By the end of the Middle Ages the technological systems called cities had long since become a central feature of Western life. In 1600 London and Amsterdam each had【B1】______ of more than 100,000, and twice that number【B2】______ in Paris.【B3】______,the Dutch, English, Spanish, and French were beginning to establish, 【B4】______ empires. Colonialism and trade【B5】______ a powerful merchant class that helped to create an increasing【B6】______ for such luxuries as wine, coffee, tea, cocoa, and tobacco. These merchants【B7】______ a style of life aspired to by the wider populace.【B8】______ the beginning of the 18th century, capital resources and banking systems were well enough【B9】______ in Great Britain to initiate investment in mass-production techniques that would【B10】______ some of these middle-class aspirations. The Industrial Revolution commenced in England, 【B11】______ that nation had the technological 【B12】______, government encouragement, and a large and varied trade network. The first factories appeared in 1740,【B13】______ textile production. In 1740 the【B14】______ of English people wore woolen garments, but【B15】______ the next 100 years the rough, often unhealthy woolens were【B16】______ by cotton—especially【B17】______ the invention of the machine by Eli Whitney, an American, in 1793. One of the most important innovations in the weaving process was【B18】______ in France in 1801 by Joseph Jacquard. This use of punched cards inspired the British mathematician Charles Babbage to attempt to【B19】______ a calculating machine based on the same principle.【B20】______ this machine never became fully practical, it foretold the great computer revolution of the 20th century.

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】解析：空缺前后谈论这些国家的人口多少，该词与下文的populace具有照应关系。选项[B]peoples含义为“民族，种族”，偏离了原文话题。选项[C]inhabitants侧重于“仅指长久居住或栖息在某一地方的人或动物”，该词不如populations贴近文章。同理，选项[D]individuals侧重于“任何个体，常强调个体存在的不可分割性。多指一群中的个别成员，尤指单个人，常与表示集体概念的社会、种族、家庭等相对应”，而原文侧重的是人口整体数量。

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】解析：空缺处的上文谈论大城市人口众多，下文谈论有些国家开始在海外拓展殖民地，前后为递进关系。选项[A]Again常表达时间的反复。选项[B]Instead(作为代替；而；却)常用于表达两者的肯定和否定关系，而原文没有这种对照关系。选项[C]Thus(因此)表达因果关系，显然不符合原文句子之间的内容。

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】解析：此处意思为“在全球扩展殖民地”，下文的colonialism(殖民主义)与之照应。选项[A]vast(广袤的)可以和empires构成搭配，但不符合常识。选项[C]primitive(原始的)不恰当，原文并未提及有关“起源、原始”的内容。选项[D]secure(安全的)也与文意不符。

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】解析：此处意为“孕育出强大的商人阶层”。选项[A]urged(敦促，力劝)主语一般是人，而原文主语是无生命词colonialism and trade。同理，选项[B]preferred(宁可，更喜爱)不恰当。选项[C]contributed如果带上介词to，表达“贡献，促成”，从内容上可以填入，但原文没有介词to。

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】解析：此处意为“激发了对奢侈品的渴望”，下文的aspired，aspirations(渴望，追求)与它有很好的照应关系。选项[A]dream(梦想)的英文意为“a wish to have or be sth，especially one that seems difficult to achieve”，但原文并没有难以实现的字眼。选项[C]illusion(错误观念，幻想)和选项[D]imagination(想象力)都与文章不符。

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】解析：set与上下文的establish，create，initiate都构成了同义词的照应。选项[B]started侧重于“开始，着手”，虽然意义上可以与style of life搭配，但不如[A]符合原文的一致性。选项[C]reached(达到，到达)显然不符合文章。选项[D]took，如果与to搭配，可以表达“喜爱”，但原文没有介词to。

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】解析：此处意思为“技术满足了中产阶级的渴望(目的)”，选项[C]既满足句法的要求，又符合文章。选项[A]serve虽然含有“满足……的需求”的含义，但它侧重于“用处、用途”，而原文缺乏与用途有关的线索。选项[B]upset(搅乱，使不舒服)，选项[D]honor(给……荣誉；遵守)，均无法与宾语aspirations构成有意义的搭配。

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】解析：空缺上文内容“英国开始了工业革命”，下文交代了原因，之后再具体阐释出有哪些原因。选项[A]in case(只怕，唯恐)也可以交代原因，但in case后接某种主观的看法，而原文空缺处的下文所述的是客观事实。选项[B]if(如果)和[D]so long as(只要)引导条件，不符合原文逻辑。

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】解析：Mean的英文意思为“an action，an object or a system by which a result is achieved”，可以与原文technological搭配，而且也符合原文上下文的因果分析。选项[A]method侧重于“做事的某一方式；条理性”，不如[B]恰当。选项[C]medium(媒体)和[D]measure(措施)显然不符合文章。

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】解析：即“虽然机器从未用付诸实践，但却预示着计算机革命的到来”。选项[A]Supposing(假如)侧重与现在事实相反的假设，选项[C]Provided(假如)侧重说话者的希望、打算和愿望，[A]、[C]与原文的never became fully practical不符。选项[D]When显然不吻合原文否定(never)和肯定(foretold)的对比关系。