問題詳情
Questions 1-10In the early 1800’s, over 80 percent of the United States labor force was engagedin agriculture. Sophisticated technology and machinery were virtually nonexistent.People who lived in the cities and were not directly involved in trade often participatedLine in small cottage industries making handcrafted goods. Others cured meats, silversmiths, candle5) or otherwise produced needed goods and commodities. Blacksmiths, silversmiths, candlemakers, and other artisans worked in their homes or barns, relying on help of familyPerhaps no single phenomenon brought more widespread and lasting change to theUnited States society than the rise of industrialization. Industrial growth hinged on several10） economic factors. First, industry requires an abundance of natural resources, especiallycoal, iron ore, water, petroleum, and timber-all readily available on the North Americancontinent. Second, factories demand a large labor supply. Between the 1870’s and theFirst World War (1914-1918), approximately 23 million immigrants streamed to theUnited States, settled in cities, and went to work in factories and mines. They also helped15）build the vast network of canals and railroads that crisscrossed the continent and linkedimportant trade centers essential to industrial growth.Factories also offered a reprieve from the backbreaking work and financialunpredictability associated with farming. Many adults, poor and disillusioned withfarm life, were lured to the cities by promises of steady employment, regular paychecks,20) increased access to goods and services, and expanded social opportunities. Others werepushed there when new technologies made their labor cheap or expendable; inventionssuch as steel plows and mechanized harvesters allowed one farmhand to perform workthat previously had required several, thus making farming capital-intensive rather thanlabor-intensive.25） The United States economy underwent a massive transition and the nature of workwas permanently altered. Whereas cottage industries relied on a few highly skilled craftworkers who slowly and carefully converted raw materials into finished products fromstart to finish, factories relied on specialization. While factory work was less creative andmore monotonous, it was also more efficient and allowed mass production of goods atless expense.
【題組】1.What aspect of life in the United States does the passage mainly discuss?
(A) The transition from an agricultural to anindustrial economy
(B) The inventions that transformed life in thenineteenth century
(C) The problems associated with the earliestfactories
(D) The difficulty of farm life in the nineteenthcentury
參考答案
答案：A
難度：非常簡單1
統計：A(5),B(0),C(0),D(0),E(0)