A 2021 report from Habitat for Humanity International found that SDG 11.1 was actually regressing. We are seeing stagnation instead of progress toward the goal.
Governments must prioritize adequate housing, especially for those struggling to survive in today’s overcrowded settlements.
Here are three steps that governments — and leaders in both the public and private sectors — can take to alleviate this growing housing crisis:
1. Prioritize land tenure (占有) security
Ensure residents of informal settlements have secure rights to the land they inhabit.
This has already happened on a large scale in countries such as Honduras, where civil society organizations and governments came together to form diverse commissions that developed policy recommendations around housing and land, negotiating approval of the recommendations and then monitoring their implementation.
2.
For residents of Freetown’s informal settlements and countless other cities, traditional avenues of housing finance are simply not accessible.
3. Strengthen climate-resilient housing
We must act now to pave a stronger foundation for the more than 10 billion people expected to inhabit our cities by 2050. This starts with the urgent improvement of housing in rapidly expanding informal settlements worldwide. This long-overdue investment will more than pay for itself by building more prosperous and equitable communities for generations to come.
| A．Expand finance for housing |
| B．Revolutionize mortgage loans |
| C．Informal settlements are highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change |
| D．That means increasing financial commitments by an order of magnitude and making meaningful policy changes. |
| E．But the situation has changed a lot. |
| F．Through their technical assistance, more than 1 million people have improved access to their land rights |
| G．Microloans offer hope by providing individuals with the means to access capital for housing improvements and upgrades. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】It was a pleasant surprise to learn this week that three large poultry companies had greatly reduced their use of antibiotics in healthy chickens, a move that could help slow the appearance of antibiotic resistance in bacteria that cause diseases in humans. Other companies ought to follow the lead of these pioneers, and Congress ought to ban the use of medically important antibiotics in animal husbandry except to cure sick animals.
Strong action is needed because many germs that infect humans are growing resistant to treatment with antibiotics. Such resistance occurs unavoidably over time as antibiotic kills off vulnerable strains of a germ and leaves only the more resistant strains to multiply. But in recent decades the growth of resistance has been increased by overuse of antibiotics in agriculture, where companies routinely use the drugs to promote growth on less feed and to prevent disease in healthy animals. As a result, some germs that infect both animals and humans have become resistant to antibiotics, and even germs that do not infect humans are capable of transferring their antibiotic-resistance genes to germs that do.
That is why the report in Sunday's Times by Marian Burros was so encouraging. She found that three poultry companies that produce a third of the chickens consumed by Americans each year - Foster Farms, Perdue Farms and Tyson Foods — have greatly reduced the use of antibiotics in healthy chickens and are using them primarily to treat sick chickens.
There is no reason that other poultry producers could not do the same, and probably the pork and beef industries as well. It is unacceptable that any industry should use medically important antibiotics for the economic purpose of fostering growth. Congress and the Food and Drug Administration need to restrain the use of animal antibiotics that are related to human medicines.
1. it can be inferred from the first paragraph that _________ .| A．three poultry companies are forced to use fewer antibiotics |
| B．other companies have followed the practice of the pioneers |
| C．antibiotic resistance in bacteria may result in human disease |
| D．antibiotics are never needed in whatever kind of situations |
| A．is insignificant in disease prevention |
| B．is unavoidable in the poultry industry |
| C．decreases bacteria resistant to the antibiotics |
| D．threatens the effectiveness of related medicines |
| A．To illustrate how the three poultry companies use antibiotics |
| B．To emphasize the functions of antibiotics in animal husbandry |
| C．To show the author's prediction of the future use of antibiotics |
| D．To represent the decline in antibiotics use in the poultry industry |
| A．increase | B．limit | C．promote | D．restore |
| A．Intolerable | B．Favorable | C．Neutral | D．Ambiguous |
【推荐2】With the wide, application of the Internet, Uber, a new approach to your destination instead of taking an ordinary taxi, has become more popular recently. However, benefits won’t come without its fair share of drawbacks. The ride-sharing experience is about to get awkward.
Uber drivers are a part of the so-called sharing economy: They use their own vehicles, receive customer reviews via the app’s five-star rating system and make their own hours and choices. Unlike other services, Uber claimed that drivers all over the country could dearly alert customers that tipping is not included. Those drivers that expect to be tipped can make their wishes known. But the company is holding to its official no-tip-required line. “Once you arrive at your destination, your fare is automatically charged to your credit card on file－there’s no need to tip.” Although drivers value the freedom to push a button rather than punch a clock like ordinary taxi drivers, lack of a clear policy leaves Uber drivers m a vulnerable (脆弱的) and awkward position: If they ask a customer for a tip or put up a sign, that customer could give the driver a low star-rating, and the driver could finally be removed from the app.
