Before 1750, colonists in North America had little occasion to think of themselves as adistinctpeople. There was no American government, no singlepoliticalorganization in which all the colonies joined to manage their common concerns. There was not even a wish for such an organization except among a feweccentricindividuals. America, to the people who lived in it, was still a geographic region, not aframeof mind.

Asked about nationality, the typical American colonist of 1750 would have said English or British. In spite ofsubstantialnumbers of Dutch, Germans, and Scotch-Irish, English people and English institutions prevailed in everycolony, and most colonists spoke of England as home even though they had never been there. Yet no American institutions were quite like their counterparts in England; theheritageof English ideas that went with these institutions was so rich andvariedthat colonists were able to select and develop those that best suited their situation and forget others that meanwhile were growingprominentin the mother country. This variety sometimes led to regional differences: in some ways New Englanders were set off from Virginians even more than from people in England. But some ideas, institutions, and attitudes became common in all the colonies and remained uncommon in England. AlthoughcolonialEnglishmen were not yet aware that they shared these Americanisms with one another or that English people in England did not share them, many of the characteristic ideas and attitudes that laterdistinguishedUnited Statesnationalismwere already present by the mid-eighteenth century.

English people brought with them to the New World thepoliticalideas that still give English and American government a close resemblance. But American colonists very early developed conceptions ofrepresentativegovernment in which citizens choose officials who create policies andlegislationthat differed from those in England. Representativegovernment in England originated in the Middle Ages, when the king called for men to advise him. They were chosen by their neighbors andinformedthe king of his subjects’ wishes. Eventually, their advice became socompellingthat the king could notrejectit, and the representatives of the people, organized as alegislatureknown as the House of Commons, became the most powerfulbranchof the English government.

At first, the House of Commons consisted of representatives from eachcounty, or shire, and from selected boroughs. Over the centuries many of these boroughs became ghost towns with only ahandfulof inhabitants, and great towns sprang up where none had existed before. Yet the old boroughs continued to send members to the House of Commons, and the new towns sent none. Moreover, only afractionof the English population could participate even incountyelections. In order to vote, a man had to ownpropertythat would, if rented,yieldhim at least 40 shillings yearly. Few could meet the test. A number of English people thought the situationabsurdand said so. But nothing was done to improve it; in fact, a theory was devised tojustifyit. A member of the House of Commons, it was said, represented not the people who chose him but the whole country, and he was not responsible for anyparticularconstituency. Not all Englishmen could vote for representatives, but all werevirtuallyrepresented by every member of the Commons.

The assemblies of Americancolonialrepresentatives were moredemocratic. Although everycolonyhadpropertyqualifications for voting, probably the greatmajorityof adult white males owned enough land to meet them. Moreover, the system for apportioning representation was morebalanced. New England colonies gave every town the right to send delegates to thelegislature. Outside New England, the unit of representation was usually thecounty. Thepoliticalorganization of new counties and theextensionof representation seldom kept pace with the rapid advance ofsettlementwestward, but nowhere was representation sounevenor irrational as in England.

American colonists knew nothing of virtual representation. Acolonialrepresentativewas supposed to be an agent of the people who chose him. He was supposed to look after their interests first and those of thecolonysecond. In New England, where town meetings could be called at any time, people often gathered to tell theirdelegatehow to vote on aparticularissue.

Questions:
question_stem: According to paragraphs 1 and 2, all of the following were true of most English people living in the American colonies in 1750 EXCEPT:
choices: tag: A
text: They did not feel the need for an American government for all the colonies.

tag: B
text: They had never been to England.

tag: C
text: They believed they had much in common with non-English colonists.

tag: D
text: They did not think of themselves as Americans.
answer_key: C
explanation: A 选项对应第一段第2和3句话；B 选项对应第2句最后的”most colonists spoke of England as home even though they had never been there”; C 跟第2段最后一句话冲突，选它；D 对应第2段第一句。

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

tag: B
text: decreased

tag: C
text: united

tag: D
text: dominated
answer_key: D
explanation: prevail=dominate 占主导。

question_stem: According to paragraph 2, what is one reason that regional differences arose in the English colonies of North America?
choices: tag: A
text: Colonists selected and adapted English institutions to their particular needs.

tag: B
text: Colonists in each region wanted to distinguish their institutions from those of colonists elsewhere.

tag: C
text: The large number of German, Dutch, and Scotch-Irish colonists settling in some regions resisted political and social change.

tag: D
text: Colonists in different regions reacted differently to developments becoming prominent in England.
answer_key: A
explanation: 题干文区域性不同的一个原因，对应段落中间“This variety sometimes led to regional differences”，往前还原 this variety，就可以找到答案，即”heritage of English ideas…the mother country”：这些组织的想法如此丰富多变，以致于殖民者能够选择和发展最适合他们情况的， 对应 A 选项。

question_stem: According to paragraph 3, how did representative government get started in England?
choices: tag: A
text: The king chose a representative group of people to inform him of his subjects’ wishes.

tag: B
text: The king’s subjects chose a group of representatives in response to the king’s request for advisors.

tag: C
text: The king organized a legislature known as the House of Commons.

tag: D
text: A group of representatives of the people took power from the king and passed their own laws.
answer_key: B
explanation: 题目问 representative government 是如何在应该开始的，对应该段落倒数第2句和第3句话：representative government 起源于当国王需要参谋给他意见的时候，这些人由邻居选出来的，向国王传达子民的愿望。对应 B 选项，A 选项主语偷换概念，这些 representative 是由他们邻居选出来的，并不是国王选出来的。其他2个选项都跟定位句无关。

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

tag: B
text: illegal

tag: C
text: inefficient

tag: D
text: ridiculous
answer_key: D
explanation: absurd=ridiculous 荒谬的，可笑的。

question_stem: According to paragraph 4, what was the response to criticisms of representative government in England?
choices: tag: A
text: Efforts were made to make the system better.

tag: B
text: Criticisms of the system were completely ignored.

tag: C
text: An explanation was created to defend the system.

tag: D
text: Critics of the system were widely viewed as unpatriotic.
answer_key: C
explanation: 题干问对 criticism 的回应是什么，对应段落倒数第3句“But nothing was done to improve it; in fact, a theory was devised to justify it.”对应 C 选项。A 错误，定位句说没有 improve；B 选项 completely ignored 错了，原文找了个 theory 去解释这个情况了；D 无中生有。

question_stem: Why does the author mention that “The political organization of new counties and the extension of representation seldom kept pace with the rapid advance of settlement westward, but nowhere was representation so uneven or irrational as in England”?
choices: tag: A
text: To emphasize that, overall, the American colonial assemblies were more democratic than the assemblies of England

tag: B
text: To explain why outside of New England the unit of political representation was the county rather than the town

tag: C
text: To argue that while the political representation of the American colonies was irrational, it was still better than representation in England

tag: D
text: To remind the reader that the American colonies showed the weaknesses as well as the strengths of England’s system of representation
answer_key: A
explanation: 该题型找具体的观点句，对应文段第1句话”The assemblies of American colonial representatives were more democratic.”, 跟 A 选项意思对应，选 A。