Local officials in Beijing promised to further protect the city’s cultural heritage, in particular the narrow streets known as hutongs.

Hutongs are commonly found in the cities of North China, but they are at risk. Beijing is currently believed to have fewer than 1,000 hutongs, most of which are near the Imperial Palaces. Only 60 years ago, the number was 3,250. In the old districts of Dongcheng and Xicheng, which cover 62 square kilometers, some people will be asked to move from hutong houses to avoid further damage to the ancient architecture.

“On average more than 100,000 people visit the Imperial Palaces during the National Day holidays. The visitors put pressure on the protection of cultural relics,” said the director of the Beijing Municipal Commission of Urban Planning, adding that hutongs should be protected from human damage.

The government focused on how the protection plans were carried out and how the management of cultural heritages worked. Wang Shaofeng, head of the Xicheng district government, said the area has 182 cultural relics, many of which were built as far back as the Yuan Dynasty (1271—1368). The district of Xicheng has 1.28 million residents(居民) in its 57 square kilometers of land. “The most efficient way is to cut down the local population to reduce the possibility of causing harm to the heritage,” Wang said.

“Each community has been required to report the status of its cultural heritage, especially hutongs, and any actions to damage the heritage will be punished,” Wang said.

No one knows for sure how many hutongs will be left in the coming 100 years.

【小题1】How many hutongs have disappeared in the past sixty years in Beijing?

A．Fewer than 1,000.	B．About 2,000.
C．More than 3, 000.	D．Over 4, 000.

【小题2】According to Paragraph 3, what is the main cause of the damage to cultural relics?

A．Visitors’ activity.	B．Residents’ attitude.
C．Communities’ behaviour.	D．The government’s policy.

【小题3】Which of the following is a useful way to protect hutongs?

A．To punish anyone damaging them.	B．To attract more visitors to come.
C．To increase the local population.	D．To stop anyone from entering them.

【小题4】What will happen to hutongs in the near future?

A．No one will remember them.	B．The number will be growing.
C．Only time will tell.	D．Hutongs will disappear completely.