1、For years,if not decades.banks,post office and pubs have been disappearing on the British high street.Still,the scale and pace of the current crop of casualties seems exceptional,as well as the shortage of replacement activities.Where once the ex-banks could be readily converted into pubs,and a variety of often innovative bars and restaurants promised to breathe life into streets abandoned by traditional shops.now even those hopeful trends have been reversed.The various companies have widely varied reasons for their problems,yet together they symbolise the crisis on the high street.And the word"crisis"is justified.There are common,ancl familiar,problems.The squeeze on household incomes,with near-stagnant wage levels and bouts of relatively high inflation,has lasted since the financial crisis began a decade ago.Even with the British shopper's ingenious way of defying financial logic,and clespite the Bank of Englancl's attempts to put cheap money into borrowers'pockets.sooner or later there was bound to be a correction.While the money flowing into the high street has hardly risen.the supply of everything from cupcake stands to sandwich outlels has been expanding.pushing rents and wages higher.Huge retail developments are sLill looked on by desperate development agencies and local councils as the quick fix for any clevastated post-industrial landscape.Once again,sooner or later this vast overcapacity was going to run into the reality of weak demand.No matter how smart the store or niche the outlet,whcn overheads aren't being covered by healthy sales,the future is bleak.Overarching all of that,however,is the digital revolution,with giants such as Amazon invading new retail sectors.Less well advertised is the simple trend among the British towards entertaining and making the most of their leisure time in their very expensive homes.Why go to a public house or a restaurant when your private house is just as entertaining and where virtually any pastime or product can be transmitted via satellite,web or cable technology,and a cheap takeaway delivery and a bottle of wine are just a couple of clicks away?Britain famously was once disparaged as"nation of shopkeepers",small-minded merchants with narrow cultural and political horizons.Then the British became notorious as a"nation of shoppers",small-minded consumers with narrow cultural and political horizons,as well as an almost reckless taste for debt and disregard for saving for the future.Now the British are becoming a nation of home-lovers,with pizzas arriving by moped and with a wireless hub for cosy nights in.For the sake of the high street,we need to get out more:either that,or local councils need to think hard about allowing more shops to be converted into flats.Then the British could become a nation of ex-shop dwellers,even if their cultural and political horizons remain as narrow as ever. The crisis on the high street is partly due to

　　A the Bank of England's poor lending policy.

　　B slow growth of average household incomes.

　　C Briiish shoppers'defying financial logic.

　　D wage levels that remain almost unchanged.

　　正确答案：D  

　　答案解析：第二段承上分析高街危机背后的问题(problems);②句引出具体信息，金融危机以来，家庭收入持续紧缩，薪资水平几近停滞，通货膨胀不断爆发;③句指出即使消费者违背金融原理大肆超前消费、银行提供低利率贷款，衰退也无法避免。可见②句为危机的部分成因，D.与nearstagnant wage levels同义。[解题技巧]A.、C.分别源自第二段③句提到的the Bank of England.…put cheap money into borrowers'pockets和British shopper's.…defying financial logic.但此处为让步说明(Even with.…，and despite.…).意在指出即使消费者、银行都积极应对，也无力回天，故两项绝非引起高街危机的原因。B.中“缓慢增长(slow growth)”与文中“紧缩(squeeze)”不符。

