Malls in the USA 美国的商业街

    Malls are popular places for Americans to go．Some people spend so much time at malls that they are called “mall rats¹”． Mall rats shop until they drop in the hundreds of stores under one roof² ①．

    People like malls for many reasons②．They feel safe because malls have police stations of private³ security⁴ guards⁵③．Parking⁶ is usually free，and the weather inside is always fine． The newest malls have beautiful rest areas with waterfalls⁷ and large green trees．

    The largest mall in the United⁸ States is the mall of America in Minnesota④．It covers 4.2 million square feet．It has 350 stores，eight night clubs，and a seven?acre⁹ park！There are parking spaces for 12,750 cars． About 750,000 people shop there every week．

    The first indoor mall in the United States was built in 1965 in Edina，Minnesota．People love doing all their shopping in one place．More malls are built around the country．Now，malls are like town centers where people come to do many things，they shop，of course，they also eat in food courts that have food from all over the world．They see movies at theaters．Some people even get their daily exercise by doing the new sport of “mall walking”．Others go to malls to meet friends．

    In some malls，people can see a doctor or a dentist and even go to the church．In other words，people can do just about everything in malls．Now people can actually live in their favorite shopping center．

Help：

①under one roof 在同一所房子里，在同一部门里   e.g．We work under one roof every day．

②reason 原因、动机、理由 e.g．Give me your reasons for going．

③private security guards 私人保安

④Minnesota 美国的明尼苏达州

Questions：

1．What?s the meaning of “mall rats﹖”
   A．The rats in malls．
   B．The pet rats showed in shops．
   C．The people who like to wander¹⁰（闲逛） in malls．
   D．The pictures hung in shops．

2．Why do the people like to go to the malls？
   A．They feel safe there．
   B．Parking is free．
   C．The weather is fine inside．
   D．All of the above．

3．Which of the following is NOT true？
   A．People can see movies in malls．
   B．People can do exercise in malls．
   C．The malls are only in big cities．
   D．People can see a doctor in malls．

4．Do you like the malls in the USA？Why or why not？

Key: 1.C   2.D   3.C    4.略