资料：Arewalkerssmarterthandriver-名校题库网

资料：Are walkers smarter than drivers?

A report published last month says metropolitan areas in the United States that were found to be more pedestrian-friendly also often had higher levels of GDP -and their citizens were better educated.

The study was conducted by Smart Growth America, an urban advocacy group based in the District of Columbia. It looked at the 30 biggest metro zones in the US, and ranked them by how much office, retail, and residential area was conducive to walking.

The question is, why? Do brainier people just like to walk and not drive? It's a complicated answer. What we don't know is whether walkable places attract educated people, or whether educated people move to certain places that then become more walkable.

That's not all: Education levels aren't just higher in walkable cities. GDP is, too. The gap between the highest and lowest urban metros by GDP in the study is a chasm of 49%, which scholar calls a "first and second world gap. This is serious stuff."

Of course, correlation doesn't equal causation. There's not enough data to definitively say why these urban areas are filled with educated people. But it's definitely a starting point for conversation: Many socioeconomic and generational trends the world over could help explain why university graduates gravitate toward crowded, subway-lined metropolises these days. In fact, such an intellectual influx has started to change the entire faces of some urban areas.

Increased urbanization isn't the only reason car-eschewing cities see smarter citizens. Young people play a role, too. Millennials-those born between around 1981 and 1996-are the most educated generation in history. Nearly half of them hold a bachelor's degree or higher. They're also all moving to cities, unlike their parents. These spikes in the workforce translate into metros with higher GDP and higher overall education levels.

What's the article mainly about?

A.Different choices of transportation
B.Increased urbanization
C.The correlation between education levels and GDP
D.A study conducted by an urban advocacy group

查看答案纠错

答案： D

本题解析：

本题考查的是主旨大意。

【关键词】article mainly about

【主题句】第2自然段The study was conducted by Smart Growth America, an urban advocacy group based in the District of Columbia. It looked at the 30 biggest metro zones in the US, and ranked them by how much office, retail, and residential area was conducive to walking.这项研究是由总部设在哥伦比亚特区的一个城市倡导组织Smart Growth America进行的。它调查了美国30个最大的地铁区，并根据有益于步行的办公区、零售区和住宅区的数量对它们进行排名。

【解析】本题的问题是“这篇文章的主要内容是什么？”。A选项“不同的交通选择”；B选项“城市化进程加快”；C选项“教育水平与GDP的相关性”；D选项“城市倡导团体进行的一项研究”。根据题目中关键词找到主题句，主题句中，提到了这是城市倡导组织进行的一项研究，故选D。