【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】[听力原文] Today, class, I am going to speak to you about the Industrial Revolution. The term 'industrial revolution' refers to the technological, social, economic, and cultural changes that occurred in England in the late eighteenth century. This change eventually spread around the world, creating many big cities. Before the Industrial Revolution, the production and harvesting of products was Completed through manual labor. The Industrial Revolution replaced this manpower with machine power. One of the first, and perhaps most important, developments of the Industrial Revolution was the steam engine. This advance in transportation allowed for the faster delivery of manufactured goods. However, the steam engine wasn't only used for transportation but instead for the construction of machine engines that made faster production possible. For example, before the Industrial Revolution, most tasks were done by either wind or water power or by the strength of man or horse. But, in 1698, a man by the name of Thomas Savery constructed the first steam-powered engine in London. Thomas Savery, an engineer and inventor, patented a machine that could effectively draw water from flooded mines using steam pressure. The development of the steam engine caused a host of other changes technologically, socially, and economically within British culture. Steam engine technology led to the development of factories, where products were turned out in the hundreds or even thousands. The factory industry eventually gave rise to what we now know as the modem city. Manchester, for example, due to its cotton mills, became known as Cottonopolis because there were so many factories producing textiles. However, these early cities were not as clean or well kept as the ones we are familiar with today. Along with the growth of industry came the increase of sometimes hard or dirty living conditions. Children were forced to work long hours in factories until the Factory Act of 1833 came into effect, which stated that children under nine were not allowed to work and children over nine were not to work at night or for more than twelve-hour shifts. Trade unions were also born out of the Industrial Revolution, giving workers rights and freedoms that they had not had in the past. Before the Industrial Revolution, working conditions for British workers was not favorable. Men, women, and children worked long hours for little money. The poor conditions of the working class caused many educated British historians and authors to write manifestos expressing great sorrow for the working class. And even those that were not British, such as Friedrich Engels, a German political philosopher, used England as a model for change when he wrote The Condition of the Working Class in England in 1844. Within this text, Engels spoke of the Industrial Revolution and how it was to change the whole fabric of society. What changes did the Industrial Revolution bring about in agriculture? 讲座开头讲到了工业革命指的是出现在英国18世纪末的技术、社会、经济和文化上的变革，其中特别提到Before the Industrial Revolution，the production and harvesting of products was completed through manual labor. The Industrial Revolution replaced this manpower with machine power. 由此可知，工业革命前，生产和收获完全是通过人力完成的，而工业革命用机械动力取代了人力。故选项D正确。其他选项讲座中未提及，均排除。