In nineteenth-century America,practicallyeverything that was built involved wood. Pinewas especiallyattractivefor building purposes. It isdurableand strong, yet soft enough to be easily worked with even the simplest of hand tools. It also floats nicely on water, which allowed it to be transported todistantmarkets across the nation. The central and northern reaches of the Great Lakes states—Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota—all containedextensivepineforests as well as many large rivers for floating logs into the Great Lakes, from where they were transported nationwide.

By 1860, thesettlementof the American West along withtimbershortages in the East converged with ever-wideningimpacton thepineforests of the Great Lakes states. Over the next 30 years, lumbering became afull-fledgedenterprisein Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. Newly formed lumbering corporations bought up huge tracts of pineland and set aboutsystematicallycutting the trees. Both the colonists and the later industrialists sawtimberas acommodity, but thelattergroup adopted a far morethoroughand calculatingapproachto removing trees. In thissense, what happened between 1860 and 1890 represented asignificantbreakwith the past. No longer were farmers in search ofextraincome the main source for shingles, firewood, and other wood products. By the 1870s, farmers and city dwellers alike purchased forest products from large manufacturing companies located in the Great Lakes states rather than chopping wood themselves or buying itlocally.

Thecommercializationof lumbering was in part the product oftechnologicalchange. The early, thick saw blades tended towastea largequantityof wood, with perhaps as much as a third of thelogleft behind on the floor assawdustor scrap. In the 1870s, however, the British-inventedbandsaw, with its thinnerblade, becamestandardissuein the Great Lakes states'lumberfactories. Meanwhile, the rise of steam-powered millsstreamlinedproduction by allowing for the moreefficient,centralized, andcontinuouscutting oflumber. Steam helped toautomateavarietyof tasks, from cutting to the carrying away ofwaste. Mills also employed steam to heatlogponds, preventing them from freezing and making possible year-roundlumberproduction.

Forindustriallumbering to succeed, a way had to be found to neutralize the effects of the seasons on production. Traditionally, cutting took place in the winter, when snow and ice made it easier todraglogs on sleds or sleighs to the banks of streams. Once the streams and lakes thawed, workers rafted the logs to mills, where they were cut intolumberin the summer. If nature did not cooperate—if the winter proved dry and warm, if thespringthawwas delayed—production would suffer. Tocounterthe effects ofclimateonlumberproduction, loggers experimented with avarietyof techniques for transporting trees out of the woods. In the 1870s, loggers in the Great Lakes states began sprinkling water on sleigh roads, giving them anartificialicecoatingtofacilitatetravel. The ice reduced thefrictionand allowed workers to move larger and heavier loads.

But all the sprinkling in the world would notsavea logger from the threat of a warm winter. Without snow the sleigh roads turned to mud. In the 1870s, a set of snowless winters leftlumbercompanies toponderways of liberating themselves from the seasons. Railroads were one possibility. At first, the remoteness of thepineforests discouragedcommoncarriers from layingtrack. But increasinglumberprices in the late 1870s combined withperiodicwarm, dry winters compelled loggers to turn to iron rails. By 1887, 89 logging railroads crisscrossed Michigan, transforming logging from a winteractivityinto a year-round one.

Once the logs arrived at a river, thetripdownstream to amillcould be a long and tortuous one. Logjams (buildups of logs that prevent logs from moving downstream) werecommon—at times stretching for 10 miles—and became even more frequent aspressureon the northern Midwest pinelands increased in the 1860s. To help keep the logs moving efficiently, barriers called booms (essentiallyachainof floating logs) were constructed to control the direction of thetimber. By the 1870s,lumbercompanies existed in all the major logging areas of the northern Midwest.

Questions:
question_stem: The word "durable" in the passage is closest in meaning to
choices: tag: A
text: readily available

tag: B
text: long lasting

tag: C
text: dense

tag: D
text: flexible
answer_key: B
explanation: 1、【题目翻译】"durable"这个词的意思与以下哪个词最为接近？
A 选项：readily available 意思是“一应俱全, 随手可得” 
B 选项：long lasting 意思是“长久的，持久的”
C 选项：dense 意思是“稠密的” 
D 选项：flexible 的意思是“灵活的”
2、【判断题型】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。
3、【关键词定位】根据关键词“curious”定位到原句：It is durable and strong, yet soft enough to be easily worked with even the simplest of hand tools.
4、【词汇解析】“durable”的意思是“持久的，耐用的”，词汇所在句子的意思是“它耐用而坚固，却又足够软到即使最简单的手工工具也能轻易工作。”
5、【选项分析】
A 选项：意思不符，排除
B 选项：long lasting 意思是“长久的，持久的”，意思最为贴近，故为正确答案。
C 选项：意思不符，排除
D 选项：意思不符，排除

question_stem: According to paragraph 1, all of the following characteristics of pine made it a desirable material for building in nineteenth-century America EXCEPT:
choices: tag: A
text: It was long lasting.