　　2、For years,if not decades.banks,post office and pubs have been disappearing on the British high street.Still,the scale and pace of the current crop of casualties seems exceptional,as well as the shortage of replacement activities.Where once the ex-banks could be readily converted into pubs,and a variety of often innovative bars and restaurants promised to breathe life into streets abandoned by traditional shops.now even those hopeful trends have been reversed.The various companies have widely varied reasons for their problems,yet together they symbolise the crisis on the high street.And the word"crisis"is justified.There are common,ancl familiar,problems.The squeeze on household incomes,with near-stagnant wage levels and bouts of relatively high inflation,has lasted since the financial crisis began a decade ago.Even with the British shopper's ingenious way of defying financial logic,and clespite the Bank of Englancl's attempts to put cheap money into borrowers'pockets.sooner or later there was bound to be a correction.While the money flowing into the high street has hardly risen.the supply of everything from cupcake stands to sandwich outlels has been expanding.pushing rents and wages higher.Huge retail developments are sLill looked on by desperate development agencies and local councils as the quick fix for any clevastated post-industrial landscape.Once again,sooner or later this vast overcapacity was going to run into the reality of weak demand.No matter how smart the store or niche the outlet,whcn overheads aren't being covered by healthy sales,the future is bleak.Overarching all of that,however,is the digital revolution,with giants such as Amazon invading new retail sectors.Less well advertised is the simple trend among the British towards entertaining and making the most of their leisure time in their very expensive homes.Why go to a public house or a restaurant when your private house is just as entertaining and where virtually any pastime or product can be transmitted via satellite,web or cable technology,and a cheap takeaway delivery and a bottle of wine are just a couple of clicks away?Britain famously was once disparaged as"nation of shopkeepers",small-minded merchants with narrow cultural and political horizons.Then the British became notorious as a"nation of shoppers",small-minded consumers with narrow cultural and political horizons,as well as an almost reckless taste for debt and disregard for saving for the future.Now the British are becoming a nation of home-lovers,with pizzas arriving by moped and with a wireless hub for cosy nights in.For the sake of the high street,we need to get out more:either that,or local councils need to think hard about allowing more shops to be converted into flats.Then the British could become a nation of ex-shop dwellers,even if their cultural and political horizons remain as narrow as ever. According to the last two paragraphs,the British nowadays

　　A prefer staying inside to going out.

　　B cut the cost of daily necessities.

　　C desire luxury flats more than before.

　　D have the narrowest horizons ever.

　　正确答案：A  

　　答案解析：第四段②句指出英国人现在倾向于在自己的住宅娱乐消遣，度过闲暇时间，随后以反问句的形式对此展开具体说明：家里和外面一样具备娱乐功能且方便购物，当然更倾向于在家;可知A.正确，同时与第五段③句所述英国如今正在成为“宅人之国”契合。[解题技巧]B.源于第四段末的cheap takeaway delivery，但此处意在指出在家点外卖的实惠和便利，并未体现日常用品开支的削减。C.杂糅第四段②句的in their very expensive homes和第五段④句作者建议allowing more shops to be converted into flats而来，文中并未提及英国人对豪宅的欲望。D.源于第五段反复提到的narrow cultural and political horizons，但选项中narrowest.…ever表示“前所未有”，而文中as narrow as ever表示“和从前一样”。

　　3、In June,California department of forestry and fire protection determined that 12 devastating fires that struck Northern California tate last year were the result of trees coming into contact with power lines or other problems tied to the electric utility PG& E.Thanks to a policy known as inverse conclemnation,the utility could be on the hook for those damages,even if ii is not found to be negligeni.In the past,PG&-E has paid the bills when it was blamed for fires and other damages.But the company now says it cannot keep footing the bill so long as climate change continues to increase the likelihood of fires.Millions of trees have died across California after years of intense drought.creating vast quantities of fuel that allow fires to burn faster and over greater clistances-all combined with higher temperatures.It has pushed to raise electricity rates to pay for tlie clamage.Meanwhile.state officials are pushing a change in the law.Governor Jerry Brown proposed a new plan ihat would allow a court to decide whether the utility acted"reasonably"before forcing the company to pay claims."Costly wildfires and natural disasters have the poiential to undermine the sysiem*"Brown told legislators."leaving our energy sector in a state of weakness at a time when it shoulcl be making even greater investments in safety."Within the U.S.,the debate over liability for climate change has taken several forms.On the fecleral level,proactive policymakers have pushed to rework the National Flood Insurance Program(NFIP),which pays people to rebuild their homes after floods-even in areas where damage is likely to strike again.In effect,that program,which is more than$20 billion in clebt,put.s the burden of climate-change-related natural disasters in the hands of the U.S.government ancl the taxpayer.Infrastructure experts have also pushed the government to rethink its post disaster funding to require climate change preparedness measures.A group of pioneering American cities have sought to have the oil-and-gas industry pay for climate-change-relatecl clamages and disaster-prevention measures.A series of lawsuits have blamed the companies for years of polluting the planet while concealing evidence that emissions would contribute to devastaiing climate change.The authorities behind the lawsuits hope that courts will force the industry to pay up.Thus far,U.S.courts have expressed skepticism-not necessarily of the fault of oil and gas but of the ability of the judicial system to address the issue."The problem deserves a solution on a more vast scale than can be supplied by a district judge or jury in a public nuisance case,"wrote William Alsup of the U.S.District Court in Northern California.Elsewhere,a large number of litigants have also looked to the courts.Lacking other avenues for addressing the issue,people feeling the impacts of climate change are increasingly Lurning to courts to help find a global answer to a global problem. According to Paragraphs l and 2,PG&E

　　A is blamed for multiple intense fires.

