II. Grammar and vocabulary
Section A
Directions: Read the following passage. Fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word. For the other blanks, fill in each blank with one proper word. Make sure that your answers are grammatically correct.
Melbourne: So lovely. So... livable.
Every year, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) releases a list of 140 cities and ranks them in terms of their “livability”. Melbourne ___21___ (top) the list for the fifth year running.
The rankings rate “relative comfort” for more than 30 factors across five categories: stability, health care, education, infrastructure (基础设施), and culture and environment. The final scores ___22___ (calculate) as a percentage ranging from 1 (“intolerable”) to a perfect score of 100 (“ideal”).
Take a look at the top 10 cities, and you will find that half of ___23___ are in Australia and New Zealand, three in Canada, and two in Europe. They’re all medium-size cities in prosperous countries, ___24___ relatively low population densities. It's an equation (平衡，制衡局面) that leads to low crime rates and a functional infrastructure.
Does that mean non-Melbournians should all pack up and move to the world’s ____25____ (livable) metropolis? Not necessarily.
___26___ the top 10 cities in the EIU’s rankings may be pleasant to live in, they’re not high on most people’s lists of top cities to visit. After all, they are not cities ___27___ (describe) as dynamic (充满活力的). Before Melbourne assumed the No. 1 ranking, it was Vancouver ___28___ came out on top for almost a decade its incredible stability.
“I find Melbourne a really boring town, so more livable means really dull,” said a policeman in Australia. “I live in Sydney because it’s interesting, not because it’s comfortable.”
Raised is the question whether you want to live in a livable city or a dynamic one. Big cities like Tokyo, London and New York suffer in the rankings because of higher crime rates and overburdened infrastructure, ___29___ drags down the rating of how “comfortable” they are. Yet they’re hard____30____ (beat) — when it comes to recreational offerings, including nightlife, culture and entertainment.
【答案】21. has topped
22. are calculated
23. them 24. with
25. most livable
26. Though/ Although/ While
27. described
28. that 29. which
30. to beat
