Reading 4A · CITY UNDER SIEGE (围城之困·威尼斯危局)
点击任意句子开始点听与口语录音练习。全球气候变暖、海平面上涨与无序旅游业，如何将水上之都推向不可逆的深渊？
Title & Lead-in
Reading for a city under siege.
阅读 4A：围城之困（威尼斯危局）。这座被托马斯·曼称为“一半是童话，一半是游客陷阱”的城市，如今面临的威胁远不止上涨的潮水。凯西·纽曼深入调查威尼斯的生存危机。
The city Thomas Mann called half fairy tale and half tourist trap
finds itself threatened by more than just the rising tide.
Kathy Newman investigates the trouble with Venice.
Paragraph A
Nowhere in Italy is there a crisis more beautifully framed than in Venice.
在整个意大利，没有任何一处的危机能比威尼斯装裱得更为凄美绝伦。非陆非水，这座城市宛如海市蜃楼般从亚得里亚海顶端的一片潟湖中升起。数百年来，在涨潮与地基沉降引发的“高水位”（aqua alta）规律性肆虐下，它一直面临着被浪潮吞没的威胁。
Neither land nor water the city lifts like a mirage from a lagoon
at the head of the Adriatic Sea.
For centuries it is threatened to vanish beneath the waves of the aqua alta,
the relentlessly regular flooding caused by rising tides and sinking foundations.
Paragraph B
But that is the least of its problems.
但这还只是它最微不足道的问题。去问问威尼斯前市长、哲学教授马西莫·卡恰里吧——这位学者的政治智识几乎飙升至平流层的高度。当被问及高水位潮与威尼斯下沉时，他轻描淡写地答道：“那就去买双雨靴吧。”雨靴对付积水固然管用，但对另一场令威尼斯人更为忧心忡忡的洪水却束手无策：那就是汹涌而来的游客潮。
Just ask Massimo Caccati, former mayor of Venice and professor of philosophy,
a man who raises the level of political intellect to just short of the stratosphere.
Ask him about the aqua alta and Venice sinking and he says,
so go get boots.
Boots are fine for water but useless against the flood that causes more concern for Venetians
Paragraph C
In 2016 there were around 55,000 residents living in the historic city center.
旅游业是威尼斯经济的命脉与灵魂——既带来福祉，也酿成灾难。每年约有两千万游客涌入这座历史名城，而这里的常住人口已缩减至不足五万五千人。在盛夏的旅游高峰日，一日游游客人数远超本地居民，将狭窄的小巷挤得水泄不通，贡多拉和水上巴士塞满了运河。
The number of visiting tourists that year was over 20 million.
In May 2008, for example, on a holiday weekend 80,000 tourists descended on the city.
Public parking lots in Maestra where people bored a bus or train to the historic center
filled with flood water and were closed.
Paragraph D
snapping up pizza and gelato, leaving paper and plastic bottles in their wake.
这场游客入侵带来的经济后果是矛盾而荒谬的。尽管酒店、餐厅和纪念品商店生意兴隆，但普通的社区基础设施却走向崩溃。传统面包房、五金店和本地生鲜菜场不断被面具专卖店、廉价玻璃饰品店以及专为过客服务的奢侈品时装店所取代。
Beauty is difficult, says Caccati,
sounding as if he were addressing a graduate seminar.
The black of Caccati's dark hair and luxuriant beard complement his current mood.
The preceding day heavy rains had flooded Maestra again.
Rain caused the flood, not aqua alta, Caccati says.
Paragraph E
The problems he stresses lie elsewhere.
在国际投资客和将普通住宅改造成度假民宿的投机买家推波助澜下，威尼斯的房价飙升至令人望而却步的天价。年轻家庭再也无力承担祖辈世居城市的居住成本，被迫迁徙到梅斯特雷和马尔盖拉等内陆城镇。
The cost of maintaining Venice.
There is not enough money from the state to cover it all.
The cleaning of canals, restoration of buildings, raising of foundations.
The cost of living?
It's three times as costly to live here as in Moliano, 20 kilometers away.
It's affordable only for the rich or elderly who already own houses because they've been passed down.
The young can't afford it.
Paragraph F
Venice is not a sentimental place of honeymoon.
宛如漂浮公寓楼一般耸立在古城天际线之上的巨型游轮，构成了另一项环境与地基结构隐患。游轮航行排开的巨大水体所产生的尾浪，严重侵蚀着千百年来支撑城市宫殿群的古老木桩地基与脆弱的潟湖海床生态系统。
It's a strong contradictory overpowering place.
It's not a city for tourists.
It cannot be reduced to a postcard.
If you are a Venetian, the city is a different place altogether.
The abnormal is normal and a flood is routine.
The alarm sounds, protective steel doors come down and boots
essential to any Venetian wardrobe are pulled on.
Paragraph G
When Sylvia Zanan goes to Campo San Provolo, where she teaches middle school,
为了抗击上涨的潮水，意大利耗资数十亿欧元工程研发了“摩西工程”（MOSE）——在潟湖的三大入海口安装了由78个黄色活动防洪闸组成的系统。当高潮位威胁来袭时，压缩空气排空沉没于水底的水闸，使其浮起竖立，从而将潟湖与亚得里亚海的海潮完全隔绝开来。
she knows it will take 23 minutes to walk there from her apartment on the Calle de la Carotse.
