Long TextExercise 69 of 74

The decline of the traditional high street has been lamented so frequently and for so long that it has acquired the weary familiarity of a cliché. Boarded-up shopfronts, charity outlets, and the ubiquitous presence of betting shops and fast-food chains have become visual shorthand for economic stagnation and…

• What does the writer suggest about the way people typically discuss the decline of the high street?
• What role does the writer attribute to online retail in the high street's decline?