American cities are 1 other cities aroun...

American cities are   1   other cities around the world. In every country, cities reflect the   2   of the culture. Cities contain the very   3   side of a society: opportunities for education, employment and so on. They also   4    the very worst parts of a society: violent crime, racial discrimination and poverty. American cities are changing, just    5   American society.

After World War Ⅱ， the population of   6    large American cities decreased;   ___7 , the population in many Sun Belt cities increased. Los Angeles and Houston are cities   8__ population increased. These population moving to and from the city reflect the changing values of American society.

During this time, in the   9   1940s and early 1950s, city people became wealthier. They had more children. They needed more   10   . They moved out their flats in the city to buy their own houses. They bought houses in the   11   , areas near a city where people live. These are areas without many offices or factories. During the 1950s the American “dream” was to have a house on the outskirts.

Now things are changing. The children of the people who   12   the cities in the 1950s are now adults. They,   13   their parents, want to live in the cities.   14  continue to move to cities in the Sun Belt. Cities are   15   and the population is increasing in   16   states as Texas, Florida and California. Others are moving to more   17    cities of the Northeast and Midwest, such as Boston, Baltimore and Chicago.

Many young professionals, doctors and lawyers are moving back into the city. They prefer the city   18   the suburbs because their jobs are there; they are afraid of the fuel shortage; or they just   19   the excitement and opportunities which the city offers. A new class is moving into the cities---a wealthier,   20   mobile class.