中高級閱讀 能力測試(1) railroad pioneers (適合多益與學測準備) by David Pai

 

中高級閱讀 能力測試

(適合多益與學測準備)

Section Three: Reading Comprehension（1）

Railroad Pioneers

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  Railroad Pioneers

Questions 1-11

 

The work of the railroad pioneers in America became the basis for a great surge of railroad building halfway through the nineteenth century that linked the nation together as never before. Railroads eventually became the nation’s number one transportation system, and remained so until the construction of the interstate highway system halfway through the twentieth century. They were of crucial importance in stimulating economic expansion, but their influence reached beyond the economy and was pervasive in American society at large.

By 1804, English as well as American inventors had experimented with steam engines for moving land vehicles. In 1920, John Stevens ran a locomotive and cars around in a circular track on his New Jersey estate, which the public saw as an amusing toy. And in 1825, after opening a short length of track, the Stockton to Darlington Railroad in England became the first line to carry general traffic. American businesspeople, especially those in the Atlantic coastal region who looked for better communication with the West, quickly became interested in the English experiment. The first company in America to begin actual operations was the Baltimore and Ohio, which opened a thirteen- mile length of track in 1830. It used a team of horses to pull a train of passenger carriages and freight wagons along the track. Steam locomotive power didn’t come into regular service until two years later.

However, for the first decade or more, there was not yet a true railroad system. Even the longest of the lines was relatively short in the 1830’s, and most of them served simply to connect water routes to each other, not to link one railroad to another. Even when two lines did connect, the tracks often differed in width, so cars from one line couldn’t fit onto tracks of the next line. Schedules were unreliable and wrecks were frequent. Significantly, however, some important developments during the 1830’s and 1840’s included the introduction of heavier iron rails, more flexible and powerful locomotives, and passenger cars were redesigned to become more stable, comfortable, and larger. By the end of 1830 only 23 miles of track had been laid in the country. But by 1936, more than 1,000 miles of track had been laid in eleven States, and within the decade, almost 3,000 miles had been constructed. By that early age, the United States had already surpassed Great Britain in railroad construction, and particularly from the mid-1860’s, the late nineteenth century belonged to the railroads.

 

1  The word “stimulating” in line 5 is closest in meaning to

(a)   helping

(b)   changing

(c)   promoting

(d)   influencing

 

2        The word “their” in line 6 refers to

(a)   railroad pioneers

(b)   railroads

(c)   the interstate highway system

(d)   American society

 

3        Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?

(a)   The United States regarded Great Britain as a competitor in developing the most efficient railroad system

(b)   Steam locomotive power was first used in 1832

(c)   American businessmen saw railroads as a threat to established businesses

(d)   Steam locomotives replaced horses because of the distances across the country

 

4    The author concludes that for the first decade or more, there was not yet a true railroad system because

(a)  passenger cars were not stable, comfortable or large

(b)  locomotives were not powerful enough

(c)  schedules were unreliable and wrecks were frequent

(d)  lines were relatively short and not usually linked

 

5    The word “schedules” in line 23 is closest in meaning to:

(a)  safety procedures

(b)  employees

(c)  timetables

(d)  railroad tracks

 

6    Which of the following is NOT true about the 1830’s and 1840’s (line 24)

(a)   passenger cars became larger

(b)   schedules were reliable

(c)   locomotives became more powerful

(d)   tracks were heavier

 

7    The word “stable” in line 26 is closest in meaning to

(a)  fixed

(b)   supportive

(c)   reliable

(d)   sound

 

8    By what time had almost 3,000 miles of track been laid? (a) 1830

(b) 1836

(c) 1840

(d) mid-1860s

 

9    The word “surpassed” in line 29 is closest in meaning to

(a)  exceeded

(b)   beaten

(c)   overtaken

(d)   equaled

 

10  Where in the passage does the author outline the main conclusions about the importance of railroads in America?

(a)   Lines 3-7

(b)   Lines 14-18

(c)   Lines 19-21

(d)     Lines 29-31

 

11    Why does the author include details about Great Britain in the passage?

(a)  To compare developments in both the United States and Great Britain

(b)  To illustrate the competitiveness between the two countries

(c)  To show where Americans got their ideas and technology from (d)To provide a more complete historical context

 

1.c   2.b   3.b   4.d   5.c   6.b   7.d   8.c   9.a   10.a 11.d

 

The work of the railroad pioneers in America became the basis for a great surge of railroad building halfway through the nineteenth century that linked the nation together as(it was) never before. Railroads eventually became the nation’s number one transportation system, and remained so until the construction of the interstate highway system halfway through the twentieth century. They were of crucial importance in stimulating economic expansion, but their influence reached beyond the economy and was pervasive in American society at large.

