Pennsylvania's colonial ironmasters forged iron and a revolution that had both
: ]7 z6 V; a; a5 l industrial and political implications. The colonists in North America wanted the right to" S$ @3 o) N7 a0 F; x% k, }; G
the profits gained from their manufacturing. However, England wanted all of the/ [+ ^7 p* m1 g$ M. r+ i
Line colonies' rich ores and raw materials to feed its own factories, and also wanted the2 |0 t8 X% C. l1 A: H+ y: d" H
(5) colonies to be a market for its finished goods. England passed legislation in 1750 to
/ u1 |1 T; u# k prohibit colonists from making finished iron products, but by 1771, when entrepreneur7 M* L/ _# \) a1 \
Mark Bird established the Hopewell blast furnace in Pennsylvania, iron making had. L7 k4 u0 w& i
become the backbone of American industry. It also had become one of the major issues6 f8 Y, E8 Z: g0 p% t, H2 U1 F
that fomented the revolutionary break between England and the British colonies. By the
: `3 h* V1 I, ~, G (10) time the War of Independence broke out in 1776, Bird, angered and determined, was
( h2 q" R4 u" O9 _) V( K manufacturing cannons and shot at Hopewell to be used by the Continental Army.
7 @/ P' g3 K/ a& k; P: ]) B$ K, L After the war, Hopewell, along with hundreds of other "iron plantations," continued to
+ m+ {' c. B; `2 g form the new nation's industrial foundation well into the nineteenth century. The rural. y4 p3 u+ x- K
landscape became dotted with tall stone pyramids that breathed flames and smoke,
0 I: Y# I3 q. N (15) charcola-fueled iron furnaces that produced the versatile metal so crucial to the nation's
9 [3 E: ~- h i. P growth. Generations of ironmasters, craftspeople, and workers produced goods during
2 H* y q1 e- `: y% p war and peace-—ranging from cannons and shot to domestic items such as cast-iron
3 \3 ?; ]. G" s+ N. @( d& a stoves, pots, and sash weights for windows.
' ]: i) j/ }* U7 {8 R The region around Hopewell had everything needed for iron production: a wealth of
G8 m( p+ Q3 H$ s (20) iron ore near the surface, limestone for removing impurities from the iron, hardwood
% T9 ?3 [. Z0 {0 o/ g/ N* C forests to supply the charcoal used for fuel, rushing water to power the bellows that
, s# N: l# P0 A! l, W9 f pumped blasts of air into the furnace fires, and workers to supply the labor. By the" M! T- b7 W6 ]9 [2 v' w- s
1830's, Hopewell had developed a reputation for producing high quality cast-iron stoves,
. F0 w% x% O8 w0 S f5 }" d for which there was a steady market. As Pennsylvania added more links to its% R# k% \ C4 }6 q4 o3 \& |
(25) transportation system of roads, canals, and railroads, it became easier to ship parts made
" `# N9 ?& o( z9 E. E; Q! e by Hopewell workers to sites all over the east coast. There they ware assembled into M. Q/ V4 D- D
stoves and sold from Rhode Island to Maryland as the "Hopewell stove". By the time the
: ? z; }9 K; w# k( x last fires burned out at Hopewell ironworks in 1883, the community had produced some$ J% E7 c; L; _" r' K* v& e. `
80,000 cast-iron stoves.
4 u E( ? E, t; R" x i. }# n 5. Pennsylvania was an ideal location for the Hopewell ironworks for all of the following reasons EXCEPT* ^! N2 w. r, e# F
(A) Many workers were available in the area) U! @( v; e7 I# d
(B) The center of operations of the army was nearby
& a8 Q2 U8 H( F H8 G1 p (C) The metal ore was easy to acquire4 B3 W9 [% x- \. l" g
(D) There was an abundance of wood
3 b; H1 V+ Q2 I4 I/ @( f! @ 答案:B2 n8 W' v, u* {: s8 v
Under the Earth's topsoil, at various levels, sometimes under a layer of rock, there are
$ C, h% _6 |+ z# _$ z deposits of clay. Look at cuts where highways have been built to see exposed clay beds;
8 j4 \7 R& C" k8 M" S or look at a construction site, where pockets of clay may be exposed. Rivers also reveal" I2 G9 y% W: P
Line clay along their banks, and erosion on a hillside may make clay easily accessible.6 N7 n: @7 v9 ]- L
(5) What is clay made of? The Earth's surface is basically rock, and it is this rock that2 c e( k3 p, k5 O v
gradually decomposes into clay. Rain, streams, alternating freezing and thawing, roots of3 E, E8 c" v& L/ f" k$ t
trees and plants forcing their way into cracks, earthquakes, volcanic action, and glaciers
8 k8 u6 ~# L6 u$ D3 O0 O —all of these forces slowly break down the Earth's exposed rocky crust into smaller and
9 @4 U7 O, N. b' M, B7 E# T smaller pieces that eventually become clay.
# s0 y5 U: A3 o$ n) X$ o# [, b (10) Rocks are composed of elements and compounds of elements. Feldspar, which is the
t2 x# A7 [& m most abundant mineral on the Earth's surface, is basically made up of the oxides
: j7 z# X1 y" X silica and alumina combined with alkalis like potassium and some so-called impurities4 L4 f4 t f) q3 Z9 }/ ?
such as iron. Feldspar is an essential component of granite rocks, and as such it is the7 n) a& ?, e. W* `( N8 e+ r5 a- X
basis of clay. When it is wet, clay can be easily shaped to make a variety of useful
- L4 T5 g% O. B& g# ?! A (15) objects, which can then be fired to varying degrees of hardness and covered with9 ^7 A8 h( L2 d+ ]0 V3 r
impermeable decorative coatings of glasslike material called glaze. Just as volcanic5 Q, ~5 o$ h9 ~$ B" V& g7 ~
action, with its intense heat, fuses the elements in certain rocks into a glasslike rock/ _8 y: S U" U( r1 s- Y& T
called obsidian, so can we apply heat to earthen materials and change them into a hard,% ~. P- t( e" d# }/ d# y
dense material. Different clays need different heat levels to fuse, and some, the low-fire( m8 ]9 [8 ^* r; V2 U
(20) clays, never become nonporous and watertight like highly fired stoneware. Each clay can
8 c5 o' h2 L- B5 c! y8 Q" L stand only a certain amount of heat without losing its shape through sagging or melting.5 j7 ]% M; D) F" w
Variations of clay composition and the temperatures at which they are fired account for2 a8 ~! \; \! h+ g( Y
the differences in texture and appearance between a china teacup and an earthenware7 [7 W* |; F* l4 l# x
flowerpot.6 X+ L6 q1 F- y. S6 d. S! E. J
2. It can be inferred from the passage that clay is LEAST likely to be plentiful in which of the following areas?
- d( \; R% S4 o+ Z, d- d (A) in desert sand dunes' @* q! |4 _5 X* ?4 a0 _! H' m
(B) in forests
8 v1 S2 P8 b; K5 \/ B (C) on hillsides
: v! S( G% B' r (D) near rivers, h3 U1 R. L$ }7 H+ Q) C3 t& O3 y
答案:A |