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1、2011年专四阅读理解模拟Beforethemid1860's,theimpactoftherailroadsintheUnitedStateswaslimited,inthesensethatthetracksendedatthisMissouriRiver,approximatelythecenterofthecountry.Atthepointthetrainsturnedtheirfreight,mail,andpassengersovertosteamboats,wagons,andst
2、agecoaches.Thismeantthatwagonfreighting,stagecoaching,andsteamboatingdidnotcometoanendwhenthefirsttrainappeared;rathertheybecamesupplementsorfeeders.Eachnew“endoftrack"becameacenterforanimaldrawnorwaterbornetransportation.Themajoreffectoftherailroadwa
3、stoshortenthedistancethathadtobecoveredbytheolder,slower,andmorecostlymeans.Wagonfreighterscontinuedoperatingthroughoutthe1870?sand1880'sandintothe1890's.Althoughoverconstantlyshrinkingroutes,andcoachesandwagonscontinuedtocrisscrosstheWestwhereverther
4、ailshadnotyetbeenlaid.Thebegirrningofamajorchangewasforeshadowedinthelater1860SwhentheUnionPacificRailroadatlastbegantobuildwestwardfromtheCentralPlainscityofOmahatomeettheCentralPacificRailroadadvancingeastwardfromCaliforniathroughtheformidablebarrie
5、roftheSierraNevada・AlthoughPresidentAbrahamLincolnsignedtheoriginalPacificRailroadbillin1862andarevised,financiallymuchmoregenerousversionin1864,littleconstructionwascompleteduntil1865ontheCentralPacificand1866ontheUnionPacific.Theprimaryreasonwasskep
6、ticismthataRailroadbuiltthroughsochallengingandthinlysettledastretchofdesert,mountain,andsemiaridplaincouldpayaprofit.Inthewordsofaneconomist,thiswasacaseof''prematureenterprise笃wherenotonlythecostofconstructionbutalsotheveryhighriskdeterredprivateinv
7、estment.IndiscussingthePacificRailroadbill,thechairofthecongressionalcommitteebluntlystatedthatwithoutgovernmentsubsidynoonewouldundertakesounpromisingaventure;yetitwasanationalnecessitytolinkEastandWesttogether.1•Theauthorreferstotheimpactofrailroads
8、beforethelate1860'sas^limited"becauseA.thetrackdidnottakethedirectroutefromonecitytothenextB.passengersandfreighthadtotransfertoothermodesoftransportationtoreachwesterndestinationsC.passengerspreferredstagecoachesD.railroadtravelwasquiteexpens
