A
(2018·北京朝阳区期末)
To the members of the city council of Albion，
As a lifelong person living in Albion I have seen many changes to our beautiful town. Fifty years ago, the population was 32,000 and Main Street was the center of everything. People went there to shop, eat in restaurants, see movies, and sometimes just walk around. Today, Albion's population is over 80,000 and nobody even thinks about going downtown. We shop at malls and on the Internet. We take out fast food and stay home and watch TV. Most of the downtown businesses have closed, putting people out of work.
I advocate a suggestion to turn things around. Let's declare the four block area to the north of Main Street a pedestrian－only zone. Once we do that, we can begin creating a lively street scene with open－air markets, sidewalk cafes, and street musicians or other performers. People may start making downtown their free－time destination. Parents can bring their children, and teenagers would be able to get together in a public setting.
The changes could also have economic benefits for the city. Art galleries, clothing stores, and other businesses might begin to change the abandoned stores into new businesses. As downtown street life becomes more exciting, Main Street could also begin to attract new people living there. Young people responding to the energizing atmosphere may move into the apartments above the stores. New apartments will be built, providing new housing as well as jobs for local people. All of this activity would help to bring back the city's commercial tax base.
If you want confirmation that this kind of plan works, just look at Springfield's results. When they instituted their pedestrian－only zone in 2003, the changes were great. Restaurants and hotels began to fill up and unemployment rates went down. The people of the town gained an exciting new neighborhood. I certainly hope you'll give this idea your serious consideration.
Yours truly，
Mary Blakely
语篇解读：市中心原来是人们生活的中心，但是现在人们在商场和网上购物，因此市中心的商店关门，进而导致人们失业。作者建议在此建立步行街，以此吸引人们来这里休闲、购物。
1．What's the change of the town in the past fifty years?
A．The population has decreased.
B．There have been fewer safe places.
C．People have lost interest in downtown.
D．The unemployment rate has been controlled.
[解析] 细节理解题。根据第一段中的“...nobody even thinks about going downtown. We shop at malls and on the Internet. We take out fast food and stay home and watch TV.”可知，人们对市中心失去了兴趣。因此选C项。
[答案] C
2．What idea does the author give in the letter?
A．Raising the local commercial tax.
B．Abandoning the pedestrian－only zone.
C．Driving people away from downtown.
D．Starting businesses in the downtown area.
[解析] 推理判断题。从文中第二段作者的建议可以看出，步行街可以带来充满活力的街景，从而吸引人们来此休闲购物，以此使市中心再次成为城市的中心，这样其他商业活动也会繁荣起来。
[答案] D
3．What's the purpose of the letter?
A．To provide advice to the government.
B．To seek help with the problems of the city.
C．To express dissatisfaction with the situation.
D．To get public attention to the local economy.
[解析] 推理判断题。从信的开头“To the members of the city council”及下文中的“I advocate a suggestion to turn things around”可以看出，此信的目的是为政府提供建议。
[答案] A
