Cities usually have a good reason for being where they are, like a nearby port or river. People settle in these places because they are easy to get to and naturally suited to communications and trade. New York City, for example, is near a large harbour at the mouth of the Hudson River. Over 300 years its population grew gradually from 800 people to 8 million. But not all cities develop slowly over a long period of time. Boom towns grow from nothing almost overnight. In 1896, Dawson, Canada, was unmapped wilderness(荒野). But gold was discovered there in 1897, and two years later, it was one of the largest cities in the West, with a population of 30,000.
城市通常有它们所在位置的良好理由，比如附近的港口或河流。人们选择在这些地方定居，因为它们便于到达，自然适合通讯和贸易。例如，纽约市位于哈德逊河口附近的一个大港口。在300多年的时间里，它的人口逐渐从800人增长到800万。但并非所有城市都是经过长时间慢慢发展起来的。繁荣城镇几乎是一夜之间从无到有地发展起来的。1896年，加拿大的道森还是一片未被标记的荒野。但在1897年那里发现了金子，两年后，它成为了西部最大的城市之一，人口达到了3万。

Dawson did not have any of the natural conveniences of cities like London or Paris. People went there for gold. They travelled over snow-covered mountains and sailed hundreds of miles up icy rivers. The path to Dawson was covered with thirty feet of wet snow that could fall without warming. An avalanche(雪崩) once closed the path, killing 63 people. For many who made it to Dawson, however, the rewards were worth the difficult trip. Of the first 20,000 people who dug for gold, 4,000 got rich. About 100 of these stayed rich men for the rest of their lives.
道森没有像伦敦或巴黎这样的城市所具备的自然便利条件。人们去那里是为了金子。他们穿越覆盖着雪的山脉，航行数百英里穿过冰冷的河流。通往道森的道路被三十英尺厚的湿雪覆盖，这种雪可以在不融化的情况下连续下落。一次雪崩封闭了道路，导致63人死亡。然而，对于许多到达道森的人来说，奖励是值得艰难的旅程的。在最初的2万名淘金者中，有4000人变得富有。大约有100人从此成为了终身富翁。

But no matter how rich they were, Dawson was never comfortable. Necessities like food and wood were very expensive. But soon, the gold that Dawson depended on had all been found. The city was crowded with disappointed people with no interest in settling down, and when they heard there were new gold discoveries in Alaska, they left Dawson City as quickly as they had come. Today, people still come and go — to see where the Canadian gold rush happened. Tourism is now the chief industry of Dawson City — its present population is 762.
但无论他们多么富有，道森从未舒适过。像食物和木材这样的必需品非常昂贵。但很快，道森所依赖的金子都被找到了。这个城市挤满了失望的人，他们对定居没有兴趣，当他们听说阿拉斯加有新的金子发现时，他们就像来时一样迅速地离开了道森市。今天，人们仍然来来往往——来看看加拿大淘金热发生的地方。旅游业现在是道森市的主要产业——其现在的人口是762。

1. What attracted the early settlers to New York City?
   A. Its business culture.
   B. Its small population.
   C. Its geographical position.
   D. Its favourable climate.
   答案：C

2. What do we know about those who first dug for gold in Dawson?
   A. Two-thirds of them stayed there.
   B. One out of five people got rich.
   C. Almost everyone gave up.
   D. Half of them died.
   答案：B

3. What was the main reason for many people to leave Dawson?
   A. They found the city too crowded.
   B. They wanted to try their luck elsewhere.
   C. They were unable to stand the winter.
   D. They were short of food.
   答案：B

4. What is the text mainly about?
   A. The rise and fall of a city.
   B. The gold rush in Canada.
   C. Journeys into the wilderness.
   D. Tourism in Dawson.
   答案：A