阅读理解 At this time the state of South Carolina was having hard times. Year after year the soil had been planted with the same crop. It was farmed by uneducated and careless slaves, and the planters knew little about soil conservation. Because the soil was beginning to wear out, crops were smaller. The younger people were not satisfied to raise cotton on the poor soil of the old South. Many of them moved westward and started cotton plantation (大农场) in Alabama and Mississippi. Moreover, so much cotton had been shipped to factories in England and New England that they had as much cotton as they could use. This brought the price of cotton down. More and more slaves were needed to work on the new and larger plantations, and higher and higher prices were demanded for them. Planters found their expenses rising and their incomes from the sale of cotton reduced. Hard times had come to South Carolina.

问答题 Which of the following sentences can summarize the main idea of the passage?

问答题 Crops grew smaller in production in South Carolina mainly because ______.

问答题 According to the passage, the reason why many younger people moved westward is ______.

问答题 According to the passage, which of the following showed the expenses of planters were rising?

问答题 The fact that cotton prices were falling is mentioned by the author to show that ______.