① The United States is facing a housing crisis: Affordable housing is inadequate, while luxury homes abound (充裕) , and homelessness remains a persistent problem. Despite this, popular culture and the housing industry market happiness as living with both more space and more amenities (便利设施). Big houses are advertized as a reward for hard work and diligence, turning housing from a basic necessity into a luxury.

② This is reflected in our homes. The average single-family home built in the United States before 1970 was less than 1,500 square feet in size. By 2016, the average size of a new, single-family home was 2,422 square feet. What’s more, homes built in the 2000s were more likely than earlier models to have more of all types of spaces: bedrooms, bathrooms, living rooms, dining rooms, recreation rooms and garages.

③ There are consequences of living big. As middle-class houses have grown larger, two things have happened. First, large houses take time to maintain, so cleaners and other low-wage service workers are required to keep these houses in order. Second, once-public spaces, where people from diverse backgrounds used to come together, have increasingly become privatized, leading to a reduction in the number of public facilities available to all, and a reduced quality of life for many. Take swimming pools. While in 1950, only 2,500 U.S. families owned pools, by 1999 this number was 4 million. At the same time, public municipal pools were often closed, leaving low-income people nowhere to swim.

④ The trend for bigger housing thus poses ethical questions. Should Americans accept a system in which the middle and upper classes enjoy a luxurious lifestyle, using the low-wage labor of others? Are we willing to accept a system in which an increase in amenities purchased by the affluent means a reduction in amenities for the poor?

1. 1.What are big houses promoted to be in the United States?

A    A luxury for the homeless.

B    A reward for industriousness.

C    An abundant source of comforts.

D    An absolute necessity for happiness.

2. 2.What is one of the consequences of living big?

A    Many Americans’ quality of life has become lower.

B    People from diverse backgrounds no longer socialize.

C    People no longer have access to public swimming pools.

D    Many Americans’ private life has been negatively affected.

3. 3.What questions arises from living big?

A    Questions related to moral principles.

B    Questions having to do with labor cost.

C    Questions about what lifestyle to promote.

D    Questions concerning housing development.

4. 4.What kind of social system does the author think is unacceptable?

A    One in which the wealthy exploit the low-wage laborers building their houses.

B    One in which the rich purchase amenities at an increasingly unjustifiable price.

C    One in which the upper classes deprive the lower classes of affordable housing.

D    One in which the affluent enjoy a more comfortable life at the expense of the poor.

5. 5.What does the author advocate for people to live well?

A    Finding ways to turn private spaces into public ones.

B    Building more houses affordable to those less affluent.

C    More public spaces created for everyone to enjoy.

D    All amenities made accessible to the rich and the poor alike.