大学英语四级阅读200篇（08完全版）

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Passage2ReadingComprehension(ReadinginDepth)(25minutes)

Directions:Inthispassagetherearetenblanks.Youarerequiredtoselectonewordforeachblankfromalistofchoicesgivenina

wordbankfollowingthepassage.Readthepassagethroughcarefullybeforemakingyourchoices.Eachchoiceinthebankis

identifiedbyaletter.PleasemarkthecorrespondingletterfbreachitemonAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.You

maynotuseanyofthewordsinthebankmorethanonce.

Questions1to10arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

Lookingbackonyearsoflivinginaworking-classhomeintheNorthofEngland,Ishouldsaythatagoodlivingroommust11three

principalthings:homeliness,wannthandplentyofgoodfood.Theliving-roomisthewarmheartofthefamilyand12oftenslightly

stuffytoamiddle-classvisitor.Itisnotasocialcentrebutafamilycenter;littleentertaininggoesonthereorinthefrontroom,ifthere

13tobeone;youdonotentertaininanythingapproachingthemiddle-class14Thewife*ssociallifeoutsideher15familyisfound

overthewashing-line,atthelittleshoponthecomer,visitingrelativesatamoderate16occasionally,andperhapsnowandagaina

visitwithherhusbandtohispuborclub.Apartfromthesetwoplaces,hehasjusthisworkandhisfootballmatches.Theywillhave,

eachofthem,friendsatalltheseplaces,whomaywellnotknowwhattheinsideoftheirhouseislike,havingnever"steppedacross

thethreshold/astheold17phrasehasit.Thefamilyhearthis18fbrthefamilyitself,andthosewhoare"somethingto

usn(anotherfavoriteformula)andwholookinforatalkorjusttosit.Muchofthefreetimeofamanandhiswifewill19bepassedat

thathearth.Juststayinginisstilloneofthemostcommonleisure-time20

A.happensB.professionsC.senseD.nevertheless

E.fashionedF.distanceG.immediateH.usually

I.occupationsJ.preservedK.imitateL.provide

M.thereforeNreserved0.contribute

B.tobesureofananswer

C.tobeunabletothinkclearlyD.toshowknowledgetotheteacher

27.Poorgradesareusuallytheresultof

A.poorsleepinghabitB.lazinesPassage3

Directions;Thepassageisfollowedbysomequestionsorunfinishedstatements.ForeachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA,B,

C,D.YoushoulddecideonthebestchoiceandmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.

Themedicalworldisgraduallyrealizingthatthequalityoftheenvironmentinhospitalsmayplayasignificantroleintheprocessof

recoveryfromillness.

AspartofanationwideeffortinBritaintobringartoutofthegalleriesandintopublicplaces,someofthecountry'smosttalented

artistshavebeencalledintotransformolderhospitalsandtosoftenthehardedgesofmodembuildings.Ofthe2,500NationalHealth

ServicehospitalsinBritain,almost100nowhavesignificantcollectionsofcontemporaryartincorridors,waitingareasandtreatment

rooms.

Theserecentinitiativesoweagreatdealtooneartist,PeterSenior,whosetuphisstudioataManchesterhospitalinnortheastern

Englandduringtheearly1970s.Hefelttheartisthadlosthisplaceinmodernsociety,andthatartshouldbeenjoyedbyawider

audience.

Atypicalhospitalwaitingroommighthaveasmanyas500visitorseachweek.Whatbetterplacetoholdregularexhibitionsofart?

Seniorheldthefirstexhibitionofhisownpaintingsintheout-patientswaitingareaoftheManchesterRoyalHospitalin1975.

BelievedtobeBritain*sfirsthospitalartist,Seniorwassomuchindemandthathewassoonjoinedbyateamofsixyoungartschool

graduates.

Theeffectisstriking.Nowinthecorridorsandwaitingroomsthevisitorexperiencesafullviewoffreshcolors,playfulimagesand

restfulcourtyards.

