英语四级阅读理解全真模拟题(101-128)

Passage4

OnThursdayAmericanAirlinesandUSAirways

announcedanalliancetopooltheirfrequent-flierprograms,

givingcustomersaddedincentivestoflyoneanother'sskies.

ThenonFridayDeltaandUniteddeliveredwordofa

sort-of-but-not-quitecoupling.Thesedealsthrustthe

much-scrutinizedairlineindustryevenmoreintothepublic

spotlight.Airlineprofitsareatrecordhighs.Businessfares

areclimbingintothestratosphere,up16percentlastyear

alone.Nowcomestheconsolidationsweepingtheindustry.

Thequestioniswhetherthesedealswillmeanmorechoice

andmoreconvenience,astheairlinesargue,orless

competitionorevenhigherprices.

Clearlyconsumerscanbenefitfromthesetie-ups.

PassengersflyingAmericanorUSAirways,forinstance,can

nowuseeithercarrier'snetworkof72worldwideclubsand

lounges.Theycancombinetheirfrequent-flierawards,

allowingthemnotonlytobuildupredeemablemilesmore

quicklybutalsocashthemintomoredestinations.

AmericancanplugintoUSAirways'deeperwebof

connectionsupanddowntheEasternSeaboard;US

Airways,withfewerroutestoSouthAmerica,theCaribbeari

andEurope,willbeabletoofferagreaterarrayof

internationalflights.Intime,AmericanandUSAirways

hopetocreatethemoreambitiouspartnership--a

so-calledcode-sharingagreementthatwouldallowthetwo

carrierstocoordinateflightscheduleswithoutenteringa

full-fledgedmerger.Thegoalis"seamlessservice"--

withouthavingtochangeairlines.

Priceisawildcardinthesealliances.Consumergroups

worrythattheywillreducecompetition,translatinginturn

intohigherfares.Theycouldberight.Giventherapidtrend

towardconsolidation,manyanalystsforeseeadaywhen

mostmajor"hub"airportswillbedominatedbyasingle

airlineorconsortium.AreportlastyearbytheGeneral

AccountingOfficefoundthatticketprices,insuchcases,

rangedfrom45to65percenthigherthanatcitieswhere

twoormorecarrierscompeted.Andjustlastweekthe

TransportationDepartmentannounceditwasinvestigating

allegationsofprice-fixingbythemajorairlines--aimedat

keepingsmallerdiscount-carriersfromintrudingontheir

turf--andtheJusticeDepartmenthasbegunsimilarprobes.

Themessage?Airlinesmayyearntomerge--butwinning

approvalfromskepticalauthoritiesmightbetougherthan

theyexpect.

13.Judgingfromthepassage,thefrequent-flierprogramis

onebywhich.

A)peoplewhohavebuiltupacertainnumberofflying

mileswithanairlinewillgetafreeticket.

B)peoplewhoflyanairlinefrequentlywillgetadiscount

C)peoplewhohavebuiltupacertainnumberofflying

mileswithanairlinewillgetacashaward

D)peoplewhoflyanairlinefrequentlywillgetextra

service

14.accordingtothispassage,thefederalgovernment's

attitudetowardsairlinemergersisoneof

A)encouragementB)restriction

C)prohibitionD)approval

15.Theexpression"awildcard"inthelastparagraphmost

probablymeans.

A)achiefconcrnB)animportantfactor

C)anunpredictableelementD)anecessary

consequence

16.Whichofthefollowingstatementsistrue?

A)Airlinemergerswillgiverisetointensecompetition.

B)Consumersbenefitfromairlinemergers.

C)Tie-upsbetweenairlinesseemtodrawlittlepublic

attention.

D)Ticketpricestendtobehigherwherethereisonlyone

carrier.

Passage5

AdecadeagoSusieMakinsterlearnedshemighthavea

liverproblem.Herdoctorstoldhernottoworry.Soshe

didn't--untilthreeyearsago,whenshewasastonishedto

learnshehadtestedpositiveforhepatitis(肝炎)C,a

blood-bornevirusshehadneverheardof.Makinster,then

45,hadbeenlivingwithaninfectionthatwouldlikelystay

withherforlifeandthatcouldeventuallydestroyherliver

andcauseherdeath.Yetshehadnoideahoworwhenshe

hadcontractedthevirus.

