【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】[听力原文]
   I'm sure almost everyone of you looked at your watch or a clock before you came to class today. Watches and clocks seem as much a part of our life as breathing or eating. And yet, did you know that watches and clocks were scarce in the United States until the 1850s?
   In the late 1700s, people didn't know the exact time unless they were near a clock. Those delightful clocks in the squares of European towns were built for the public—after all, most citizens simply couldn't afford a personal timepiece. Well into the 1800s—in Europe and the United States—the main purpose of a watch, which, by the way, was often on a gold chain, was to show others how wealthy you were.
   The word "wristwatch" didn't even enter the English language until nearly 1900. By then the rapid pace of industrialization in the United States meant that measuring time had become essential. How could the factory worker get to work on time, unless he or she knew exactly what time it was? Since efficiency was now measured by how fast a job was done, everyone was interested in time. And since industrialization made possible the manufacture of large quantities of goods, watches became fairly inexpensive. Furthermore, electric lights kept factories going around the clock. Being on time had entered the language—and life—of every citizen.
   Q: What was TRUE of watches before the 1850s?
我敢肯定，几乎你们每个人今天来上课之前都看过自己的手表或时钟。手表和时钟在我们生活中的地位就如同呼吸和进食一般重要。但你是否知道，在美国，直到19世纪50年代，手表和时钟还是很稀有的物件?
   在18世纪末期，只有当附近有时钟时，人们才能知道准确的时间。欧洲小镇广场上那些美观的时钟正是为了民众而安装的——毕竟，绝大多数市民是买不起个人计时器的。在19世纪初的欧洲和美国，人们佩戴手表(通常是挂在金链上)的主要目的就是向他人显示自己是多么富有。
   直到20世纪左右，“手表”这个单词才进入了英语这种语言中。从此以后，美国快速的工业化进程意味着掌握时间已经变得很重要。如果不知道准确时间的话，工厂的工人们怎样能准时上班呢?由于完成工作的速度如今已经成为衡量效率的准绳，每个人都对时间产生了兴趣。此外，由于受到工业化的影响，大批量的商品生产成为可能，手表的价格也变得相当便宜。而且，在电灯的照明下，工厂昼夜不停地运转着。遵守时间的概念不仅进入了每个市民的语言，更是成为人们生活的一部分。
   快速浏览各题选项，根据time、watches、clocks、manufactured、factories等关键词推测，短文可能与手表、时钟的制造以及时间有关。
   ①四项均为句子，其中两项以they开头，两项含有them。
   ②根据听前预测，选项中的they和them应该都指watches或clocks。
   结论：本题可能考查钟表的状况。
   题干问关于钟表在19世纪50年代以前的状况描述中哪一项是正确的。在短文开头部分讲话者就用一个问题引入主题(Did you know that watches and clocks were scarce in the United States until the 1850s?)从此句当中我们可以得知，在19世纪50年代以前，钟表在美国是很稀有的物件，也就是说只有少数人才能拥有。故选B。