By 1850 the United States possessedroughly9,000 miles ofrailroadtrack; ten years later it had over 30,000 miles, more than the rest of the world combined. Much of the newconstructionduring the 1850s occurred west of the Appalachian Mountains – over 2,000 miles in the states of Ohio and Illinois alone.

The effect of the newrailroadlines rippled outwardthroughtheeconomy. Farmersalongthe tracks began tospecializein crops that they couldmarketindistantlocations. With their profits they purchased manufactured goods that earlier they might have made at home. Before therailroadreached Tennessee, thestateproduced about 25,000 bushels (or 640 tons) of wheat, which sold for less than 50 cents a bushel. Once therailroadcame, farmers in the same counties grew 400,000 bushels (over 10,000 tons) and sold their crop at a dollar a bushel.

The newrailroadnetworks shifted the direction of westerntrade.

In 1840 most northwesterngrainwas shipped south down the Mississippi River to thebustlingport of New Orleans. But low water madesteamboattravelhazardousin summer, and ice shut down traffic in winter. Products such as lard, tallow, and cheese quickly spoiled if stored in New Orleans’ hot andhumidwarehouses. Increasingly, traffic from the Midwest flowed west to east, over the new rail lines. Chicago became theregion’s hub, linking the farms of the upper Midwest to New York and

other eastern cities by more than 2,000 miles oftrackin 1855. Thus while the value of goods shipped by river to New Orleans continued to increase, the South’soverallshare of westerntradedroppeddramatically.

A sharp rise in demand forgrainabroadalso encouraged farmers in the Northeast and Midwest to become more commercially oriented. Wheat, which in 1845 commanded $1.08 a bushel in New York City, fetched $2.46 in 1855; insimilarfashionthe price of corn nearly doubled. Farmers responded by specializing in cash crops, borrowing topurchasemore land, and investing in equipment to increaseproductivity.

Asrailroadlines fanned out from Chicago, farmers began toacquireopenprairieland in Illinois and then Iowa, putting thefertile, deep black soil into production. Commercialagriculturetransformed thisremarkabletreeless environment. To settlersaccustomedto eastern woodlands, the thousands ofsquaremiles of tall grass were anawesomesight. Indian grass, Canada wildrye, and native big bluestem all grew higher than a person. Because eastern plows could notpenetratethe densely tangled roots ofprairiegrass, the earliest settlers erected farmsalongtheboundaryseparating the forest from theprairie. In 1837, however, John Deere patented a sharp-cuttingsteelplowthat slicedthroughthe sod without soil sticking to theblade. Cyrus McCormickrefinedamechanicalreaper that harvested fourteen times more wheat with the sameamountof labor. By the 1850s McCormick was selling 1,000 reapers a year and could not keep up with demand, while Deere turned out 10,000 plows annually.

The newcommercialfarming fundamentally altered the Midwesternlandscapeand the environment. Native Americans had grown corn in theregionfor years, but never in such large fields as did later settlers who became farmers, whose surpluses were shipped east. Prairiefarmers also introduced new crops that were not part of the earlierecologicalsystem,notablywheat,alongwith fruits and vegetables. Native grasses were replaced by a small number of plantscultivatedas commodities. Corn had the best yields, but it wasprimarilyused to feedlivestock. Because bread played a key role in the American and Europeandiet, wheat became themajorcash crop. Tame grasses replaced native grasses in pastures for makinghay.

Western farmers altered thelandscapeby reducing theannualfires that had kept theprairiefree from trees. In theabsenceof these fires, trees reappeared on land not incultivationand, if undisturbed,eventuallyformed woodlots. The earlier unbrokenlandscapegave way toindependentfarms, each fenced off in aprecisecheckerboardpattern. It was anartificialecosystemof animals, woodlots, and crops, whose large,uniformlayoutmade western farms moreefficientthan the more-irregular farms in the East.