HepatitisCwasn'tevendiscovereduntil1989.Todayan

estimated3.9millionAmericansareinfected,andmostof

themstilldon'sknowit.LikeHIV,hepatitisCisaslowacting

virusthatcanbetransmittedbysharedneedlesandblood

transfusions.Butitisfarmorerampant.Thereisnovaccine

topreventitsspread,andnoreliabletreatment.Some75

percentofpeoplewhocontracttheviruswillcarryitforlife;

20percentwilldevelopcirrhosisoftheliver.HepatitisCis

nowthenation'sleadingreasonforlivertransplantation,

andthesecondleadingcauseofcirrhosis(afteralcohol).It

willkillroughly10,000Americansthisyear--andthat

numberisexpectedtotripleoverthenexttwodecades,as

morepastinfectionscometolight.SaysSurgeonGeneral

DavidSatcher,"Thisisamajorpublichealthcrisis."

Untiltreatmentislesshit-or-miss,livingwithhepatitis

Cwillbeamatterofaccommodation.Thoughmostpeople

whocontractedthevirusbecomechronicallyinfected,many

neverdevelopadvancedliverdisease.That'spartlyluck,

butnotentirely.Givingupalcoholbrightenstheprognosis,

andmanysuffererstoutthebenefitsofreducingstressand

gettingmorerest.Gettingvaccinatedagainsthepatitisa

andBisalsoagoodidea,sinceadualinfectioncan

aggravatethedisease.Andpreventingfurtherspread

requiressomeprecautions.Expertsaredividedontheneed

topractisesafesex,sincethevirusisnormallyonlyinthe

blood.Buttheystresstheimportanceofcoveringopen

woundsandnotsharingrazorsandtoothbrushes.

17.Accordingtothepassage,theleadingcauseforliver

cirrhosisis.

A)toomuchdrinkingB)hepatitisC

C)hepatitisAD)hepatitisB

18.Accordingtothepassage,whichofthefollowing

statementsistrue?

A)NoonewhocontractshepatitisCcanhopetolive

long.

B)MorepeoplehavecontractedhepatitisCthanHIV.

C)AlcoholisthechiefcauseforhepatitisC.

D)HepatitisCissexuallytransmitted.

19.ThenumberofpeoplewhowilldieofhepatitisCin

twentyyearswillbe.

A)20,000B)10,000

C)30,000D)40,000

20.Theword"accommodation"inthelastparagraphmost

probablymeans.

A)careB)treatment

C)restD)adjustment

Unit14

Passage1

Newandbizarrecrimeshavecomeintobeingwiththe

adventofcomputertechnology.Organizedcrimetoohas

beendirectlyinvolved;thenewtechnologyoffersit

unlimitedopportunities,suchasdatacrimes,theftof

sevices,property-relatedcrimes,industrialsabotage,

politicallyrelatedsabotage,vandalism,crimesagainstthe

individualandfinanciallyrelatedcrimes...

Theftofdata,ordatacrime,hasattractedtheinterest

oforganizedcriminalsyndicates.Thisisusuallythetheftor

copyingofvaluablecomputerprogram.Aninternational

marketalreadyexistsforcomputerizeddata,and

specializedfencesaresaidtobeplayingakeyroleinthis

rapidlyexpandingcriminalmarket,buyersforstolen

programsmayrangefromafirm'scompetitorstoforeign

nations.

Acompetitorsabotagesacompany'scomputersystem

todestroyorcripplethefirm'soperationalability,thus

neutralizingitscompetitivecapabilityeitherintheprivateor

thegovernmentsector.Thiscomputersabotagemayalso

betiedtoanattemptbyaffluentinvestorstoacquirethe

victimfirm.Withthegrowingreliancebyfirmson

computersfortheirrecordkeepinganddailyoperations,

sabotageoftheircomputerscanresultininternalhavoc,

afterwhichthegroupinterestedinacquiringthefirmcan

easilybuyitatasubstantiallylowerprice.Criminalgroups

couldalsoresorttosabotageifthecompanyisacompetitor

ofabusinessownedorcontrolledbyorganizedcrime.