Thequalityoftheenvironmentmayreducetheneedfbrexpensivedrugswhenapatientisrecoveringfromanillness.Astudyhas

shownthatpatientswhohadaviewontoagardenneededhalfthenumberofstrongpainkillerscomparedwithpatientswhohadno

viewatalloronlyabrickwalltolookat.

21.Accordingtothepassage,ntosoftenthehardedgesofmodembuildings11means

A.topulldownhospitalbuildings

B.todecoratehospitalswithartcollections

C.toimprovethequalityoftreatmentinhospitals

D.tomakethecornersofhospitalbuildingsround

22.WhatcanwesayofPeterSenior?

A.Heisapioneerinintroducingartintohospitals.

B.Heisadoctorinterestedinpainting.

C.Heisanartistwhohasalargecollectionofpaintings.

D.Heisafaithfulfollowerofhospitalart.

23.AccordingtoPeterSenior,.

A.artislosingitsaudienceinmodemsociety

B.artgalleriesshouldbechangedintohospitals

C.patientsshouldbeencouragedtolearnpainting

D.artshouldbeencouragedinBritishhospitals

24.Aftertheimprovementofthehospitalenvironment,.

A.patientsnolongerneeddrugsintheirrecovery

B.patientsarenolongerwhollydependentonexpensivedrugs

C.patientsneedgood-qualitydrugsintheirrecovery

D.patientsusefewerpainkillersintheirrecovery

25.ThefactthatsixyoungartschoolgraduatesjoinedPetershowsthat.

A.Peter'senterpriseisdevelopinggreatly

B.PeterSeniorenjoysgreatpopularity

C.theyaretalentedhospitalartists

D.theroleofhospitalenvironmentisbeingrecognized

Passage4

Directions:Thepassageisfollowedbysomequestionsorunfinishedstatements.ForeachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA,B,

C,D.YoushoulddecideonthebestchoiceandmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.

Polyester（聚酯）isnowbeingusedforbottles.ICI,thechemicalsandplasticscompany,believesthatitisnowbeginningtobreakthe

gripofglasson

thebottlebusinessandthustakeadvantageofthishugemarket.

Alltheplasticsmanufacturershavebeenexperiencinghardtimesastheirtraditionalproductshavebeendoingbadlyworld-widefor

thelastfewyears.Between1982and1984thePlasticsDivisionofICIhadlostahundredandtwentymilliondollars,andtheyfeltthat

the.mosthopefulnewmarketwasinpackaging,bottlesandcans.

Since1982ithasopenedthreenewfactoriesproducingnMelinarn,therawmaterialfromwhichhighqualitypolyesterbottlesare

made.

Thepolyesterbottlewasbominthe1970s,whensoftdrinkscompanieslikeCocaColastartedsellingtheirdrinksingianttwo-liter

containers.Becauseofthebuild-upofthepressureofgasintheselargecontainers,glasswasunsuitable.NorwasPVC,theplastic

whichhadbeenusedforbottlessincethe1960s,suitablefordrinkswithgasinthem.Anewplastichadtobemade.

Glassisstillcheaperforthesmallerbottles,andwillcontinuetobesounlessoilandplasticbecomemuchcheaper,butplasticdoes

wellforthelargersizes.

Polyesterbottlesarevirtuallyunbreakable.Themanufacturersclaimtheyarealsolighter,lessnoisywhenbeinghandled,andcanbe

reused.Shopkeepersandotherbusinesspeopleareunlikelytoobjecttoachangefromglasstopolyester,sincethesebottlesmeanfew

breakages,whicharecostlyandtime-consuming.Thepublic,though,havebeenmoredifficulttopersuade.ICFscommercial

departmentisdevelopingdifferentbottleswithinterestingshapes,totryandmakethemvisuallymoreattractivetothepublic.

