American cities are similar to other cities around the world; In every country.Cities reflect the values of the culture.American cities are changing, just as American society is changing.
After Wolld Wa Ⅱ,the population of most large American cities decreased; bowever.The populaton In omthe Sun Belt cities increased.Los Angeles and Houston are eitit where populatfon shife(转移)to and from the oity reflect the changing values of Amorican society.In the late 1940s and early 1950s,city residents(居民)became wealthier.They had more children so they needed more space, They moved out of their apartments in the city to buy their own homes.They bought houses in the suburbs(郊区).
Now things are changing.The children of the people who left the cities in the 1950s are now adults.Many, unlike their parents, want to live in the cities.They continue to move to Sun Belt cities and older ones of the Northeast and Midwest.Many young professionals are moving back into city.They prefer the city to the burbs because their jobs are there; or they jus enjoy the excitement and possibii that the city offers.
his people shift is bringing problems as well as benefits.Countless poot people must leave their apartments in the city because the owners want to sell the buildings or make apartments for sale instead of for rent.In the 1950s, many poor people did not have enough money to move to the suburbs; now many of these same people do not have enough money to stay in the cities.
Only a few years ago, people though that the older American cities were dying.Some city residents now see a bright, new fiture, Others see only problems and comfiels the thing is sure many dying cities are alive again.
(1)
What does the author think of cities all over the world?
[ ]
A.
They are alive.
B.
They are hopeless.
C.
They are similar.
D.
They are different.
(2)
Why did American city residents want to live in the suburbs after World War Ⅱ?
[ ]
A.
Because older American cities were dying.
B.
Because they were richer and needed more space.
C.
Because cities contained the wont pare of society.
D.
Because they could hardly afford a live in the city.
(3)
According to the 4th paragraph, a great many poor people in American cities ________.
[ ]
A.
are faced with housing problems
B.
are forced to move to the suburbs
C.
want to sell their buildings
D.
need more money for daily expenses
(4)
We ear comude from the text that ________.
[ ]
A.
American cities are changing far the worse
B.
people have different views on American cities
C.
many people are now moving from American cities
D.
the population is decreasing in older American cities
阅读理解
My father made a deal with me that he would match whatever I could come up with to buy my fir st car.From the time I wa s a saver.My allowance, back in tho se day s, wa s twenty five cent s a week.I grew up on a farm near a small town called Ventura.In tho se day s the area wa s mo stly agricultural.The climate wa s and still i s a s clo se to perfect a s you could get.I earned some of my money picking one crop or another.When I wa s about ten, a school friend' s family owned walnut orchard s(果园)and it wa s harve st time.She told me we could earn five dollar s for every bag of walnut s we picked.I certainly learned about picking walnut s that day.Not surprisingly, that wa s my fir st and la st time a s a walnut picker.
In 1960 my grandmother pa s sed away.She left me 100 share s of AT&T.One hundred share s of stock don't seem like much today but back then tho se share s paid me$240 per year in dividend s(利息).That wa s huge for a kid my age.
By the time I wa s seventeen.I had saved up $ 1, 300 and I knew exactly that I wanted.Ithink my father wa s somewhat suri sed when I announced I had saved up $ 1, 300 and wa s ready to buy my new car.I'll never forget the evening my father said, “Let' s go see about that car”.I wa s so excited.
My father could have ea sily ju st given me the car but he alway s in si sted that hi s children work for what they got.Thi s wa s not a bad thing.I learned self-reliance.Self-reliance i s equal to freedom.Now that I think about it I need to be thanking my father.
(1)
Which one of the following s didn't belong to the saving of $1, 300?
[ ]
A.
Weekly allowance.
B.
Her earning s by picking crop s.
C.
Share s left by grandma.
D.
Money earned from selling share s.
(2)
The underlined part in the second paragraph probably meant ________.
[ ]
A.
she didn't have the chance of picking walnut s
B.
enough money had been earned for her car
C.
the work wa s too hard for children like her
D.
she had no time to do that again for some rea son
(3)
We can know from the pa s sage the author got her car at the age of ________.
[ ]
A.
16
B.
17
C.
18
D.
19
(4)
The purpo se of the author' s father doing like that wa s to ________.