2010年12月英语四六级考试阅读专项练习(6)

　　Passage 4

　　The most interesting architectural phenomenon of the 1970's was the enthusiasm for refurnishing older building. Obviously, this was not an entirely new phenomenon. What is new is the whole scale in reusing the past, in recycling, in adaptive rehabilitation (更新 ). A few trial efforts, such as Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco, proved their financial feasibility in the 1960's, but it was in the 1970's, with strong government support through tax incentives and rapid depreciation (贬值) , as well as growing interest in ecology (生态) issues, that recycling became a major factor on the urban scene. One of the most comprehensive ventures was the restoration and transformation of Boston's eighteenth century Faneuil Hall and the Quincy Market, designed in 1824. This section had fallen on hard times, but beginning with the construction of a new city hall immediately nearby, it has returned to life with the intelligent reuse of these fine old buildings under the design leadership of Benjamin Thompson. He has provided a marvelous setting for dining, shopping, professional office, and simply walking.

　　Butler Square, in Minneapolis, serves as an example of major changes in its complex of offices, commercial space, and public amenities carved out of a massive pile designed in 1906 as a hardware warehouse. The exciting interior timber structure of the building was highlighted by cutting light courts through the interior and adding large skylights.

　　San Antonio, Texas, offers a big object lesson for numerous other cities combating urban decay. Rather than bringing in the bulldozers ( 推土机) , San Antonio's leaders rehabilitated existing structures, while simultaneously cleaning up the San Antonio River, which runs through the business district.

　　26. The main idea of the passage is_______.

　　A. during the 1970's, old building in many cities were recycled for modern use

　　B. recent interest in ecology issues has led to the cleaning up of many rivers

　　C. the San Antonio example shows that bulldozers are not the right way to fight urban decay

　　. D. strong government support has made adaptive rehabilitation a reality in Boston

　　27. According to the passage, Benjamin Thompson was the designer for a project in

　　A. Boston B. San Francisco

　　C. Minneapolis D. San Antonio

　　28. The space at Quincy Market is now used as_______.

　　A. Boston's new city hall B. sports and recreational facilities

　　C. commercial and industrial warehouses D. restaurants, offices, and stores

　　29. What is the author's opinion of the San Antonio's project?

　　A. It is clearly the best of the projects discussed.

　　B. It is a good project that could be copied by other cities.

　　C. The extensive use of bulldozers made the project unnecessarily costly.

　　D. The work done on the river was more important than work done on the buildings.

　　30. The passage states that the San Antonio project differed from those in Boston and Minneapolis in that_______.

　　A. it consisted primarily of new buildings

　　B. it occurred in the business district

　　C. it involved the environment as well as buildings

　　D. it was designed to combat urban decay

　　II. E 12. I 13. F 14. K 15. G 16. D 17. L 18. J 21. D 22. A 23. B 24. D 25. D 26. A 27. A 28. D