Thenextstepcouldbetodevelopaplasticwhichcouldreplacetinsfbrfood.Theproblemhereisthehightemperaturesnecessaryfor

cookingthefoodinthecontainer.

26.Plasticsofvariouskindshavebeenusedfbrmakingbottles.

A.since1982

B.sincethe1970sbutonlyfbrlargebottles

C.sincethe1960sbutnotforliquidswithgasinthem

D.sincecompanieslikeCocaColafirsttriedthem

27.WhyisICFsPlasticsDivisioninterestedinpolyesterforbottles?

A.Theotherthingstheymakearenotsellingwell.

B.Glassmanufacturerscannotmakeenoughnewbottles.

C.Theyhavefactorieswhichcouldbeadaptedtomakeit.

D.Thepriceofoilkeepschanging.

28.Whyaren'tallbottlesnowmadeofpolyester?

A.Thepriceofoilandplastichasrisen.

B.Itisnotsuitableforcontaininggassydrinks.

C.Thepublicliketraditionalglassbottles.

D.Shop-keepersdislikereusablebottles.

29.Manufacturersthinkpolyesterbottlesarebetterthanglassbottlesbecausethey

A.arecheaperB.aremoresuitedtosmallsizes

C.aremoreexcitingtolookatD.donotbreakeasily

30.Plasticcontainersfbrholdingfoodinthesamewayascans.

A.havebeenusedfbrmanyyears

B.areanideathatintereststheplasticscompanies

C.arepossible,butonlyfbrhotfood

D.arethefirstthingsbeingmadeinthenewfactories

UnitTwo

Passage1

World*sNonsmokersTakeupFightfbrCleanerAir

Incountryaftercountry,talkofnonsmokers*rightsisintheair.ThisfreshvoiceisheardfromAustraliatoSweden.Itsforceisfreeing

cleanairfornonsmokers—andtighteningthesituationforsmokers.

InwestGermany,fbrinstance,taxidrivers-knownfbrtheirindependence—postsignssaying"NichtRaucher"(nonsmoker)andmay

refusepassengerswhoinsistonsmoking...BansinPolandpreventsmokinginfactories,offices,snackbars,andotherpublic

places...AndVenezuelanscanbefined$230to$1,000fbrsmokinginsupermarkets,buses,andnumerousotherplaces.Many

countriesalsoaremovinginsteptolimittobaccopromotion(despitea7percentjumpinworldtobaccoproductionlastyear)and

eliminatethe"falseclaimsoftheglorification(美化)ofsmokingasahabit...'*saysJeandeMoerlooseoftheUnitedNationsWorld

HealthOrganization.

Whileamajorityofcountrieshavetakenlittleornoactionyet,some30nationshaveintroducedlegislativestepstocontrolsmoking

abuse.Manylawshavebeenintroducedinothercountriestohelpcleartheairfbrnonsmokers,ortocutcigaretteconsumption.

Inmanydevelopingnations,however,cigarettesmokingisseenasasignofeconomicprogress-andisevenencouraged.

"Whileitappearsthatindevelopedcountriestheconsumptionofcigaretteshasbecomestabilized,therearesomeindicationsthatitis

stillrisingatasteadypaceinLatinAmerica,0saysDr.DanielJ.Joly,anadvisertothePanAmericanHealthOrganization.

Despiteprogressinsegregating(隔离)nonsmokersandsmokers,mostcountriesseelittlechangeinthenumberofsmokers.Infact,

thereisajumpinthenumberofgirlsandyoungwomenstartingtosmoke.

Asmoretobaccocompaniesgointernational,newmarketsaresoughttogainnewsmokersindevelopingcountries.Forexample,great

effortsaremadebytheAmericantobaccoindustrytosellcigarettesintheMiddleEastandNorthAfrica-whereU.S.tobaccoexports

increasedbymorethan27percentlastyear,accordingtheU.S.ForeignAgricultureService.Sofar,anycooperationbetween

tobaccointerestsandgovernments*campaignsagainstsmokinghasbeenintheareaoftobaccoadvertising.

