2001年1月第二篇Questions 10-17at least one carpenter, joiner, sawyer, and cooper in woodworking; a weaver and a tailor5) an assistant, the rural artisan provided the neighborhood with common goods from furniture to shoes to farm equipment in exchange for cash or for “goods in kind” from the customer’s field, pasture, or dairy. Sometimes artisans transformed material provided by the customer wove cloth of yam spun at the farm from the wool of the family sheep; made chairs or tables 10) from wood cut in the customer’s own woodlot; produced shoes or leather breeches from cow, deer, or sheepskin tanned on the farm. Like their farming neighbors, rural artisans were part of an economy seen, by onehistorian, as “an orchestra conducted by nature.” Some tasks could not be done in the winter, other had to be put off during harvest time, and still others waited on raw materials that were 15) only produced seasonally. As the days grew shorter, shop hours kept pace, since few artisans could afford enough artificial light to continue work when the Sun went down. To the best of their ability, colonial artisans tried to keep their shops as efficient as possible and toregularize their schedules and methods of production for the best return on their investment in time, tools, and materials. While it is pleasant to imagine a woodworker, for example, 20) carefully matching lumber, joining a chest together without resort to nails or glue, and applying all thought and energy to carving beautiful designs on the finished piece, the time required was not justified unless the customer was willing to pay extra for the quality— and few in rural areas were, Artisans, therefore, often found it necessary to employ as many shortcuts and economics as possible while still producing satisfactory products.题目解析：10. What aspect of rural colonial North America does the passage mainly discuss?(A) Farming practices(B) The work of artisans(C) The character of rural neighborhoods(D) Types of furniture that were popular解析：文章除了一开头讲的是社会分工，后文都是在讲artisans。

正确选项为B。

11. The word “inception” in line 1 is closest in meaning to(A) investigation(B) location(C) beginning(D) records解析：investigation，调查，研究；location，位置，场所；beginning，开始，开端；records，记录。

inception，起初。

正确选项为C。

12. The word “fabricating” in line 3 is closest in meaning to(A) constructing(B) altering(C) selecting(D) demonstrating解析：construct，建造，构造；altering，改变；select，选择；demonstrate，证明。

fabricate，制造，组装。

正确选项为A。

13. It can be infered from the passage that the use of artificial light in colonial times was(A) especially helpful to woodworkers(B) popular in rural areas(C) continuous in winter(D) expensive解析：文中第15行至第16行” since few artisans could afford enough artificial light to continue work”，是说工匠们花不起钱来买人造光进行工作，也就是说人造光太贵了。

因此正确选项为D。

14. Why did colonial artisans want to “regularize their schedules” (line 18)?(A) To enable them to produce high quality products(B) To enable them to duplicate an item many times(C) To impress their customers(D) To keep expenses low解析：文中第17行至第19行”colonial artisans tried to keep their shops as efficient as possible and to regularize their schedules and methods of production for the best return on their investment in time, tools, and materials.” 意思是说工匠尽全力保持他们的商店的效率，调整他们的计划和生产方式，以期能够最大程度地收回他们在时间、工具和物资上的投资。

也就是说，工匠们将花费保持在较低的水平。

正确选项为D。

15. The phrase “resort to” in line 20 is closest in meaning to(A) protecting with(B) moving toward(C) manufacturing(D) using解析：文中第20行”joining a chest together without resort to nails or glue”，是说工匠们组合箱子不需要使用钉子或胶，resort to 在这里是“采取、诉诸于”的意思，正确选项为D。

16. The word “few” in lines 23 refers to(A) woodworkers(B) finished pieces(C) customers(D) chests解析：文中第22行至第23行”nless the customer was willing to pay extra for the quality—and few in rural areas were”是说除非顾客乐意为该时间付额外费用，其实一般在农村地区没有顾客是这样的。

因此正确选项为C。

17. It can inferred that the artisans referred to in the passage usually produced products that were(A) simple(B) delicate(C) beautifully decorated(D) exceptionally long-lasting解析：文中第21行至第24行” the time required was not justified unless the customer was willing to pay extra for the quality—and few in rural areas were, Artisans, therefore, often found it necessary to employ as many shortcuts and economics as possible while still producing satisfactory products.”可见工匠们不愿意多花钱，在保证质量的前提下控制成本。

文章翻译：在北美洲殖民地开始的时候，大多数乡下的村庄至少有一名木匠，一个锯木工人，制桶工人，一个纺织工人，一个生产衣服的裁缝，一个制革工人和制造皮革的皮匠，以及制造金属制品的锻工。

如果石料是当地的建筑材料，就会有一名泥瓦匠列名为纳税人。

乡下的工匠只有一名学徒作为助手，他们却提供了附近地区的广泛的普通货物，包括家具、鞋以及农业设备等等。