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Cleveland has won the distinction of being the worst city in the United States, according to a new
survey. The city has high unemployment, terrible weather, heavy taxes, and ordinary sports teams, all of
which have pushed it to the No. 1 position in the Forbes.com list.
"Cleveland was the only city that fell in the bottom half of rankings in all nine categories. And it has been entitled with a less than endearing nickname: the Mistake by the lake," Forbes said on its website,
The economic downturn hit cities across the United States last year particularly in the mid-west section of the country. Crime and unemployment secured the No. 2 spot for Stockton, which held the top position in last year's ranking. Memphis got third place thanks to its violent crime rate and the number of officials who are guilty, while the poor auto industry drove the Michigan cities of Detroit and Flint into the top five.
"A lot of the cities that showed up on our list are going through hard times fight now, dealing with high
unemployment, with declining producing bases. Many have experienced strong movement out of the city
over the last 20 and 30 years."
Despite (尽管) its fine weather, Miami scored in the bottom 10 percent in commuting (上下班往返)
time, and violent crime which sent it into sixth place.
"One of the biggest surprises is Miami. The good weather and no state income taxes blur some of the
severe problems that Miami has related to crime as well as long commutes," Badenhausen added.
Florida was followed in the poor ranking by St Louis, Buffalo, Canton, Ohio and Chicago, which has the country's highest sales tax at 10.25 percent. New York, the nation's biggest city, is rich in culture but its
lengthy commuting time and high income taxes pushed it into 16th place.
1. From the text we can learn that ______.
A. Cleveland has been entitled a lovely nickname
B. the economic downturn hit cities in the mid-east section
C. Miami scored in the bottom 10 percent in all nine categories
D. commuting time in New York is too long
2. What information can be inferred according to the text?
A. The number of officials who are guilty is large in Memphis.
B. Stockton got second place in last year's ranking.
C. High income taxes made New York get 16th place.
D. Ohio has the country's highest sales tax.
3. The word "blur" underlined in the last paragraph but one probably means ______.
A. make it possible
B. make it unclear
C. make if obvious
D. make it important
4. Which of the following is the correct ranking order?
A. Cleveland, Detroit, Miami, Buffalo, Florida.
B. Stockton, Miami, Flint, Florida, Canton.
C. Cleveland, Stockton, Miami, Chicago, Florida.
D. Stockton, Detroit, Miami, Florida, St Louis.