Restrictionsoncigaretteads,plushealthwarningsonpackagesandbansonpublicsmokingincertainplaces,arethemostpopular

toolsusedbynationsinsupportofnonsmokersorincurbing(限制)smoking.

Butworldattentionalsoisfocusingonotherstepswhichwill:

—makethesmokerincreasinglyself-consciousanduncomfortableabouthishabitbypublicizingpublicawarenessofthedeclineof

socialacceptabilityofsmoking.

(ThismethodisreceivingstrongsupportintheU.S.andothercountries.)

—preventpro-smokingscenesontelevisionandfilms.

一removecigarettevendingmachines.

—providesupportforthosewhowanttokickthehabitofsmoking.

——makeitillegaltosellorhandovertobaccoproductstominorsandprohibitsmokinginmeetingplacesforyoungpeople.

——boostcigarettepriceswithhighertobaccotaxes——andusethemoneyforantismokingcampaigns.

AtaJuneUNconferenceonsmoking,agoalsetbySirGeorgeE.Godber,chainnanoftheexpertcommitteeonsmokingandhealth

fortheWorldHealthOrganization,stated:"Wemaynothaveeliminatedcigarettesmokingcompletelybytheendofthiscentury,but

weoughttohavereachedapositionwhererelativelyfewaddictsstillusecigarettes,butonlyinprivateatmostinthecompanyof

consentingadults."NATIONSATTEMPTSOLUTIONS

Herearebriefsketchesofmajororuniqueattemptsaroundtheworldtoinsurenonsmokers'righttosmoke-freeairandtohelp

smokersquit.SWEDEN

Anambitious,concertedplantoraiseanationofnonsmokersisbeingimplementedbytheSwedishNationalBoardofHealthand

Welfare.

Swedishchildrenbomafter1975willgrowupinenvironmentsthatwillbenonsmokingandantismokingasmuchaspossible.

Generalcigaretteconsumptionwillcutfrom1,700cigarettesayearperpersonto1920levelofunder300cigarettesayear,according

tothe25-yearplan.

Acampaigntorestricttobaccoadvertising,raisecigarettepricestoover$2

apack,removecigarettevendingmachinesby1979,banpro-smokingcontentin

filmsandtelevisionprograms,restrictpublicsmoking,andgiveintensive

antismokingeducationinschoolsandthemilitary,willpromotethegoalofa

societywhich"shouldbesounfavourabletowardsmokingthatsmokingcouldnotariseonceagainasamajorfactorharmfultopublic

health."

BySwedishlaw,life-insurancepremiums(保险费)areloweredfornonsmokers.WESTGERMANY

Animage-reversingadvertisingcampaignbeganafewyearsagoinWestGermanywherebyitisthenonsmokerwhoisshowntobe

livingtheswinginglifepreviouslyclaimedbythecigaretteaddict.

Agovernment-sponsoredprogramtowarnthepublicaboutthedangersofsmokingincludesanattempttoencourageconsiderationof

thenonsmokeratworkandinpublicplaces.Tobaccotelevisionadswerestoppedin1973.

Buttherearenofirmplansatthefederalleveltobansmokinginpublicplaces,althoughitisbeingconsideredasalegislativeproposal.

HealthexpertssaythatthelegallyrequiredwarningoncigarettepackagesintheUnitedStateshasnothelped.Hencetherearestrong

doubtsaboutstrictlawsinthewholeareaofsmoking.Thegoverningideahereistoencourageconsiderationofothers.Butthisangle

ofattack(moralpersuasion)doesnotruleoutlegislation.IntwoofGermany's11statestherearelawstoprotectpublicemployees

whodonotsmokefromtheirsmokingfellowworkers.nSmokebreaks”areusedtoseparatethesmokersandnonsmokers.

