When was the last time you used a phone booth (电话亭) on the street? With the rise of mobile phones, they have become something out of date. But Shanghai is trying to bring new life to the old phone booths by turning them into mini-libraries.

Shanghai plans to divide 263 phone booths in Xuhui district into six new kinds. One kind will each offer 60 books for people to read or borrow. A second kind will allow users to listen to audiobooks (有声读物) and even record their own voices. A third kind will become " Celebrity Exhibition Halls (名人亭) ", showing old photos and works of famous artists like Ba Jin and Zhang Leping.

Shanghai is not the only city trying to save the old phone booths. The British care about them-even more, because the red phone booths have long been a part of the country's identity (特征). The world's first phone booth was built in the 1880s in Germany. But in the 1930s the UK painted them red and made them a special attraction (吸引人的事物) in cities. People from other cities usually stopped to watch them.

In recent years the country has come up with many ideas to help phone booths stay useful. The UK company British Telecom has added screens and free Wi-Fi to some booths. Users can use them to surf online and search for maps and weather reports. People are also allowed to rent (租用) some booths to change them as they want to. Since 2009, more than l, 500 phone booths have been turned into flower shops, mini-cafes, art museums and even shower rooms. Maybe in the future phone booths will become city attractions once again, but in a more creative way.

1.What will the phone booths in Shanghai be used as?

A. Internet halls. B. Special attractions.

C. Small libraries. D. Exhibition windows.

2.In which country was the first phone booth built?

A. China. B. UK. C. America. D. Germany.

3.In UK, people may find a phone booth to ______.

A. have some coffee B. borrow some books

C. create city attractions D. see some famous people

4.What is the main idea of the last paragraph?

A. The British can buy flowers from a phone booth.

B. The British have new ways to reuse phone booths.

C. The phone booths in UK have been useless for years.

D. If you want to take a shower in UK, enter a phone booth.

5.What is the best title for the passage?

A. Phone booths repaired in Shanghai B. Street phone booths given new life

C. Development of phone booths in UK D. Rise of phone booths across the world

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