阅读理解　　　 In 1903 the members of the governing board of the University of Washington. In 　　　 Seattle. engaged a firm of landscape architects, specialists in the design of outdoor 　　　 environments--Olmsted Brothers of Brookline, Massachusetts-to advise them on an 　　　 appropriate layout for the university grounds. The plan impressed the university officials, (5) and in time many of its recommendations were implemented. City officials in Seattle, the 　　　 largest city in the northwestern United States, were also impressed, for they employed the 　　　 same organization to study Seattle''s public park needs. John Olmsted did the investigation 　　　 and subsequent report on Seattle''s parks. He and his brothers believed that parks should 　　　 be adapted to the local topography, utilize the area''s trees and shrubs, and be available to (10) the entire community. They especially emphasized the need for natural, serene settings 　　　 where hurried urban dwellers could periodically escape from the city. The essence of the 　　　 Olmsted park plan was to develop a continuous driveway, twenty miles long, that would 　　　 tie together a whole series of parks, playgrounds, and parkways. There would be local 　　　 parks and squares, too, but all of this was meant to supplement the major driveway, (15) which was to remain the unifying factor for the entire system. 　　　 In November of 1903 the city council of Seattle adopted the Olmsted Report, and 　　　 it automatically became the master plan for the city''s park system. Prior to this report, 　　　 Seattle''s park development was very limited and funding meager. All this changed 　　　 after the report. Between 1907 and 1913, city voters approved special funding measures (20) amounting to $4,000,000. With such unparalleled sums at their disposal, with the Olmsted 　　　 guidelines to follow, and with the added incentive of wanting to have the city at its best 　　　 for the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition of 1909, the Parks Board bought aggressively. 　　　 By 1913 Seattle had 25 parks amounting to 1,400 acres, as well as 400 acres in 　　　 playgrounds, pathways, boulevards, and triangles. More lands would be added in the (25) future, but for all practical purposes it was the great land surge of 1907-1913 that 　　　 established Seattle''s park system.