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Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 36 to 42.

The main difference between urban growth in Europe and in the American colonies was the slow evolution of cities in the former and their rapid growth in the latter. In Europe they grew over a period of centuries from town economies to their present urban structure. In North America, they started as wilderness communities and developed to mature urbanism’s in little more than a century.

In the early colonial day in North America, small cities sprang up along the Atlantic Coastline, mostly in what are now New America, small cities sprang up along the Atlantic United States and in the lower Saint Lawrence valley in Canada. This was natural because these areas were nearest England and France, particularly England, from which most capital goods (assets such as equipment) and many consumer goods were imported Merchandising establishments were, accordingly, advantageously located in port cities from which goods could be readily distributed to interior settlements. Here, too, were the favored locations for processing raw materials prior to export. Boston, Philadelphia, New York, Montreal, and other cities flourished, and, as the colonies grew, these cities increased in importance.

This was less true in the colonial South, where life centered around large farms, known as plantations, rather than around towns, as was the case in the areas further north along the Atlantic coastline. The local isolation and the economic self-sufficiency of the plantations were antagonistic to the development of the towns. The plantations maintained their independence because they were located on navigable streams and each had a wharf accessible to the small shipping of that day. In fact, one of the strongest factors in the selection of plantation land was the desire to have it front on a water highway.

When the United States became an independent nation in 1776, it did not have a single city as large as 50,000 inhabitants, but by 1820 it had a city of more than 10,000 people, and by 1880 it had recorded a city of over one million. It was not until after 1823, after the mechanization of the spinning and weaving industries, that cities started drawing young people away from farms. Such migration was particularly rapid following the Civil War (1861- 1865).

What does the passage mainly discuss?

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 31 to 35.

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: opportunity for education, employment and entertainment. They also contain the very worst parts of a society: Violent crime, racial conflict and poverty. American cities are changing, just as American society is changing.

After World War II city resident have become wealthier and more prosperous. They have more children. They need more space. They move out of their apartments in the city to buy their own homes. They buy houses in the suburbs, areas near a city where people can live in a peaceful atmosphere and where there are areas without many offices or factories. During the 1950’s, 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 1950’s are now adults. Unlike their parents, they want to live in the cities. Many young professionals, doctors, lawyers and executives are moving back into the city. Many are single, others are married, but often without children. They prefer the city to the suburb because their jobs are there; they are afraid of the fuel shortage or they just enjoy the excitement and opportunities which the city offers. A new class is moving into the city - a wealthier and more mobile class. Only a few years ago, people thought the older American cities were dying. Some city residents now see a bright, new future. Others see only problems and conflicts. One thing is sure: many dying cities are alive again.

The paragraph from “American cities are similar to…” to “just as American society is changing” ____________.