8 World Not Prepared to Deal with the Fast Growth of Cities 世界尚未做好迎接快速城市化的准备

仔细听

The United Nations is warning that the world is not prepared to deal with the fast growth of cities.The World Economic and Social Survey 2013 calls for new ways to meet the needs of city populations.More than 6.5 billion people are expected to be living in cities by 2050.

联合国警告说，世界尚未做好应对城市快速增长的准备。《2013世界经济和社会概览》呼吁寻找新方法满足城市人口的需求。预计到2050年，居住在城市的人口将超过65亿人。

听力破解：注意本段cities和city的发音，其中的[t]读音发生浊化，发为[d]。

仔细听

Most new city dwellers will be in developing countries.The United Nations says the effect on limited resources in many countries will be huge.“The World Economic and Social Survey”points to the increasing demand for energy，water，sanitation，public services，education and health care.

The world population is expected to rise to more than nine billion by 2050，two-thirds of all people are expected to live in cities.The United Nations says about 80percent of this growing urban population will be found in Africa and Asia.

大多数城市新增居民将在发展中国家。联合国表示，这对许多国家有限的资源将产生巨大影响。《世界经济和社会概览》指出，这将对能源、水、卫生、公共服务、教育和医疗提出日益增长的需求。

预计到2050年，全球人口将超过90亿，有三分之二的人口将居住在城市。联合国表示，80%的城市新增人口将在非洲和亚洲。

听力破解：在Nations says中，Nations中的[z]被吞音，与后边的says连读为[′neiʃən′ses]。

仔细听

The report says sustainable development of urban areas requires coordination and investments to deal with important issues，these include land-use，food security，job creation and transportation.

Willem Van Der Geest is with the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs，he says cities need to work closely with rural communities，so that food supplies can be secured，and the environment can be protected.

该报告称，城市地区的可持续发展中的诸多重大问题需要靠协调和投资来解决，这些问题包括土地使用、食品安全、创造就业机会，以及交通运输。

WillemVan Der Geest就职于联合国经济和社会事务部，他说，城市需要和农村社区紧密合作，这样才能保障粮食供应、保护环境。

听力破解：在food security和job creation这两个短语中，第一个单词的尾音都被弱读，发音分别为[fu：si′kjuəriti]和[dʒɔkri′eiʃ（ə）n]。

词汇宝典：secure 在这里做动词，意为“把……弄稳妥，使确实”，比如“保住某人的名声”可以说成secure one's reputation；此外，secure还可以做形容词，指“稳固的，牢靠的”，如：a secure job“稳定的工作”，也就是我们通常说的“铁饭碗”。

仔细听

“We need sufficient integration with cities...An integration between the rural and the urban economies is absolutely vital for issues of nutrition，food security，and environmental sustainability.”

The report says development in a sustainable way is important to ending poverty.The report also examines the problem of food insecurity，which affects hundreds of millions of people around the world.One in eight people are still chronically undernourished.

“我们需要与城市充分地一体化……农村和城市之间经济一体化对营养、食品安全和环境的可持续性都至关重要。”

该报告声称，可持续的发展方式对终结贫困十分重要。报告还研究了不安全问题，该问题对全球数以百万人造成影响。在全世界，8个人里就有1个人存在长期营养不良的情况。

词汇宝典：undernourished是一个由under和nourished组成的合成词，nourished是“有营养的”，而under是说“在这个水平之下”，因此undernourished即为“营养不良的”，如：an abandoned undernourished puppy“一只营养不良、被人抛弃的小狗”。

学着说一说

1.meet the needs of...满足……的需要

▶meet the needs of 的意思是“满足……的需要”，你可以这样说：

Speaking of designing，you have to meet the needs of customers.

说到设计，你必须要满足顾客的需要。

▶此外，“满足……的需要”还可以用短语 satisfy the needs of...表示，如：

The education system must satisfy the needs of all children.

教育制度必须满足所有孩子的需求。

2.around the world全世界

▶around 的意思是“围绕；在……附近”，英语中有许多跟它有关的固定说法。

▶take a look around指“到处看看”，较为随意，如：

I'd like to take a look around your factory.我想看看你们的工厂。

show you around表示“带你看看四周的环境”，可直接在around后加具体的地点。

▶screw around with sb.表示“招惹某人”，如：

Don't screw around with her.She's got a terrible temper.

别跟她乱来，她的脾气可坏得很！

▶work around the clock 指“夜以继日地工作”，如：

Look，you're not pulling this off tonight without all of us working around the clock.

瞧，要不是我们日夜不停地干，你今晚就完不成这个工作了。