Politicallymotivatedsabotageisontheincrease;

politicalextremistgroupshavesproutedoneverycontinent.

Sophisticatedcomputertechnologyarmsthesegroupswith

awesomepowersandopenstechnologicallyadvanced

nationstotheirattack.Severalattemptshavealreadybeen

madetodestroycomputerfacilityatanairforcebase.A

universitycomputerfacilityinvolvedinnationaldefence

worksufferedmorethan$2millionindamagesasaresult

ofabombing.

Computervulnerabilityhasbeenamplydocumented.

Onecongressionalstudyconcludedthatneither

governmentnorprivatecomputersystemsareadequately

protectedagainstsabotage.Organizedcriminalsyndicates

haveshowntheirwillingnesstoworkwithpolitically

motivatedgroups.Investigatorshaveuncoveredevidence

ofcooperationbetweencriminalgroupsandforeign

governmentsinnarcotics.Criminalgroupshavetaken

attemptsinassassinatingpoliticalleaders....Computers

areusedinhospitallife-supportsystem,inlaboratories,and

inmajorsurgery.Criminalscouldeasilyturnthese

computersintotoolsofdevastation.Bysabotagingthe

computerofalife-supportsystem,criminalscouldkillan

individualaseasilyastheyhadusedagun.Bymanipulating

acomputer,theycouldguideawesometoolsofterror

againstlargeurbancentres,citiesandnationscould

becomehostages.Homicidecouldtakeanewform.The

computermaybecomethehitmanofthetwentiethcentury.

Thecomputeropensvastareasofcrimetoorganized

criminalgroups,bothnationalandinternational.Itcallson

themtopooltheirresourcesandincreasetheircooperative

efforts,becausemanyofthesecrimesaretocomplexfor

onegrouptohandle,especiallythoserequiringavase

networkoffences.Althoughcriminalshaveadaptedto

computertechnology,lawenforcementhasnot.Manystill

thinkintermsoftraditionalcriminology.

1.Howmanykindsofcrimesarementionedinthepassage?

A)7.B)8.C)9.D)10.

2.Whatisthepurposeofacompetitortosabotagea

company'scomputer?

A)Hispurposeistodestroyorweakenthefirm's

operationalability.

B)Hispurposeistoweakenfirm'scompetitivecapability

andgetit.

C)Hispurposeistobuytherival'scompanyata

relativelylowprice.

D)Hispurposeistostealimportantdata.

3.Whichofthefollowingcanbelabelledasapolitically

motivatedsabotageofacomputersystem?

A)Sabotageofauniversitycomputer.

B)Sabotageofahospitalcomputer.

C)Sabotageofcomputeratasecrettrainingbase.

D)Sabotageofafactorycomputer.

4.Whatdoestheauthormeanby"Homicidecouldtakea

newform"?

A)Thereisnoneedtouseaguninkillingaperson.

B)criminalscankillwhoevertheywantbyacomputer.

C)Thecomputercanreplaceanyweapons.

D)Thefunctionofacomputerisjustlikeagun.

Passage2

ThebankingrevolutioninAmericaisasmuchabout

attitudesandassumptionsasaboutsizeandstructure.For

centuries,Americanshavedistrustedbanks.Inthe1930s,

AndrewJacksondenouncedanddestroyedtheSecondBank

oftheUnitedStates,whichexisted"tomaketherichricher"

attheexpenseof"farmers,mechanicsandlaborers."Inthe

1930s,bankswereblamedforhelpingcausetheDepression.

Thewonder,then,isthatthelatestwaveofbankmergers--

thelargestever--hasinspiredlittlemorethanabewildered

and,perhaps,irritatedshrugfromthepublic.

Asbanksgrowbigger,theyseemlessfearsome.Why?

