Question

    This centuries-old town of stone homes could be any rural (农村的) village in Europe. It reached its maximum population at around the turn of the last century, and since then it has slowly emptied until, in 2007, its public school finally shut its doors.

“They say when a town loses its school it loses its soul,”says the governor of St. -Pierre-de-Frugie, Gilbert Chabaud, who was elected to office the following year. After the village’s only restaurant closed too, Gilbert took up his post with a central question, “What can we do to make it come back to life, to make people come here?”

Gilbert, who himself left St. -Pierre-de-Frugie to work in the automobile industry before retiring, found his answer in sustainability (可持续发展). He opened up a store for local producers to sell their vegetables which were grown without using any artificial chemicals. He opened a community (社区) garden and ongoing ecological workshops that encourage knowledge-sharing among the community.

He has a businessman's knowledge: he is making use of the idea shared across the West by many people looking for an alternative to the high-pace urban life. And after the rapid urbanization of the 1950s and 1960s left many villages across Europe abandoned or only partially used, a mini urban-to-rural flow is under way.

Since taking office, 40 new people have moved here — most of them from the cities, bringing the population up to 400. Last year a new school opened in the village. Gilbert is eyeing a bigger place for a new school.

Just a few months ago, lulia Timofticiuc and her partner Guillaume Bled were living in Paris. They were concerned about global environment and at a more micro level about what foods they were consuming and where they were coming from. “We wanted to live lighter, be productive, and be autonomous,” Timofticiuc says. But they didn’t just want to go anywhere. They wanted to go where things were already happening. So they chose St. -Pierre-de-Frugie.

1.What can we learn about the village St. Pierre-de-Frugie?

A.Its population began to rise at the turn of the 20th century.

B.Its public school was closed for lack of students.

C.It used to be a popular rural village in Europe.

D.It became completely empty in 2007.

2.What did Gilbert do to help his hometown?

A.He quit his job to lead the village.

B.He sold green vegetables to local settlers.

C.He increased people's ecological awareness.

D.He encouraged people to share their harvest.

3.Why did lulia Timofticiuc choose St.-Pierre-de-Frugie?

A.It allows people to grow their own food.

B.It has done a lot to be eco-friendly.

C.It is less crowded.

D.It is autonomous.

4.Which section of a newspaper is the text probably taken from?

A.History. B.Culture.

C.Education. D.Society.

Answer

1.B

2.C

3.B

4.D

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。文章主要是介绍了St. -Pierre-de-Frugie村庄在人口减少、公立学校和最后一家餐馆也关闭后，州长Gilbert想的出路，以帮助村庄恢复生机。

1.细节理解题。根据第一段中It reached its maximum population at around the turn of the last century, and since then it has slowly emptied until, in 2007, its public school finally shut its doors.可知，大约在上个世纪之交，它的人口达到了顶峰，从那以后，它的人口逐渐减少，直到2007年，它的公立学校终于关门。由此可知，St. -Pierre-de-Frugie村庄的公立学校因缺少学生而关闭了。故选B项。

2.细节理解题。根据第三段中He opened a community (社区) garden and ongoing ecological workshops that encourage knowledge-sharing among the community.可知，他开设了一个社区花园和正在进行的鼓励社区之间的知识共享的生态研讨会。由此可知，Gilbert通过提高人们的生态意识来帮助家乡。故选C项。

3.推理判断题。根据最后一段中They wanted to go where things were already happening. So they chose St. -Pierre-de-Frugie.可知，但他们并不只是想去任何地方。他们想去已经发生的地方。所以他们选择了St. -Pierre-de-Frugie。由此可知，lulia Timofticiuc选择要住在St. -Pierre-de-Frugie村庄是因为这个村庄已经在生态友好方面做了很多事情了。故选C项。

4.推理判断题。根据第一段This centuries-old town of stone homes could be any rural (农村的) village in Europe. It reached its maximum population at around the turn of the last century, and since then it has slowly emptied until, in 2007, its public school finally shut its doors.可知，这个有着数百年历史的石屋小镇可能是欧洲任何一个乡村。大约在上个世纪之交，它的人口达到了顶峰，从那以后，它的人口逐渐减少，直到2007年，它的公立学校终于关门。第二段中After the village’s only restaurant closed too, Gilbert took up his post with a central question, “What can we do to make it come back to life, to make people come here?”可知，村里唯一的一家餐馆也关门了，Gilbert接过了他的工作并提出了一个中心问题：“我们能做些什么让它恢复生机，让人们来这里？”由此可知，这篇文章主要是介绍了St. -Pierre-de-Frugie村庄在人口减少、公立学校和最后一家餐馆也关闭后，州长Gilbert想的出路。因此，本文很可能是选自报纸社会版块。故选D项。