American cities are similar to other cities around the world. In every country cities reflect the values of the culture. Cities contain the very best aspects of a society: opportunities for education employment and entertainment. They also contain the very worst parts of a society: violent crime racial conflict and poverty. American cities are changing just as American society is changing. After World War II city residents became wealthier more prosperous. They had more children. They needed more space. They move out of their apartments in the city to buy their own homes. They bought houses in the suburbs areas near a city where people live. These are areas without many offices or factories. During the 1950s the American "dream" was to have a house in the suburbs. Now things are changing. The children of the people who left the cities in 1950s are now adults. They unlike their parents want to live in the cities. Many young professionals doctors lawyers and executives are moving back into the city. Many are single; others are married but often without children. They prefer the city to the suburbs because their jobs are there; they are afraid of the fuel shortage; or they just enjoy the excitement and opportunities which the city offers. This population shift is bringing problems as well as benefits. Countless poor 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 people do not have enough money to stay in the cities. Only a few years ago, people thought that the older American cities were dying. Some city residents now see a bright , new future .Others see only problems and conflicts. One thing is sure:many dying cities are alive again. According to the 4 th paragragh, a great many poor people in American cities _ . A) are faced with housing problems B) are faced to move to the suburbs C) want to sell their buildings D) need more money for daily expenses
A
It was Thanksgiving morning and in the crowded kitchen of my small home I was busy preparing the traditional Thanksgiving turkey when the doorbell rang. I opened the front door and saw two small children in rags huddling together. "Any old papers, lady?" asked one of them. I was busy. I wanted to say "no" until I looked down at their feet. They were wearing thin little sandals, wet with heavy snow. "Come in and I'll make you a cup of hot cocoa." They walked over and sat down at the table. Their wet sandals left marks upon the floor. I served them cocoa and bread with jam to fight against the cold outside. Then I went back to the kitchen and started again on my household budget. The silence in the front room struck me. I looked in. The girl held the empty cup in her hands, looking at it. The boy asked in a flat voice, "Lady, are you rich?" I looked at my shabby slipcovers. The girl put her cup back in its saucer carefully and said, "Your cups match your saucers." Her voice was hungry with a need that no amount of food could supply. They left after that, holding their bundles of papers against the wind. They hadn't said "Thank you." They didn't need to. They had reminded me that I had so much for which to be grateful. Plain blue china cups and saucers were only worth five pence. But they matched. I tasted the potatoes and stirred the meat soup. Potatoes and brown meat soup, a roof over our heads, my man with a good steady job--these matched, too. I moved the chairs back from the fire and cleaned the living room. The muddy prints of small sandals were still wet upon my floor. Let them be for a while, I thought, just in case I should begin to forget how rich I am. The girl thought the writer was rich perhaps because _ . A) she saw that the lady's room was comfortable B) she saw the cups matched the saucers C) the writer's slipcovers were very new D) the writer was preparing a big meal while she was too hungry.
B
Q: "Jin's new collection of short stories...shows he could teach some native-born writers a few things about the beauty of spare prose and the power of a few well-chosen words." -- USA Today "Amusing...Realistic...Rarely has China seemed less exotic and more accessible...The stories have the air of fable ." --Los Angeles Times "A vivid picture...of Chinese society in the era just after the Cultural Revolution." -- Chicago Tribune "Brilliant...delightful...Ha Jin's customs, ideas and landscapes might be of an Eastern persuasion, but his writing communicates universally. Without being didactic or condescending, these stories often resemble modern fables..." --Star Tribune (Minneapolis) "Beautifully understated short stories of life in modern China. Some of them are likely to break your heart." --People "A short story collection that offers readers...a dozen ways to enter the changing landscape of modern China...No one has ever captured the collision between the Communist society and the western culture quite like Ha Jin." --Baton Rouge Magazine "Los Angeles Times", "USA Today" and "Star Tribune (Minneapolis)" are the names of _ . A) newspapers and magazines B) different places in America C) different organizations that sell books. D) book critics.
A: A
Q: Skeptics are a strange lot. Some of them refuse to admit the serious threat of human activities to the environment, and they are tired of people who disagree with them. Those people, say skeptics, spread nothing but bad news about the environment. The "eco-guilt" brought on by the discouraging news about our planet gives rise to the popularity of skeptics as people search for more comforting worldviews. Perhaps that explain why a new book by Bjorn Lomborg received so much publicity. That book, The Skeptical Environmentalist, declares that it measures the "real state of the world" as fine. Of course, another explanation is the deep pockets some big businesses with special interests. Indeed, Mr. Lomborg's views are similar to those of some Industry-funded organizations, which start huge activities though the media to confuse the public about issues like global warming. So it was strange to see Mr. Lomborg's book go largely unchallenged in the media though his beliefs were contrary to most scientific opinions. One national newspaper in Canada ran a number of articles and reviews full of words of praise, even with the conclusion that "After Lomborg, the environmental movement will begin to die down." Such one-sided views should have immediately been challenged. But only a different review appeared in Nature, a respected science magazine with specific readership. The review remarked that Mr. Lomborg's "preference for unexamined materials is incredible ". A critical eye is valuable, and the media should present information in such a way that could allow people to make informed decisions. Unfortunately, that is often inaccessible as blocked by the desire to be shocking or to defend some special interests. People might become half-blind before a world partially exhibited by the media. That's a shame, because matters concerning the health of the planet are far too important to be treated lightly. Which of the following can be a reason for the popularity of Lomborg's books? A) Some big businesses intend to protect their own interests. B) The book challenges views about the fine state of the world. C) The author convinces people to seek comforting worldviews. D) Industry-funded media present confusing information.
A: A