4.30 考研英语阅读题源外刊模拟试题【难度8.3】彭博社:马德里 V.S. 巴塞罗那

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本篇 Flesch–Kincaid 可读性指标评分为 8.0，综合阅读难度评分为8.5

Section II Reading Comprehension 

Part A 

Directions: Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D. Mark your answers on the ANSWER SHEET. 

Text 3

As cities worldwide grapple with housing shortages, Spain’s two largest urban centers are taking sharply different approaches. Madrid is betting on large-scale construction and lower taxes, while Barcelona is leaning far more on regulation to curb prices, including a ban on short-term rentals. Despite strong economic growth and job creation, both cities are struggling to ease housing pressures, underscoring a broader failure to accommodate a rising urban population.

On April 21, Spain’s socialist-led government announced a national housing plan promising €7 billion in investment through 2030. The funding would be used to create housing for sale or rent at below-market rates—a sector that accounts for around 3% of the total in Spain, compared to an EU average of 8%. Regions governed by the opposition, led by Madrid, immediately criticized the plan as interventionist and an infringement on regional powers. The policy’s defenders nonetheless insist that some rebalance is necessary.

“It’s a cultural problem,” said Jaime Palomera, an academic at the Barcelona Institute for Urban Research. “It is very difficult to create affordable housing if what is a constitutional right is left to private asset managers seeking high returns. Affordable housing requires long-term investment with lower yields. That makes it hard to solve the problem.”

Housing has become a central political issue in Spain. The country currently faces a shortfall of about 700,000 homes, but the crisis is unevenly distributed. Madrid and Barcelona are expanding as the influx of migrants boosts population growth, while millions of homes remain vacant in the depopulated countryside. The urban pressure is reflected in climbing prices. Renters are feeling the strain: while experts consider it reasonable to spend no more than 35% of income on housing, renters must allocate an average of 38% in Madrid, and 42% in Barcelona, with proportions paid by low-income tenants likely much higher.

When it comes to finding solutions, neither city has cracked the code. Catalonia was the first region to implement Spain’s 2023 housing law, which caps rent increases—a policy Madrid has rejected as an ineffective intervention. The early results appear to favor Barcelona. It is the only major Spanish city where rents are falling, down 1.5% in February from a year earlier, while nationwide rents rose 7.8%.

“Housing, traditionally seen as a place to live, has become a financial asset. To ensure it serves a residential purpose, we have to intervene in the market and increase protected housing,” said Silvia Paneque, Catalonia’s housing minister. Beyond rent caps, Barcelona aims to double its proportion of public housing by 2045 and offer interest-free loans for down payments. Furthermore, the city will enact Europe’s most aggressive policy restricting tourist rentals, widely associated with platforms like Airbnb, including a total ban effective in 2028. “The private sector has to understand that the way it makes money will be different. Above all, it will be lower,” Mayor Jaume Collboni noted.

The downside is that Barcelona lags in construction. Bureaucratic hurdles, geographical limitations between the sea and mountains, and lower profitability compared with Madrid are holding back new developments. Critics also argue that rent controls distort the market. “Whenever there is a rule, there will be an escape mechanism,” said Isabella Becerra, an economist. “What works are tax incentives and construction.”

Madrid, by contrast, has rejected rent controls and leaned heavily on ambitious construction targets. The Madrid Region aims to build up to 300,000 homes over the next 15 years. “There is not a single city in Europe that will build as much housing in the coming years,” Mayor José Luis Martínez Almeida boasted, outlining plans to streamline approvals and release land. For now, however, prices in Madrid continue to rise faster than in Barcelona, highlighting that urban development timelines mean results can only be judged over the long term.

31. Why did the Madrid-led opposition criticize the national housing plan?
[A] It constitutes an unwarranted interference in regional governance.
[B] It prioritizes high-yield returns for private asset managers.
[C] It infringes upon the constitutional rights of property owners.
[D] It fails to meet the 8% EU average for below-market rate housing.

32. According to Paragraph 4, what intensifies the housing crisis in major Spanish cities?
[A] The disproportionate distribution of the country's vacant homes.
[B] The influx of migrants driving urban population growth.
[C] The reluctance of low-income tenants to relocate to the countryside.
[D] The strict 35% income limit imposed on urban renters.

33. Silvia Paneque and Jaume Collboni would most likely agree that ________.[A] the private sector should be completely excluded from housing investments
[B] rent caps will inevitably lead to a drastic drop in property values
[C] housing should be de-financialized to serve its fundamental residential purpose
[D] tourist rentals are the sole cause of the current housing shortage

34. What is the implication of Isabella Becerra's remark "Whenever there is a rule, there will be an escape mechanism" (Paragraph 7)?
[A] Bureaucratic hurdles can be easily bypassed by large developers.
[B] Geographical limitations naturally restrict the expansion of urban rules.
[C] Strict regulations successfully force investors to seek alternative markets.
[D] Rent control policies often fail to achieve their intended outcomes.

