2022 高考英语阅读提高 一、政治经济 1 PITTSBURGH, Sept. 7 — At 26, many people haven’t even decided on a career. Luke Ravenstahl, cashing in on his family’s political tradition, is already the mayor of Pittsburgh, the youngest mayor of any major city in the country. Although mayors elsewhere have been younger, Jeff Dunkel was 18 in 2001 when he was elected mayor of Mount Carbon, small towns in New York, and elsewhere have also elected teenagers as mayors. But, Tallahassee, is the only other city with a population over 100,000 that has had a mayor as young as Mr. Ravenstahl. A supporter of Mr. Ravenstahl said concerns about Mr. Ravenstahl’s age would dissipate once the city saw his work ethic. But now comes the hard part. As he strives to be taken seriously and take charge of a city only recently back from the edge of bankruptcy (破产), the baby-faced mayor said that even the smallest decisions felt weighty, even what to wear in the Steelers game matters. And another pressing issue is to strengthen the city’s economy. Pittsburgh has lost all its mills, nearly half its population and much of its downtown commercial district in the last several decades. “But Pittsburgh has 50,000 college students, and our challenge is to figure out how to retain them and to increase downtown development.” He said. But one of the biggest uncertainties is how long he will remain in office. According to the city charter, Mayor Ravenstahl’s term will not expire until November 2009. Some city lawyers, however, have argued that he must face the electorate next year. And residents in Pittsburgh are still keeping judgment on him. Deli, Jimmy Cvetic, a sandwich shop owner, said “I call him Cool Hand Luke. He’ll be all right, but he’s going to need a cool hand to get through this.” Mayor Ravenstahl said he was still trying to deal with the challenge he faced. 1. About Luke Ravenstahl, which of the following statements is TRUE? A. He is the youngest mayor in the U.S.A. B. His family background has contributed to his successful political career. C. His young age has won support from media and young voters. D. He will be mayor of Pittsburgh at least until 2009. 2. The underlined word “dissipate” in the first paragraph probably means _________. A. disappear B. appear C. spread D. reduce 3. What can you infer from the article about Pittsburgh? A. It is a small town in New York famous for steel mills. B. It has always enjoyed prosperous economic success. C. Many young college students there are the new hope of the district. D. It is a major city in the U.S.A with a population slightly smaller than 100,000. 4. Where can you find this article? A. A magazine B. A brochure about politicians C. A newspaper D. An advertisement about some mayor candidates 5. What kind of Challenges will not Luke Ravenstahl cope with? A. Distrust from his citizens C. economical standstill of his city B. pressure from other outstanding young mayors D. decreasing population in his city 2 In cities with rent control, the city government sets the maximum rent that a landlord ( 房东) can charge for an apartment. Supporters of rent control argue that it protects people who are living in apartment. Their rent cannot increase; therefore, they are not in danger of losing their homes. However, the critics say that after a long time, rent control may have negative effects. Landlords know that they cannot increase their profits. Therefore, they invest in other businesses where they can increase their profits. They do not invest in new buildings which would also be rent-controlled. As a result, new apartments are not built. Many people who need apartments cannot find any. According to the critics, the end result of rent control is a shortage of apartments in the city. Some experts argue that the minimum wage law can cause problems in the same way. The federal government sets the minimum that an employer must pay workers. The minimum helps people who generally look for unskilled, low-paying jobs. However, if the minimum is high, employers may hire fewer workers. They will replace workers with machinery. Therefore, other things being equal, the number of workers that employers want decreases. Thus, critics hold the opinion that an increase in the minimum wage may cause unemployment. Some poor people may find themselves without jobs instead of with jobs at the minimum wage. Supporters of the minimum wage say that it helps people keep their dignity. Because of the law, workers cannot sell their ser