2014托福考试阅读模拟试题训练7_第3页

　　PARAGRAPH 4

　　Steam power and iron combined to revolutionize transport, which in turn had further implications. Improvements in road construction and sailing had occurred, but shipping heavy freight over land remained expensive, even with the use of rivers and canals wherever possible. Parallel rails had long been used in j mining operations to move bigger loads, but horses were still the primary source of power. ■ However, the arrival of the steam engine initiated a complete transformation in rail transportation, entrenching and expanding the Industrial Revolution. ■ As transportation improved, distant and larger markets within the nation could be reached, thereby encouraging the development of larger factories to keep pace with increasing sales. ■ Greater productivity and rising demands provided entrepreneurs with profits that could be reinvested to take advantage of new technologies to further expand capacity, or to seek alternative investment opportunities. ■ Also, the availability of jobs in railway Jj construction attracted many rural laborers accustomed to seasonal and temporary employment. When the work was completed, many moved to other construction jobs or to factory work in cities and towns, where they became part of an expanding working class.

　　10、The word "initiated" in the passage is closest in meaning to

　　anticipated

　　accelerated

　　spread

　　started

　　11、Paragraph 4 implies which of the following about the transformation in rail transportation?

　　Because railway construction employed mostly rural laborers, unemployment increased among urban workers.

　　It resulted in more trade within the country, but less trade with markets that could be reached only by ocean shipping.

　　It made shipping freight overland to distant markets less expensive.

　　It resulted in higher wages for factory workers.

　　12、The phrase "accustomed to" in the passage is closest in meaning to

　　in need of

　　used to

　　tired of

　　encouraged by

　　13、Look at the four squares [■] that indicate

　　where the following sentence could be added to the passage

　　The first steam-powered locomotives were slow but they rapidly improved in speed and carrying capacity.

　　14、 Direction: An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is provided below. Complete the summary by selecting the THREE answer choices that express the most important ideas in the passage. Some sentences do not belong in the summary because they express ideas that are not presented in the passage or are minor ideas in the passage. This question is worth 2 points.

　　The coming of the Industrial Revolution in eighteenth-century Britain depended on the development of the steam engine to power machinery.

　　Answer Choices

　　A. For years, historians disregarded the issue of energy as a major element in the rise of the Industrial Revolution and focused instead on technological developments and increased production.

　　B. The introduction and growth of steam-powered rail transport was a major factor in Britain's economic expansion during the Industrial Revolution.

　　C. An expansion of the Industrial Revolution outside Great Britain occurred when British industries began to import raw cotton and high-quality iron.

　　D. By 1850, the use of steam power in Britain's mills, mines, and iron industry made Britain a world leader in the production of cotton cloth and iron.

　　E. Since the basic infrastructure was in place, the Industrial Revolution fueled itself with enlarging markets requiring ever more expansion of factories and workforce.

　　F. By the end of the 1800s, railway construction attracted so many laborers that factories could not find enough workers to keep up with increasing sales.