　　B is found guilty of negligence.

　　C is coniributing to climate change.

　　D is refusing to pay its current bills.

　　正确答案：A  

　　答案解析：文章首句指出.加州林业与防火部确定，肆虐加州的12起大火起因是与PG&E相关的树木接触电线等问题，可见A.正确。[解题技巧]B.干扰来自首段末句.但“即便不认定为失职，PG&E也要承担损失”意为“无论PG&.E是否被认定失职，都需要承担损失”，并非“已认定PG&.E失职”。C.颠倒第二段②③句所述因果关系，将”气候变化会加大火灾发生概率以及造成的损失，这超出了PG&E的承受范围”改为“PG&-E加剧了气候变化”。D.将第二段①②句转折错误理解为“过去PG&E支付了账单，但此次却拒绝支付”，而实际上结合③④句可知真实情形为“过去PG&.E支付了账单，此次却提出随着气候变化加大火灾发生概率以及造成的损失、它将无力继续承担，不过实际上该公司已在着手准备当前赔偿”。

　　4、For years,if not decades.banks,post office and pubs have been disappearing on the British high street.Still,the scale and pace of the current crop of casualties seems exceptional,as well as the shortage of replacement activities.Where once the ex-banks could be readily converted into pubs,and a variety of often innovative bars and restaurants promised to breathe life into streets abandoned by traditional shops.now even those hopeful trends have been reversed.The various companies have widely varied reasons for their problems,yet together they symbolise the crisis on the high street.And the word"crisis"is justified.There are common,ancl familiar,problems.The squeeze on household incomes,with near-stagnant wage levels and bouts of relatively high inflation,has lasted since the financial crisis began a decade ago.Even with the British shopper's ingenious way of defying financial logic,and clespite the Bank of Englancl's attempts to put cheap money into borrowers'pockets.sooner or later there was bound to be a correction.While the money flowing into the high street has hardly risen.the supply of everything from cupcake stands to sandwich outlels has been expanding.pushing rents and wages higher.Huge retail developments are sLill looked on by desperate development agencies and local councils as the quick fix for any clevastated post-industrial landscape.Once again,sooner or later this vast overcapacity was going to run into the reality of weak demand.No matter how smart the store or niche the outlet,whcn overheads aren't being covered by healthy sales,the future is bleak.Overarching all of that,however,is the digital revolution,with giants such as Amazon invading new retail sectors.Less well advertised is the simple trend among the British towards entertaining and making the most of their leisure time in their very expensive homes.Why go to a public house or a restaurant when your private house is just as entertaining and where virtually any pastime or product can be transmitted via satellite,web or cable technology,and a cheap takeaway delivery and a bottle of wine are just a couple of clicks away?Britain famously was once disparaged as"nation of shopkeepers",small-minded merchants with narrow cultural and political horizons.Then the British became notorious as a"nation of shoppers",small-minded consumers with narrow cultural and political horizons,as well as an almost reckless taste for debt and disregard for saving for the future.Now the British are becoming a nation of home-lovers,with pizzas arriving by moped and with a wireless hub for cosy nights in.For the sake of the high street,we need to get out more:either that,or local councils need to think hard about allowing more shops to be converted into flats.Then the British could become a nation of ex-shop dwellers,even if their cultural and political horizons remain as narrow as ever. It can be inferred from Paragraph 3 that high street retail business

　　A may reverse the trend with huge expansion.

　　B won't be able to sell as much as it can produce.

　　C is going to attract more capital sooner or later.

　　D is reviving due io development agencies'policy.

