[求助]2003.1的阅读疑问

cqxf

Questions 1-10

By far the most important United States export product in the eighteenth and

nineteenth centuries was cotton, favored by the European textile industry over flax or

wool because it was easy to process and soft to tile touch. Mechanization of spinning

Line and weaving allowed significant centralization and expansion in the textile industry during

(5)  this period, and at the same time the demand for cotton increased dramatically. American

producers were able to meet this demand largely because of tile invention of the cotton gin

by Eli Whitney in 1793. Cotton could be grown throughout the South, but separating the

fiber---or lint--from the seed was a laborious process. Sea island cotton was relatively

easy to process by hand, because its fibers were long and seeds were concentrated at the

(10) base of the flower, but it demanded a long growing season, available only along the

nation's eastern seacoast. Short-staple cotton required a much shorter growing season,

but the shortness of the fibers and their mixture with seeds meant that a worker could

hand-process only about one pound per day. Whitney's gin was a hand-powered machine

with revolving drums and metal teeth to pull cotton fibers away from seeds. Using the gin,

(15) a worker could produce up to '50 pounds of lint a day. The later development of larger

gins, powered by horses, water, or steam, multiplied productivity further.

The interaction of improved processing and high demand led to the rapid spread of

the cultivation of cotton and to a surge in production. It became the main American

export, dwarfing all others. In 1802, cotton composed 14 percent of total American

(20))exports by value. Cotton had a 36 percent share by 1810 and over a 50 percent share

in 1830. In 1860, 61 percent of the value of American exports was represented by cotton.

In contrast, wheat and wheat flour composed only 6 percent of the value of American

exports in that year. Clearly, cotton was king in the trade of the young republic. The

growing market for cotton and other American agricultural products led to an

(25) unprecedented expansion of agricultural settlement, mostly in the eastern half of the

United States---west of the Appalachian Mountains and east of the Mississippi River

6. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage about cotton production in the United

States after the introduction of Whitney's cotton gin?

(A) More cotton came from sea island cotton plants than before.

(B) More cotton came from short-staple cotton plants than before.

(C) Most cotton produced was sold domestically.

(D) Most cotton produced was exported to England.

答案是D，但太傻上说是B。因为

Short-staple cotton required a much shorter growing season,

but the shortness of the fibers and their mixture with seeds meant that a worker could

hand-process only about one pound per day. 及Whitney's gin was a hand-powered machine的前面部分。而我认为还是该是D。因为

In 1802, cotton composed 14 percent of total American

(20))exports by value. Cotton had a 36 percent share by 1810 and over a 50 percent share

in 1830. In 1860, 61 percent of the value of American exports was represented by cotton.

后面提高了这个。不过离Whitney's gin 的距离有点远。这么推测对不对了？

mildsevens

选B，文章说了short-staple的优缺点，并紧接着说了gin能解决缺陷，因此可以推测出答案。

In 1802, cotton composed 14 percent of total American exports by value

只是说出口量大，并没有说是到England的。

enjoylife517

严重同意楼上的看法，虽然出口量大是最终结果，但England是原文没有提到的，而且花了大量篇幅是在解释gin的用处。同意选B

cqxf

但是 是infer题，如果提到了ENGLAND 就不叫推理了呀。

enjoylife517

如果你说England是从原文中Europe推理出来的，就明显不对了。因为答案里用了most，所以如果是这样的话，原文中用England更合适，而不是Europe。而且考查推断地名的话，有点怪，很勉强。。

爱无伤

而且我觉得出口到England与gin的发明没有关系.在gin发明之前也可以说大部分出口到england.

体会出题人的意图,我觉得应该选B

lina1982

按照托福的做题方法，还有文章意思，答案选B，我觉得此题不应该有争议