Theansweristhatbankshaveshrunkinpowerevenasthey

haveexpandedinsize.Traditionally,bankinghasbeena

simplebusiness.Depositscomethroughonedoor,loansgo

outthroughanother.Profitsderivefromthe"spread"

betweeninterestratesondepositsandloans.Ifsaversand

borrowerscannotgoelsewhere,banksarepowerful.Andif

thereareotherchoices,banksarelesspowerful.Andsoit

is.

Weinhabitanageofsuperabundantcreditandits

purveyors.Acenturyago,mattersweredifferent.Small

depositorscouldchoosefromonlyoneorseverallocal

banks;gettingaloanmeantwinningthegoodgracesofthe

neighborhoodbanker.Evenbigcorporationsdependedona

fewbigbanksorinvestmenthouses.

JohnReedorHughMcColl--theheadsofCiticorpand

NationsBank--arenothouseholdnames.In1990,J.R

Morganwas.AsheadofJ.RMorgan&Co.,hecontrolled

throughstockandpositionsoncorporateboards--athirdof

U.S.railroadsand70percentorthesteelindustry.A

railroadexecutiveoncecheerfullyconfessedhis

dependenceonMorgan'scapital:"IfMr.Morganwereto

ordermetomorrowtoChinaorSiberia...Iwouldgo."

Nobankerstodayinspiressuchaweorfear.Time,

technologyandgovernmentrestrictionsweakenedbank

power.Inthe1920s,autocompaniespopularizedcarloans.

Nationalcreditcardsoriginatedin1950withtheDinners

Clubcare.In1933,theGlass-SteagalActrequiredbanks

andtheirinvestmenthousestosplit.AfterWorldWar11,

pensionsandthestockmarketcompetedforconsumer

saving.Asaresult,bankscommandashrinkingshareofthe

nation'swealth:20percentofassetsoffinancialinstitutions

in1997,downfrom50percentin1950.

5.WhyareJohnReedandHughMcCollnotaswell-known

asJ.RMorgan?

A)JohnReedandHughMcCollarenotasrichasJ.R

Morganwas.

B)BanksarenolongeraspowerfulastheywereinJ.R

Morgan'stime.

C)JohnReedandHughMcCollarenotascapableasJ.R

Morganwas.

D)ThebanksJohnReedandHughMcCollheadare

smallerthanMorgan's.

6.Theword"spread"inParagraph2mostprobably

means.

A)coverB)extentC)differenceD)

degree

7.Whichofthefollowingstatementsistrue?

A)Therecentbankmergershavegivenmuchshockto

thenation.

B)Peoplenolongerdistrustbanks.

C)NobanktodaycancomparewithJ.RMorgan'sinsize.

D)Itiseasiertoborrowmoneytodaythanitwasinthis

past.

8.Whatdoestheauthorchieflytalkaboutinthepassage?

A)Bankingandinvestment.

B)Thecreditmarket.

C)Theevolutionofthebanks.

D)Theshrinkingpowerofthebanks.

Passage3

Brisk,cheerfulandpassionateabouteducatingchildren,

NancyIchinagathinkssocialpromotionis"junk."As

principalofanelementaryschoolforthepast23years,

Ichinagahasneverpassedkidsontothenextgradejustto

protecttheirself-esteem.Theschoolis51percent

African-American,48percentLatinoand75percentbelow

thepovertyline.Butlastyear,88percentofitsstudents

readatorabovegradelevel,andIchinagathinksher

willingnesstoholdkidsbackhasmuchtodowiththat

success."Wedon'tpromotesostudentscanfail,"shesays.

"Wemakesurethattheysucceed.Ourstudentsself-esteem

isgoodbecausethey'resuccessfulacademically,not

becausewe'vetriedtopumpthemup."

