Hotels were among the earliest facilities that bound the United States together.They were both creatures and creators of communities，as well as symptoms of the frenetic quest for community.Even in the first part of the nineteenth century，Americans were private，business and pleasure purposes.Conventions were the new occasions，and hotels were distinctively American facilities making conventions possible.The first national convention of a major party to choose a candidate for President was held in Baltimore，at a hotel that was then reputed to be the best in the country.The presence in Baltimore of Barnums City Hotel，a six－story building with two hundred apartments helps explain why many other early national political conventions were held there.
In the longer run，too.American hotels made other national conventions not only possible but pleasant and convivial.The growing custom of regularly assembling from afar the representatives of all kinds of groups －not only for political conventions，but also for commercial，professional，learned，and avocational ones －in turn supported the multiplying hotels.By mid－twentieth century，conventions accounted for over third of the yearly room occupancy of all hotels in the nation，about eighteen thousand different conventions were held annually with a total attendance of about ten million persons.
Nineteenth－century American hotelkeepers，who were no longer the genial，deferential hostsof the eighteenth－century European inn，became leading citizens.Holding a large stake in the community，they exercised power to make it prosper.As ownersormanagers of the local palace of the public，they were makers and shapers of a principal community attraction.Travelers from abroad were mildly shocked by this high social position.
1.The word boundin line 1is closest in meaning to
led
protected
tied
strengthened
2.The National Republican party is mentioned in line 8as an example of a group
from Baltimore
of learned people
owning a hotel
holding a convention
3.The word assemblingin line 14is closest in meaning to
announcing
motivating
gathering
contracting
4.The word onesin line 16refers to
hotels
conventions
kinds
representatives
5.The word itin line 23refers to
European inn
host
community
public
6.It can be inferred from the passage that early hotelkeepers in the United States were
active politicians
European immigrants
Professional builders
Influential citizens