Unit 5 Traveling abroad reading课时作业

第一节 阅读理解

　　Hilversum is a medium-sized city between the major cities of Amsterdam and Utrecht in the Gooi area of North Holland, the Netherlands. Unlike most of the Netherlands, Hilversum is actually in a hilly area with the soil mostly consisting of sand. Once called the Garden of Amsterdam, it still attracts travelers to come over to cycle and walk through the surrounding forests. They visit it for a relaxing day off from the urban madness. For Dutch people, Hilversum is all about textile(纺织)and media industries, and modern architecture.

　　In history, Hilversum was largely an agricultural area. Daily life was marked by farming, sheep raising and wool production. A railway link to Amsterdam in 1874 attracted rich traders from Amsterdam to Hilversum. They built themselves large villas(别墅)in the wooded surroundings of the town. One of the families moving in was the Brenninkmeijers, currently the wealthiest family of the Netherlands. They moved in after big success in the textile industry and aided a substantial textile industry in Hilversum. But the textile boom lasted only several decades. The last factory closed in the 1960s.

　　The change to a media economy started in 1920, when the Nederlandse Seintoestellen Fabriek(NSF)established a radio factory in Hilversum. Most radio stations settled in the large villas in the leafy areas of the town. Television gave another push to the local economy. Hilversum became the media capital of the Netherlands, and Dutch television stars moved into the leafy neighborhoods surrounding the town.

In the early 1900s, modern architects W. M. Dudok and J. Duiker placed hundreds of remarkable buildings in Hilversum. These modern architectural masterpieces(杰作)are so many that Hilversum almost feels like an open air museum. Dudok alone shaped most of 20th century Hilversum and approximately 75 buildings still bear his unique characteristics. His masterpiece, Hilversum Town Hall, was built