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Passage One
文章一
One of the most popular myths about the United States in the nineteenth century was that of the free and simple life of the farmer.
19世紀的美國最流行的故事之一就是關于農民自由簡單生活的故事。
It was said that farmers worked hard on their own land to produce whatever their families needed.
據說，農民在他們自己的土地上辛勤工作，種植家庭所需的作物。
They might sometimes trade with neighbors;
他們有時還會與鄰居進行交易，
but in general they could get along just fine by relying on themselves, not on commercial ties with others.
但通常他們都能靠自己過活，不用與他人交易。
This is how Thomas Jefferson idealized the farmer at the beginning of the nineteenth century,
這就是19世紀初托馬斯·杰斐遜所認為的理想的農民生活，
and, at that time, this may have been close to the truth—especially on the frontier.
在那個時候，這一設想與事實相差不遠，尤其是邊境地區的農民。
But by mid-century, sweeping changes in agriculture were well under way
但是到了19世紀中期，農業領域掀起了巨大變革，
as farmers began to specialize in the raising of crops such as cotton or corn or wheat.
農民開始專注于種植棉花、玉米或小麥這樣的作物。
By late in the century, revolutionary advances in farm machinery had vastly increased production of specialized crops.
到了19世紀晚期，農業機械的革命性進步則大大提高了專一農作物的產量。
And the extensive network of railroads had linked farmers throughout the country to markets in the East and even overseas.
而且呈網狀分布的鐵路將全國的農民連接起來，他們能夠到達東部甚至是沿海地區的市場。
By raising and selling specialized crops,
通過種植和銷售專一作物，
farmers could afford more and finer goods and achieve a much higher standard of living, but at a price.
農民能夠消費起更多更精細的商品，生活水平也逐漸提高，但這需要付出一定的代價。
Now, farmers were no longer dependent just on the weather and their own efforts.
現在美國農民不再依賴于天氣和自身勞作，
Their lives were increasingly controlled by banks,
他們的生活越來越受到銀行的制約，
which had power to grant or deny loans for new machinery,
因為銀行有權利批準或拒絕貸款給農民購買機器，
and by the railroads, which set the rates for shipping their crops to market.
同時，他們也受鐵路制約，因為鐵路規定了運輸作物的費用。
As businessmen, farmers now had to worry about national economic depressions and the influence of world supply and demand on,
作為商人，農民們開始擔心全國的經濟蕭條及世界供需對農作物價格的影響，
for example, the price of wheat in Kansas.
例如，堪薩斯州小麥的價格。
And so, by the end of the nineteenth century, the era of Jefferson's independent farmer had come to a close.
因此，19世紀末，關于杰斐遜總統獨立農民理念的時代已經結束了。
Questions 9 to 12 are based on the passage you have just heard.
問題9至問題12是基于你剛剛聽到的這篇短文的
Questions 9.What's the main feature of American farmers' life in the 19th century?
問題9 19世紀美國農民生活的主要特征是什么?
Questions 10.What changes had taken place in the 19th century?
問題10 19世紀發生了哪些重大的變革？
Questions 11.What is the American farmers' life like in the modern time?
問題11 當今社會美國農民的生活方式如何？
Questions 12.Which of the following statements is incorrect?
問題12 下列哪一句的描述是錯誤的？
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