But has the company done a good job working with customers? Some observers say that this new grey area for tipping will create awkwardness about whether they should tip or not. Providing an option to tip on an app sends a clear message to customers to reach into their pockets. According to Guinn’s 2015 survey of roughly 500 people, merely 30% people would be more likely to leave a tip if they were presented with a “no tip” button.
If the service is twice as expensive during a rain storm or public transport delay, the customer has the right not to tip, However, if the driver is extra helpful or avoids traffic to reach your destination in a more timely manner, you could give an extra tip, says Uber, who will leave tipping options in the hands of the consumer rather than the app.
1. According to the passage compared with taxi drivers, Uber drivers .| A．earn more money and respect | B．enjoy more freedom and chokes |
| C．record the miles while driving | D．give direct reviews to customers |
| A．Uber’s no-tip-required line is too strict to follow. |
| B．It’s up to customers to decide the drivers’ earnings. |
| C．There’s no specific and clear policy on tipping from Uber. |
| D．Uber drivers and customers can’t agree on how much to tip. |
| A．are not clear about how to tip via the app |
| B．tend to do as the “no tip” sign suggests- |
| C．tip because of Uber drivers’ good service |
| D．are awkward when provided with service |
| A．What Uber Cars Bring to Modem Life |
| B．How Uber Cars Benefit Uber Customers |
| C．Take or Not When Facing a Uber Car? |
| D．Tip or Not When Taking a Uber Car? |
【推荐3】In the United States, immigrants known as “dreamers” are affected by Deferred Action (暂缓遣返) for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).
The political cartoon shows a child in bed asking, “No monster in tonight, right?” and Trump is inside the closet peeking (窥视) out.
In another political cartoon, two kids are standing in front of a door and each says, “whites only” and “no Latinos” along with “new anti-immigrant laws”.
| A．Donald Trump often appears in political cartoons. |
| B．In a political cartoon, Donald Trump is portrayed as a monster. |
| C．The good news is that dreamers are fighting for their privileges. |
| D．The U. S. political system is obviously undergoing a dramatic change. |
| E．This is trying to put across the message that dreamers have fear for Trump. |
| F．It is a policy allowing children brought at a very young age to stay in the U. S. |
| G．In both cartoons, the children are facing discrimination and are being affected by political laws. |
【推荐1】This year is the year of the pig. Many people believe that pigs are naturally fat, lazy and dirty. But are any of those things true?
It is true that pigs eat a lot and are very fat, but they are useful to us. We get more than just pork from pigs. We can use their skin to make shoes. We can use their hair to make brushes. Pigs also provide us with something that can be used for drugs.
People sometimes say: “You are as stupid as a pig.” But pigs are not stupid. In fact, pigs are one of the 10 smartest animals. They have a good memory and can tell different shapes apart.
When you see pigs, they are usually in dirty water or mud. That’s because pigs have no sweat glands（汗腺）. On hot days, they have to cool themselves in water or mud. This keeps insects off them as well. Mud can also protect their skin from sunburns.
These stereotypes of pigs often make us dislike the animal. For example, if someone eats a lot, we say that they have “pigged out”. If someone’s room is very messy, we might say his or her room looks like a pigsty（猪圈）.
But people in China and many other countries really like pigs. In China, people think the pig’s big head and ears are a symbol of good luck. They also believe the animal stands for wealth, as humans use every part of the pig. Piggy banks are a symbol of this. Most children have a piggy bank that they can use to save money.
1. Paragraph 2 mainly tells us that pigs are of great ______.| A．use | B．quality |
| C．patience | D．influence |
| A．fat | B．lazy |
| C．busy | D．smart |
| A．象征 | B．偏见 |
| C．记忆 | D．性格 |
| A．Pigs stand for wealth. | B．Pigs are popular in banks. |
| C．Pigs bring us bad luck. | D．Pigs are children’s friends. |
| A．Pigs in China. | B．The truth about pigs. |
| C．Pigs in other countries. | D．Wrong ideas of pigs. |
【推荐2】By now it’s almost common knowledge that spending time in nature is good for you. Areas with more trees tend to be less polluted, so spending time there allows you to breathe easier. Spending time outdoors has been linked with reduced blood pressure and stress, and seems to motivate people to exercise more. So it’ll come as no surprise that there's research showing that spending time in nature is good, which has been known for thousands of years. There’s dozens of papers showing that.