tag: B
text: It was relatively easy to transport.

tag: C
text: Its softness made it easy to work with.

tag: D
text: It produced buildings that were especially attractive.
answer_key: D
explanation: 【题目翻译】根据文章第一段的内容，松树具有以下特性，是十九世纪美国建筑理想的材料，除了哪项不正确？
A：很耐用。
B：相对容易运输。
C：它柔软，易于操作。
D：它建造的建筑物特别吸引人。

【判断题型】根据题干中出现的大写“EXCEPT”，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“Paragraph 1 ”，可以将出题范围锁定在第1段 。

【选项分析】
A 选项：It was long lasting，对应 durable，所以排除 
B 选项：It was relatively easy to transport，对应 floats nicely on water，可得知由水路运输相对便捷，所以也排除 
C 选项：Its softness made it easy to work with，对应了 easily worked，排除 
D 选项：It produced buildings that were especially attractive，意思是“用松木建造的建筑十分有吸引力”同样的 attractive 一词混淆原文中的“松木在建筑用途上十分受欢迎”，曲解原意，故 D 为答案。

question_stem: The word "commodity" in the passage is closest in meaning to
choices: tag: A
text: product

tag: B
text: problem

tag: C
text: opportunity

tag: D
text: advantage
answer_key: A
explanation: 【题目翻译】单词“commodity”在文章中与下列哪个单词意思最为接近？
A 选项：product 意思是“产品”
B 选项：problem 意思是“问题” 
C 选项：opportunity 意思是“机会”
D 选项：advantage 的意思是“优点”

【判断题型】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】词汇所在句子“Both the colonists and the later industrialists saw timber as a commodity, but the latter group adopted a far more thorough and calculating approach to removing trees.”

【词汇解析】“commodity”的意思是“货物”，带入到原句，原句的意思是“殖民者与之后的工业家都把木材看作是货物，但之后的团体采取了一个更周密精明的方法来转移走树木”。

【选项分析】
A 选项：product 意思是“产品”，意思最为贴近，故为正确答案。
B 选项：problem 意思是“问题”，意思不符，排除
C 选项：opportunity 意思是“机会”，意思不符，排除
D 选项：advantage 的意思是“优点”，意思不符，排除

question_stem: What can be inferred from paragraph 2 about timber in America before the year 1860?
choices: tag: A
text: Farmers of the American West earned most of their income by selling timber to newly arrived settlers.

tag: B
text: Timber came primarily from farmers who wished to supplement their income.

tag: C
text: Timber was much more expensive before the year 1860 because it was less readily available.

tag: D
text: Timber came primarily from large manufacturing companies in the East.
answer_key: B
explanation: 【题目翻译】从段落2中可以推断出关于在1860年之前美国的木材的什么信息？
A：美国西部的农民靠向新来的定居者出售木材赚取大部分收入。
B：木材主要来自希望增加收入的农民。
C：在1860年之前，木材价格要贵得多，因为木材不易获得。
D：木材主要来自东部的大型制造公司。

【判断题型】根据题干中出现的关键词“infer”，判定本题为推理题。

【关键词定位】
根据题干很难准确定位，故由选项到原文中找是否有对应句子。
A 选项关键词“farmers’ income”定位到“No longer were farmers in search of extra income the main source for shingles, firewood, and other wood products. ”
B 选项：Timber came primarily from farmers who wished to supplement their income. 
C 选项：Timber was much more expensive before the year 1860 because it was less readily available. 
D 选项：Timber came primarily from large manufacturing companies in the East. 

