英语听力小短文走遍全世界: 城市的发展
英语听力原文：
More and more of the world's population are living in towns or cities. The speed at which cities are growing in the less developed countries is alarming. Between 1920 and 1960, big cities in developed countries increased two and a half times in size, but in other parts of the world the growth was eight times their size.
世界上越来越多的人居住在城镇或都市里。在次发达国家中，城市的扩张速度是值得关注的。在1920至1960年间，发达国家大城市的规模增加了两倍半，但是在世界其他地方，城市的规模相当于原来的8倍。
The sheer size of growth is bad enough, but there are now also very disturbing signs of trouble in the comparison of percentages of people living in towns and percentages of people working in industry. During the 19th century, cities grew as a result of the growth of industry. In Europe, the proportion of people living in cities was always smaller than that of the workforce working in factories. Now, however, the reverse is almost always true in the newly industrialized world; The percentage of people living in cities is much higher than the percentage woking in industry.
仅仅就城市增长的规模而言已经够糟的了，但是倘若把居住在城镇和都市的人口的比例和从事工业人口的比例进行比较的话，现在也出现了非常让人不安的迹象。在 19世纪，作为工业发展的产物，城市也随之扩张。在欧洲，居住在城市人口的比例总是比在工厂中工作的劳动力的比例要小。然而，在新兴的工业化地区，情况几乎总是相反的——在城市居住的人口比例要远远高于工厂中劳动人口的比例。
Without a base of people working in industry, these cities cannot pay for their growth. There is not enough money to build adequate houses for the people that live there, let alone the new arrivals. There has been little opportunity to build water supplies or other facilities. So the figures for the growth of towns and cities represent proportional growth of unemployment and underemployment, a growth in the number of hopeless and despairing parents ans starving children.
没有从事工业的劳动力基础，这些城市就无法偿付它们的扩张。它们将缺乏为在那儿生活的居民建造足够住所的资金，更不必说满足后来者的居住了。它们将很难有机会修建供水系统和其他设施。城镇和都市扩张的数字代表着失业和未充分就业增加的比例，代表着越来越多的失望的、沮丧的父母和饥肠辘辘的儿童。
英语单词词汇整理:
1. sheer adj. 纯粹的，全然的，陡峭的 adv. 完全地
eg: His music is sheer delight.
他的音乐是纯粹的快乐。
短语：
sheer nonsense 一派胡言
triple sheer 半透明薄绸
2. disturbing adj. 烦扰的，担心的，令人不安的
eg: There was something about him she found disturbing.
她发现他身上有些东西让她觉得不安。
短语：
disturbing force 扰动力;干扰力
disturbing sleep 扰人清梦
3. comparison n. 比较
eg: It is demonstrably an unfair comparison.
这显然是一种不公平的相似对比。
短语：
comparison with 与......相比
in comparison 相比之下;与.....比较
in comparison with 与.....比较，同.....比较起来
by comparison 相比之下，比较起来
4. proportion n. 比例，均衡，部分
eg: The punishment was out of all proportion to the crime.
惩罚和罪行完全不成比例。
短语：
in proportion 成比例;相称
a large proportion of 一大部分
out of proportion 不成比例
in proportion as 按......比例;依......程度而变
mixing proportion 混合比，配合比例
5. workforce n. 劳动力，工人总数，职工总数
eg: Earlier this year, women became the majority of the workforce for the first time in U.S. history.
今年年初，女人占劳动力总数的比例超过了一半，这在美国历史上是第一次。
短语：
workforce level 劳动力水平
workforce crisis 劳动力危机
6. reverse n. 相反，背面
eg: The wrong attitude will have exactly the reverse effect.
这种错误的态度会得到恰好相反的结果。
短语：
reverse fault 逆断层
reverse mortgage 反向贷款;逆按揭
reverse curve 反向曲线
7. adequate adj. 充足的，足够的
eg: One in four people worldwide are without adequate homes.
世界上1/4的人没有足够的住房。
短语：
adequate for 胜任......的;对......是足够的;适合......的
adequate consideration 充分考虑;适当约因
8. facility n.(pl.) 设备，设施
eg: What recreational facilities are now available?
什么娱乐设施现在是可用的?
短语：
facility cost 设备成本
public facility 公共设施
community facility社区设施
overdraft facility(英)(银行存款)透支法
storage facility 存储设备
9. proportional adj. 成比例的，相称的
eg: Loss of weight is directly proportional to the rate at which the disease is progressing.
体重减轻和该病的发展速度成比例。
短语：
proportional control 比例控制;比例调节
proportional distribution 按比例分配
proportional relation 比例关系
佳句采摘：
So the figures for the growth of towns and cities represent proportional growth of unemployment and underemployment, a growth in the number of hopeless and despairing parents ans starving children.
城镇和都市扩张的数字代表着失业和未充分就业增加的比例，代表着越来越多的失望的、沮丧的父母和饥肠辘辘的儿童。