SocialpromotionhasbeenwidespreadinUSschoolforat

least20years.Itsrationaleistoavoiddamagingthepupil's

senseofself-worthandtoassumethatifpromoted,the

childcancatchup.Butschoolofficialsandpoliticiansare

increasinglyreadytoacceptwhattraditionalistslike

Ichinagahavebeensayingallalong--thatsocialpromotion,

thoughwellintended,hasbeenasacademicdisaster.Bill

Clintonisonrecordagainstit,asistheAmericanFederation

ofTeachers.InNewYorkCity,schoolschancellorRudyCrew

recentlyunveiledaplantophaseitout.Hetoldareporter,

"Thisisnotaboutbeingpunitivewithkids.Itisaboutcaring

somuchaboutchildrenthatyouwillnotletthemfail."

Toliveuptothatrhetoric,Crewandotherreformers

urgentlyneedtoshowthatkidswhofailwillgetthe

academicsupporttheyneed.Themodelcouldbethe

Chicagopublicschoolsystem,whichabolishedsocial

promotionin1996.Kidswhofailaresenttosummerschool,

wheretheygetasecondchancetopass.Mostsucceedand

thosewhodon'tareassignedtosmallerclassesand

evaluatedforleaningdisabilitiesandotherspecialneed.

Thescarypartisjusthowwidespreadsocialpromotion

hasbecome.InNewYork,Crewestimatedthatmorethata

thirdofallfourth-andseventh-gradeswouldhavetorepeat

ayearifthepolicywereendedimmediately.ThoughCrew

didn'tsayso,thereisnoreasontothinkthepercentageis

differentforothergrades--whichiswhythepractice

arguablyconcealsmassivefailure.Andnobodygainsfrom

that.

9.Whatdoes"socialpromotion"meaninthispassage?

A)Promotionofsocialprogress.

B)Passingstudentswhofailtothenextgrade.

C)Givingpraisetostudentsforencouragement.

D)Sendingstudentswhofailtoasummerschool.

10.AccordingtotraditionalistslikeNancyIchinaga,social

promotionwill.

A)encouragestudentstocatchup

B)helpbooststudents'self-esteem

C)leadtomassivefailureineducation

D)contributetoacademicsuccess

11.IfsocialpromotionisendedimmediatelyinNewYork,

howmanystudentswillhavetorepeatayear?

A)12percentofthetotal.B)Onequarterof

thetotal.

C)Oneseventhofthetotal.D)Overathirdof

thetotal.

12.Whatdostudentsurgentlyneedinordertosucceed?

A)Academicsupport.B)Smallerclasses.

C)Summerschools.D)Morespecial

educationexperts.

Passage4

Perhapsneverhasthemoodofadecadereverseditself

sototally.The1980sbeganwiththeworstU.S.inflationin

60yearsandadeepeningdreadofnucleardestruction.As

theyclosed,inflationwasnegligible,theBerlinWallwas

tumblingdown,andtheSovietempirewasdissolving.

Theroadbetweenwashardlyasmoothclimb.Ronald

ReagangavetheU.S.aheadydraftofoptimismwhile

reversingthedirectionofgovernmentpolicy,recasting

socialprogramsandcuttingtaxes.Unmatchedbyspending

reductions,however,thosecutssentdeficitssoaringto

unheard-ofhighs,andthedouble-digitinflationof1980was

curedonlybydouble-digitunemploymentin1982.

Theeconomyrevived,butanoutsizeshareofthe

benefitsseemedtoflowtoWallStreet.Butunlikeinthe

irrationallyexuberant1920s,disasterdidnotstrike.Though

stockfellevenfasteronOctober19,1987,thantheyhadin

1929,theybouncedbackhigherthanever,settingthestage

forwhatcouldsoonbecomethelongestperiodofeconomic

expansioninhistory.Somethingfundamentalhad

happenedtotheboom-and-bustcyclethathadchartedthe

century.

Beneaththesurface,though,thealignmentofforces

wasshifting.Reagan'sheavymilitarybuild-upwereputting

heavypressureontheSovietUniontokeepup.Moscowwas

vulnerablebecausetheSovieteconomywasdecayingbadly,

anditsleadershipwasnearlyparalyzed.Onlyin1985,after

threeKremlinfuneralsinthreeyears,didaleader,mikhail

Gorbachev,emergewhowasrealisticandvigorousenough

toattemptdrasticreforms.

