Part II Reading Comprehension (35 minutes)
Directions: There are 4 reading passages in this part. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D). You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.

Passage 1

In America, the movement of housing away from the high-rise buildings of the inner-cities originated in the 1920s, but was stalled by the Great Depression of the 1930s and by WW II. After the war a tremendous surge occurred in the real estate market with the advent of single-family homes on relatively small lots—typically less than one-tenth of an acre. During the 1950s, many large tract developments encroached on former farmlands near metropolitan areas. The most dramatic instances of this sprawling effect were witnessed in western municipalities such as San Jose and San Diego whose city charters defined their over several hundred square kilometers. These large parcels of land were over-run by standard three bedrooms, two bath “ranch-style” homes in a few short dcades.

By the 1960s construction had subsided significantly and developers began building different kinds of plans to try and accommodate the changes in the market. Those who had taken advantage of the suburbanization trend in the post-war years had seen the value of their real estate increase dramatically and many were anxious to reinvest their assets. In an effort to reap this affluence, certain contractors moved away from the standard models and began designing larger buildings on increasingly spacious pareels even farther from city centers. Other builders began working on homes to meet the needs of young couples starting new families. The townhouse, a two to three-story brick and frame structure containing more than 4 but less than 30 units per structure, was seen as the solution. These apartment s were successful in luring many young adult city dwellers out to the suburbs.

In subsequent development, traditional single family ranchstyle designs continued to be embraced, but new forms were also introduced: the condominium (公寓套房)，single-family attached dwelling; the triplex and fourplex, three-and four-family structures; and prefabs, which have become significantly more popular during the last 20 years owing to their low cost and ease of construction. The prefabs have the additional distinction of being mobile. It is not uncommon to see semi-trailers hauling these modular living units along the freeways to remote destinations. In a very real sense, this phenomenon marks the cutting edge of suburbanization: a move out of the traditional suburbs and into areas that were formally considered wilderness.

1. The primary topic of the passage is
A. real-estate finance
B. suburban housing
C. construction technique

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