Question

【题目】By the mid-nineteenth century, the term “icebox” had entered the American language, but ice was still only beginning to affect the diet of ordinary citizens in the United States. The ice trade grew with the growth of cities. Ice was used in hotels, pubs, and hospitals, and by some forward-looking city dealers in fresh meat, fresh fish, and butler. After the Civil War (1861-1865), as ice was used to refrigerate freight cars(货车), it also came into household use. Even before 1880, half the ice sold in New York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore, and one-third of that sold in Boston and Chicago, went to families for their own use. This had become possible because a new household convenience, the icebox, a precursor（前身）of the modem refrigerator, had been invented.

Making an efficient icebox was not as easy as we might now suppose. In the early nineteenth century, the knowledge of the physics of heat, which was essential to a science of refrigeration, was undeveloped. The common belief that the best icebox was one that prevented the ice from melting was of course mistaken, for it was the melting of the ice that performed the cooling. Nevertheless, early efforts to economize ice included wrapping the ice in blankets, which kept the ice from doing its job. Not until near the end of the nineteenth century did inventors achieve the delicate balance of insulation(绝缘) and circulation needed for an efficient icebox.

But as early as 1803, an intelligent Maryland farmer, Thomas Moore, had been on the right track. He owned a farm about twenty miles outside the city of Washington, for which the village of Georgetown was the market center. When he used an icebox of his own design to transport his butter to market, he found that customers would pass up the rapidly melting butter of his competitors to pay an extra price for his butter, still fresh and hard in neat, one-pound bricks. One advantage of his icebox, Moore explained, was that fanners would no longer have to travel to market at night in order to keep their produce cool.

【1】When did the word “icebox” possibly become part of the American language?

A. In 1803. B. During the Civil War.

C. Sometime before 1850. D. Near the end of the 19th century.

【2】In the early 19th century, what made it difficult to develop an efficient icebox?

A. A lack of networks for the transportation of ice.

B. Lacking the knowledge of the physics of heat.

C. Not knowing how to prevent ice from melting quickly.

D. Competition among the owners of refrigerated freight cars.

【3】What does the underlined sentence in paragraph3 most probably mean?

A. Moore's farm was not far away from Washington.

B. Moore's farm was on the right of the road.

C. Moore was suitable for the job.

D. Moore's design was fairly successful.

【4】What's the passage mainly about?

A. The development of refrigeration.

B. The influence of ice on the diet.

C. The transportation of goods to market.

D. Sources of ice in the nineteenth century.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】C

【2】B

【3】D

【4】A

【解析】文章介绍了冰箱的发展历史。

【1】C

推理判断题。根据第一段第一句By the mid-nineteenth century, the term “icebox” had entered the American language可知，“icebox”变成美国语言的一部分可能是1850年以前的某个时候。故选C。

【2】B

细节理解题。根据第二段第一、二句Making an efficient icebox was not as easy as we might now suppose. In the early nineteenth century, the knowledge of the physics of heat, which was essential to a science of refrigeration, was undeveloped.可知缺乏对热物理学的了解使它很难建立一个高效的冰箱。故选B。

【3】D

词义猜测题。根据最后一段最后一句One advantage of his icebox, Moore explained, was that fanners would no longer have to travel to market at night in order to keep their produce cool.可知Moore设计的冰箱相当成功。可知答案为D。

【4】A

主旨大意题。纵观全文，文章介绍了冰箱的发展历史。故选A。