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)
The first paragraph suggests that most people who lived in rural areas _____________
A. believed city government had too much power
B. were very proud of their lifestyle
C. wanted to move to the cities
D. were suspicious of their neighbors
Lời giải
Kiến thức: Đọc hiểu
Giải thích:
Đoạn văn đầu tiên đề xuất rằng hầu hết mọi người sống ở những khu vực nông thôn _________
A. tin rằng chính quyền thành phố có quá nhiều quyền lực
B. rất tự hào về lối sống của họ
C. muốn chuyển đến thành phố
D. đã nghi ngờ hàng xóm của họ
Thông tin: 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.
Tạm dịch: Trong suốt thế kỷ XIX đến thế kỷ XX, công dân Hoa Kỳ liên tục duy trì thành kiến đối với các thành phố lớn. Hầu hết những người dân sống trong các trang trại và trong các thị trấn nhỏ tin rằng các thành phố lớn là trung tâm của sự tham nhũng, tội phạm, nghèo đói và suy thoái đạo đức. Việc mất lòng tin này xảy ra, một phần, do một hệ tư tưởng quốc gia tuyên bố rằng nông nghiệp là nghề nghiệp tuyệt vời nhất và cuộc sống nông thôn vượt trội hơn với cuộc sống đô thị.
Đáp án B.