阅读判断Cities“Worse to Live in Than 20 Years Ago”One

阅读判断

Cities“Worse to Live in Than 20 Years Ago”

One thousand people were surveyed about a range of issues which affect cities,and the re-markable

findings show that life in today’s mega-cities is so stressful that at least two-thirds of those

currently living in big cities would like to relocate to the countryside or a small town.

The stress of the getting from A to B in big cities is at the top of the list of problems.For many

people,the daily commute to work is a source of frustration.40% of the people in the sur-vey have

suffered from road rage while stuck in traffic on the way to work.The cost of public transport is also a

serious problem.Many people think the price of underground and bus travel is too high and that they have

to devote more than 10% of their salary to transport costs.

The general cost of living in cities is another problem.The high property prices in most big cities put

buying a property out of reach of most first-time buyers.Many young people are priced out of the housing

market,and have to take in lodgers to make ends meet,or rent over-priced flats miles away from the city

centre .In London,for instance,the price of buying even a one-bedroom flat is so prohibitive that many

have given up even considering putting money aside for a deposit.

Another issue facing people who live in cities is rising crime.Crime rates have rocketed in many big

cities,and many say there are several dangerous no-go areas in their city.Fear of crime is on the

increase-street crimes,such as mugging and assault,are now very common-and many are afraid of going out

at night alone.

Many were also concerned by the lack of green spaces and play facilities for children.Most major

conurbations（有卫星城的大都市）surveyed have a far smaller number of parks and gar- dens than a

generation ago.Planning permission seems to have been given for an ever-greater number of

supermarkets,office developments and apartments on sites where there were previously green spaces.Many of

the respondents in the survey said they felt stressed and suffocated in the city,a problem which is

compounded by pollution.

And finally,the majority of people in the survey were fed up with the constant noise pollu-lion—the roar

of traffic , the sound of loud music blaring（发刺耳声）out of a neighbour’s win-dow,and the constant

sound of activity.It is not surprising,then,that the levels of stress-related illnesses among people who

live in cities are higher than ever before .Big cities,once a mecca for ambitious people seeking fameJ

and fortune,are now less and less popular among people of all ages .Perhaps the 21st century is set to be

the century of the small town and the countryside.

Most people in the survey who live in big cities would like to move somewhere smaller.

A. Right

B. Wrong

C..Not mentioned