英語聽力小短文走遍全世界: 城市的發(fā)展

英語聽力原文：

More and more of the world's population are living in towns or cities. The speed at which cities are growing in the less developed countries is alarming. Between 1920 and 1960, big cities in developed countries increased two and a half times in size, but in other parts of the world the growth was eight times their size.

世界上越來越多的人居住在城鎮(zhèn)或都市里。在次發(fā)達(dá)國家中，城市的擴(kuò)張速度是值得關(guān)注的。在1920至1960年間，發(fā)達(dá)國家大城市的規(guī)模增加了兩倍半，但是在世界其他地方，城市的規(guī)模相當(dāng)于原來的8倍。

The sheer size of growth is bad enough, but there are now also very disturbing signs of trouble in the comparison of percentages of people living in towns and percentages of people working in industry. During the 19th century, cities grew as a result of the growth of industry. In Europe, the proportion of people living in cities was always smaller than that of the workforce working in factories. Now, however, the reverse is almost always true in the newly industrialized world; The percentage of people living in cities is much higher than the percentage woking in industry.

僅僅就城市增長的規(guī)模而言已經(jīng)夠糟的了，但是倘若把居住在城鎮(zhèn)和都市的人口的比例和從事工業(yè)人口的比例進(jìn)行比較的話，現(xiàn)在也出現(xiàn)了非常讓人不安的跡象。在 19世紀(jì)，作為工業(yè)發(fā)展的產(chǎn)物，城市也隨之?dāng)U張。在歐洲，居住在城市人口的比例總是比在工廠中工作的勞動(dòng)力的比例要小。然而，在新興的工業(yè)化地區(qū)，情況幾乎總是相反的——在城市居住的人口比例要遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)高于工廠中勞動(dòng)人口的比例。

Without a base of people working in industry, these cities cannot pay for their growth. There is not enough money to build adequate houses for the people that live there, let alone the new arrivals. There has been little opportunity to build water supplies or other facilities. So the figures for the growth of towns and cities represent proportional growth of unemployment and underemployment, a growth in the number of hopeless and despairing parents ans starving children.

沒有從事工業(yè)的勞動(dòng)力基礎(chǔ)，這些城市就無法償付它們的擴(kuò)張。它們將缺乏為在那兒生活的居民建造足夠住所的資金，更不必說滿足后來者的居住了。它們將很難有機(jī)會(huì)修建供水系統(tǒng)和其他設(shè)施。城鎮(zhèn)和都市擴(kuò)張的數(shù)字代表著失業(yè)和未充分就業(yè)增加的比例，代表著越來越多的失望的、沮喪的父母和饑腸轆轆的兒童。

英語單詞詞匯整理:

1. sheer adj. 純粹的，全然的，陡峭的 adv. 完全地

eg: His music is sheer delight.

他的音樂是純粹的快樂。

短語：

sheer nonsense 一派胡言

triple sheer 半透明薄綢

2. disturbing adj. 煩擾的，擔(dān)心的，令人不安的

eg: There was something about him she found disturbing.

她發(fā)現(xiàn)他身上有些東西讓她覺得不安。

短語：

disturbing force 擾動(dòng)力;干擾力

disturbing sleep 擾人清夢(mèng)

3. comparison n. 比較

eg: It is demonstrably an unfair comparison.

這顯然是一種不公平的相似對(duì)比。

短語：

comparison with 與......相比

in comparison 相比之下;與.....比較

in comparison with 與.....比較，同.....比較起來

by comparison 相比之下，比較起來

4. proportion n. 比例，均衡，部分

eg: The punishment was out of all proportion to the crime.

懲罰和罪行完全不成比例。

短語：

in proportion 成比例;相稱

a large proportion of 一大部分

out of proportion 不成比例

in proportion as 按......比例;依......程度而變

mixing proportion 混合比，配合比例

5. workforce n. 勞動(dòng)力，工人總數(shù)，職工總數(shù)

eg: Earlier this year, women became the majority of the workforce for the first time in U.S. history.

今年年初，女人占勞動(dòng)力總數(shù)的比例超過了一半，這在美國歷史上是第一次。

短語：

workforce level 勞動(dòng)力水平

workforce crisis 勞動(dòng)力危機(jī)

6. reverse n. 相反，背面

eg: The wrong attitude will have exactly the reverse effect.

這種錯(cuò)誤的態(tài)度會(huì)得到恰好相反的結(jié)果。

短語：

reverse fault 逆斷層

reverse mortgage 反向貸款;逆按揭

reverse curve 反向曲線

7. adequate adj. 充足的，足夠的

eg: One in four people worldwide are without adequate homes.

世界上1/4的人沒有足夠的住房。

短語：

adequate for 勝任......的;對(duì)......是足夠的;適合......的

adequate consideration 充分考慮;適當(dāng)約因

8. facility n.(pl.) 設(shè)備，設(shè)施

eg: What recreational facilities are now available?

什么娛樂設(shè)施現(xiàn)在是可用的?

短語：

facility cost 設(shè)備成本

public facility 公共設(shè)施

community facility社區(qū)設(shè)施

overdraft facility(英)(銀行存款)透支法

storage facility 存儲(chǔ)設(shè)備

9. proportional adj. 成比例的，相稱的

eg: Loss of weight is directly proportional to the rate at which the disease is progressing.

體重減輕和該病的發(fā)展速度成比例。

短語：

proportional control 比例控制;比例調(diào)節(jié)

proportional distribution 按比例分配

proportional relation 比例關(guān)系

佳句采摘：

So the figures for the growth of towns and cities represent proportional growth of unemployment and underemployment, a growth in the number of hopeless and despairing parents ans starving children.

城鎮(zhèn)和都市擴(kuò)張的數(shù)字代表著失業(yè)和未充分就業(yè)增加的比例，代表著越來越多的失望的、沮喪的父母和饑腸轆轆的兒童。