University of Exeter Medical School researcher Mathew P. White said “We get this idea, patients are coming to us and they’re saying, ‘doctor, how long should I spend?’and the doctor is saying, I don’t really know.” So White and his team decided to find out by using data collected from nearly 20,000 people in England through the Monitor of Engagement with the Natural Environment Survey. And their answer? Two hours a week. People who spent at least that much time-either all at once or totaled over several shorter visits-were more likely to report good health and psychological well-being than those with no nature exposure. Remarkably, the researchers found that less than two hours offered no significant benefits.
So what’s so special about two hours? “ I have absolutely no idea. Really. We didn’t have an apriori（由因及果的）guess at what this would be. It emerged. And I’d be lying if I said we predicted this. I don’t know.” Even more noteworthy, the two-hour benchmark（基准）applied to men and women, to older and younger folks, to people from different ethnic backgrounds, occupational groups, socioeconomic levels and so on. Even people with long-term illnesses or disabilities benefited from time spent in nature—as long as it was at least 120 minutes per week.
While the findings are based on a tremendous number of people, nobody knows why or how nature has this benefit. “I want to be really clear about this. This is very early stages. We’re not saying everybody has to do 120. What research do we need to take this to the next step before doctors can have the true confidence to work with their patients? But it’ s certainly a starting point,” White said.
1. What is the first paragraph mainly about?| A．The benefits of spending time in nature. |
| B．The research of spending time in nature. |
| C．The characteristics of spending time in nature. |
| D．The common knowledge of spending time in nature. |
| A．The time spent in nature should be 2 hours a week all at once. |
| B．2 hours a week at least in nature is beneficial to whomever you are. |
| C．The time spent in nature should be 2 hours a week, no more, no less. |
| D．2 hours a week in nature is too long for people with long-term illnesses. |
| A．They will be in early stage. |
| B．They will be based on many people. |
| C．They will help all people go out in nature. |
| D．They will be improved and further research will be done. |
| A．A diary | B．A guidebook |
| C．A magazine | D．A novel |
【推荐3】Horrible imaginary themes in stories like Ready Player One. a science fiction film, represent the struggle between facing the real world and embracing a comforting illusion(幻觉). Some characters don't know that they're trapped in an artificial dream, while others knowingly choose fancy over reality.
In our digital age, this danger doesn't just exist in fiction. Whether we realize it or not, we're all becoming trapped in “filter bubbles” invisible mental cages built from our prejudices and desire for comfort.
We create this trap by doing things like exposing ourselves to politically-biased (偏见的) news and entertainment or surrounding ourselves with like-minded friends, Digital algorithms(算法)enhance our problem by learning what we like and filling our social media with opinion-confirming content. The result is a personalized daily environment that filters out contrary points of view.
We become fooled into believing that our opinions about complex issues are unquestionable. Meanwhile, the filter bubbles of those who disagree with us deceive them in the same way. This twisted view of reality weakens our thinking, damages our relationships and divides our societies. How can two people have a respectful open-minded discussion when they both believe that only a stupid or dishonest person would disagree with them?
Media algorithms are deepening our tendency to self-isolate by strengthening the false idea that our opinions are obviously true and moral. The internet is making us less like a global village and more like a sea of mental islands drifting further and further apart.
To get along with family, friends and fellow citizens, we must pop our filter bubbles. We can do this by developing meaningful relationships with people who think differently than us. This lets us experience the reality that people who believe “bad” things can be just as good and as intelligent as we are. We can also receive balanced information by consuming news and entertainment from different media.
Determining right from wrong is complicated. Living outside of our filter bubbles is less comfortable and takes effort, but the personal relational and societal benefits are rich.
1. What phenomenon does “filter bubbles” refer to according to the passage?| A．Horrible imaginary themes in stories. |
| B．Being trapped in a science fiction film. |
| C．Embracing the real world and illusion. |
| D．Being blind to other different opinions. |
| A．Digital algorithms predict what people like and provide plenty of contrary points of view. |
| B．People prefer to consume media that confirms their opinions and avoid opposite viewpoints. |
| C．The respectful open-minded people and like-minded ones believe each other stupid. |
| D．Media algorithms and the internet tend to produce a true, moral and virtual world. |
| A．To make friends with different kinds of people with different viewpoints. |
| B．To balance the information by consuming news or entertainment by themselves. |
| C．To appeal to the media companies to change the way they provide media. |
| D．To put the responsibility on individual consumers to make choices about the media. |
| A．Stupid Prejudices | B．Digital Algorithms | C．Filter Bubbles | D．Digital Media |