Inaseriesofsummits,GorbachevandReaganbrought

aboutade-escalationofthearmsrace,whichtheSoviet

leaderrealizedwasswallowingmoreresourcesthanhe

couldafford.TheEuropeansatellitesweretoo,so

GorbachevtoldtheirchiefsthatSoviettankswouldno

longerkeeptheminpower.Thatstartedachainreaction.By

theendof1989,theSovietblochaddissolved.Eventhen

nobodywouldhaveguessedthatinanothertwoyears,the

sovietUnionitselfwouldshatterinto15pieces.Butitwas

alreadyobviousthattheworldwasenteringastrangenew

era;onlyonesuperpower;nocoldwar.

13.ThemoodofAmericansatthebeginningofthe1980s

was.

A)changeableB)optimistic

C)gloomyD)calm

14.WecaninferfromthepassagethatduringRonald

Reagan'spresidencythepoor.

A)hadmorejobopportunitiesB)receivedmore

carethanbefore

C)paidlesstaxesD)receivedless

benefitsthanbefore

15.Accordingtothepassage,whydidGorbachevstart

negotiationswithReagantoreducearms?

A)HewantedtostartachainreactioninEastEurope.

B)TheburdenofarmsracewastooheavyfortheSoviet

Union.

C)Hewantedtoendthecoldwar

D)HerealizedonlydrasticreformscouldsavetheSoviet

Union.

16.Whichofthefollowingmightbethebesttitleforthis

passage?

A)Reagan:AnOptimisticPresident

B)HistoricalShiftinthe1980s

C)Gorbachev:ARealistandVigorousLeader

D)TheDissolutionoftheSovietBloc

Passage5

Thingshavereallychanged.Notonlyisthemilitary

standingtallagain,itisstagingaremarkablecomebackin

thequantityandqualityoftherecruitsitisattracting.

Recruiters,oncedenouncedbyantiwarstudentsas"baby

killers"andbarredfromcampuses,arewelcomedevenat

eliteuniversities.ROTC(ReserveOfficer'sTrainingCorps)

programsthatfalteredduringtheVietNamera,when

protesterswerefirebombingtheirheadquarters,are

flourishingagain.Themilitaryacademiesareenjoyinga

steadyincreaseinapplications.

Certainly,thedepressedeconomyhasincreasedthe

allureofthejobs,technicaltrainingandgenerousstudent

loansofferedbythemilitary.Studentsknowthatiftheygo

inandbecome,say,nuclearweaponsspecialists,theycan

comeoutanddemandasalaryof$60,000ayear.Military

salaries,whilenotalwayscompetitivewiththosepaidfor

comparablejobsintheprivatesector,aremorethan

respectable,especiallyconsideringthewidearrayof

benefitsthatareavailable:freemedicalservice,roomand

board,andPX(PostExchange)privileges.Monthlypayfora

recruitis$574;forasergeantwithfouryearsservicesitis

$906;foramajorwithtenyears"serviceitis$2,305.The

services'slick$175million-a-yearadvertisingcampaign

promisingadventureandfulfillmenthashelpedwinoverthe

TVgeneration.Kidsarewalkingdowntheschoolhallways

chanting'Army,Navy,AirForce,Marines,'justlikeinthe

commercials.Andmanymilitaryofficialsfeelthatthekey

differenceistheenhancedpatriotismamongthenation's

youth.Thereisareturntotheviewthatthemilitaryisan

honorableprofession.Thequalityisgoingupatan

astonishingrate.Thenewkidsareeasytotrain.Thedaysof

ajudgetellingamiscreanttojointhearmyorgotojailare

over.Recruitingforallfourservicescombinedisrunningat

101%ofauthorizedgoals.Andtheretentionrateisnowso

high,thattheservicesarerefusingsomere-enlistment

applicationsandreducingannualrecruitingtarget.

