英语专业四级考试阅读理解考前冲刺试题(7)
<p> <span word="Before">Before</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="mid">mid</span> 1860<span word="s">s</span>, <span word="the">the</span> <span word="impact">impact</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="railroads">railroads</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="United">United</span> <span word="States">States</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="limited">limited</span>, <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="sense">sense</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="tracks">tracks</span> <span word="ended">ended</span> <span word="at">at</span> <span word="this">this</span> <span word="Missouri">Missouri</span> <span word="River">River</span>, <span word="approximately">approximately</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="center">center</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="country">country</span>. <span word="At">At</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="point">point</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="trains">trains</span> <span word="turned">turned</span> <span word="their">their</span> <span word="freight">freight</span>, <span word="mail">mail</span>, <span word="and">and</span> <span word="passengers">passengers</span> <span word="over">over</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="steamboats">steamboats</span>, <span word="wagons">wagons</span>, <span word="and">and</span> <span word="stagecoaches">stagecoaches</span>. <span word="This">This</span> <span word="meant">meant</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="wagon">wagon</span> <span word="freighting">freighting</span>, <span word="stagecoaching">stagecoaching</span>, <span word="and">and</span> <span word="steamboating">steamboating</span> <span word="did">did</span> <span word="not">not</span> <span word="come">come</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="an">an</span> <span word="end">end</span> <span word="when">when</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="first">first</span> <span word="train">train</span> <span word="appeared">appeared</span>; <span word="rather">rather</span> <span word="they">they</span> <span word="became">became</span> <span word="supplements">supplements</span> <span word="or">or</span> <span word="feeders">feeders</span>. <span word="Each">Each</span> <span word="new">new</span> <span word="end">end</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="track">track</span> <span word="became">became</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="center">center</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="animal">animal</span> <span word="drawn">drawn</span> <span word="or">or</span> <span word="waterborne">waterborne</span> <span word="transportation">transportation</span>. <span word="The">The</span> <span word="major">major</span> <span word="effect">effect</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="railroad">railroad</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="shorten">shorten</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="distance">distance</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="had">had</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="be">be</span> <span word="covered">covered</span> <span word="by">by</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="older">older</span>, <span word="slower">slower</span>, <span word="and">and</span> <span word="more">more</span> <span word="costly">costly</span> <span word="means">means</span>. <span word="Wagon">Wagon</span> <span word="freighters">freighters</span> <span word="continued">continued</span> <span word="operating">operating</span> <span word="throughout">throughout</span> <span word="the">the</span> 1870<span word="s">s</span> <span word="and">and</span> 1880<span word="s">s</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="into">into</span> <span word="the">the</span> 1890<span word="s">s</span>. <span word="Although">Although</span> <span word="over">over</span> <span word="constantly">constantly</span> <span word="shrinking">shrinking</span> <span word="routes">routes</span>, <span word="and">and</span> <span word="coaches">coaches</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="wagons">wagons</span> <span word="continued">continued</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="crisscross">crisscross</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="West">West</span> <span word="wherever">wherever</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="rails">rails</span> <span word="had">had</span> <span word="not">not</span> <span word="yet">yet</span> <span word="been">been</span> <span word="laid">laid</span>. <span word="The">The</span> <span word="beginning">beginning</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="major">major</span> <span word="change">change</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="foreshadowed">foreshadowed</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="later">later</span> 1860<span word="s">s</span>, <span word="when">when</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="Union">Union</span> <span word="Pacific">Pacific</span> <span word="Railroad">Railroad</span> <span word="at">at</span> <span word="last">last</span> <span word="began">began</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="build">build</span> <span word="westward">westward</span> <span word="from">from</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="Central">Central</span> <span word="Plains">Plains</span> <span word="city">city</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="Omaha">Omaha</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="meet">meet</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="Central">Central</span> <span word="Pacific">Pacific</span> <span word="Railroad">Railroad</span> <span word="advancing">advancing</span> <span word="eastward">eastward</span> <span word="from">from</span> <span word="California">California</span> <span word="through">through</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="formidable">formidable</span> <span word="barrier">barrier</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="Sierra">Sierra</span> <span word="Nevada">Nevada</span>. <span word="Although">Although</span> <span word="President">President</span> <span word="Abraham">Abraham</span> <span word="Lincoln">Lincoln</span> <span word="signed">signed</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="original">original</span> <span word="Pacific">Pacific</span> <span word="Railroad">Railroad</span> <span word="bill">bill</span> <span word="in">in</span> 1862 <span word="and">and</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="revised">revised</span>, <span word="financially">financially</span> <span word="much">much</span> <span word="more">more</span> <span word="generous">generous</span> <span word="version">version</span> <span word="in">in</span> 1864, <span word="little">little</span> <span word="construction">construction</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="completed">completed</span> <span word="until">until</span> 1865 <span word="on">on</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="Central">Central</span> <span word="Pacific">Pacific</span> <span word="and">and</span> 1866 <span word="on">on</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="Union">Union</span> <span word="Pacific">Pacific</span>. <span word="The">The</span> <span word="primary">primary</span> <span word="reason">reason</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="skepticism">skepticism</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="Railroad">Railroad</span> <span word="built">built</span> <span word="through">through</span> <span word="so">so</span> <span word="challenging">challenging</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="thinly">thinly</span> <span word="settled">settled</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="stretch">stretch</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="desert">desert</span>, <span word="mountain">mountain</span>, <span word="and">and</span> <span word="semiarid">semiarid</span> <span word="plain">plain</span> <span word="could">could</span> <span word="pay">pay</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="profit">profit</span>. <span word="In">In</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="words">words</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="an">an</span> <span word="economist">economist</span>, <span word="this">this</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="case">case</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="premature">premature</span> <span word="enterprise">enterprise</span>, <span word="where">where</span> <span word="not">not</span> <span word="only">only</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="cost">cost</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="construction">construction</span> <span word="but">but</span> <span word="also">also</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="very">very</span> <span word="high">high</span> <span word="risk">risk</span> <span word="deterred">deterred</span> <span word="private">private</span> <span word="investment">investment</span>. <span word="In">In</span> <span word="discussing">discussing</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="Pacific">Pacific</span> <span word="Railroad">Railroad</span> <span word="bill">bill</span>, <span word="the">the</span> <span word="chair">chair</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="congressional">congressional</span> <span word="committee">committee</span> <span word="bluntly">bluntly</span> <span word="stated">stated</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="without">without</span> <span word="government">government</span> <span word="subsidy">subsidy</span> <span word="no">no</span> <span word="one">one</span> <span word="would">would</span> <span word="undertake">undertake</span> <span word="so">so</span> <span word="unpromising">unpromising</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="venture">venture</span>; <span word="yet">yet</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="national">national</span> <span word="necessity">necessity</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="link">link</span> <span word="East">East</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="West">West</span> <span word="together">together</span>.</p>
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