【逻辑分析】
到1870年代，农民不再寻找额外收入，因为他们通过木瓦、木柴和其他木制品来寻找收入。

【选项分析】
    A 关键词“farmers’ income”可以知道 farmers 在1860之前需要靠木产品来增加收入，并未提到 newly arrived settlers，多了原文没有的信息，故排除。
B 翻译为“到1870年代，农民不再寻找额外收入，这是木瓦、木柴和其他木制品的主要来源。”可以推断出木材在1870前主要来源于农民想要增加自己的收入。故 B 为正确选项。
C 原文中没有提到木材在1860年代前的价格，也没有说其不好获得。故排除。
D Timber came primarily from large manufacturing companies in the East. 原文中没有提及，且与 B 选项冲突，因为已经可推断出木材在1870前主要来源于农民想要增加自己的收入，因而 D 是错的。

question_stem: Why does the author discuss the "British-invented band saw"?
choices: tag: A
text: To give an example of how steam power led to technological advancements

tag: B
text: To help explain how the thickness of a saw blade determines how much wood is wasted

tag: C
text: To explain how competition with other countries benefited the American lumber industry

tag: D
text: To illustrate the impact of new technology on the lumber industry
answer_key: D
explanation: 【题目翻译】为什么作者要讨论“英国发明的带锯”？
A：举例说明蒸汽动力如何导致技术进步。
B：为了帮助解释锯片的厚度如何决定浪费多少木材。
C：解释与其他国家的竞争如何使美国木材工业受益
D：说明新技术对木材工业的影响

【判断题型】根据题干问法“why……”，题目询问“British-invented band saw”的修辞目的，可以判断本题为修辞目的题。

【关键词定位】由 British-invented band saw,定位到 In the 1870s, however, the British-invented band saw, with its thinner blade, became standard issue in the Great Lakes states' lumber factories. 

【引用内容分析】
从题目所给的关键词来定位，改句子的意思是说了这种锯子有着更薄的刀刃，并成为了当时工厂的标配。在这一段的后两句，文章提到了“让许多任务实现现代化；实现了全年的木材生产”等，都是由于新发明的带锯而带来的新伐木方式导致的结果，因此说明新技术对木材工业的影响很大。

【选项分析】
A: To give an example of how steam power led to technological advancements，选项中的 steam power 并不是 British-invented band saw 所具备的，它的特性是更薄的刀刃，而后文的 meanwhile 之后所说的工厂才具有 steam power 的性质，该选项为错误信息，故排除。 
B: To help explain how the thickness of a saw blade determines how much wood is wasted，原文提出这把锯子并不是为了说明粗锯子会浪费木头，该段开头句说明了“伐木业的商品化是科技变化的产物”故这段主要想表明的因是科技使得伐木业得到进步，这种锯子也是科技进步而被发明出来的，后成为工厂标配，说明了科技的重要性，所以该选项错误。 
C: To explain how competition with other countries benefited the American lumber industry 理解错误，重点并非是 British 而是这种更薄刀刃的锯子，曲解了原文意思，也与段落主旨“科技改变伐木业”无关，故排除。 
D: To illustrate the impact of new technology on the lumber industry 段落的中心“科技改变伐木业”与选项“新科技对伐木业的重要性”对应，故可得出 D 正确。

question_stem: The phrase "allowing for" in the passage is closest in meaning to
choices: tag: A
text: encouraging

tag: B
text: introducing

tag: C
text: making possible

tag: D
text: emphasizing
answer_key: C
explanation: 【题目翻译】文章中短语“allowing for”的意思与以下哪个选项的意思最相近？
A 选项：encouraging 意思是“鼓励”
B 选项：introducing 意思是“介绍” 
C 选项：making possible 意思是“使……可能”
D 选项：emphasizing 的意思是“强调”

【判断题型】题目要求选出与高亮单词意思最接近的选项，所以判断本题为词汇题。

【关键词定位】词汇所在句子“Meanwhile, the rise of steam-powered mills streamlined production by allowing for the more efficient, centralized, and continuous cutting of lumber.”

【词汇解析】“allowing for”的意思是“允许”，词汇所在句子“Meanwhile, the rise of steam-powered mills streamlined production by allowing for the more efficient, centralized, and continuous cutting of lumber.”的意思是“同时，随着蒸汽工厂的兴起，流线型产品能使伐木更有效率，集中，连续不断”。

【选项分析】
A 选项：encouraging 意思是“鼓励”，排除。 
B 选项：introducing 意思是“介绍”，排除。 
C 选项：making possible 意思是“使……可能”，意思最为贴近，故为正确答案。 
D 选项：emphasizing 的意思是“强调”，排除

question_stem: All of the following are mentioned in paragraph 3 as resulting from the use of steam in the lumber industry EXCEPT:
choices: tag: A
text: Work became centralized, and many tasks were automated.