Questions:
question_stem: According to paragraph 1, each of the following is true about railroad track in the United States EXCEPT:
choices: tag: A
text: In 1850 the United State had less than 10,000 miles of railroad track.

tag: B
text: By the end of the 1850s, Ohio and lllinois contained more railroad track than any other state in the country.

tag: C
text: Much of the railroad track built in the United States during the 1850s was located west of the Appalachian Mountain.

tag: D
text: By 1860 there were more miles of railroad track in the United States than in any other country.
answer_key: B
explanation: 【题目翻译】根据第1段，以下关于美国铁路轨道的每一条都是正确的，除了下列哪个选项：
A：1850年，美国有不到10000英里的铁路线。
B：到19世纪50年代末，俄亥俄州和伊利诺瓦州的铁路线比全国任何一个州都多。
C：19世纪50年代在美国修建的铁路大部分位于阿巴拉契亚山脉以西。
D：到1860年，美国铁路的里程数超过了其他任何国家。

【判定题型】：根据题干中出现的大写“EXCEPT”/"NOT" 等其他明显表示否定的词，可以判定本题为否定事实信息题，需要找出与原文信息不符的那个答案。

【关键词定位】：根据题干关键词“railroad track in the United States ”,可以将出题范围锁定在 Passage 1。

【选项分析】
A 对应 By 1850 the United States possessed roughly 9,000 miles of railroad track; 符合文意，排除。
B 不符文意，故错误，是正确答案。
C 对应 Much of the new construction during the 1850s occurred west of the Appalachian Mountains – over 2,000 miles in the states of Ohio and Illinois alone；符合文意，排除。
D 对应 ten years later it had over 30,000 miles, more than the rest of the world combined；符合文意，排除。

question_stem: It can be inferred from paragraph 2 that the new railroads had which of the following effects on farm communities?
choices: tag: A
text: Most new farms were located along the tracks.

tag: B
text: Farmers began to grow wheat as a commercial crop.

tag: C
text: Many farmer decided to grow a wider variety of crops.

tag: D
text: Demand for manufactured goods increased among farmers.
answer_key: D
explanation: 【题目翻译】从第2段可以推断，新铁路对农场社区有以下哪些影响？
A：大多数新农场都位于铁路沿线。
B：农民开始种植小麦作为商业作物。
C：许多农民决定种植多种作物。
D：农民对制成品的需求增加了。

【判定题型】：根据题干中出现的关键词“imply”/“infer”/“suggest”等其他表示推断的词，判定本题为推理题。

【关键词定位】：根据关键词“new railroads ”,定位到 Passage2 ，原句为“The effect of the new railroad lines rippled outward through the economy. Farmers along the tracks began to specialize in crops that they could market in distant locations. With their profits they purchased manufactured goods that earlier they might have made at home. ”。

【逻辑分析】因为 铁路建设带动了经济, 农民开始有钱了, 于是就开始买手工制品了。因此就 可以推断出, 农民有钱了就有了买东西的欲望和需求。

【选项分析】
A.文章未提及，故错误。
B.在铁路之前就种植小麦了，故错误。
C.文章就提及了小麦，故错误。
D.符合题意，故正确。

question_stem: The word “bustling” in the passage is closest in meaning to
choices: tag: A
text: famous

tag: B
text: important

tag: C
text: growing

tag: D
text: busy
answer_key: D
explanation: 【题目翻译】单词“bustling”与下列哪一个意思最相近？
A：famous，著名的
B：important，重要的
C：growing，成长的
D：busy，繁忙的

【判定题型】：题目要求选出与高亮单词意思最接近的选项，故判断本题为词汇题。

【关键词定位】：根据关键词“bustling”,定位到原句“ In 1840 most northwestern grain was shipped south down the Mississippi River to the bustling port of New Orleans. ”。

【词汇解析】：词汇“bustling”的意思是“繁忙的, 熙熙攘攘的”,带入到原句中，原句的意思是“1840 年大部分西北部的粮食用船从密西西比河南下到热闹的新奥尔良港口。”

【选项分析】
A：famous，著名的，不符，错误
B：important，重要的，不符，错误
C：growing，成长的，不符，错误
D：busy，繁忙的，同义替换，正确

question_stem: According to paragraph 3, in what way did the new rail networks change western trade?
choices: tag: A
text: Northwestern farmers almost completely stopped shipping goods by steamboat.

tag: B
text: Many western goods began to be shipped east by way of Chicago rather than south to New Orleans.

tag: C
text: Chicago largely replaced New York and other eastern cities as the final market for goods for the West.

tag: D
text: The value of goods shipped west soon became greater than the value of goods shipped east.
answer_key: B
explanation: 【题目翻译】根据第3段，新铁路网以何种方式改变了西方贸易？
A：西北农民几乎完全停止用汽船装运货物。
B：许多西方货物开始由芝加哥运往东方，而不是从南方运往新奥尔良。
C：芝加哥在很大程度上取代了纽约和其他东部城市，成为西方商品的最终市场。
D：西方货物的价值很快就超过了东方货物的价值。

