Stinking buses jam （挤满） the crowded street. Drivers （1） at one another and honk （鸣喇叭） their horns. Smog （烟雾） hurts the eyes and chokes （窒息） the senses. The （2） is Athens at rush hour. The city is in a sorry state of affairs, built （3） a plan, lacking even adequate sewerage facilities （排水设施）, its 135 square miles packed with 3.7 million people.

So great has been the population flow toward the city that neighboring villages stand （4） or nearly so. About 120,000 people from distant provinces move to Athens every year. The migrants come for the few available （5）, which are usually no better than the ones they ran away from. At the current （6） of migration, Athens by the year 2000 will have a population of 6.5 million, more than half the nation.

Aside from overcrowding and poor public transport, the biggest （7） facing Athenians are noise and pollution. A government study （8） that Athens was the noisiest city in the world. Smog is almost at killing levels: up to four times the level that the World Health Organization considers safe. Nearly half the pollution comes from cars. （9） high prices for vehicles and fuel, nearly 100,000 automobiles are sold in Greece each year: 3,000 drivers' licenses are （10） in Athens monthly.

After decades of neglect, Athens is at （11） getting some attention. In March a government meeting was held to discuss a plan to make the city （12） and clean up its environment. A save-Athens ministry will propose heavy taxes to （13） immigration and a minimum of $5 billion in public spending for Athens alone. A master plan that will move many government offices to the city's （14） is already in the works. Meanwhile, more Greeks （15） moving into Athens. With few parks and few oxygen-producing plants, the city and its citizens are literally suffocating （窒息）.

1 A shout B cry C curse D attack

2 A camera B scene C scenery D site

3 A with B without C for D on

4 A vacant B crowded C lonely D alone

5 A works B qualifications C titles D jobs