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Born in the 1950s, shopping malls were once the symbol of the U.S. consumer culture, but many are now dying out.
Dying shopping malls can be found across the United States, often in middle-class suburbs. Economic decline in certain areas together with an upward trend towards online shopping and new forms of urban shopping centers have pushed the once seemingly unbeatable shopping malls into decline. It is estimated that 15 to 50 percent of shopping malls may close in the coming decades.
American shopping culture follows its housing culture. Numerous shopping malls were therefore born after the Second World War, as Americans with cars and fat wallets moved to the suburbs. U.S. shopping malls were built at a rapid pace as shoppers fled cities, peaking in the mid-1990s when they were being built at a rate of 140 a year. Thus, too many shopping malls are left though construction has gradually decreased since then.
Currently, there are around 1,500 shopping malls across the U.S. Most share a handful of similar feature. They usually contain two or three stories of stores separated by walkways. Food courts serve pizza and other fast food. Parking lots are big enough to easily misplace a car.
Shopping malls in Europe might contain grocery stores or childcare centers, while those in Japan are often built around mass transit (交通枢纽). But the suburban American shopping malls are hard to get to and mainly sell clothes and gifts.
As many shopping malls became redundant (过剩的), leaders in many U.S. towns who once fought for malls now struggle with how to transform them to new uses. Highland Mall in Texas is being transformed into a community college campus, and Lakeland Mall in Florida now houses a megachurch (大型教会). Others have been redeveloped to include housing, offices and even green space. However, it is hard to imagine every shopping mall meeting the demands for such transformations.
1.What is this passage mainly about?
A.The introduction to American consumer culture.
B.The changes in Americans' shopping habits.
C.The growth of American shopping centers.
D.The decline of American shopping malls.
2.When did the construction speed of IS shopping malls reach the highest point?
A.After the Second World War B.In the mid-1990s.
C.After mass transit appeared. D.In the 2000s.
3.What do many U.S. towns do to solve the redundant shopping malls?
A.They make them look different from each other.
B.They make them more accessible to the public.
C.They change them to serve other purposes.
D.They move them to the urban areas.
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1.This passage is mainly intended to _______.
A.Advertise a university programme B.promote a newly built school
C.Provide suggestions for summer trips D.introduce a well-known college
2.All of the following are the features of Imperial Global Summer School EXCEPT that _______.
A.it is ideally situated
B.it offers scholarships
C.it has excellent teachers
D.it enrolls international students
3.Which of the following statements is true of Imperial Global Summer School?
A.It gives just one session every year.
B.Most of its students thought highly of it.
C.It is intended for students interested in city life.
D.Its students need to find accommodation by themselves.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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Music. We hear it everywhere, every day. Getting into a lift, going around a supermarket or simply relaxing at home, music is our constant companion. And music can have a significant effect on the way we think and feel, so it's worth paying attention to what we're listening to.
Music can have a powerful effect on our moods, in terms of both reducing and increasing stress. Listening to calm gentle music in bed can help us drop off to sleep. Some airlines play smoothing music on board planes at take-off and landing, to calm nervous travelers. Athletes often listen to fast loud music to help them prepare for games. The American swimmer Michael Phelps is known to listen to rap music before important races to help pump him up.
The mood-altering effect of music can be especially acute for the people who actually play the music. Musicians who do not have high self-esteem (自尊心) can suddenly overflow with confidence once they go on stage. It's as though the music gives them a different personality.
And it's not only those who feel ill at ease with themselves who can benefit. Scientists have conducted research into the effect of music on students studying for exams. They found that listening to calm music with a regular beat can actually help students recall facts and improve their performance in exams. Classical music, preferably something by Mozart, seems to have the most beneficial effect. A word of caution, however: it's best not to over-rely on this method, as you won't be able to listen to music in an exam.
For most of us though, music is one of life's great pleasures. And it's a pleasure that endures. Researchers have found that we don't often grow out of the music that we love as teenagers, because our musical tastes are such a huge part of our identity, personality and outlook on life. So don't delete those songs you downloaded when you were fifteen - you'll probably still love them when you're fifty.
1.What would be the best kind of music to play to nervous drivers stuck in traffic jam?
A.Rap music. B.Gentle classical music.
C.Cheerful folk music. D.Heavy metal music.
2.The word "acute" in paragraph 3 most probably means _______ in the passage.
A.powerful B.controllable
C.complex D.opposite
3.Which of the following statements about music is true according to the passage?
A.Pop music improves students' academic performance.
B.Music has magic power to change musicians' personality.
C.Music generally influence people's thoughts and emotions.
D.Sportsmen listen to fast music to relieve their stress before games.
4.What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
A.Musical tastes affect our characters to a great extent.
B.We have to find ways to make the pleasure of music last.
C.We will be fond of different kinds of music as we grow up.
D.A part of our personality and tastes are well developed in our teens.
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