Question

Traffic jam and cities, it seems, go hand in hand. Everyone complains about being stuck in traffic; but, like the weather, no one seems to do anything about it. In particular, traffic engineers, transportation planners, and public officials responsible for transportation systems in large cities are frequently criticized for failing to solve traffic jam.   But is traffic jam a sign of failure? Long queues at restaurants or theater box offices are seen as signs of success. Should transportation systems be viewed any differently? I think we should recognize that traffic jam is an unpreventable by-product of successful cities, and view the “traffic problem” in a different light.
Cities exist because they promote social interactions and economic transactions.Traffic jam occurs where there are lots of people but limited spaces. Culturally and economically successful cities have the worst traffic problems, while decaying cities don’t have much traffic. New York and Los Angeles are America’s most crowded cities. But if you want access to major brokerage houses (经纪行), you will find them easier to reach in crowded New York than in any other large cities. And if your firm needs access to post-production film editors or satellite-guidance engineers, you will reach them more quickly through the crowded freeways of LA than through less crowded roads elsewhere.
Despite traffic jam, a larger number and wider variety of social interactions and economic transactions can be made perfect in large, crowded cities than elsewhere. Seen in this sight, traffic jam is an unfortunate consequence of prosperity, not a cause of economic decline and urban decay.
So while we can consider traffic jam as increasing costs on the areas of big cities, the costs of inaccessibility (交通不便) in uncrowded places are almost certainly greater.
There is no doubt that traffic jam brings the terrible economic and environmental damage in places like Bangkok, Jakarta, and Lagos. But mobility is far higher and traffic jam levels are far lower here in the US, even in our most crowded cities. That’s why, for now, we don’t see people and capital streaming out of San Francisco and Chicago, heading for cities like California, and Illinois.
【小题1】We can conclude from the first paragraph that_______.

A．traffic jam and weather are the two factors preventing the development of the big city

B．traffic jam seems to be very difficult to deal with

C．if traffic engineers try their best, traffic jam can be solved

D．public officials are always criticized for misusing their power

【小题2】According to the passage, what’s the author’s opinion towards traffic jam？

A．Traffic jam is unavoidable in any cities.

B．Traffic jam is both a sign of failure and a sign of success.

C．Traffic jam is one of the consequences of successful cities.

D．Traffic jam is a cause of economic decline.

【小题3】By saying “decaying” (in Para. 4), the writer probably means_______.

A．declining

B．developing

C．rich and successful

D．strong and healthy

【小题4】According to this article, which statement about “New York” and “Los Angeles” is true?

A．The traffic jam in the two cities has been worsened.

B．New York and Los Angeles are the least successful cities in the US.

C．It is easier to reach major brokerage houses in the two cities than in other cities.

D．Despite the traffic jam in LA, you’ll find a satellite-guidance engineer more quickly there.

Answer 1

【小题1】B
【小题2】C
【小题3】A
【小题4】D 

解析试题分析：
【小题1】B 推理题。根据文章第一段  Traffic jam and cities, it seems, go hand in hand. Everyone complains about being stuck in traffic; but, like the weather, no one seems to do anything about it.说明交通堵塞和城市的发展是同步出现的，似乎很难解决这个难题。故B正确。
【小题2】.C 细节题。根据第一段倒数第二行I think we should recognize that traffic jam is an unpreventable by-product of successful cities说明他认为交通堵塞是成功的城市发展的结果，故C正确。
【小题3】A 推理题。根据第二段2,3行Culturally and economically successful cities have the worst traffic problems, while decaying cities don’t have much traffic.说明该词与successful是反义词。故该词意为不成功，故A正确。
【小题4】.D 细节题。根据第二段最后三行And if your firm needs access to post-production film editors or satellite-guidance engineers, you will reach them more quickly through the crowded freeways of LA than through less crowded roads elsewhere.故D正确。
考点：考查新闻报告类短文阅读
点评：文章介绍了在纽约等大城市出现的交通堵塞现象，并对之进行了分析。集中考查推理题，解推断题最主要的方法是根据词义关系推断具体细节，准确定位。?