Themilitaryacademiesarealsoenjoyinghalcyonyears,

attactingmoreandbetter-qualifiedstudents.Comparedto

privatecolleges,wheretuitionandexpenseshavebeen

climbingsharply,theserviceschoolsarearealbargain:not

onlyistuitionfree,butrecruitsgetallowancesofupto

$500amonth.Itisreportedthat12,300applicantsarefor

the1,450positionsinthisyear'sfreshmanclass.Military

academiesarenowjustasselectiveasanyofthebest

universitiesinthecountry.

Nationwide,ROTCenrollmentexceeds105,000,a64%

increaseoverthe1974figure.Inthemid-70s,theROTC

studentsrefusedtoweartheiruniformsoncampusbecause

theysufferedallsortsofridicule,iftheydid.Nowifthey

wearthemtoclassnoonelooksatthemtwice.Tothem,

VietNamisancienthistory,somethingtheoldfolkstalk

about.

17.Whatisthemainideaofthispassage?

A)TheMilitaryisin.B)TheMilitaryisup-

C)TheMilitaryisdown.D)TheMilitaryison.

18.Whatwastheattitudeofthestudentsin1970'stowards

themilitary?

A)Approval.B)Indifferent.

C)Distaste.D)Scolding.

19.Thephrase"comeout"isclosestinmeaningto.

A)"becomevisible"B)"begintogrow"

C)"bemadepublic"D)"gainacertain

position"

20.WhichoneofthefollowingisNOTmentionedasa

reasontoattractstudents?

A)Freetuition.B)Spaciousrooms.

C)ConsiderableallowanceD)Technical

training.

Unit15

Passage1

Theterm"IndustrialRevolution"describestheprocess

ofeconomicchangefromastableagriculturaland

commercialsocietytothemodernindustrialsocietywhichis

dependentontheuseofmachineryratherthanhandtools.

Whiletheprocesswashistoricallyagradualoneandnotthe

suddenchangewhichtheword"revolution"suggests,the

economic,social,andpoliticalresultswereindeed

revolutionary.

Basically,itmeantthechangefromhandworkto

machinepower-----madepossiblebytheuseofsteamfor

powerthroughtheperfectionoftheimprovedsteamengine

ofJamesWattin1769,whichmadeThomasNewcomen's

inventionof1708practicalforindustrialuse.Thedomestic

systemofproduction(goodsproducedinmanyhomesand

gatheredforsalebyamiddleman)wasreplacedbythe

factorysystem.CoupledwiththetechnologicalEngland,

weretheequallysignificanttechnologicalimprovementsin

agriculture.

Historically,thefirststageoftheIndustrialRevolution

beganslowlyabout1960,gatheredmomentum(冲量)after

1815,andextendedintothe1870s,withthemainsourceof

powerbeingthestreamengine.Profitsforthecapitalists

camefromthemanufacturingprocessitself,incontrastto

theCommercialRevolutionwhenprofitshadcomechiefly

fromthetransportationofgoods.Coalreplacedwoodas

fuel,andironmachinesreplacedwoodenmachines.

Later,thesecondstageoftheIndustrialRevolutionset

induringthe1870sandextendedto1914-----brought

aboutbyanewsourceofpower,electricity,fromMichael

Faraday'sdynamo（发电机）of1831.Characteristicofthis

stagewastheadoptionofmassproductiontechniquesand

thedevelopmentoffinancecapitalism,withprofitsderived

fromtheinvestmentoffinancecapitalratherthanfromthe

manufacturingprocessalone,asintheformationofthe

UnitedStatesSteelCorporationin1901.Itwasinthis

secondstagethattheswiftindustrializationand

urbanizationofwesternEuropeandtheUnitedStatestook

place.

TheIndustrialRevolutionsooncarriedthemiddleclass

topoliticalandeconomicpower-----andatthesametime

createdthegreatestthreattocapitalism,theriseofthe

proletariat（无产阶级）.

1.Whatcanweinferfromtheauthor'sdiscussionof

economicchange?

A)Previousto1760tosignificanteconomicchanges

hadoccurredinEngland.

B)Itisdifficulttonamethetypeofchangeassociated

withtheIndustrialRevolution.

C)Thetermrevolutio