35. Which of the following is the best title for the text?
[A] How Rent Control is Reshaping Spain's Real Estate Market
[B] Madrid vs. Barcelona: Two Paths to Tackle Housing Shortages
[C] The Failure of Spain's National Housing Investment Plan
[D] Urban Population Boom: An Imminent Threat to European Cities

附注：根据历年考研英语真题阅读题源外刊等，摘选最新文章，模拟仿真出题。

参考答案见以下。

Quick look: ABCDB

31.【正确答案】A
【解析】题型：事实细节题
定位： 第二段第三句“Regions governed by the opposition, led by Madrid, immediately criticized the plan as interventionist and an infringement on regional powers.”（以马德里为首的反对派执政地区立即批评该计划是干涉主义，是对地区权力的侵犯。）
分析： 原文明确指出，反对派批评该国家住房计划的原因在于它具有“干涉主义（interventionist）”色彩，并且是对“地区权力（regional powers）”的侵犯。选项 A“它构成了对区域治理的不当干涉（unwarranted interference in regional governance）”是对原文的精准同义转述。
干扰项：[B] 优先考虑私人资产管理者的高收益回报，这是第三段学者指出的“当前的问题”，而非反对派批评该计划的原因；[C] 侵犯了财产所有者的宪法权利，原文只提到住房是一项“宪法权利”，未提侵犯财产权；[D] 未能达到欧盟8%的低于市场价住房平均水平，这是目前的现状背景，不是反对派批评该政策的理由。

32.【正确答案】B
【解析】题型：事实细节题
定位： 第四段第三句“Madrid and Barcelona are expanding as the influx of migrants boosts population growth, while millions of homes remain vacant in the depopulated countryside.”（马德里和巴塞罗那正在扩张，因为移民的涌入促进了人口增长，而人口减少的农村地区却有数百万套房屋空置。）
分析： 题目询问是什么加剧了西班牙主要城市的住房危机。原文指出，马德里和巴塞罗那的扩张与住房压力，是由于“移民的涌入促进了人口增长（the influx of migrants boosts population growth）”。选项 B“推动城市人口增长的移民涌入”直接对应原文。
干扰项：[A] 也是造成全国危机的背景（分布不均），但这属于农村现象，非“大城市住房危机加剧”的直接原因；[C] 低收入租户不愿搬到乡下，属于无中生有；[D] 对城市租户施加了严格的35%收入限制，原文是说专家认为花费“不超过35%”是“合理的”，并非一项强制执行的限制。

33.【正确答案】C
【解析】题型：观点态度/推理判断题
定位： 第六段。加泰罗尼亚住房部长 Paneque 说：“住房传统上被视为居住的地方，现在却成了一项金融资产。为了确保它服务于居住目的，我们必须干预市场……”（To ensure it serves a residential purpose, we have to intervene...）。巴塞罗那市长 Collboni 则表示，私营部门必须明白“其赚钱的方式将会改变。最重要的是，赚的钱会更少（it will be lower）”。
分析： 两位官员的核心观点都是反对将住房过度视为追逐高额利润的金融工具，主张通过干预手段（如限制租金、限制旅游租赁）让住房回归其居住的本质，同时压低私营部门在住房上的过高利润。选项 C“住房应该去金融化，以服务于其基本的居住目的（de-financialized to serve its fundamental residential purpose）”完美高度概括了这两位政策制定者的共同立场。
干扰项：[A] 私营部门应被完全排除在住房投资之外，市长明确表示“Investment? Yes. Private sector? Also.”（欢迎投资，也欢迎私营部门），只是利润会变低，并未完全排除；[B] 租金上限不可避免地会导致房地产价值大幅下降，原文未提及；[D] 旅游租赁是当前住房短缺的唯一原因，“唯一原因（sole cause）”表述过于绝对。

34.【正确答案】D
【解析】题型：句意推断题
定位： 第七段第三、四句“Critics also argue that rent controls distort the market. ‘Whenever there is a rule, there will be an escape mechanism,’ said Isabella Becerra, an economist.”
分析： 经济学家 Isabella Becerra 的这句话直译为：“只要有规则，就会有逃避机制。”这句话出现在“批评者认为租金管制会扭曲市场”的语境下，暗示政府出台了管制政策后，市场上的人总会找到漏洞或规避的方法，从而使政策失效。选项 D“租金管制政策往往无法达到其预期效果”准确揭示了这句话的经济学言外之意。
干扰项：[A] 官僚障碍很容易被大型开发商绕过，偏离了对“租金管制（rent controls）”的讨论；[B] 地理限制自然限制了城市规则的扩张，地理限制是前文提到巴塞罗那建设落后的原因，与“规则逃避机制”无关；[C] 严格的法规成功迫使投资者寻找替代市场，原文强调的是规避规则，而非成功挤走投资者。

