Dear 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(禁止) 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 same 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
Why does Wes Woodrow write this letter to the editor?
Because the government bans all fast-food restaurants and discount stores in Brockingham.
Because the writer can’t find an ice-cream soda anywhere in Brockingham for less than $2.
Because a family of four can’t find a restaurant in Brockingham to eat dinner for less than $100.
Because the writer has to travel 25 miles to the nearest discount store.
From the letter we can infer that _____.
the writer used to buy a lot of ice-cream soda
the students refuse to work in fancy food restaurants
the government’s ban benefits local merchants much
discount stores usually offer a discount of 40%
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
One way the writer of this letter tries to convince the reader is by _____.
complaining that someone has to drive him to Parkersburg
getting an after-school job in fast-food restaurant himself
suggesting that many businessmen have the same opinion
giving specific examples of the high costs in Brockingham