单选题 {{B}}Text 3{{/B}}

The technology of the North American colonies did not differ strikingly from that of Europe, but in one respect, the colonists enjoyed a great advantage．Especially by comparison with Britain，Americans had a wonderfully plentiful supply of wood．
The first colonists did not, as many people imagine, find an entire continent covered by a continuous forest．Even along the Atlantic seaboard, the forest was broken at many points．Nevertheless, all sorts of fine trees abounded, and through the early colonial period, those who pushed westward encountered new forests．By the end of the colonial era, the price of wood had risen slightly in eastern cities, but wood was still extremely abundant．
The availability of wood brought advantages that have seldom been appreciated． Wood was a foundation of the economy．Houses and all manner of buildings were made of wood to a degree unknown in Britain．Secondly, wood was used as a fuel for heating and cooking．Thirdly, it was used as the source of important industrial compounds, such as potash, an industrial alkali; charcoal, a component of gunpowder, and tannic acid, used for tanning leather．
The supply of wood conferred advantages but had some negative aspects as well． Iron at that time was produced by heating iron ore with charcoal．Because Britain was so stripped of trees，she was unable to exploit her rich iron mines．But the American colonies had both iron ore and wood；iron production was encouraged and becamesuccessful. However, when Britain developed coke smelting, the colonies did not follow suit because they had plenty of wood and besides, charcoal iron was stronger than coke iron．Coke smelting led to technological innovations and was linked to the emergence of the Industrial Revolution．In the early nineteenth century, the former colonies lagged behind Britain in industrial development because their supply of wood led them to cling to charcoal iron．

单选题 Which of t11e following is a common assumption about the forests in North America during the colonial period?

A、 Their economic value was little known．
B、 They contained only a few types of trees．
C、 They covered almost the entire continent．
D、 They existed only along the Atlantic seaboard．

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】[解析] 细节题。根据文章第二段第一句话“The first colonists did not, as many people imagine, find an entire continent covered by a continuous forest.”可知，许多人认为，整个北美大陆为连绵不断的森林所覆盖，因此应选择 [C] 。本题的解题关键是题干中的“common assumption”，即提问大家的普遍看法，不是既定事实。其他选项的1人内容均在描述事实时有所提及，但与文章中的内容均有一定出入。[B] 与文章中“all sorts of fine trees abounded (大量存在)”相矛盾；第三段第一句捉到，木材带来的优势被忽略，而不是 [A] 经济价值不为人所知。[D] 与文章中“Even along the Atlantic seaboard， the forest was broken at many points．”不符。

单选题 What can be inferred about houses in Britain during the period mentioned in the text?

A、 They were more expensive than American houses．
B、 They were generally built witll imported materials．
C、 They were usually built from materials other than wood．
D、 They were typically smaller than homes in North America．

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】[解析] 推理题。由文章第三段中“Houses and all manner of buildings were made of wood tO a degree unknown in Britain．”可知，在某种程度上，北美的房子是用英国人不太了解的木材建造的，由此可推断出，英国的房子是用除木材以外的材料建造的，应选择[C] 。文章第四段中“Britain was so stripped oftrees(英国树木匮乏)”也证明了这一点。

单选题 Why does the author mention gunpowder in Paragraph 3?

A、 To remind readers that the colonial era ended in warfare．
B、 To give an example of a product made from wood consumption．
C、 To illustrate some negative aspects of some industrial processes．
D、 To suggest that wood was not the only important product of the colonies．

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】[解析] 推理题。文章第三段提到木材的优势，其中第三点是木材被用作重要工业化合物的原料，随后给出儿个例子，如碳酸钾、木炭和单宁酸，其中木炭是火药的组成成分，由此可知，作者提到火药，目的是作为木材产品的例证，因此应选择[B] 。

单选题 Wrlly was the use of coke smelting advantageous according to the text?

A、 It led to advances in technology．
B、 It stimulated the demand for wood．
C、 It was less expensive than wood smelting．
D、 It produced a stronger type of iron than charcoal smelting．

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】[解析] 细节题。由文章最后一段中“Coke smelting led to technological innovations and was linked to the emergence of the Industrial Revolution.”可知，焦炭冶炼引发了技术革新，科技进步，因此应选择[A] 。[D] “焦炭冶炼产生的铁比木炭冶炼的铁坚固”与文章第四段中“charcoal iron was stronger than coke iron.”相矛盾。英国缺少树，于是开发出焦炭冶炼技术，[B] “刺激对木材的需求”与此不符，文章没有比较焦炭冶炼和木材冶炼的成本，[C] 不正确。

单选题 What does the text mainly discuss?

A、 The roots of the Industrial Revolution．
B、 The advantages of using wood in the colonies．
C、 The difference between charcoal iron and coke iron．
D、 The effects of an abundance of wood on the colonies．

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】[解析] 主旨题。文章首先指出美国拥有非常充足的木材供应，随后提到木材带来的优势和负面影响，[D] “充足的木材对殖民地的影响”恰好是对主题的概括，因此应选择[D] 。[A] “工业革命的根源”，[B] “殖民地应用木材的优势”和[C] “木炭铁和焦炭铁的差别”均为文章中的细节。语言点： 1．in one respect一方面 2．by comparison with…与…相比 3．The availability of wood brought advantages that have seldom been appreciated．木材供应带来的优势很少受到重视：句子分析：that引导定语从句，修饰advantages。availability表示“可利用性”。 4．Houses and all manner of buildings were made of wood to a degree unknown in Britain．在某种程度上，房子和各式建筑是用英国人不太了解的木材建造的。 1)be made of用…制成 2)to a degree在某种程度上 3)句中分析：过去分词短语unknown in Britain作定语，修饰wood。 5．Thirdly,it was used as the source of important industrial compounds，such as potash, an industrial alkali; charcoal, a component of gunpowder, and tannic acid，used for tanning leather．第三，它被用作重要工业化合物的原料，例如碳酸钾(一种工业碱)、木炭(火药的组成成分)和单宁酸(用作鞣制皮革)。句子分析：an industrial alkali为potash的同位语，a component of gunpowder为charcoal的同位语，过去分词短句used for tanning leather为定语，修饰tannic acid。 6．iron ore铁矿石 7．be stripped of被剥夺 8．However, when Britain developed coke smelting, the colonies did not follow suit because they had plenty of wood and besides，charcoal iron was stronger than coke iron．然而，英国开发出焦炭冶炼技术时，殖民地没有效仿，因为他们有充足的木材，而且，木炭铁比焦炭铁坚固。 1)follow suit跟着做，照着做 2)句子分析：whenq I导时间状语从句．because they had…stronger than coke iron为原因状语从句，原因状语从句中and连接两个并列分句。 9．be linked to与…联系 10．In the early nineteenth century,the former colonies lagged behind Britain in industrial development because their supply of wood led them to cling to charcoal iron．在十九世纪初，昔日的殖民地在工业发展中落后于英国，因为木材供应使他们紧紧依赖木炭铁。 1)lag behind落后于 2)clingto紧抓，紧附