Direction: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.
A.increasing B.defend C.partially D.depriving
E.sharpened F.breaks G.endured H.granting
I.issues J.activate K.roughly |
Flood-hit Venice’s shrinking population faces mounting problems
Venetians(威尼斯人) are fed up with what they see as inadequate responses to the city’s mounting problems: record-breaking flooding, environmental and safety threats from cruise ship traffic and the burden on services from over-tourism.
They feel largely left to their own devices, with ever-fewer Venetians living in the historic part of the city to【小题1】its interests and keep it from becoming mainly a tourist land.
The historic flooding this week---marked by three floods over 1.5 meters (nearly 5 feet) and the highest in 53 years at 1.87 meters(6 feet, 1 inch)---has【小题2】calls to create an administration that recognizes the uniqueness of Venice, for both its concentration of treasures and its【小题3】vulnerability.
Flood damage has been【小题4】estimated at hundreds of millions of Euros (dollars), but the true range will only become clear with time. The frustration goes far beyond the failure to complete and【小题5】78 underwater barriers that were designed to prevent just the kind of damage that Venice has【小题6】this week. With the system not yet completed or even【小题7】tested after 16 years of work and 5 billion Euros ($5.5 billion) invested, many are suspicious it will even work.
At the public level, proposals for better administering the city including【小题8】some level of autonomy(自制) to Venice, already enjoyed by some Italian regions like Trentino-Alto-Adige with its German-speaking minority, or offering tax【小题9】to encourage Venice’s repopulation.
Just 53,000 people live in the historic part of the city that tourists know as Venice, down by a third from a generation ago and dropping by about 1,000 people a year. That means fewer people watching the neighborhood, monitoring for public maintenance【小题10】or neighbors in need. Many leave because of the increased expense or the daily difficulties in living in a city of canals, which can make even a simple errand a hard journey.
