In the mid-nineteenth, the United States had tremendous natural resources that could be exploited in order to develop heavy industry. Most of the raw materials that are valuable in the manufacture of machinery, transportation facilities, and consumer goods lay ready to be worked into wealth. Iron, coal, and oil—the basic ingredients of industrial growth—were plentiful and needed only the application of technical expertise, organizational skill, and labor.
One crucial development in this movement toward industrialization was the growth of the railroads. The railway network expanded rapidly until the railroad map of the United States looked like a spider’s web, with the steel filaments connecting all important sources of raw materials, their places of manufacture, and their centers of distribution. The railroads contributed to the industrial growth not only by connecting these major centers, but also by themselves consuming enormous amounts of fuel, iron, and coal.
Many factors influenced the emerging modes of production. For example, machine tools, the tools used to make goods, were steadily improved in the latter part of the nineteenth century—always with an eye to speedier production and lower unit costs. The products of the factories were rapidly absorbed by the growing cities that sheltered the workers and the distributors. The increased urban population was nourished by the increased farm production that, in turn, was made more productive by the use of the new farm machinery. American agricultural production kept up with the urban demand and still had surpluses for sale to the industrial centers of Europe.
The labor that ran the factories and built the railways was recruited in part from American farm areas where people were being displaced by farm machinery, in part from Asia, and in part from Europe. Europe now began to send tides of immigrants from eastern and southern Europe—most of whom were originally poor farmers but who settled in American industrial cities. The money to finance this tremendous expansion of the American economy still came from European financiers for the most part, but the Americans were approaching the day when their expansion could be financed in their own “money market”.
1. What does the passage mainly discuss?
2. Why does the author mention “a spider’s web” in Para.2?
3. According to the passage, who were the biggest consumers of manufactured products?
4. Which of the following is NOT true of United States farmers in the nineteenth century?
问题1选项
A.The history of railroads in the United States
B.The major United States industrial centers
C.Factors that affected industrialization in the United States
D.The role of agriculture in the nineteenth century
问题2选项
A.To emphasize the railroad’s consumption of oil and coal.
B.To describe the complex structure of the railway system.
C.To explain the problems brought on by railway expansion.
D.To describe the difficulties involved in the distribution of raw materials.
问题3选项
A.Railway workers
B.Farmers
C.Europeans
D.City dwellers
问题4选项
A.They lost some jobs because of mechanization.
B.They raised their productivity by using new machinery.
C.They sold food to European countries.
D.They were unable to produce sufficient food for urban areas.
1. 【试题答案】C
【试题解析】主旨大意题。定位在第二段中One crucial development in this movement toward industrialization was the growth of the railroads.（在美国工业化的过程中一个关键的发展是铁路的发展。）以及全文都在介绍影响美国工业化的因素（如铁、煤和石油等原材料、劳动力等）综合而知，C选项“影响美国工业化的因素”正确，符合题意。A选项“美国的铁路发展史”，B选项“美国主要的工业中心”及D选项“农业在19世纪的角色”在文中均未提及，可排除。故选C。
2. 【试题答案】B
【试题解析】推理判断题。定位在第二段中The railway network expanded rapidly until the railroad map of the United States looked like a spider’s web, with the steel filaments connecting all important sources of raw materials, their places of manufacture, and their centers of distribution.（铁路网迅速扩张，直到美国的铁路地图看起来像一张蜘蛛网，这些钢铁丝状物将原材料产地，原材料的生产和配送中心连在一起。）由此可知，美国的铁路路线多，且像蜘蛛网一样结构复杂。因此B选项“去描述铁路系统的复杂结构”正确，符合题意。A选项“去强调铁路对石油和煤炭的消耗”，C选项“去解释铁路扩张带来的问题”，D选项“去描述原材料配送中涉及的困难”均不符合题意，可排除。故选B。
3. 【试题答案】D
【试题解析】客观细节题。定位到文章的第三段The products of the factories were rapidly absorbed by the growing cities that sheltered the workers and the distributors.（工厂的这些产品很快被居住了工人和批发商的城市所消耗。）工厂产品的最大消费者是居住在那里的人。因此D选项“城市居住者”正确，符合题意。A选项“铁路工人”，B选项“农民”，C选项“欧洲人”，均不符合题意，可排除。故选D。
4. 【试题答案】D
【试题解析】客观细节题。根据第三段中American agricultural production kept up with the urban demand and still had surpluses for sale to the industrial centers of Europe.（美国的农业生产赶得上美国城市的需求，且仍然有剩余以销售到欧洲的工业中心。）可知D选项“他们不能为城市生产足够的食物”错误，与原文不符。也能够知道C选项“他们将食物销售到欧洲国家”正确，与原文相符。由第三段中的倒数第二句The increased urban population was nourished by the increased farm production that, in turn, was made more productive by the use of the new farm machinery.（城市人口的增加得益于农业生产的增加，反过来，农业生产因新的农业机械的使用而变得更多产）可知B选项“他们通过使用新机械而提高了生产力”正确，与原文相符。由最后一段中The labor that ran the factories and built the railways was recruited in part from American farm areas where people were being displaced by farm machinery, in part from Asia, and in part from Europe.（工厂运行和铁路建设的劳动力部分来自美国的农村地区，那里的人正被农业机械所取代，一部分来自于亚洲，一部分来自欧洲。）可知A选项“他们由于机械化而失去了一些工作”，正确，与原文相符。故选D。