tag: B
text: Lumber could be produced more efficiently and on a larger scale.

tag: C
text: Waste materials could be re-used as fuel to power the lumber mills.

tag: D
text: Lumber production could continue throughout the cold winter months.
answer_key: C
explanation: 【题目翻译】在第3段中，由于在木材工业中使用蒸汽，所以提到了以下各项除了哪一项？
A：工作集中了，许多任务都自动化了。
B：可以更高效、更大规模地生产木材。
C：废料可以再用作燃料为木材厂提供动力。
D：木材生产可以在整个寒冷的冬季持续。

【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“resulting from the use of steam in lumber”可定位到这一段：streamlined production by allowing for the more efficient, centralized, and continuous cutting of lumber. Steam helped to automate a variety of tasks, from cutting to the carrying away of waste. Mills also employed steam to heat log ponds, preventing them from freezing and making possible year-round lumber production.

【选项分析】
A 选项对应了 centralized 和 automated，有提及，故排除。 
B 选项对应了 efficient 和“使得伐木变为全年制”，即表示 on a larger scale，故排除。
C 选项说废弃的材料可称为工厂燃料，并未提及到这一信息，故 C 是答案。 
D 选项对应了 heat log ponds 和 prevent from freezing，故排除。

question_stem: The word "facilitate" in the passage is closest in meaning to
choices: tag: A
text: expand

tag: B
text: ease

tag: C
text: transform

tag: D
text: permit
answer_key: B
explanation: 【题目翻译】在文章中单词“facilitate”与以下哪个选项意思最贴近？
A 选项：expand 意思是“扩张”
B 选项：ease 意思是“减轻，使容易” 
C 选项：transform 意思是“转变”
D 选项：permit 的意思是“许可”

【判定题型】题目要求选出与高亮单词意思最接近的选项，所以判断本题为词汇题。

【关键词定位】词汇所在句子“In the 1870s, loggers in the Great Lakes states began sprinkling water on sleigh roads, giving them an artificial ice coating to facilitate travel”.

【词汇解析】“facilitate”的意思是“使容易”，词汇所在句子“In the 1870s, loggers in the Great Lakes states began sprinkling water on sleigh roads, giving them an artificial ice coating to facilitate travel”的意思是在1870年代，工人们在五大湖开始在滑雪道上洒水，给路铺上一层人工雪来使运输便利”。

【选项分析】
A 选项：expand 意思是“扩张”，排除。 
B 选项：ease 意思是“减轻，使容易”，意思最为贴近，故为正确答案。 
C 选项：transform 意思是“转变”，排除。 
D 选项：permit 的意思是“许可”，排除。

question_stem: According to paragraph 4, how could a warm, dry winter interfere with lumber production?
choices: tag: A
text: Certain trees would become dry and yield low-quality lumber.

tag: B
text: There would not be enough water in streams and lakes to raft the logs to mills.

tag: C
text: It would be more difficult to transport logs to streams and lakes.

tag: D
text: Rivers would not be full enough in the spring to power mills.
answer_key: C
explanation: 【题目翻译】根据第4段，温暖干燥的冬天怎么会影响木材生产？
A：某些树木会变得干燥，产生低质量的木材。
B：溪流和湖里没有足够的水把木头用筏子运到磨坊。
C：把原木运到小溪和湖泊会更加困难。
D：春天河水不足以给磨坊发电。

【判断题型】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】由“warm，dry winter interfere ”定位到“If nature did not cooperate—if the winter proved dry and warm, if the spring thaw was delayed—production would suffer. To counter the effects of climate on lumber production, loggers experimented with a variety of techniques for transporting trees out of the woods.”

【逻辑分析】伐木在冬天进行，雪和冰使得用雪橇将原木拖到河流岸边变得更加容易。一旦溪水和湖泊解冻，工人们用木筏运载木头到工厂，夏天木头在那儿被砍成木材。如果自然不配合——如若冬天又干又暖和，春天解冻延迟了——生产将遭受困难。

【选项分析】
A 选项原文没说树木变干，排除。 
B 选项错误，冬天是靠冰上雪橇来运输的，并不是水不够。
C 选项的“difficult transport”，说明主要影响的是 transporting trees out of the woods，与题目相对应。
D 选项错误，mill 不是靠 river 为动力的，原文未提及。

question_stem: The word "remoteness" in the passage is closest in meaning to
choices: tag: A
text: decline

tag: B
text: density

tag: C
text: size

tag: D
text: isolation
answer_key: D
explanation: 【题目翻译】文章中单词“remoteness”与以下哪个选项意思最接近？
A 选项 decline 的意思是“下降”
B 选项 density 的意思是“密度”
C 选项 size 的意思是“尺码”
D 选项 isolation 的意思是“隔离”

【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】词汇所在句子“At first, the remoteness of the pine forests discouraged common carriers from laying track.”

