四級閱讀模擬題練習60：慶祝英國高端商業(yè)區(qū)的沒落

熟悉四級閱讀理解題型的同學應該都了解，英語四級考試的閱讀理解材料大多選自《時代》《衛(wèi)報》《今日美國》等外刊。要想閱讀理解這部分拿到高分，必須在平常多閱讀，掌握新詞匯，鍛煉閱讀速度。

為此小編每日精選了《衛(wèi)報》《時代》等外刊上的文章供大家進行閱讀練習。

本篇閱讀材料“慶祝英國高端商業(yè)區(qū)的沒落”選自《衛(wèi)報》(原文標題：The British high street is dead – let's celebrate 2012.3.22)，如果大家覺得比較簡單，就當作泛讀材料了解了解，認識幾個新單詞或新表達方式也不錯。如果大家覺得這些材料理解上有難度，不妨當做挑戰(zhàn)自己的拔高訓練，希望大家都有進步^^

The news that four out of 10 shops will have to shut in the next five years, casting further doubt on the future of the beleaguered British high street, need not be greeted with dismay.

beleaguered adj. 被圍困的;四面楚歌的

dismay n. 灰心;沮喪;驚慌 v. 使沮喪;使驚慌

There is no reason to be downhearted – we should embrace change. This could be very positive. My hope is that the disappearance of large retailers will provide an opportunity for young entrepreneurs to set up in affordable rental shop fronts and market units. I started my first fashion business, Red or Dead, in Camden market and Kensington market 30 years ago, and in many ways today feels like the early 80s and we are seeing arenaissance of a variation of the serendipitous market. In Wembley, north London, shops have closed on the high street and have been turned into multi-business outlets by the Asian community. In Gateshead, there are examples of creative communities getting together and attempting to reuse empty spaces such as the Shed project on Gateshead High Street where, working with the council, they have brought vibrancy back to this area of a town that was sinking fast. It has so successfully transformed a large, former bed retailer (the Bed Shed) that a second Shed will be opening soon.

downhearted adj. 垂頭喪氣的;無精打采的

shop front 店面;門面

renaissance n. 新生;復活 Renaissance (歐洲14-16世紀)文藝復興

But for any new-style high street to work requires good town centre planning and thecornerstone of this is common sense. Most of us want places that give us everything we need to fulfil our lives. Give us a town centre where we can live in an affordable home, walk, cycle or take easy public transport to employment, be able to go to the cinema, theatre, gallery, nightclub or gig, kick a ball in a park with our mates or our kids, read a book under a magnolia tree, maybe grow a bit of veg on an allotment, watch a bit of sport, while away the time at a cafe or a bar, shop at cool independent stores. We have to develop places that people want to see and be seen in. Most of us love people watching, get a buzz from other human beings. I don't believe we want to do most of our shopping online, especially as we are spending more and more of our working lives in front of a screen.

Vancouver is a city that has got it right. It boasts a wonderful natural setting but it doesn't rely on its natural beauty for liveability. Its commitment to the "green agenda" and the serendipity of being able to find independent cafes, second-hand vinyl record stores and vintage clothes stores right next to the big brands gives the city an ambienceBritish cities have lost to the land value greed exerted by pension-fund landlords and short-sighted councils.

serendipity n. 意外新發(fā)現(xiàn)

vinyl record 黑膠唱片

vintage clothes 復古的衣裳

ambience n. 氣氛，布景

exert v. 運用;發(fā)揮;施以影響

Closer to home, Copenhagen has ensured it hasn't drifted towards the "clone town" status bestowed upon most indistinguishable British towns and cities. There are streets full of quirky start-up businesses next to chain stores and it has employed urban designers such as Jan Gehl to ensure the city is a joy to walk around and cars arerelegated to fourth place behind walking, cycling (what a great cycling infrastructure they have established) and public transport.

drift to 轉向

quirky adj. 古怪的;離奇的

But we can't always wait for government to deliver the infrastructure. We have to "have a go" ourselves at making small shops work.

Our vision for the new-style high street will be on show at the pop-up high street at ourvintage festival at Boughton House, Northampton, this July. The vintage high street is a place to promenade, shop, watch street artists, eat and drink and just sit and take in the magic of the high street, with the authenticity of a film set, in the middle of a wonderful landscape. But for our visions to become a reality in our towns and cities, we the consumers will have to frequent the galleries, cafes and new independent stores that rise out of the ashes of the tired old retail chains.

Question time:

1. According to the writer, to ensure the normal operation of the new-style high street, what is required?

2. What's Vancouver famous for?

3. As consumers, to embrace the new-style high street, what should we do?