Câu hỏi: Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions.
Throughout the nineteenth century and into the twentieth, citizens of the United States maintained a bias against big cities. Most lived on farms and in small towns and believed cities to be centers of corruption, crime, poverty, and moral degradation. Their distrust was caused, in part, by a national ideology that proclaimed farming the greatest occupation and rural living superior to urban living. This attitude prevailed even as the number of urban dwellers increased and cities became an essential feature of the national landscape. Gradually, economic reality overcame ideology. Thousands abandoned the precarious life on the farm for more secure and better paying jobs in the city. But when these people migrated from the countryside, they carried their fears and suspicion with them. These new urbanities, already convinced that cities were overwhelmed with great problems, eagerly embraced the progressive reforms that promised to bring order out of the chaos of the city.
One of many reforms came in the area of public utilities. Water and sewerage were usually operated by municipal governments, but the gas and electric networks were privately owned. Reformers feared that the privately owned utility companies would charge exorbitant rates for these essential services and deliver them only to people who could afford them. Some city and state governments responded by regulating the utility companies, but a number of cities began to supply these services themselves. Proponents of these reforms argued that public ownership and regulation would insure widespread access to these utilities and guarantee a fair price.
While some reforms focused on government and public behavior, others looked at the cities as a whole Civic leaders, convinced that physical environment influenced human behavior, argued that cities should develop master plans to guide their future growth and development. City planning was nothing new, but the rapid industrialization and urban growth of the late nineteenth century took place without any consideration for order. Urban renewal in the twentieth century followed several courses. Some cities introduced plans to completely rebuild the city core. Most other cities contented themselves with zoning plans for regulating future growth. Certain parts of town were restricted to residential use, while others were set aside for industrial or commercial development
(Source: TOEFL Reading)
What concern did reformers have about privately owned utility companies?
A. They feared the services would not be made available to all city dwellers.
B. They believed private ownership would slow economic growth.
C. They did not trust the companies to obey the government regulations.
D. They wanted to ensure that the services would be provided to rural areas.
Lời giải
Kiến thức: Đọc hiểu
Giải thích:
Các nhà cải cách có mối quan tâm gì về các công ty tiện ích thuộc sở hữu tư nhân?
A. Họ sợ rằng các dịch vụ sẽ không được cung cấp đến tất cả cư dân thành phố.
B. Họ tin rằng chủ sở hữu tư nhân sẽ làm chậm sự tăng trưởng kinh tế.
C. Họ không tin các công ty tuân thủ các quy định của chính phủ.
D. Họ muốn đảm bảo rằng các dịch vụ sẽ được cung cấp đến các khu vực nông thôn.
Thông tin: Reformers feared that the privately owned utility companies would charge exorbitant rates for these essential services and deliver them only to people who could afford them.
Tạm dịch: Các nhà cải cách sợ rằng các công ty tiện ích thuộc sở hữu tư nhân sẽ tính mức giá cắt cổ cho các dịch vụ thiết yếu này và chỉ cung cấp chứng cho những người có thể trả phí.
Đáp án A.