　　正确答案：B  

　　答案解析：第三段首句介绍高街商铺的扩张;③句指出这种生产能力严重过剩迟早会与低迷的需求产生冲突，即高街的零售业会供大于求’B.是this vast overcapacity was going to run into the reality of weak demand的同义表达。[解题技巧]A.、C.、D.三项所体现的“光明前景(reverse the trend、attract more capiral、IS reviving)”均与本段主旨“高街前景黯淡(bleak)”不符，可初步排除。再逐一分析：A.与③④句中vast overcapaciiy VS weak demand、the fUlure is bleak体现的“扩张会导致供需矛盾，此举并非解决之道”相反.C.源于首句the money flowing inio the high street has hardly risen(几乎没有增加)，但不能由此推知高街将来能否“吸引更多资金”;D.根据②句暗含批判意味的“零售业的巨大发展仍被发展机构视为权宜之计(quick fix)”臆断出“政策有用”。

　　5、For years,if not decades.banks,post office and pubs have been disappearing on the British high street.Still,the scale and pace of the current crop of casualties seems exceptional,as well as the shortage of replacement activities.Where once the ex-banks could be readily converted into pubs,and a variety of often innovative bars and restaurants promised to breathe life into streets abandoned by traditional shops.now even those hopeful trends have been reversed.The various companies have widely varied reasons for their problems,yet together they symbolise the crisis on the high street.And the word"crisis"is justified.There are common,ancl familiar,problems.The squeeze on household incomes,with near-stagnant wage levels and bouts of relatively high inflation,has lasted since the financial crisis began a decade ago.Even with the British shopper's ingenious way of defying financial logic,and clespite the Bank of Englancl's attempts to put cheap money into borrowers'pockets.sooner or later there was bound to be a correction.While the money flowing into the high street has hardly risen.the supply of everything from cupcake stands to sandwich outlels has been expanding.pushing rents and wages higher.Huge retail developments are sLill looked on by desperate development agencies and local councils as the quick fix for any clevastated post-industrial landscape.Once again,sooner or later this vast overcapacity was going to run into the reality of weak demand.No matter how smart the store or niche the outlet,whcn overheads aren't being covered by healthy sales,the future is bleak.Overarching all of that,however,is the digital revolution,with giants such as Amazon invading new retail sectors.Less well advertised is the simple trend among the British towards entertaining and making the most of their leisure time in their very expensive homes.Why go to a public house or a restaurant when your private house is just as entertaining and where virtually any pastime or product can be transmitted via satellite,web or cable technology,and a cheap takeaway delivery and a bottle of wine are just a couple of clicks away?Britain famously was once disparaged as"nation of shopkeepers",small-minded merchants with narrow cultural and political horizons.Then the British became notorious as a"nation of shoppers",small-minded consumers with narrow cultural and political horizons,as well as an almost reckless taste for debt and disregard for saving for the future.Now the British are becoming a nation of home-lovers,with pizzas arriving by moped and with a wireless hub for cosy nights in.For the sake of the high street,we need to get out more:either that,or local councils need to think hard about allowing more shops to be converted into flats.Then the British could become a nation of ex-shop dwellers,even if their cultural and political horizons remain as narrow as ever. Which of the following would be the best title for the text?

　　A Post-industrial Briiain,Requiring a Quick Fix

　　B The British High Street,Hanging on the Cliff

　　C The Great Britain,a Nation of Home-Iovers

　　D The Local Councils,a Terminator of High Street

　　正确答案：B  

　　答案解析：首段指出英国高街面临危机，第二至四段分析导致危机的原因，末段提出化解危机的建议，由此可知全文围绕英国高街的危机展开，B.中The British high street为贯穿全文的讨论主体，hanging on the cliff是对文中“symbolize the crisis on the high street、there was bound to be a correction、the future is bleak”等内容的合理概括。[解题技巧]首先，A.、C.、D.的主体(Post-industrial Britain、The Great Britain、The local councils)均非文中的主要讨论对象(the British high street)。其次，A.中requiring a quick fix与第三段②句体现的作者对于“零售业的巨大发展仍被发展机构视为权宜之计”的批判态度不符;C.虽在末段③句提及，但无力概括全文.D.根据末段④句作者建议“地方议会应认真考虑让高街商店变为公寓”臆断出地方议会将会终结高街，但此处仅是作者建议，并非地方议会的做法。

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