Today, people all over the world are moving out of small villages in the country to go and live in big, noisy cities. They are moving from the peaceful hills, mountains, fields, rivers and streams of the countryside to the busy world of streets, buildings, traffic and crowds. This movement from rural areas to urban areas has been going on for over two hundred years.
    In many countries, the main reason why people come to live in towns and cities is work. After one or two large factories have been built in or near a town, people come to find work, and soon an industrial area begins to grow. There is usually a residential area nearby where the factory workers can live. The families of these workers need schools, hospitals and shops, so many people come to live in the area to provide these services and a city grows.
    In every major city in the world, there is a business district where the big companies have their main offices. In the United States, this area is usually in the city centre downtown. It is here that you can see the huge skyscraper office blocks. The people who work here often travel a long way to work each day. Many of them live in the suburbs（郊区）of the city, far away from the industrial area and the city center. Some suburbs are very pleasant, with nice houses and big gardens. There are usually parks for children to play in and large department stores where you can buy all you need.
    But what is the future of the big cities? Will they continue to get bigger and bigger? Perhaps not. Some major cities have actually become smaller in the last ten years, and it is quite possible that one day we will see people moving out of the major cities and back into smaller town and villages.

1. We can easily know that the underlined phrase "urban areas" means _________.
 A. areas of the countryside 
 B. areas of a town or a city   
 C. areas near the countryside        
 D. areas near a town or a city
2. Why do people move to live in cities or towns?
 A. Because they can live more comfortably there.
 B. Because they prefer noisy life to peaceful life.
 C. They do so mainly to find work.
 D. Because they are sure of having a better life there.
3. In a residential area you can see _________.
 A. rows of houses
 B. many offices and factories
 C. a lot of factories and farms
 D. many houses with offices and factories
4. In the United States, many people work in the centre of a big city _________.
 A. while living on the far away edge of the city  
 B. and live there
 C. but live in another city                   
 D. but live far away out of the city
5. We can infer that this movement from rural to urban areas _________.
 A. has been going on for more than 2,000 years  
 B. will continue in the future   
 C. may not continue in the future            
 D. is sure to stop

1.  B  从文章第一节可以看出本文的主题 --- movement, 而这种搬迁是from 农村to城市。
2.  C  根据文章第二节中…the main reason …is work. …, people come to find work,可以确定此题的答案。
3.  A  an industrial area : 工业区 ; a residential area : 生活区。 工厂不应在生活区中。
4.  A  根据文章第三节中Many of them live in the suburbs of the city,….可以确定此题的答案。
5.  C  根据文章最后一节可以确定此题的答案。