Whatdoesthefutureholdfortheproblemofhousing?Agooddealdepends,ofcourse,onthemeaningof“future”.Ifoneisthinkingintermsofsciencefictionandthespaceage,itisatleastpossibletoassumethatmanwillhavesolvedsuchtrivialandearthlyproblemsashousing.Writersofsciencefiction,fromH.G.Wellsonwards,havehadlittletosayonthesubject.Theyhaveconveyedthesuggestionthatmenwillliveingreatcomfort,witheveryconceivableapparatustomakelifesmooth,healthyandeasy,ifnothappy.Buttheyhavenotsaidwhathishousewillbemadeof.Perhapssomenewbuildingmaterial,asyetunimagined,willhavebeendiscoveredorinventedatleast.Onemaybecertainthatbricksandmortar(泥灰，灰浆)willlonghavegoneoutoffashion.

Buttheproblemsofthenextgenerationortwocanmorereadilybeimagined.Scientistshavealreadypointedoutthatunlesssomethingisdoneeithertorestricttheworld’srapidgrowthinpopulationortodiscoveranddevelopnewsourcesoffood(orboth),millionsofpeoplewillbedyingofstarvationoratthebestsufferingfromunderfeedingbeforethiscenturyisout.Butnobodyhasyetworkedoutanyplanforhousingthesegrowingpopulations.Admittedlytheworstsituationswilloccurinthehottestpartsoftheworld,wherehousingcanbelightstructureorinbackwardareaswherestandardsaretraditionallylow.Buteventheminimumshelterrequiresmaterialsofsomekindandintheteeming,bulgingtownsthelow-standard“housing”offlattenedpetrolcansanddirtycanvasisfarmorewastefulofgroundspacethancanbetolerated.

Sincethewar,HongKonghassufferedthekindofcrisiswhichislikelytoariseinmanyotherplacesduringthenextgeneration.Literallymillionsofrefugeesarrivedtoswellthealreadygrowingpopulationandemergencystepshadtobetakenrapidlytopreventsqualor(肮脏)anddiseaseandthespreadcrime.Thecityistacklingthesituationenergeticallyandenormousblocksoftenements(贫民住宅)arerisingatanastonishingaped.ButHongKongisonlyonesmallpartofwhatwillcertainlybecomeavastproblemandnotmerelyahousingproblem,becausewhenpopulationgrowsatthisratethereareaccompanyingproblemsofeducation,transport,hospitalservices,drainage,watersupplyandsoon.NoteveryareamaygivethesameresourcesasHongKongtodrawuponandthesearchforquickerandcheapermethodsofconstructionmustnevercease.

1.Whatistheauthor’sopinionofhousingproblemsinthefirstparagraph?

A.Theymaybecompletelysolvedatsometimeinthefuture.

B.Theyareunimportantandeasilydealtwith.

C.Theywillnotbesolveduntilanewbuildingmaterialhasbeendiscovered.

D.Theyhavebeendealtwithinspecificdetailinbooksdescribingthefuture.

2.Thewriterissurethatinthedistantfuture___.

A.bricksandmortarwillbereplacedbysomeotherbuildingmaterial.

B.anewbuildingmaterialwillhavebeeninvented.

C.bricksandmortarwillnotbeusedbypeoplewhowanttheirhousetobefashionable.

D.anewwayofusingbricksandmortarwillhavebeendiscovered.

3.Thewriterbelievesthatthebiggestproblemlikelytoconfronttheworldbeforetheendofthecentury___.

A.isdifficulttoforesee.

B.willbehowtofeedtheevergrowingpopulation.

C.willbehowtoprovideenoughhousesinthehottestpartsoftheworld.

D.isthequestionoffindingenoughgroundspace.

4.Whenthewritersaysthattheworstsituationswilloccurinthehottestpartsoftheworldorinbackwardareas,heisreferringtothefactthatintheseparts___.

A.standardsofbuildingarelow.

B.onlyminimumshelterwillbepossible.

C.thereisnotenoughgroundspace.

D.thepopulationgrowthwillbethegreatest.

5.WhichofthefollowingsentencesbestsummarizesParagraph3?

A.HongKonghasfacedaseriouscrisiscausedbymillionsofrefugees.

B.HongKonghassuccessfullydealtwiththeemergencycausedbymillionsofrefugees.

C.HongKong’scrisiswasnotonlyamatterofhousingbutincludedanumberofotherproblemsofpopulationgrowth.

D.ManypartsoftheworldmayhavetofacethekindofproblemsencounteredbyHongKongandmayfinditmuchhardertodealwiththem.

You’dbetterletmeknowassoonasthereisa(n)____positioninthebranchoffice.

AlthoughSPanish，heattendedthecourse.

Evenifhisletter（）tomorrow，it（）toolatetodoanything.

It’shightimewe_____cuttingdowntherainforests.