 

美國鐵路先驅的工作成為十九世紀中葉鐵路建設激增的基礎，以前所未有的方式將國家聯繫在一起。鐵路最終成為美國第一大交通系統，並一直保持到二十世紀中葉州際公路系統的建設。它們在刺激經濟擴張方面至關重要，但它們的影響力超越了經濟，並在整個美國社會中無處不在。

 

 

 

By 1804, English as well as American inventors had experimented with steam engines for moving land vehicles. In 1920, John Stevens ran a locomotive and cars around in a circular track on his New Jersey estate, which the public saw as an amusing toy. And in 1825, after opening a short length of track, the Stockton to Darlington Railroad in England became the first line to carry general traffic. American businesspeople, especially those in the Atlantic coastal region who looked for better communication with the West, quickly became interested in the English experiment. The first company in America to begin actual operations was the Baltimore and Ohio, which opened a thirteen- mile length of track in 1830. It used a team of horses to pull a train of passenger carriages and freight wagons along the track. Steam locomotive power didn’t come into regular service until two years later.

 

到1804年，英國和美國的發明家已經試驗了用於移動陸地車輛的蒸汽機。1920年，約翰·史蒂文斯（John Stevens）在新澤西州莊園的一條圓形軌道上運行機車和汽車，公眾認為這是一個有趣的玩具。1825年，在開通了一小段軌道后，英國的斯托克頓到達靈頓鐵路成為第一條承載一般交通的線路。美國商人，特別是那些在大西洋沿岸地區尋求與西方進行更好溝通的商人，很快就對英國實驗產生了興趣。美國第一家開始實際運營的公司是巴爾的摩和俄亥俄州，該公司於1830年開設了一條13英里長的軌道。它用一隊馬沿著軌道拉著一列客運車廂和貨車。蒸汽機車動力直到兩年後才投入使用。

 

 

 

 

However, for the first decade or more, there was not yet a true railroad system. Even the longest of the lines was relatively short in the 1830’s, and most of them served simply to connect water routes to each other, not to link one railroad to another. Even when two lines did connect, the tracks often differed in width, so cars from one line couldn’t fit onto tracks of the next line. Schedules were unreliable and wrecks were frequent. Significantly, however, some important developments during the 1830’s and 1840’s included the introduction of heavier iron rails, more flexible and powerful locomotives, and passenger cars were redesigned to become more stable, comfortable, and larger. By the end of 1830 only 23 miles of track had been laid in the country. But by 1836, more than 1,000 miles of track had been laid in eleven States, and within the decade, almost 3,000 miles had been constructed. By that early age, the United States had already surpassed Great Britain in railroad construction, and particularly from the mid-1860’s, the late nineteenth century belonged to the railroads.

 

然而，在最初的十年或更長時間里，還沒有一個真正的鐵路系統。在19世紀30年代，即使是最長的線路也相對較短，其中大多數只是為了將水路相互連接，而不是將一條鐵路連接到另一條鐵路。即使兩條線連接在一起，軌道的寬度也經常不同，因此一條線的汽車無法適應下一條線的軌道。時程表不可靠，損害事故頻繁發生。然而，值得注意的是，1830年代和1840年代的一些重要發展包括引入更重的鐵軌，更靈活和更強大的機車，以及重新設計的乘用車，使其更加穩定，舒適和更大。到1830年底，該國僅鋪設了23英里的軌道。但到1836年，在11個州鋪設了1000多英里的軌道，在這十年內，已經建造了近3000英里的軌道。到那時，美國在鐵路建設方面已經超過了英國，特別是從19世紀60年代中期開始，十九世紀末就屬於鐵路。

 

the late nineteenth century belonged to the railroads.

 

1      The word “stimulating” in line 5 is closest in meaning to

(a)    helping

(b)    changing

(c)    promoting

(d)    influencing

 

2      The word “their” in line 6 refers to

(a)    railroad pioneers

(b)    railroads

(c)    the interstate highway system

 

(d)    American society

 

3      Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?

(a)    The United States regarded Great Britain as a competitor in developing the most efficient railroad system

(b)    Steam locomotive power was first used in 1832

(c)    American businessmen saw railroads as a threat to established businesses

(d)    Steam locomotives replaced horses because of the distances across the country

 

4      The author concludes that for the first decade or more, there was not yet a true railroad system because

(a)    passenger cars were not stable, comfortable or large

(b)    locomotives were not powerful enough

(c)    schedules were unreliable and wrecks were frequent

(d)    lines were relatively short and not usually linked

 

5      The word “schedules” in line 23 is closest in meaning to:

(a)    safety procedures

(b)    employees

(c)    timetables

(d)    railroad tracks

 

6      Which of the following is NOT true about the 1830’s and 1840’s (line 24)

(a)    passenger cars became larger

(b)    schedules were reliable

(c)    locomotives became more powerful

(d)    tracks were heavier

 

7      The word “stable” in line 26 is closest in meaning to

(a)    fixed

(b)    supportive

(c)    reliable

(d)    sound

 

8      By what time had almost 3,000 miles of track been laid? (a) 1830

(b) 1836

(c) 1840

(d) mid-1860s

 

9      The word “surpassed” in line 29 is closest in meaning to

(a)    exceeded

(b)    beaten

(c)    overtaken

(d)    equaled

 

 

10            Where in the passage does the author outline the main conclusions about the importance of railroads in America?

(a)    Lines 3-7

(b)    Lines 14-18

(c)    Lines 19-21

(d)    Lines 29-31

 

11    Why does the author include details about Great Britain in the passage?

(a)    To compare developments in both the United States and Great Britain

(b)    To illustrate the competitiveness between the two countries

(c)    To show where Americans got their ideas and technology from (d)To provide a more complete historical context