The economic expansion prompted by the Second World War triggered a spectacular population boom in the West. Of course, the region was no stranger to population booms. Throughout much of its history, western settlement had been characterized by spurts, rather than by a pattern of gradual and steady population growth, beginning with the gold and silver rushes of the 1850’s and 1860’s. The decade after the First World War—the 1920’s—witnessed another major surge of people pouring into the West, particularly into urban areas. But the economic depression of the 1930’s brought this expansion to a halt; some of the more sparsely settled parts of the region actually lost population as migrants sought work in more heavily industrialized areas. By 1941 when the United States entered the Second World War and began to mobilize, new job opportunities were created in the western part of the nation.
If the expansion of industries, such as shipbuilding and aircraft manufacturing, was most striking on the pacific coast, it also affected interior cities like Denver. Phoenix, and Salt Lake City, Equally dramatic were the effects of the establishment of aluminum plants is Oregon and Washington and the burgeoning steel industry in Utah and California. The flow of people into these areas provided an enormous impetus to the expansion of the service industries—banks, health care services and schools. Although strained to the limit by the influx of newcomers, western communities welcomed the vast reservoir of new job opportunities. At the same time, the unprecedented expansion of government installations in the West, such as military bases, created thousands of new civilian openings. As land had served as a magnet for western migrants in the late nineteenth century, so wartime mobilization set in motion.
There is another major expansion of population. Indeed, it could be said that the entire western United States became a giant boomtown during the Second World War. This was especially true of California: Of more than eight million people who moved into the West in the decade after 1940, one-half went to the Pacific coast. In fact, between 1940 and 1950, California’s population surged by more than three million people.
16. What is the main point of the passage?
17. The word “triggered” is closet in meaning to ________.
18. Why does the author mention “the gold and silver rushes of the 1850’s and 1860’s” in the first paragraph?
19. According to the passage, the depression of the 1930’s caused which of the following?
20. Which of the following statements about the shipbuilding industry is suggested by the passage?
问题1选项
A.California dominated the economic growth of the West during the Second World War.
B.Industrial growth during the 1940’s attracted large numbers of people to the West.
C.The military drew people away from civilian jobs the 1940’s.
D.The West experienced gradual and steady economic growth from 1900 to 1940.
问题2选项
A.was connected to
B.generated
C.interfered with
D.illuminated
问题3选项
A.As causes of gradual population growth.
B.As contrasts to late patterns of population growth.
C.As illustrations of a market economy.
D.As examples of western population booms.
问题4选项
A.A lack of population growth in the West.
B.The building of new suburbs.
C.A creation of more job opportunities.
D.A growth in immigration from abroad.
问题5选项
A.It came into being during the First World War.
B.Many new shipbuilding yards were established on the Pacific coast during the 1940’s.
C.Denver was considered to be a poor location for shipbuilding factories.
D.Shipbuilding was the dominant industry in Oregon and Washington.
第1题:B
第2题:B
第3题:D
第4题:A
第5题:B
16.主旨大意题。文章第一段讲经济扩张使西部人口激增,第二段讲述工业发展吸引人到西方,又因为人口流动推动服务业发展创造许多工作机会,再次推动人口流向这里,第三段具体讲述人口的流动情况,所以B选项“20世纪40年代的工业发展吸引了大量的人到西方”正确。A选项“加州在第二次世界大战期间主导了西部的经济增长”:根据第二段第二句Phoenix, and Salt Lake City, Equally dramatic were the effects of the establishment of aluminum plants is Oregon and Washington and the burgeoning steel industry in Utah and California.(俄勒冈州和华盛顿州的铝厂的建立,以及犹他州和加利福尼亚州蓬勃发展的钢铁工业,都产生了同样引人注目的影响。),可知不只加州推动了经济增长,表述错误。C选项“20世纪40年代,军事工业把人们从文职工作中吸引过来”:根据第二段倒数第二句the unprecedented expansion of government installations in the West, such as military bases, created thousands of new civilian openings.(西部政府设施的空前扩张,如军事基地,出现数千个新的平民的工作机会。),创造的新的工作机会大多被移民进来的平民消化,而不是把做文职工作的人转移到军事行业。D选项“从1900年到1940年,西方经历了缓慢而稳定的经济增长”文章没有提到。因此B选项正确。
17.语义推测题。Trigger的意思为“触发,引发”。根据第一段第一句The economic expansion prompted by the Second World War triggered a spectacular population boom in the West.(第二次世界大战引起的经济扩张在西部引发了大规模的人口激增。),可推测这里在讲经济扩张和人口激增的关系,结合第一段第三句western settlement had been characterized by spurts, rather than by a pattern of gradual and steady population growth, beginning with the gold and silver rushes of the 1850’s and 1860’s.(从19世纪50年代和19世纪60年代的淘金热开始,美国西部移民的特点是人口的快速增长,而不是逐渐稳定的增长模式。),可推测经济扩张导致人口激增,所以B选项“引发”正确;A选项“有联系”不具体,不是最佳答案;C选项“妨碍”和D选项“照亮”不符合题意。因此B选项正确。
18.推理判断题。根据第一段第一句The economic expansion prompted by the Second World War triggered a spectacular population boom in the West.(第二次世界大战引起的经济扩张在美国西部引发了大规模的人口激增。)和第二句Of course, the region was no stranger to population booms.(当然,该地区对人口激增并不陌生。),接着举出例子,可知这一段通过论点和例子表达西部人口激增,所以D选项“作为西部人口激增的例子”正确。A选项“作为人口逐渐增长的原因”和B选项“与人口增长的后期模式形成对比”不是表达的重点。C选项“作为市场经济的例证”文章没有提到。因此D选项正确。
19.事实细节题。根据第一段第四句和第五句witnessed another major surge of people pouring into the West, particularly into urban areas. But the economic depression of the 1930’s brought this expansion to a halt(见证了另一场大规模的人口涌入美国西部,尤其是涌入城市地区的浪潮。但是20世纪30年代的经济萧条使这种扩张停止了),这个扩张指的是人口涌入西方,所以经济萧条导致人口增长停滞,A选项“西部缺乏人口增长”正确,D选项“国外移民的增长”错误。B选项“新郊区的建设”和C选项“创造更多的就业机会”跟经济萧条无关。因此A选项正确。
20.推理判断题。根据第一段最后一句和第二段第一句By 1941…new job opportunities were created in the western part of the nation. If the expansion of industries, such as shipbuilding and aircraft manufacturing, was most striking on the pacific coast…(到1941年……美国西部地区创造了新的就业机会。如果说造船和飞机制造等工业的扩张在太平洋沿岸最为显著……),可知B选项“20世纪40年代,太平洋沿岸建立了许多新的造船厂”正确,C选项“人们认为在丹佛办造船工厂的位置不好”没有提到。A选项“在第一次世界大战期间形成”:文章没有提到第一次世界大战期间的情况,而是在那之后美国西部的情况。D选项“造船是俄勒冈州和华盛顿州的主导产业”:根据第二段第二句Equally dramatic were the effects of the establishment of aluminum plants is Oregon and Washington(俄勒冈州和华盛顿州建立铝厂所产生的影响也同样引人注目),不可得出造船是俄勒冈州和华盛顿州的主导产业,属于过度推断。因此B选项正确。