Question

    Cities usually have a good reason for being where they are, like a nearby port or river. People settle in these places because they are easy to get to and naturally suited to communications and trade. New York City, for example, is near a large harbour at the mouth of the Hudson River. Over 300 years its population grew gradually from 800 people to 8 million. But not all cities develop slowly over a long period of time. Boom towns grow from nothing almost overnight. In 1896, Dawson, Canada, was unmapped wilderness (荒野). But gold was discovered there in 1897, and two years later, it was one of the largest cities in the West, with a population of 30,000.

Dawson did not have any of the natural conveniences of cities like London or Paris. People went there for gold. They travelled over snow-covered mountains and sailed hundreds of miles up icy rivers. The path to Dawson was covered with thirty feet of wet snow that could fall without warming. An avalanche (雪崩) once closed the path, killing 63 people. For many who made it to Dawson, however, the rewards were worth the difficult trip. Of the first 20,000 people who dug for gold, 4,000 got rich. About 100 of these stayed rich men for the rest of their lives.

​But no matter how rich they were, Dawson was never comfortable. Necessities like food and wood were very expensive. But soon, the gold that Dawson depended on had all been found. The city was crowded with disappointed people with no interest in settling down, and when they heard there were new gold discoveries in Alaska, they left Dawson City as quickly as they had come. Today, people still come and go — to see where the Canadian gold rush happened. Tourism is now the chief industry of Dawson City — its present population is 762.

1.What attracted the early settlers to New York City?

A.Its business culture. B.Its small population.

C.Its geographical position. D.Its favourable climate.

2.What do we know about those who first dug for gold in Dawson?

A.Two-thirds of them stayed there.

B.One out of five people got rich.

C.Almost everyone gave up.

D.Half of them died.

3.What was the main reason for many people to leave Dawson?

A.They found the city too crowded.

B.They wanted to try their luck elsewhere.

C.They were unable to stand the winter.

D.They were short of food.

Answer

1.C

2.B

3.B

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。文章主要向我们介绍了达沃斯这个城市的兴衰过程。

1.细节理解题。根据第一段的New York City, for example, is near a large harbour at the mouth of the Hudson River. Over 300 years its population grew gradually from 800 people to 8 million.(例如，纽约是一个靠近哈德逊河口的打海港城市。300年来，它的人口从最初的800人到现在的8百万人)可知，吸引人们到纽约的原因是它的地理位置和便利。C. Its geographical position.(它的地理位置)符合以上说法。故选C项。

2.细节理解题。根据第二段的Of the first 20,000 people who dug for gold, 4,000 got rich.可知，最初来淘金的2万人中有4000个变富裕了，即占总数的五分之一。B. One out of five people got rich.(五分之一的人变富裕了)符合以上说法。故选B项。

3.细节理解题。根据第三段的The city was crowded with disappointed people with no interest in settling down, and when they heard there were new gold discoveries in Alaska, they left Dawson City as quickly as they had come.(这个城市充满了失望的人，他们没有兴趣定居下来，当他们听说阿拉斯加有金矿时，他们离开了达沃斯，就像他们来时那样快)可知，人们离开达沃斯是因为在其他地方发现了金矿，即他们要去别的地方寻找发财的机会。B. They wanted to try their luck elsewhere.(他们要去别处寻找发财机会)符合以上说法。故选B项。