【推荐1】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(种族) conflict and poverty. American cities are changing just as American society is changing.     　　
After World War II city residents became wealthier. 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(主管人员) 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(转变) 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 for 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 worst parts of society.

D．Because they could hardly afford to live in the city.

3. According to the 4^th paragraph, 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

4. We can conclude from the text that ____________.

A．American cities are changing for 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

【推荐2】Iris Logan was having a hard time growing grass at her home in St. Paul, Minnesota. So, she covered the space with stones, statues, and other art. More than 30 years later, it is something of a local landmark. But to a city inspector, it is a problem. Logan, who is 70, has been told to clean up the different objects, like wood and large rocks, noted after a recent inspection, the St. Paul Pioneer Press, a local newspaper reported.

Logan said the city’s actions forced her to create the art in the first place. She said city workers who were fixing the road dug so deep around one of her trees that its roots were open to the air. So, she brought in dirt, planted flowers, and added stones — and just kept adding. Logan said that if she likes a rock, she will try to bring it home. “I’m a rock lover,” the former farmer from Mississippi added.

Logan recently received written notice that a city official will suggest to the City Council that she be given until December 22 to clean things up. She wrote six pages of note by hand to appeal the order. The stones do not enter the street or block city vehicles, Logan wrote to answer one of the inspector’s concerns. “I just want to make a stand for the next person,” Logan said.

Justin Lewandowski is a community organizer who lives near Logan. He said that 150 people signed their support on a petition (请愿) “in just a few hours”. He is hopeful that the city will soon clear up their rules.

“The quick support from our neighbors has been a clear signal of how much this art means to our community,” Lewandowski said. He said it is not just about how it looks; it is about their identity and how they work with each other and with city policy.

1. What can we learn about Iris Logan from paragraph 1?

A．She works for a local newspaper.

B．She is good at beautifying the environment.

C．She has strong interest in making city politics.

D．She is excellent in cleaning up different objects.

2. What made Iris Logan create the art at first?

A．A news report.	B．Her friends’ support.
C．Local city’s engineering work.	D．Her community’s common demand.

3. What may be one of the inspector’s concerns?

A．Logan makes a stand for the next person.

B．Art matters a lot to the local community.

C．The stone art may cause potential traffic danger.

D．More people signed their support on a petition.

4. What is Justin Lewandowski’s attitude towards the city’s rules?

A．Disapproval.

B．Objective.

C．Suspicious.

D．Optimistic.

【推荐3】In recent years, little free libraries of all shapes and sizes have popped up. Often built by community members, they could be found on street corners and the sidewalks across the United States, hoping to share their book collections with their neighbors. Minneapolis, Minnesota, even hosted the first Little Free Library Festival, where book fans came together to promote literacy (读写能力)in their communities.

For the most part, little free libraries have more in common with book sharing shelves in hotels, local parks, coffee shops and other public spaces than the traditional public library. Based on the rule of "take a book, leave a book," these little libraries can take many forms from birdhouse-like wooden structures to redesigned newspaper selling machines, Robert Wirsing writes for the Bronx Times.

The little free library organization began when a citizen of Hudson, Wisconsin, named Todd Bol built a little one-room schoolhouse, filled it with books and placed it in his front yard to honor his mother who passed away in 2009. Together with a local educator named Rick Brooks, the two began placing little free libraries across Wisconsin and sharing the idea with people across the country.

"Something we are eager for in this information age is that connection between people," Bol tells Margret Aldrich for Book Riot. "I want to show how Little Free Library is about readers inspiring readers. It goes on and on."

While Little Free Libraries seem like a harmless means to promote literacy by sharing books with neighbors, a few of the roadside landing libraries have caused minor legal problems. officials in Los Angeles and Shreveport, Louisiana, have told some citizens that their homemade libraries broke city roles and that they would have to remove them to avoid being fined.

Still, little free libraries have been well accepted by their commnunities. For anyone interested in making their own at home, the organization has posted helpful tips and guides for building the little book lending boxes in their neighborhoods.

1. What can we know about the little free libraries in America?

A．They are state-owned.

B．They are popular nationally.

C．They are set up to sell books.

D．They help those with no books to read.

2. What is a common character of little free libraries?

A．They lie in many public places.

B．They share a large collection of books.

C．They compete with traditional public libraries.

D．They exist mainly in the form of wooden houses.

3. What is Todd Bol's primary aim of building a library?

A．To remember his dead mother.

B．To help people form a habit of reading.

C．To set an example to other communities.

D．To share his knowledge, with other citizens.

4. What does Todd Bol think of the little free libraries?

A．They cause minor legal problems.

B．They should continue to exist.

C．They mean a lot to community members.

D．They should be supported by the government.