【判定题型】：题目问的是文章中的具体细节信息，故根据题目问法可以判断本题为事实信息题。

【关键词定位】：根据关键词“change western trade”,定位到 Passage 3倒数第二句，原句为“The new railroad networks shifted the direction of western trade. Chicago became the region’s hub, linking the farms of the upper Midwest to New York and other eastern cities by more than 2,000 miles of track in 1855.”，意思是“新的铁路网改变了西方贸易的方向。1855年，芝加哥成为该地区的中心，将中西部的农场与纽约和其他东部城市连接起来，长达2000多英里。”

【逻辑分析】铁路的建设转移了西方贸易的方向, 芝加哥成为了贸易中心, 取代了原先的新奥尔良。

【选项分析】
A.未停止用船，故选项错误。
B.符合文章，故正确。
C.芝加哥成为地区的中心，但是未说成为最终市场，故选项错误。                                                                                                        
D.文章未提及，故错误。

question_stem: According to paragraph 3, what was a disadvantage of shipping goods from northwestern areas to New Orleans?
choices: tag: A
text: There was no reliable way to get goods from New Orleans to eastern cities.

tag: B
text: The cost of shipping goods by river to New Orleans continued to increase.

tag: C
text: Goods shipped from New Orleans’ neighboring areas had a significant competitive advantage because of their lower transportation costs.

tag: D
text: Goods stored in New Orleans' warehouses often spoiled because of the high temperatures and humidity.
answer_key: D
explanation: 【题目翻译】根据第3段，将货物从西北地区运往新奥尔良有什么缺点？
A：从新奥尔良到东部城市的货物没有可靠的运输方式。
B：从河流到新奥尔良的运费继续上涨。
C：从新奥尔良周边地区装运的货物，由于运输成本较低，具有显著的竞争优势。
D：存放在新奥尔良仓库的货物由于高温和潮湿而经常变质。

【判定题型】：题目问的是文章中的具体细节信息，故根据题目问法可以判断本题为事实信息题。

【关键词定位】：根据关键词“disadvantage”,定位到 Passage 3 第3、4句，原句为“But low water made steamboat travel hazardous in summer, and ice shut down traffic in winter.Products such as lard, tallow, and cheese quickly spoiled if stored in New Orleans’hot and humid warehouses.”，意思是“但是夏天水位低，蒸汽船的航行很有危险，冬天冰就封锁了交通。像猪油、牛脂和奶酪这样的产品如果存放在新奥尔良闷热潮湿的库房中的话就会很快融化。”。

【逻辑分析】题目问从西北将货物用船运到新奥尔良市的一个缺点是什么。所以我们要用关键词 disadvantage 去定位负面的信息，或者是带有否定、转折含义的逻辑关联词。在本段中，看到第三句话开头的“but”这个词，说明后面的内容可能与题目相关。第三句话说夏天的温度和冬天的温度都有可能对水道造成影响，阻碍航行。第四句说用船运食物，在闷热潮湿的环境下食物可能会坏掉。

【选项分析】
A.未说船的运输方式不可靠，只是有些缺点，故错误。
B.文章未说运费 ，只说了商品价值和总体盈利额，故选项错误。
C.其实是不太具有竞争优势的，因为存放在新奥尔良仓库的货物由于高温和潮湿而经常变质。故错误。
D.文章对应了 D 选项中的温度和湿度这两个要点。故 D 选项正确。

question_stem: Paragraph 4 supports the idea that the price of wheat more than doubled between 1845 and 1855 because
choices: tag: A
text: the price of corn nearly doubled during that same period

tag: B
text: demand for grain increased sharply outside the United States

tag: C
text: farmers in the Northeast and Midwest began to specialize in cash crops

tag: D
text: many farmers had borrowed heavily to purchase land and equipment for raising wheat
answer_key: B
explanation: 【题目翻译】第4段支持小麦价格在1845年至1855年间翻了一番以上的观点，因为
A：同期玉米价格几乎翻了一番。
B：美国以外的粮食需求急剧增加
C：东北和中西部的农民开始专攻经济作物。
D：许多农民为了购买种植小麦的土地和设备而大量举债。