"Thenonsmokertodayisjustasmuchormorerespectedthanthesmoker.nSaysonehealthofficial,"andthisisasuccessinitself.n

GREATBRITAIN

Atelevisionadvertisingbanin1965,ahealthwarningontobaccopackagesbegunin1971,a20percentpriceriseoncigarettesin

1974,andaconstantcampaigntoisolatepubicsmokinginairlines,trains,andotherpublicplaceshavefuelledaforcefulantismoking

andnonsmokers'programinBritain.

InIreland,anadvertisingcodebansadsemphasizingthepleasureofsmoking,featuringconventional

heroesoftheyoungassmokers,orimplyingthatitislessharmfultosmokeonebrandthananother.UNITEDSTATES

U.S.airlinesaresubjectto$1,000finesforfailingtoprovideasmokefreeseatforanypassengerwhowantsone.TheInterstate

CommerceCommissionhasmade"nosmoking"therule,ratherthantheexception,onallinterstatepassengertrainsandbuses.The

MilitarysegregatessmokersandnolongerdistributescigaretteinCrations.

Agrowingnumberofrestaurantsnowofferseparateareasfornonsmokers.Abanontelevisionandradiocigaretteads,healthwarnings

andrestrictionsonpublicsmokinginmanystatesandcitiesmaketheUnitedStatesaparticipantinworldnonsmokingand

antismokingefforts.ThenumberofU.S.nonsmokersisrisingaswell.

1.Withtheworld'sefforts,moreandmoresmokershaverealizedtheharmfuleffectofsmokingonenvironment.

2.30countrieshaveintroducedlegislationtorestrictsmoking,thoughlittlehasbeendoneinmostothercountries.

3.Thetotalnumberofsmokersdecreaseswhilethenumberoffemalesmokersincreasesinmostcountries.

4.SmokersinLatinAmericaconsumemorecigarettesthanindevelopedcountries.

5.Theimprovedeconomicsituationindevelopingcountriesistheexplanationoftherisingnumberofsmokersthere.

6.BothSwedenandGreatBritainraisedcigarettepricestocontrolthetobaccoconsumption.

7.TheincreasingnumberofnonsmokersinU.S.istheevidencetoshowthattheU.S.antismokingcampaignhasbeensuccessful.

8.Tobaccocompaniesarenowgettingmoreprofitinthanbefore.

9.PeopleaboardanyflightinU.S.cangeta

10.InWestGermany,considerationofnonsmokersisinthecampaignagainstsmoking.

Passage2

Flyingoveradesertareainanairplane,twoscientistslookeddownwithtrainedeyesattreesandbushes.Afteranhour's11oneofthe

scientistswroteinhisbook,HLookherefor12metal.nScientistsinanotherairplane,flyingoveramountainregion,senta13toother

scientistsontheground,nGoldpossible.nWalkingacrosshillyground,fourscientistsreported,"Thisgroundshouldbesearchedfor

metals.**Fromanairplaneoverahillywastelandascientistsentbackbyradiooneword,“Uranium.”

NoneofthescientistshadX-rayeyes:theyhadno14powersforlookingdownbelowtheearth*ssurface.Theywere15puttingtouse

oneofthenewestmethodsof16mineralsintheground-usingtreesandplantsas17thatcertainmineralsmaylie

beneaththegroundonwhichthetreesand

plantsaregrowing.

Thisnewestmethodofsearchingformineralsis18onthefactthatmineralsdeepintheearthmay19the

kindofbushesandtreesthatgrowonthesurface.

AtWatsonBarCreek,abrooksixthousandfeethighinthemountainsofBritishColumbia,Canada,amineralsearchgroupgathered

bagsoftreeseeds.Boxeswerefilledwithsmallbranchesfromthetrees.Rootsweredugandputintoboxes.Eachbagandboxwas20

marked.Inascientificlaboratorythepartsoftheforesttreeswereburnedtoashesandtested.Eachsmallpartwasexaminedtolearn

whetherthereweremineralsinit.

