Read this passage from “the city without us” by alan weisman:

the weeds are following by the city’s most prolific exotic species, the chinese ailanthus tree. even with 8 million people around, ailanthus-otherwise innocently known as the tree-of-heaven-are implacable invaders capable of rooting in tiny chinks in subway tunnels, unnoticed until their spreading leaf canopies start poking from sidewalk grates. with no one to yank their seedlings, within five years powerful ailanthus roots are heaving up sidewalks and wreaking roots are heaving up sidewalks and wreaking havoc in sewers- which are already stressed by all the plastic bags and old newspaper mush that no one is clearing away.

what does weisman’s word choice most clearly suggest about his feelings on the chinese ailanthus tree?

a. he respects the chinese ailanthus trees for their ability to survive under the harsh conditions of the city.
b. he fears chinese ailanthus trees because of their threat to new yorkers’ quality of life.
c. he uses the term “tree-of-heaven” to praise the chinese ailanthus trees for the beauty and exoticism they bring to new york.
d. he uses the phrase “implacable invaders” to reveal his disdain for the chinese ailanthus trees because of their destructiveness.

11-32. the main character in the parable, the forgiving father, whose character remains constant throughout the story, is a picture of god. in telling the story, jesus identifies himself with god in his loving attitude to the lost. the younger son symbolizes the lost (the tax collectors and sinners of that day, luke 15: 1), and the elder brother represents the self-righteous (the pharisees and teachers of the law of that day, luke 15: 2). the major theme of this parable seems not to be so much the conversion of the sinner, as in the previous two parables of luke 15, but rather the restoration of a believer into fellowship with the father. in the first two parables, the owner went out to look for what was lost (luke 15: 1-10), whereas in this story the father waits and watches eagerly for his son's return. we see a progression through the three parables from the relationship of one in a hundred (luke 15: 1-7), to one in ten (luke 15: 8-10), to one in one (luke 15: 11-32), demonstrating god’s love for each individual and his personal attentiveness towards all humanity. we see in this story the graciousness of the father overshadowing the sinfulness of the son, as it is the memory of the father’s goodness that brings the prodigal son to repentance (romans 2: 4).

a

explanation: