高考英语模拟试题阅读理解精选编讲第181篇——秒词邦微信小程序
Cities usually have a good reason for being where they are, like a nearby port or river. People settle in these places because they are easy to get to and naturally suited to communications and trade. New York City, for example, is near a large harbour at the mouth of the Hudson River. Over 300 years its population grew gradually from 800 people to 8 million. But not all cities develop slowly over a long period of time. Boom towns grow from nothing almost overnight. In 1896, Dawson, Canada, was unmapped wilderness(荒野). But gold was discovered there in 1897, and two years later, it was one of the largest cities in the West, with a population of 30,000.
Dawson did not have any of the natural conveniences of cities like London or Paris. People went there for gold. They travelled over snow-covered mountains and sailed hundreds of miles up icy rivers. The path to Dawson was covered with thirty feet of wet snow that could fall without warming. An avalanche(雪崩) once closed the path, killing 63 people. For many who made it to Dawson, however, the rewards were worth the difficult trip. Of the first 20,000 people who dug for gold, 4,000 got rich. About 100 of these stayed rich men for the rest of their lives.
But no matter how rich they were, Dawson was never comfortable. Necessities like food and wood were very expensive. But soon, the gold that Dawson depended on had all been found. The city was crowded with disappointed people with no interest in settling down, and when they heard there were new gold discoveries in Alaska, they left Dawson City as quickly as they had come. Today, people still come and go — to see where the Canadian gold rush happened. Tourism is now the chief industry of Dawson City — its present population is 762.
城市的存在通常有一个很好的理由，比如附近的港口或河流。人们在这些地方定居，因为它们很容易到达，而且自然适合通讯和贸易。例如，纽约市靠近哈德逊河口的一个大港口。300多年来，它的人口从800人逐渐增长到800万。但并不是所有的城市都是长期缓慢发展的。新兴城市几乎在一夜之间从无到有。1896年，加拿大的道森(Dawson)是一片没有地图的荒野。但1897年在这里发现了金矿，两年后，它成为西部最大的城市之一，人口达到3万。
道森不具备伦敦或巴黎等城市的自然便利条件。人们去那里淘金。他们翻越白雪覆盖的山脉，在结冰的河流上航行数百英里。通往道桑的小路上覆盖着三十英尺厚的湿雪，雪下得不暖和。一次雪崩关闭了这条路，造成63人死亡。然而，对于许多到达道森的人来说，这些回报值得这趟艰难的旅程。在最初挖掘黄金的2万人中，有4000人发了财。其中大约有100人一辈子都是富人。
但无论他们多么富有，道森都过得不舒服。像食物和木材这样的必需品非常昂贵。但很快，道森赖以为生的金子都找到了。城市里挤满了失望的人，他们没有兴趣定居下来，当他们听说阿拉斯加有新的金矿发现时，他们像来的时候一样迅速离开了道森市。今天，人们仍然来来往往，去看看加拿大淘金热发生的地方。旅游业现在是道森市的主要产业，目前人口为762人。
句子成分分析：
Cities usually have a good reason (for being | where they are, [like a nearby port or river]).
句子语法结构详解：
* have 为谓语，采用一般现在时。
* being 为动名词，作介词宾语。
* being 为系动词。
* where 为连词，引导表语从句。
* are 为谓语，采用一般现在时。
* they 为人称代词主格。a 为不定冠词。
句子相关词汇解释：
Vocabulary:
city ['siti] | n. | 1) 城市; 都市; 市 2) 全市市民 |
usually ['ju:ʒuәli] | ad. | 通常地，正常地，一般地，经常地 |
have [hæv] | vt. | 1) 有，持有 2) 吃，喝, 抽(烟) 3) 患病，出现(某症状) |
good [gud] | a. | 1) 好的,令人满意的 2) 优质的，符合标准的 |
reason ['ri:zn] | n. | 1) 原因，理由，解释 2) 正当理由，道理，情理 |
like [laik] | prep. | 1) 例如, 比方 2) 像,类似, 相似 |
nearby ['niәbai] | a. | 附近的，邻近的 |
port [pɔ:t] | n. | 1) 港口，避风港 2) 港口城市，港市，口岸 |
or [ɔ:] | conj. | 1) 或，或者，还是 2) 否则，要不然 |
river ['rivә] | n. | 1) 河，江 2) （液体）涌流 |
句子成分分析：
People settle in these places || because they are easy to get to and naturally suited [to communications and trade].
句子语法结构详解：
* settle 为谓语，采用一般现在时。
* because 为连词，引导原因状语从句。
* are 为系动词作谓语，采用一般现在时。
* easy 为形容词作表语。
* to get 为不定式，作状语。
* suited 为谓语，采用一般过去时。
* they 为人称代词主格。
句子相关词汇解释：
Vocabulary:
people ['pi:pl] | n. | 1) 人，人们，大家 2) 国民，人民，臣民，群众 |
settle ['setl] | vi. | 1) 定居， 安家落户，在殖民地定居 2) 舒适地坐或躺 |
these [ði:z] | a. | 这些 |
place [pleis] | n. | 1) 位置，地点，场所，地方 2) 城镇（或建筑物等） |
because [bi'kɔ:z] | conj. | 因为 |
easy ['i:zi] | a. | 1) 容易的，轻易的，不费力的 2) 舒适的，安逸的，安心的 |
get [get] | vi. | 1) 抵达，到达 2) 变得，变为 3) 达到，处于 |
and [ænd] | conj. | 1) 和, 与, 同, 并 2) 然后，接着 |
naturally ['nætʃәrәli] | ad. | 1) 自然地；当然地 2) 天然地；自然而然地 |
communication [kә,mju:ni'keiʃәn] | n. | 1) 联络，通讯 2) 交流，交际 |
trade [treid] | n. | 1) 贸易，买卖，商业，交易 2) 行业，职业，生意 |
句子成分分析：
They travelled [over snowcovered mountains] and sailed hundreds of miles up icy rivers.
句子语法结构详解：
* travelled 为谓语，采用一般过去时。
* sailed 为谓语，采用一般过去时。
* they 为人称代词主格。
句子相关词汇解释：
Phrase:
hundreds of | 数百, 好几百, 千百, 成百上千 |
Vocabulary:
travel ['trævl] | vi. | 1) 长途行走，旅行，游历 2) （以某速度、朝某方向或在某距离内）行进，转送，传播 |
over ['әuvә] | prep. | 1) 在...上面 2) 在...期间 |
snow-covered | a. | 被雪覆盖的 |
mountain ['mauntin] | n. | 1) 高山，山岳 2) 许多，大量 |
and [ænd] | conj. | 1) 和, 与, 同, 并 2) 然后，接着 |
sail [seil] | vi. | 1) 航行，乘船航行 2) 驾驶（或乘坐）帆船航行（尤指作为体育运动） |
mile [mail] | n. | 1) 英里 2) （miles）大面积，长距离 |
icy ['aisi] | a. | 1) 冰冷的，冰冻的 2) 覆盖着冰的，结满冰的 |
river ['rivә] | n. | 1) 河，江 2) （液体）涌流 |
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