考研英语阅读理解B型题(九)
[b] Directions:[/b] In the following article, some sentences have been removed. For Questions 1-5, choose the most suitable one from the list A—G to fit into each of the numbered blank. There are two extra choices, which do not fit in any of the gaps.The Revolutionary War, which began officially on April 19, 1775, dragged on for more than six bitter years. It was a conflict fought by the colonials for the righteous cause of securing freedom from intolerable British intervention in American affairs.
1） When legal restrictions were implemented by both the British and the colonists in 1775, nearly all American overseas commerce abruptly ceased. By mid-1775, the colonies faced acute shortages in such military essentials as powder, flints, muskets, and knives. Even salt, shoes, woolens, and linens were in short supply. Late in 1775, Congress authorized limited trade with the West Indies, mainly to procure arms and ammunitions, and trade with other non-British areas was on an unrestricted basis by the spring of 1776.
2） Yet the colonies engaged in international trade despite the blockade. Formal treaties of commerce with France in 1778 and with Holland and Spain shortly thereafter stimulated the flows of overseas trade. Between 1778 and early 1782, American wartime commerce was at its zenith. During those years, France, Holland, Spain, and their possessions all actively traded with the colonies. Even so, the flow of goods in and out of the colonies remained well below prewar levels. Smuggling, privateering, and legal trade with overseas partners only partially offset the drastic trade reductions with Britain. Even the coastal trades were curtailed by a lack of vessels, by blockades, and by wartime freight rates. British occupied ports, such as New York, generated some import activity but little or nothing in the way of exports.
3）In Philadelphia, for instance, nearly 4,000 women were employed to spin materials in their homes for the newly established textile plants. A sharp increase also occurred in the number of artisan workshops with a similar stimulus in the production of beer, whiskey, and other domestic alcoholic beverages. 4）Only the least-commercialized rural areas remained little affected by the serpentine path of war and the sporadic flows of wartime commerce.
Overall, the war imposed a distinct economic hardship on the new nation. Most goods rose in cost and were more difficult to obtain. High prices and severe commercial difficulties encouraged some nvestors to turn from commerce to manufacturing. Then, once the trade lanes reopened with the coming of peace, even those who profited from the war were stung by the tide of imports that swept it to American ports and sharply lowered prices. 5）
[A]The rechanneling of American resources into import-competing industries was especially strong along the coast and in the major port cities.
[B]As exports and imports fell, import substitution abounded, and the colonial economy became considerably more self-sufficient.
[C] Although many Americans escaped the direct ordeals of war, few Americans were untouched by it — at least indirectly.
[D] Nevertheless, the British maintained a fairly effective naval blockade of American ports, especially during the first two years of the war.
[E] Internally, the most pressing problems were financial.
[F]More important was the fact that Congress had no independent income and had to rely for funds on catch-as-catch-can contributions from the states, made roughly in proportion to their individual populations.
[G]Maritime commerce was always an important factor in the war effort, and trade linkages were vital to the supply of arms and ammunitions.
[b]答案及详解[/b]
1.G.海上商业活动历来是战事中的重要环节，而保持贸易联系对于武器弹药的供应至关重要。第一段介绍了美国独立战争及意义。第二段说明独立战争的深刻根源。后面提到海外贸易的中止；火药、手雷、枪支及刀具比基本军需品的严重短缺。可知第一句应是对这两项的总体概述。所以应选G.
2.D.然而，英国对美国港口实施了相当有效的海上封锁，尤其在独立战争的最初两年，由下文：尽管封锁严密，各殖民地仍然开展着对外贸易，可知选D.
3.B.由于贸易活动的减少，进口替代品的生产兴旺起来，殖民地的经济因而更加自给自足。下文：例如在费城，新建的纺织厂雇用了近4000名妇女在家里纺织布料。工匠作坊也大量涌现，刺激了啤酒、威士忌及其它国产酒类的酿造。此段所举的例子都是为说明殖民地的经济因而更加自给自足。
4.A.美国的生产资源流动与进口货对抗的行业，这一趋势在沿海地区及港口大城市尤为强劲，免受战争炮火硝烟与战时贸易封锁影响的只有那些远离商业活动的乡村地区。前面的“沿海地区及港口大城市”与后文“乡村地区”形成对比。
5.C.虽然许多美国人逃脱了战争的直接厄运，但没有谁躲过战争的间接冲击。前文讲“总的来说，战争带给这个新兴的国家的是显而易见的经济困苦。大多数商品价格上涨，且供应紧张。昂贵的价格与贸易的极度艰难促使一些投资者从商业转向制造业。之后，随着战争的结束，贸易通道重新开放，即使那些在战争中赚了一笔的人都为潮水般地涌入美国港口并引起行情骤降的进口商品而痛心疾首。”选项E为干扰项。
[b]中心思想[/b]
英国独立战争对于北美殖民地反对英国暴政、追求独立自主的正义事业意义深远。但是，如同其他战争一样，所付出的代价是沉重的。除了人员伤亡造成的巨大损失，军需供应扰乱了殖民地的经济秩序。此外，英国的贸易封锁造成物资匮乏，国内财政赤字引发恶性通货膨胀。尽管生活困窘，殖民地人群情激昂，又战斗又生产，带动了美国制造业的兴旺。
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