阅读理解
passage one
As the merchant class expanded in the eighteenth century inNorth American Colonies, the silversmith and the coppersmithbusinesses rose to serve it. Only a few silversmiths wereavailable in New York or Boston in the late seventeenth century,but in the eighteenth century they could be found in all majorcolonial cities. No other colonial artisans rivaled the silversmiths’prestige. They handled the most expensive materials andpossessed direct connections to prosperous colonial merchants.Their products, primarily silver plates and bowls, reflected theirexalted status and testified to their customers’ prominence. Silver stood as one of the surest waysto store wealth at a time before neighborhood banks existed. Unlike the silver coins from whichthey were made, silver articles were readily identifiable. Often formed to individual specifications,they always carried the silversmith’s distinctive markings and consequently could be traced andretrieved. Customers generally secure the silver for the silver object they ordered. They savedcoins, took them to smiths, and discussed the type of pieces they desired. Silversmiths compliedwith these requests by melting the money in a small furnace, adding a bit of copper to form astronger alloy, and casting the alloy in rectangular blocks. They hammered these ingots to theappropriate thickness by hand, shaped them and pressed designs into them for adornment.Engraving was also done by hand. In addition to plates and bowls, some customers sought moreintricate products, such as silver teapots. These were made by shaping or casting parts separatelyand then soldering them together. Colonial coppersmith also come of age in the early eighteenthcentury and prospered in northern cities. Copper’s ability to conduct heat efficiently and to resistcorrosion contributed to its attractiveness. But because it was expensive in colonial America,coppersmiths were never very numerous. Virtually all copper worked by Smiths was imported assheets or obtained by recycling old copper goods. Copper was used for practical items, but it wasnot admired for its beauty. Coppersmiths employed it to fashion pots and kettles for the home.They shaped it in much the same manner as silver or melted it in a foundry with lead or tin. Theyalso mixed it with zinc to make brass for maritime and scientific instruments.
单选题
According to the passage, which of the following eighteenth century developments had strongimpact on silversmiths
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】根据文章第一句“As the merchant class expanded in the eighteenth century in NorthAmerican Colonies,...”可知,随着在十八世纪的北美殖民地商人阶级膨胀起来,也就是说那时的商人财富有了很大的发展,银匠铜匠们有机会发挥他们的专长了,这与选项C正好相符。
单选题
In colonial America, where did silversmiths usually obtain the material to make silver articles
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】根据文章第十四、五行“Customers generally secures …object they ordered. They savedcoins, took them to smiths, and...”可知顾客要做银器,首先要积攒银币,然后拿到银匠处加工成他们想要的形状。选项D“来自客户”与之相符。
单选题
The passage mentions all of the following as uses for copper in Colonial America EXCEPT______.
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】文章末尾在提到铜的用途时惟独没有提到乐器。
单选题
According to the passage, silversmiths and coppersmiths in colonial America were similar inwhich of the following ways
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】根据文章倒数第四行“They shaped it in much the same manner as silver or melted it in afoundry with lead or tin.”可知银匠和铜匠在银器和铜器的塑型方式上是一样的,故选项B为正确答案。