【判定题型】：题目问的是文章中的具体细节信息，故根据题目问法可以判断本题为事实信息题。

【关键词定位】根据关键词“between 1845 and 1855”,定位到 Passage 4 第1句，原句为“A sharp rise in demand for grain abroad also encouraged farmers in the Northeast and Midwest to become more commercially oriented.，意思是“国外对于谷物需求的急剧增长也鼓励了东北部和中西部的农民开始更加商业化。”

【逻辑分析】 国外的粮食需求猛增, 然后该段最后出现的结果就是价格上升。

【选项分析】
A.是因为粮食需求急剧增加，所以玉米和小麦等都价格上涨，与玉米价格直接上涨没有关系，故选项错误。
B.符合文意，故正确。
C.选项因果关系颠倒了，故错误。
D.农民专门从事经济作物，借贷购买更多的土地，并投资设备来提高生产力。选项因果关系颠倒了，故错误。

question_stem: The word “transformed” in the passage is closest in meaning to
choices: tag: A
text: dominated

tag: B
text: changed

tag: C
text: improved

tag: D
text: created
answer_key: B
explanation: 【题目翻译】单词“transformed”与下列哪一个意思最相近？
A：dominated，支配
B：changed，改变
C：improved，提高，改善
D：created，创造

【判定题型】：题目要求选出与高亮单词意思最接近的选项，故判断本题为词汇题。

【关键词定位】：根据关键词“transformed”,定位到原句“Commercial agriculture transformed this remarkable treeless environment. ”。

【词汇解析】词汇“transformed”的意思是“改变”,带入到原句中，原句的意思是“商业化的农业将这些令人瞩目的不毛之地进行了转型。”

【选项分析】
A：dominated，支配，不符，错误
B：changed，改变，同义替换，正确
C：improved，提高，改善，不符，错误
D：created，创造，不符，错误

question_stem: The word “erected” in the passage is closest in meaning to
choices: tag: A
text: looked for

tag: B
text: lived on

tag: C
text: preferred

tag: D
text: built
answer_key: D
explanation: 【题目翻译】单词“erected”与下列哪一个意思最相近？
A：looked for，寻找
B：lived on，依靠
C：preferred，偏爱
D：built，建造

【判定题型】：题目要求选出与高亮单词意思最接近的选项，故判断本题为词汇题。

【关键词定位】：根据关键词“ erect”,定位到原句“Because eastern plows could not penetrate the densely tangled roots of prairie grass, the earliest settlers erected farms along the boundary separating the forest from the prairie. ”。

【词汇解析】词汇“ erect”的意思是“建立”,带入到原句中，原句的意思是“因为东部的犁进不了浓密的纠结的草原牧草的根须中，最早的定居者就在森林和草原的边缘建立了农场。”

【选项分析】
A：looked for，寻找，不符，错误
B：lived on，依靠，不符，错误
C：preferred，偏爱，不符，错误
D：built，建造，同义替换，正确

question_stem: Why does author point out that “Indian grass, Canada wild rye, and native big bluestem all grew higher than a person”?
choices: tag: A
text: To provide a reason why people from the eastern woodlands of the United States were impressed when they saw the prairie

tag: B
text: To identify an obstacles to the development of the railroad lines fanning out from Chicago

tag: C
text: To explain why the transformation of the prairies by commercial agriculture was so remarkable

tag: D
text: To provide evidence supporting the claim that the prairies had fertile, deep black soil
answer_key: A
explanation: 【题目翻译】为什么作者指出“印度草、加拿大野生黑麦和本地大青茎都比人长得高”？
A：为美国东部林地的人们看到大草原时留下深刻印象提供一个原因。
B：找出芝加哥铁路发展的障碍
C：解释为什么商业农业对草原的改造如此显著
D：提供证据支持草原有肥沃的深黑色土壤的说法。

【判定题型】：根据题干问法“why ……point out”，可以判断本题为修辞目的题。

【关键词定位】根据题干,定位到 Passage 5 第3句，原句为“To settlers accustomed to eastern woodlands, the thousands of square miles of tall grass were an awesome sight. ”。