On the way, she crosses the Piazza San Marco blissfully empty in early morning.
I step on the paving stones and fall in love with the city all over again, she says.
Gerardo Orthali, a professor of medieval history, finds his path less poetic.
When I go out in the Campo with my friends, I have to stop because someone is taking a photograph of us, he says.
Paragraph H
For Orthali, it almost feels like local people are becoming an endangered species.
然而，摩西工程根本无法化解威尼斯深刻的社会困局。即便尖端工程能庇护大理石建筑免遭咸水侵蚀，一座仅剩迟暮看守者与游荡旅人的空城，也终将丧失其鲜活的生命文化。倘若不采取迫在眉睫的政策倾斜以留住工薪家庭，威尼斯必将沦为一座专为富人服务的空壳主题公园。
Perhaps one day we will be.
You will go and see a sign on a cage, feed the Venetians.
When I arrived 30 years ago, the population was 120,000.
The decline seems inevitable, and Orthali thinks Venice will end up as simply a theme park for the rich,
who will jet in to spend a day or two in their palazzo, then leave.
It is 10 a.m., and he is headed toward a kiosk to buy a newspaper before going to his office.
Though you can hardly find the papers for all the tourist kitsch, miniature masks, gondola pins,
jester caps, everything is for sale he size, even Venice.
💡 4A Critical Thinking · 审辩思维与辩证评估 (P.81)
Analyzing Arguments · 旅游业对威尼斯利弊权衡
The Core Dilemma: The author states that tourism is "the heart and soul of the Venetian economy—good and bad."
Positive Effects: Tourism injects billions into hotels, gondolas, artisans, and provides dependable livelihoods for tens of thousands in the Veneto region.
Negative Effects: Rampant tourism generates overwhelming litter, pushes housing rents into the stratosphere, drives local groceries out of business, replaces native residents with transient crowds, and giant cruise ships erode delicate underwater wooden pilings.
Teacher's Guide · 教师用书权威反思启迪
I don’t think the positive effect of tourism outweighs the negative. If locals are completely pushed out of Venice, the city will become an empty museum to the past and will cease to be a living, breathing community.
📝 4A 预习全真练习 (Preview Exercises)
Reading Comprehension Part A (P.80)
Reading Comprehension Part B: MOSE Infographic (P.81)
Reading Skill: Literal vs Figurative Language (P.82)
Reading Skill: Interpreting Excerpts (P.82)
预习练习得分: 0 / 24 题
Reading Comprehension Part A: Multiple Choice (P.80)
READING COMPREHENSION · 主旨理解
1. What is the central thesis of the reading passage?
READING COMPREHENSION · 事实细节
2. Why did former mayor Massimo Cacciari tell the author 'So go get boots'?
READING COMPREHENSION · 词义语境
3. The resident population of historic Venice has fallen to approximately:
READING COMPREHENSION · 推理判断
4. What paradoxical economic impact does tourism have on everyday Venetian life?
READING COMPREHENSION · 事实细节
5. According to Paragraph H, why is engineering alone (like MOSE) insufficient to preserve Venice?
READING COMPREHENSION · 事实细节
6. Why are giant cruise ships considered hazardous to Venice's structural foundations?
READING COMPREHENSION · 写作意图
7. What warning does the author convey in the concluding section?
Reading Comprehension Part B: MOSE Infographic (P.81)
READING COMPREHENSION · 信息图表探究
1. What is the main purpose of the MOSE project?
READING COMPREHENSION · 信息图表探究
2. Which decade experienced the most recorded instances of water rising over a meter?
READING COMPREHENSION · 信息图表探究
3. How high does the tide forecast need to be before the MOSE floodgates are raised?
READING COMPREHENSION · 信息图表探究
4. At what flood level does water begin inundating the lowest parts of Venice (like Piazza San Marco)?
READING COMPREHENSION · 信息图表探究
5. How is water removed from the hollow steel gates to allow them to rise to the surface?
Reading Skill Part A: Literal vs. Figurative (P.82)
READING SKILL · 字面与比喻辨析
1. 'flooding' in Paragraph A is used:
READING SKILL · 字面与比喻辨析
2. 'flood' (of tourists) in Paragraph B is used:
READING SKILL · 字面与比喻辨析
3. 'foundations' in Paragraph E is used:
READING SKILL · 字面与比喻辨析
4. 'elevated' (water levels) in Paragraph G is used:
READING SKILL · 字面与比喻辨析
5. 'defender' in Paragraph K is used:
READING SKILL · 字面与比喻辨析
6. 'eggplant' in Paragraph N is used:
READING SKILL · 字面与比喻辨析
7. 'wounds' in Paragraph O is used:
READING SKILL · 字面与比喻辨析
8. 'bruised' in Paragraph Q is used:
Reading Skill Part B: Interpreting Figurative Excerpts (P.82)
READING SKILL · 修辞意图深析
1. 'Neither land nor water, the city lifts like a mirage from a lagoon...' means:
READING SKILL · 修辞意图深析
2. 'a man who raises the level of political intellect to just short of the stratosphere' means:
READING SKILL · 修辞意图深析
3. 'surged, schools, snapping up, wake' describes tourists as:
READING SKILL · 修辞意图深析
4. Calling Venice a 'theme park for the rich' implies that:
📚 4A 核心词汇精讲 (Target Vocabulary)
framev./freɪm/
设陷阱；给…加框；表达
to produce the false evidence against an innocent person; express or enclose
Nowhere in Italy is there a crisis more beautifully framed than in Venice.