A.signsB.sufficientlyC.locatingD.affect

E.merelyF.magicG.hintsH.carefully

I.findingJ.messageK.flightL.probable

M.revealingN.basedO.information

Passage3

Therearetwofactorswhichdetermineanindividual'sintelligence.Thefirstisthesortofbrainheisbomwith.Humanbrainsdiffer

considerably,somebeingmorecapablethanothers.Butnomatterhowgoodabrainhehastobeginwith,anindividualwillhavea

loworderofintelligenceunlesshehasopportunitiestolearn.Sothesecondfactoriswhathappenstotheindividual-thesortof

environmentinwhichheisbroughtup.Ifanindividualishandicapped（不利）environmentally,itislikelythathisbrainwillfailto

developandhewillneverattainthelevelofintelligenceofwhichheiscapable.

Theimportanceofenvironmentindetermininganindividuafsintelligencecanbedemonstratedbythecasehistoryoftheidentical

twins,PeterandMark.Beingidentical,thetwinshadidenticalbrainsatbirth,andtheirgrowthprocesseswerethesame.Whenthe

twinswerethreemonthsold,theirparentsdied,andtheywereplacedinseparatefbster（抚养）homes.Peterwasraisedbyparentsof

lowintelligenceinanisolatedcommunitywithpooreducationalopportunities.Markwasrearedinthehomeofwell-to-doparents

whohadbeentocollege.Hewasreadtoasachild,senttogoodschools,andgiveneveryopportunitytobestimulatedintellectually.

Thisenvironmentaldifferencecontinueduntilthetwinswereintheirlateteens,whentheyweregiventeststomeasuretheir

intelligence.Mark'sI.Q.was125,twenty-fivepointshigherthantheaverageandfullyfortypointshigherthanhisidenticalbrother.

Givenequalopportunities,thetwins,havingidenticalbrains,wouldhavetestedatroughlythesamelevel.

21.Thisselectioncanbestbetitled.

A.MeasuringYourIntelligenceB.IntelligenceandEnvironment

C.TheCaseofPeterandMarkD.HowtheBrainInfluencesIntelligence

22.Thebeststatementofthemainideaofthispassageisthat.

A.humanbrainsdifferconsiderably

B.thebrainapersonisbornwithisimportantindetermininghisintelligence

C.environmentiscrucialindeterminingaperson'sintelligence

D.personshavingidenticalbrainswillhaveroughlythesameintelligence

23.Accordingtothepassage,theaverageI.Q.is.

A.85.B.100

C.110D.125

24.Thecasehistoryofthetwinsappearstosupporttheconclusionthat.

A.individualswithidenticalbrainsseldomtestatthesamelevel

B.anindividual'sintelligenceisdeterminedonlybyhisenvironment

C.lackofopportunityblocksthegrowthofintelligence

D.changesofenvironmentproducechangesinthestructureofthebrain

25.ThispassagesuggeststhatanindividuaFsI.Q..

A.canbepredictedatbirthB.staysthesamethroughouthislife

C.canbeincreasedbyeducationD.isdeterminedbyhischildhood

Passage4

Asareliabletravelagency,wereallydotrytodescribeourcentersandaccommodationasrealisticallyaspossible.AllourSuper

CentersandMainCentershavebeenextensivelyinvestigatedduringthewinterseason1975-1976.Asaresultwehavefirst-hand

informationonthewayinwhichhotels,lifenetworksandskischools,etc.operateduringtheseason.Wehavenotbeenableto

investigate,atfirsthand,allourIndependentCentersduringthelastseasonbutallhavebeenvisitedduringthepastthreeseasons.

Shouldyouneedanymoreinfonnationaboutthesecenterswewilltrytogetitforyou.OurAmericancentershavebeeninvestigated

onourbehalfbyUnitedAirlinesToursDepartmentandbytheU.S.touroperatorswhoareassistingUnitedandourselvestoofferyou

thisnovelprogramtotheUnitedStates.