【词汇解析】“remoteness”由 remote 是偏远的意思可以得出 remoteness 是偏远的名词，所在的文章的句子翻译成“一开始，松树林的偏僻阻拦了普通运送者们铺设轨道“。 

【选项分析】
A 选项 decline 的意思是“下降”，排除。 
B 选项 density 的意思是“密度”，排除。
C 选项 size 的意思是“尺码”,排除。 
D 选项 isolation 的意思是“隔离”,与原义接近，故为答案。

question_stem: In paragraph 5, why does the author include the information that 89 logging railroads crisscrossed Michigan by 1887?
choices: tag: A
text: To argue that Michigan had replaced other Great Lakes states as the center of the lumbering industry

tag: B
text: To provide evidence of the growing importance of logging railroads to the lumbering industry

tag: C
text: To support the claim that Michigan winters had become more severe in the late 1800s than they had been earlier

tag: D
text: To challenge the idea that climate discouraged the laying of track
answer_key: B
explanation: 【题目翻译】在第5段中，作者为什么要提到包括89条伐木铁路在1887年前横跨密歇根州的信息？
A：认为密歇根州已经取代其他大湖州成为木材工业的中心。
B：提供证据证明伐木铁路对木材工业日益重要。
C：支持这样的说法，即密歇根州的冬天在19世纪末期变得比以前更严酷。
D：挑战气候阻碍轨道铺设的观点

【判定题型】根据题干问法“why ……”，题目询问“the information that 89 logging railroads crisscrossed Michigan by 1887的修辞目的，可以判断本题为修辞目的题。

【关键词定位】第5段，最后一句 By 1887, 89 logging railroads crisscrossed Michigan, transforming logging from a winter activity into a year-round one.

【引用内容分析】题目问作者提到原木输送铁路的原因，全段讲述了因为暖干冬天的影响，人们终于迫于气候原因建立了这样的铁路，说明了铁路是必不可少的，否则将无法输送原木。

【选项分析】
A 选项说为了证明密歇根取代五大湖称为伐木工业中心，错误，运输的目的地便是五大湖，建立铁路是因为无法运输，并非要取代五大湖。 
B 选项说了证明了铁路对于伐木工业日益重要，与原文所想表达的意义相似，故正确。 
C 选项说是说明了密歇根冬天更加严峻，错误，中心意义错误 。 
D 选项说反驳了气候阻碍铺铁路，逻辑错误，是因为气候所以才要铺铁路。

question_stem: According to paragraph 6, the construction of booms benefited the logging industry by
choices: tag: A
text: reducing the pressures placed on the northern Midwest pinelands in the 1860s

tag: B
text: reducing the length of the downstream trip to a mill by as much as 10 miles

tag: C
text: increasing the number of logs that could be floated down a river at a single time

tag: D
text: allowing logs to move downstream more quickly and easily
answer_key: D
explanation: 【题目翻译】根据第6段，繁荣的建设通过什么使伐木业受益？
A：减少十九世纪六十年代中西部北部松林地带的压力
B：把下游到磨坊的路程缩短10英里。
C：增加一次能漂流下来的原木的数量。
D：允许日志更快更容易地向下游移动

【判断题型】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】由“booms benefit”定位到“To help keep the logs moving efficiently, barriers called booms (essentially a chain of floating logs) were constructed to control the direction of the timber.

【逻辑分析】题目问如何有益于伐木业，文章说为了帮助原木运输更有效率，人们制造了叫做吊杆的障碍物（本质上是漂浮的原木链）来控制木材的方向，这就使得使得原木顺流而下。

【选项分析】 
A 选项：减轻松木地的压力，错误。 
B 选项：减少10公里到达工厂的长度，错误。 
C 选项：增加原木一次可以漂浮在河里的数量，错误。 
D 选项：允许原木顺流而下更快捷，对应了选段“moving efficiently”，所以是正确答案。