000 people move through a structure built for half as many.But by next year it will be transformed.with 400 tonnes of undulating steel cladding and a vaguely eyeball appearance.The station will have"the wow factor",boasts Sir Albert Bore,the leader of Birmingham city council.It will also show how much attitudes to railway stations have changed.Railxvay stations are the chief exception to the rule that Britain invests too little in infrastructure.Of the I 7 big termini managed by Network Rail,the owner of Britain's tracks,11 are being redeveloped or have recently been completed.Five other stations,including Reading and Northampton,are being spruced up by local councils and Network Rail.Somc simply need to be expanded:the number of train journeys has risen by 35%since 2005.But the design of New Street suggests aspirations well beyond more easeful travel.The building would not look out of place in Dubai and is striking,if slightly incongruous,in the grey West Midlands.City planners wanted something monumental,like Grand Central station in New York,says Sir Bernard Zissman,chaiman of the independent design paneL"Twenty or thirty years ago business people were more likely to arrive in a city by car,"explains Jon Neale of Jones Lang LaSatle,a property specialist.Town planners duly carved out motorways and roundabouts to entice them.In 1962 a local politician claimed that a new design for Birmingham,involving an inner ring road,would make it"one ofthe finest city centres in Europe".Cities now measure their appeal by their stations.Businesses cluster around them:at King's Cross,a once-grimy part of north London,a postcode has been created for all the new buildings around the station,which was redeveloped in 2013.John Lewis,an upmarket department store,will open in the mall above New Street(which is indeed called"Grand Central")along with 60 0ther shops.The council hopes it will pull in visitors to the city.Such ambition recalls the stations ofthe 19th century.Those structures"spoke to the corporate sensibility of a city,"says Tristram Hunt,an MP and historian,by combining commerce with the sheen of civic pride.The first New Street station,built in 1851,had the largest single-span roofin the country at the time.It was tom down by enthusiastic 1960s town planners.Now some ofits original lustre may retum. What used to be the situation in Birmingham railway station?

　　A

　　Abstract vision.

　　B

　　The biggest one in England.

　　C

　　Steel cladding structure.

　　D

　　One of the most crowded one in Britain.

　　正确答案：D  

　　答案解析：事实细节题。根据定位词定位到文章的第一段，开头处已经说明了伯明翰火车站是最差的火车站之一，表现为最拥挤，而与这个信息相匹配的选项只有D项One of the most crowded one in Britain“英国最拥挤的火车站之一”，题干中的used to(曾经)是非常关键的题点，做题的时候应当注意.D项是文章的同义改写，故D项为正确选项。【干扰排除】剩余的三个选项没有体现在第一段和第二段中，是后面的段落描写火车站改造后的样子，与题干中的used to是相反的表述，因此应当排除。

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