35.【正确答案】B
【解析】题型：主旨大意题
定位： 全文逻辑结构。
分析： 文章开篇点题：“在应对住房短缺问题上，西班牙最大的两个城市采取了截然不同的方法。”随后全文采用对比结构：巴塞罗那（及其所在的加泰罗尼亚地区）倾向于“市场管制”（限制租金、禁止旅游短租）；而马德里倾向于“扩大供给”（拒绝管制，大力建房减税）。全文都在探讨这两种路径的博弈与利弊。选项 B“马德里 VS 巴塞罗那：应对住房短缺的两条道路”最全面、最精准地概括了全文。
干扰项：[A] 租金管制如何重塑西班牙房地产市场，只概括了巴塞罗那的做法，忽略了马德里；[C] 西班牙国家住房投资计划的失败，该计划仅在第二段提及，并非全文主旨；[D] 城市人口激增：欧洲城市的迫在眉睫的威胁，范围过大，本文核心聚焦于西班牙两个城市的“应对政策”对比。

【词汇注释】

【参考译文】

随着全球各地的城市都在努力应对住房短缺问题，西班牙最大的两个城市正采取截然不同的方法。马德里把赌注押在扩大规模建设和降低税收上，而巴塞罗那则更倾向于通过监管来遏制价格，包括禁止短期租赁。尽管经济增长和就业创造强劲，但这两个城市都在艰难地缓解住房压力，这突显出在容纳不断增长的城市人口方面存在着更广泛的失败。

4月21日，由社会党领导的西班牙政府宣布了一项国家住房计划，承诺到2030年投资70亿欧元。这笔资金将用于创造低于市场价格出售或出租的住房——这一领域目前约占西班牙住房总量的3%，而欧盟的平均水平为8%。以马德里为首的反对派执政地区立即批评该计划是干涉主义，是对地区权力的侵犯。尽管如此，该政策的捍卫者仍坚称，某种程度的重新平衡是必要的。

“这是一个文化问题，”巴塞罗那城市研究所的学者海梅·帕洛梅拉（Jaime Palomera）说。“如果一项宪法权利被交给追求高回报的私人资产管理者，那么创造经济适用房就变得非常困难。经济适用房需要收益率较低的长期投资。这使得问题很难解决。”

住房已成为西班牙的一个核心政治问题。根据西班牙央行的数据，该国目前面临约70万套房屋的短缺，但危机分布并不均匀。由于移民的涌入促进了人口增长，马德里和巴塞罗那正在扩张，而在人口减少的农村地区，却有数百万套房屋空置。这种城市压力反映在随着供应滞后而不断攀升的价格上。租房者感受到了压力：虽然专家认为将不超过收入的35%用于住房是合理的，但租房者在马德里平均必须分配38%的收入，在巴塞罗那则高达42%，而低收入租户支付的比例可能要高得多。

在寻找解决危机的方案时，这两个城市都还没能找到万全之策。加泰罗尼亚是第一个实施西班牙2023年住房法的地区，该法律限制了租金的上涨——马德里则拒绝了这一政策，认为这是无效的干预。初步结果似乎对巴塞罗那有利。它是西班牙唯一一个租金正在下降的主要城市（2月份同比下降1.5%），而全国租金则上涨了7.8%。

“住房传统上被视为居住的地方，现在却成了一项金融资产。为了确保它服务于居住目的，我们必须干预市场并增加受保护的住房，”加泰罗尼亚住房部长西尔维娅·帕内克（Silvia Paneque）说。除了租金上限，巴塞罗那的目标是到2045年将其公共住房的比例翻一番，并为首套房年轻买家提供首付无息贷款。此外，该市将实施欧洲最激进的限制旅游租赁的政策（在西班牙通常与爱彼迎等平台相关），包括在2028年全面生效的禁令。“私营部门必须明白，其赚钱的方式将会改变。最重要的是，赚的钱会更少，”市长豪梅·科尔博尼（Jaume Collboni）指出。

不利的一面是，巴塞罗那在建设方面落后。官僚障碍、海洋与山脉之间的地理限制，以及与马德里相比较低的盈利能力，都在阻碍新的开发。批评者还认为，租金管治扭曲了市场。“只要有规则，就会有逃避机制，”经济学家伊莎贝拉·贝塞拉（Isabella Becerra）说。“真正起作用的是税收优惠和建设。”

相比之下，马德里拒绝了租金管制，并严重依赖雄心勃勃的建设目标。马德里大区计划在未来15年内建造多达30万套房屋。“未来几年，欧洲没有一个城市会建造这么多住房，”市长何塞·路易斯·马丁内斯-阿尔梅达（José Luis Martínez Almeida）夸口说，并概述了精简审批和释放土地的计划。然而，就目前而言，马德里的房价上涨速度仍然快于巴塞罗那，这凸显了城市发展的时间线意味着结果只能在长期内来评判。

附注：

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