inflictv./ɪnˈflɪkt/
予以打击；施加（伤害、惩罚）
to cause something unpleasant or painful to be suffered by someone or something
Transporting millions of tons of goods annually inflicts significant damage on the local environment.
elevatev./ˈelɪveɪt/
举起；提高；提升
to raise to a more important or higher level or position
He is a man who raises the level of political intellect to just short of the stratosphere, elevating the public debate.
implementv./ˈɪmplɪment/
实施；执行；贯彻
to put a plan or system into operation
Strict laws have been implemented to protect fragile Alpine valleys from excessive traffic.
inadequateadj./ɪnˈædɪkwət/
不充分的；不足的；不合格的
not good enough or too low in quality or quantity
The city's infrastructure is inadequate to handle the immense flood of summer day-trippers.
so-calledadj./ˌsəʊˈkɔːld/
所谓的；号称的
used to show that the name given to something is not correct or suitable
The so-called hit-and-run tourists spend very little money in local shops while crowding the streets.
maximizev./ˈmæksɪmaɪz/
使最大化；极大利用
to make something as great in amount, size, or importance as possible
Short-term landlords aim to maximize profit by converting residential apartments into holiday rentals.
sentimentaladj./ˌsentɪˈmentl/
感伤的；多愁善感的；有怀旧情感的
giving too much importance to emotions rather than reason
Venetians hold deep sentimental attachments to their neighborhood bakeries and traditional workshops.
complementv. / n./ˈkɒmplɪment/
补充；与…相辅相成；补足物
to help make something or someone seem better or more complete when combined with them
A carefully managed cultural policy could complement tourism rather than being overwhelmed by it.
imposev./ɪmˈpəʊz/
强加；征税；强制实施
to officially force a rule, tax, or punishment to be obeyed or received
The municipal council decided to impose an entry fee on day tourists to curb overcrowding.
🎯 4A 词汇实战练习 (Vocabulary Practice)
Part A: Completion (P.83)
Part B: Definitions & Usage (P.83)
Part C: Word Link - Complement vs Compliment (P.83)
词汇练习得分: 0 / 14 题
Vocabulary Practice Part A: Completion (P.83)
VOCABULARY PRACTICE · 语境选词
1. A popular image consists of cowbells and quiet villages ________ against a background of snow-capped mountains.
VOCABULARY PRACTICE · 语境选词
2. Transporting millions of tons of goods annually ________ significant damage on the local alpine environment.
VOCABULARY PRACTICE · 语境选词
3. The ________ levels of noise and air pollution are thought to have affected the health of Alpine residents.
VOCABULARY PRACTICE · 语境选词
4. Strict transport laws have been ________ to limit heavy truck traffic in sensitive mountain passes.
VOCABULARY PRACTICE · 语境选词
5. Environmentalists argue that simple bans are completely ________ to solve the escalating crisis.
Vocabulary Practice Part B: Definitions & Usage (P.83)
VOCABULARY PRACTICE · 词义辨析
1. Which word refers to something widely referred to by a particular name, often incorrectly or with skepticism?
VOCABULARY PRACTICE · 词义辨析
2. Which verb means 'to make something as great in amount, size, or efficiency as possible'?
VOCABULARY PRACTICE · 词义辨析
3. Which adjective describes feelings influenced strongly by nostalgia, emotion, or romance rather than cold logic?
VOCABULARY PRACTICE · 词义辨析
4. Which word means 'to combine with or add to something in a way that enhances or completes it'?
VOCABULARY PRACTICE · 词义辨析
5. Which verb means 'to officially establish and force a tax, penalty, or restrictive regulation on people'?
Vocabulary Practice Part C: Word Link (P.83)
VOCABULARY PRACTICE · 易混词拓展
1. The mayor ________ the architect on the innovative modern design of the community museum.
VOCABULARY PRACTICE · 易混词拓展
2. Fresh local seafood dishes and crisp white wine ________ each other perfectly.
VOCABULARY PRACTICE · 易混词拓展
3. The new electric water buses are an ideal ________ to the existing historic gondolas.
VOCABULARY PRACTICE · 易混词拓展
4. He graciously accepted their generous ________ on his outstanding historical preservation work.
🏆 4A 学习通关打卡与证书
Reading Explorer 5 · Unit 4A 通关证明
恭喜完成《CITY UNDER SIEGE》课文精读、审辩思维分析与词汇挑战。
0 / 38 题