【引用内容分析】此题定位到高亮句子的前一句，这两句的意思是说习惯了东方森林的人看到高草草原时会很惊讶。因为草比人还要高。

【选项分析】
A.选项 A 符合原文意思。正确。
B.第五段未说铁路发展困难，故错误。
C.第五段未进行有关实名的解释，故错误。
D.前后文都提到了东部，说明是在说习惯了东方森林的人看到高草草原时会很惊讶，表现人的惊讶感。故 D 选项错误。

question_stem: According to paragraph 5, the first settlers generally did not farm open prairie land because
choices: tag: A
text: they could not plow it effectively with the tools that were available

tag: B
text: prairie land was usually very expensive to buy

tag: C
text: the soil along boundaries between the forest and the prairie was more fertile than the soil of the open prairie

tag: D
text: the railroad lines had not yet reached the open prairie when the first settlers arrived
answer_key: A
explanation: 【题目翻译】根据第5段，第一批移民一般不耕种开阔的草原，因为
A：他们不能用现有的工具有效地犁
B：草原上的土地通常很贵
C：森林和草原边界的土壤比开阔草原的土壤更肥沃
D：第一批移民到达时，铁路线还没有到达开阔的草原

【判定题型】：题目问的是文章中的具体细节信息，故根据题目问法可以判断本题为事实信息题。

【关键词定位】：根据关键词“first settlers”,定位到 Passage 5第5句，原句为“Because eastern plows could not penetrate the densely tangled roots of prairie grass, the earliest settlers erected farms along the boundary, separating the forest from the prairie. ”，意思是“因为东部的犁进不了浓密的纠结的草原牧草的根须中，最早的定居者就在森林和草原的边缘建立了农场。”

【逻辑分析】通过文章，可以很清晰地知道，犁不能穿透草地。

【选项分析】
A.符合原文，故正确
B.只是说了土地不肥沃，是不毛之地，未说是不是便宜或贵，故错误
C.未提到哪个更贵，也未相比较，故错误。
D.文章未提及，故错误。

question_stem: The word “surpluses” in the passage is closest in meaning to
choices: tag: A
text: extra goods

tag: B
text: commercial goods

tag: C
text: unprocessed goods

tag: D
text: transportable goods
answer_key: A
explanation: 【题目翻译】单词“surpluses”与下列哪一个意思最相近？
A：extra goods，额外商品
B：commercial goods，商业商品
C：unprocessed goods，未加工商品
D：transportable goods，运输的商品

【判定题型】：题目要求选出与高亮单词意思最接近的选项，故判断本题为词汇题。

【关键词定位】：根据关键词“surpluses”,定位到原句“Native Americans had grown corn in the region for years, but never in such large fields as did later settlers who became farmers, whose surpluses were shipped east. ”。

【词汇解析】：词汇“surpluses”的意思是“额外的、剩余的”,带入到原句中，原句的意思是“当地的美国人在这里种植了多年的玉米，却从没有像后来的定居者这样有这么大产量，后来的定居者还把多余的部分运到了东部。”

【选项分析】
A：extra goods，额外商品，同义替换，正确
B：commercial goods，商业商品，不符，错误
C：unprocessed goods，未加工商品，不符，错误
D：transportable goods，运输的商品，不符，错误

question_stem: According to paragraph 7, prairie farmers changed the landscape by doing all of the following EXCEPT
choices: tag: A
text: Reducing annual fires

tag: B
text: Dividing the land into large, regularly-shaped lots

tag: C
text: Planting trees that eventually formed woodlots

tag: D
text: Fencing off their farms
answer_key: C
explanation: 【题目翻译】根据第7段，草原农场主改变了景观，除了以下那个选项？
A：减少年火灾
B：把土地分成大的、规则形状的地块。
C：种植最终形成林地的树木
D：用栅栏围住他们的农场

【判定题型】：根据题干中出现的大写“EXCEPT”/"NOT" 等其他明显表示否定的词，可以判定本题为否定事实信息题，需要找出与原文信息不符的那个答案。

【关键词定位】：根据题干关键词“ changed the landscape”,可以将出题范围锁定在 Passage7。

【选项分析】
定位句 Western farmers altered the landscape by reducing the annual fires that had kept the prairie free from trees. 对应 A 选项。

定位句 The earlier unbroken landscape gave to independent farms, each fenced off in a precise checkerboard pattern. It was an artificial ecosystem of animals, woodlots, and crops, whose large, uniform layout made western farms more efficient than the more-irregular farms in the East. checkerboard pattern 棋盘格样式, 对应 B 选项。

C 选项错在没有提到 planting trees。选择 C。

定位句 The earlier unbroken landscape gave to independent farms, each fenced off in a precise checkerboard pattern. 对应 D 选项