阅读理解。
Editor,
Brockingham is run by people who are more interested in tourists than its residents. The problem is that
the people running the government refuse to accept new ideas. By banning all fast-food restaurants and
discount stores, they take away all the places kids can afford to shop.
These people forget that when they were young, they could go to the South Street Soda Fountain and get
an ice-cream soda for 25 cents. Today you can't find an ice-cream soda anywhere in Brockingham for less
than $2! Where can kids go for a snack?
There is not a single restaurant in Brockingham where a family of four can eat dinner for less than $100.
Add a 15% tip and sales tax and you have spent nearly $125 to eat a meal you could prepare at home for
about $12. Have you noticed that Brockingham families never dine in Brockingham?
Fast-food restaurants are also a good place for school kids to get an after-school job. Fast-food restaurants
are busiest during the early supper hours when students are able to work, whereas the fancy food restaurants
cater to late-night diners. Working in one of these establishments requires working shifts that are too late for
most students.
The City Council claims that local merchants, rather than national chains, should benefit from the tourist
business. I agree that it is important to support local businesses, but I think the fast-food restaurants would
encourage more people to shop in Brockingham.
Another thing that disturbs me is that we must travel 25 miles to the nearest discount store. If I need a
tire for my bike, I have a choice of buying one at Surf and Peddle Sport Shop for $15 or driving to
Parkersburg Discount Center where I can buy the some kind of tire for $9. Again, I think the ban on all food
chains and discount houses is counterproductive for our city. Wes Woodrow 9th-Grade Student at
Brockingham High School
1. Why does Wes Woodrow write this letter to the editor?
A. Because the government bans all fastfood restaurants and discount stores in Brockingham.
B. Because the writer can't find an icecream soda anywhere in Brockingham for less than $2.
C. Because a family of four can't find a restaurant in Brockingham to eat dinner for less than $100.
D. Because the writer has to travel 25 miles to the nearest discount store.
2. From the letter we can infer that _____.
A. the writer used to buy a lot of icecream soda
B. the students refuse to work in fancy food restaurants
C. the government's ban benefits local merchants much
D. discount stores usually offer a discount of 40%.
3. The underlined word "counterproductive" in Paragraph 6 of the letter probably means _______.
A. cheap, not expensive
B. surprising, not expected
C. harmful, not helpful
D. doubtful, not sure
4. One way the writer of this letter tries to convince the reader is by _____.
A. complaining that someone has to drive him to Parkersburg
B. getting an after-school job in fast-food restaurant himself
C. suggesting that many businessmen have the same opinion
D. giving specific examples of the high costs in Brockingham
