In the 18th century, New York was smaller than Philadelphia and Boston. Today it is the largest city in America. How can the change in its size and importance be explained?

    To answer this question we must consider certain facts about geography, history, and economics. Together these three will explain the huge growth of America’s most famous city.

    The map of the Northeast shows that the four areas with the largest populations in this region are around seaports. At these points materials from across the sea enter the United States, and the products of the land are sent there for export across the sea.

     We know that places where transportation lines meet are good places for making raw materials into finished goods. That is why seaports often have cities nearby. But cities like New York needed more than their geographical location in order to become great industrial centers. Their development did not happen simply by chance.www.zxxk.com

     About 1815, when many Americans from the east had already moved toward the west, transportation routes from the seaports to the central regions of the country began to be a serious problem. The slow wagons of that time, usually drawn by horses, were too expensive for moving heavy freight (货物) very far. In New York State a canal seemed the best answer to the transportation problem. From the eastern end of Lake Erie all the way across the state to the Hudson River there is a long strip of low land. Here the Erie Canal was built, and after several years of work it was completed in 1825.

     The canal produced an immediate effect. Freight costs were cut to about one tenth of what they had been. New York City, which had been smaller than Philadelphia and Boston, quickly became the leading city of the coast. In the years that followed, transportation routes on the Great Lakes were joined to routes on the Mississippi River. Then New York City became the end point of a great inland shipping system that started from the Atlantic Ocean far up the western branches of the Mississippi.

1.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A. The Development of Transportation in New York

B. Export and Import of New York

C. How New York Became America's Largest City

D. How New York Exchanged with Europe

2.According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?

A. The Erie Canal connected Lake Erie with the Hudson River.

B. Economists are of the opinion that places where farming is done are good for making raw materials into finished goods.

C. Wagons drawn by horses and oxen soon proved to be better and cheaper than canal transportation.

D. The seaports usually have less population but more business.

3.Freight costs were reduced to 10% of what they had been because of ________.

A. cheap and fast wagons                          B. the new sea routes

C. the construction of the Erie Canal       D. the development of industry

In the 18th century, New York was smaller than Philadelphia and Boston. Today it is the largest city in America. How can the change in its size and importance be explained?
To answer this question we must consider certain facts about geography, history, and economics. Together these three will explain the huge growth of America’s most famous city.
The map of the Northeast shows that the four areas with the largest populations in this region are around seaports. At these points materials from across the sea enter the United States, and the products of the land are sent there for export across the sea.
We know that places where transportation lines meet are good places for making raw materials into finished goods. That is why seaports often have cities nearby. But cities like New York needed more than their geographical location in order to become great industrial centers. Their development did not happen simply by chance.www.zxxk.com
About 1815, when many Americans from the east had already moved toward the west, transportation routes from the seaports to the central regions of the country began to be a serious problem. The slow wagons of that time, usually drawn by horses, were too expensive for moving heavy freight (货物) very far. In New York State a canal seemed the best answer to the transportation problem. From the eastern end of Lake Erie all the way across the state to the Hudson River there is a long strip of low land. Here the Erie Canal was built, and after several years of work it was completed in 1825.
The canal produced an immediate effect. Freight costs were cut to about one tenth of what they had been. New York City, which had been smaller than Philadelphia and Boston, quickly became the leading city of the coast. In the years that followed, transportation routes on the Great Lakes were joined to routes on the Mississippi River. Then New York City became the end point of a great inland shipping system that started from the Atlantic Ocean far up the western branches of the Mississippi

1. 1.

   Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

   1. A.
      The Development of Transportation in New York
   2. B.
      Export and Import of New York
   3. C.
      How New York Became America's Largest City
   4. D.
      How New York Exchanged with Europe
2. 2.

   According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?

   1. A.
      The Erie Canal connected Lake Erie with the Hudson River
   2. B.
      Economists are of the opinion that places where farming is done are good for making raw materials into finished goods
   3. C.
      Wagons drawn by horses and oxen soon proved to be better and cheaper than canal transportation
   4. D.
      The seaports usually have less population but more business
3. 3.

   Freight costs were reduced to 10% of what they had been because of ______.

   1. A.
      cheap and fast wagons
   2. B.
      the new sea routes
   3. C.
      the construction of the Erie Canal
   4. D.
      the development of industry

Every people has its own special words and expressions like the American expression “on the

wagon” It means a person who no longer drinks whisky, beer or other kinds of alcoholic drinks. The “wagon” is a water wagon. In other words, a drinker has decided to change from alcohol to water. An Oklahoma newspaper wrote about a man who had a history of heavy drinking on America’s Fourth of July holiday. Said the newspaper, “We believe that his experience had lifted him onto the water wagon, but he was even drunker the next Fourth of July.”

Why do people decided to go on the wagon? Well, usually because they are alcoholics. They loss control of themselves when they drink. If they take one alcoholic drink, then they want to  drink another, and another, until all thought is gone.

Alcoholism is a major social problem in countries throughout the world. The United States is no exception. Experts believe that several million Americans are alcoholics today. Their health care needs, car accidents, reduced job performance and other problems cost thousands of millions of dollars every year.

In the early 1900s, many Americans joined in a campaign to make alcohol illegal in the United States. In 1920 an amendment was added to the Constitution. It made drinking or selling alcohol a crime. But the new law did not stop people from drinking. Criminals  produced or imported alcohol illegally and sold it almost everywhere.

After a few years Americans realized the so-called Prohibition Law did not work. So in 1933 another constitutional change was made, canceling the amendment that made alcohol illegal.

In recent years Americans have taken other steps to deal with the problem of alcohol. One important action has been to increase the punishment for people who drive their automobiles after drinking alcohol. Many states now consider this to be a serious crime. Another important step has been to explain to children and students the danger of alcohol. Many schools now offer special programmes to teach young people about the problem. Doctors have been working to develop new drugs and treatment programmes to help alcoholics. Finally, alcoholics themselves are dealing with the problem of alcoholism. Many of them have “ gone on the wagon” and stopped drinking. They have joined the Alcoholics Anonymous group meeting regularly to discuss their problems and give each other support. “Going on the wagon” is not the only way to control alcoholism, but most alcoholic say it is the best way. They must give up alcohol completely so their own body and spirit can survive.

1．People decide to go on the wagon because        .

    A．they enjoy having one drink after another

    B．they like the kind of drinks they get on the wagon

    C．they are afraid of losing their self-control in drinking again

    D．they are alcoholics and can not control themselves well

2．Americans are now taking steps to solve the problem of alcoholism by        .

    A．decreasing the amount of alcohol drunk by drivers

    B．teaching young students how to drive safely after drinking alcohol

    C．punishing people more heavily for driving after drinking alcohol

    D．giving special courses to teach doctors about new drugs and treatments for alcoholics

3．In the United States today        .

    A．alcoholism is not a major social problem

    B．there are no more than a million alcoholics

    C．the problem of alcoholism costs thousands of millions of dollars every year

    D．alcoholism has caused a million automobile accidents a year