阅读理解 As early as in 1710 the iron industry in England complained of increasing competition from the American colonies. The American iron industry developed rapidly from that date until, by 1750, numerous furnaces, forges and mills were in operation in New England, the middle colonies, and Virginia. When large quantities of pig iron from the American colonies first entered England in 1735, the product proved to be such excellent quality that England iron makers became involved in a hitter argument over the future of the colonial iron industry. The English smelters, who changed native English iron ore into pig iron, insisted that American pig iron be kept out of England by means of high import taxes and, in fact, that the whole colonial iron industry be suppressed. In agreement with the iron smelters were owners of English mines and even forests, whose wood was used to fuel the furnaces which smelted the iron ore. On the other side of the issue were the English iron manufacturers who desired more cheap pig iron to make into nails, tools and other iron wares. The iron manufacturers therefore encouraged the production of pig iron in the American colonies. They wanted it to enter England tax-free, but, at the same time, demanded that the colonists be prevented from working their crude iron into finished products. In addition to the iron manufactures, English merchant ship owners were in favor of receiving American pig iron, for they looked forward to transporting the crude iron from America to England and the manufactured iron products from England to the colonies. The English wool industry supported the iron manufacturers, also, in the belief that the Americans would use the money received for shipments of crude iron to buy cloth made in England, thus discouraging the growth of wool manufacturing in America.

单选题 English iron smelters and English iron manufacturers were both opposed to _______.

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】推断题。在文章第一段第四句中，描述了英国冶炼工对进口美国生铁的态度：通过高进口税率减少进口，从而压制美国的钢铁工业；第二段第三句，制造商态度是，鼓励免税进口生铁，但要求美国方面不将生铁制成为成品。由此可以推知，二者共同点是“反对美国发展钢铁工业”。所以B是正确答案。

单选题 The passage implies that American pig iron was _______.

单选题 The author states that the smelting of iron ore in England _______.

单选题 The main topic of this passage is the _______.

单选题 It was believed that the colonists would use profits from the sale of their pig iron to _______.

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】事实细节题。根据最后一段第五句所讲，英国毛纺工业支持进口美国生铁原因的是他们可以用这些钱来买英国的毛织品(The English wool industry supported the iron manufacturers，also，in the belief that the Americans would use the money received for shipments of crude iron to buy cloth made in England，thus discouraging the growth of wool manufacturing in America．)，所以C是正确答案。