Question

    Vancouver has had a crazy property (房地产) market since it hosted the winter Olympics in 2010. The downtown area is forested with new apartment blocks. Prices have risen by nearly 60% in the past three years. But until recently developers have largely avoided Chinatown. It is an underdeveloped area. Many Chinatown residents are old and poor.

Developers now have Chinatown in their sights. Two years ago one built a 17-storey apartment building on its edge. This alarmed many residents, who had formed a group to stop the high-rise advance, now called SaveChinatownYVR. Ms. Melody Ma is its leader. Recently it has been successful.

The main theatre of battle is a car park known as 105 Keefer, where Beedie Living plans to build a nine-storey brick-and-glass apartment block. The developer promises 111 luxury flats, with rooftop landscaping and shops below.

105 Keefer is in an area rich with cultural associations. Just to the south is a monument to Chinese-Canadian builders of the Canadian Pacific Railway and veterans of the Second Word War. Across the street is the Sun Yat-sen Classical Chinese Garden and the Chinese Cultural Centre Museum. “A lot of people were frightened” because of the building’s “closeness to sacred sites in the heart of Chinatown,” says Ms. Ma. Some residents also fear that it will push up rents.

Conservationists hope that the parking lot is where they can stop development, which they say has spoilt the charm of other Vancouver neighborhoods such as Mount Pleasant. The dispute (分歧) is part of a debate about the city’s identity, says Andy Yan, an urban planner. Vancouverites, he says, are asking themselves, “Who are we? And what are we building for?” The people who might want to buy the flats that do not yet exist are, of course, not being consulted.

1.What will Ms. Melody Ma agree?

A.To preserve Chinatown.

B.To rebuild Chinatown.

C.To build skyscrapers in Chinatown.

D.To promote the property market in Chinatown.

2.What does the author intend to do in paragraph 4?

A.To state some reasons. B.To offer some advice.

C.To make some comparisons. D.To introduce a new topic.

3.What is Vancouverites attitude towards the recent development in Chinatown?

A.Positive. B.Doubtful. C.Unfavorable. D.Divided.

4.What is the text mainly about?

A.The alarmed citizens of Vancouver.

B.The cultural associations of 105 Keefer.

C.The property battle in Vancouver’s Chinatown.

D.The identity of Vancouver.

Answer

1.A

2.A

3.D

4.C

【解析】

本文是一篇新闻报道，主要报道了开发商在靠近温哥华中国城的中心圣地盖了一座17层的公寓楼，这引发了当地居民的担心与不满，他们成立了一个名为SaveChinatownYVR的组织来阻止开发商继续盖楼，希望保护中国城的老城区。

1.

2.推理判断题。根据第四段内容，特别是根据““A lot of people were frightened” because of the building’s “closeness to sacred sites in the heart of Chinatown,” says Ms. Ma. Some residents also fear that it will push up rents.”可知，马女士说，很多人都很害怕，因为这座建筑靠近中国城的中心圣地，一些居民也担心这会推高房租，由此推断出，作者在本段是想阐述人们担心的原因，故A项正确。

3.

4.主旨大意题。通读全文，特别是根据第二段中的“Developers now have Chinatown in their sights.”及第三段中的“The main theatre of battle”可知，本文主要报道了开发商在靠近温哥华中国城的中心圣地盖了一座17层的公寓楼，这引发了当地居民的担心与不满，他们成立了一个名为SaveChinatownYVR的组织来阻止开发商继续盖楼，希望保护中国城的老城区，因此文章主要报道的是在温哥华中国城的地产之争，故C项正确。