Wherepossiblewehaveeliminatedtheuseofsuperlativesfromthetext（possiblymakingourbrochure（小册子）lessattractivetoread

thanitmightbe）andhaveconcentratedonasaccurateadescriptionaspossible.Neverthelessyoushouldbearinmindthatyour

opinionandtheopinionofourinvestigatormightdifferandtheremaybechangesbetweenthetimeofavisitbyourinvestigatorand

thevisitofoneofourcustomers.

Wetrustthatitisevidenttoyouthatwehavedoneallinourpowertoeliminatemisdescriptionandthattherereallyisnoquestionof

misrepresenta-tiononourpart—eithercarelessorotherwise.Wewelcomeyourconstructivecriticism——itisthebestwayweknowof

improvingourbrochuresandourservice.Althoughcomplaintsareveryexpensivetohandle,yourcomplaintorcriticismwillbe

thoroughlyinvestigatedandarefund（退赔）madeifitisjustified—nonewillbemadeifitisn*t.

26.Thefirmclaimsthatallitswintersportscentershavebeentherecenttargetof

A.aprogramofpersonalvisits

B.intensiveenquiriesaboutfacilities

C.attemptstoincreasehotelaccommodation

D.animprovedinformationservice

27.The"IndependentCenters1*werepersonallyinspected.

A.theyearbeforelastB.threeyearsago

C.between1975and1976D.withinthelastthreeseasons

28.TheprogramoftourstotheUnitedStatesappearstobe.

A.anewcollaborationwithU.S.travelfirms

B.newlytakenoverbyU.S.touroperations

C.anewindependentventure

D.organizedbyUnitedAirlines

29.Theirbrochurewouldbemoreattractivetoread,theysay,if.

A.itwerelesstruthfulB.itusedfewersuperlatives

C.iteliminateddescriptionD.itweremoreencouraged

30.Thefirm'sclaimisthattheirprogramisimprovedby.

A.helpfulfault-findingbycustomers

B.attractivedescriptionofthecentersineverybrochure

C.astandardpolicyofpromptrepayment

D.carefulcontrolofthehotels

UnitThree

Passage1

TheLouisianaPurchase

OnApril30,1803,theareaoftheUnitedStatesapproximatelydoubled.Untilthattime,UnitedStatesterritoryhadextendedfromthe

AtlanticOceantothebanksoftheMississippiandfromtheGreatLakesandtheSt.LawrenceRivertothethirty-firstparallel.The

nationallandnowwasexpandedwestwardtoincludepracticallyalloftheareabetweentheMississippiRiverandtheRocky

MountainsandbetweentheGulfofMexicoandtheCanadianborder.Onthatday,forfifteenmilliondollars,theUnitedStates

purchasedfromFrance875,000squaremilesofterritory.AfterRobertR.Livingston,anAmericanwhorepresentedPresident

JeffersoninFrance,signedhisnametothetreaty,herose,shookhandswithJamesMonroeandMarbois,theFrenchmanrepresenting

Napoleonandremarked,nWehavelivedlong,butthisisthenoblestworkofourlives.'*Asweglancebackwarduponthisimportant

eventinhistory,wemustagreethatthesigningofthetreatyfbrthepurchaseofLouisianawasprobablythemostimportanteventin

ThomasJefferson'sadministration.Withouttheacquisitionofthisterritory,theUnitedStateswouldmostprobablyhavenotdeveloped

intothepowerfulnationwhichitistoday.

WhatCausesLedtoPurchaseoftheLouisianaTerritory

Until1763,LouisianahadbeenapossessionofFrance,butinthatyearitwasgiventoSpaintorepayanolddebt.Twentyyearslater

inParis,thetreatyendingtheAmericanRevolutionwassignedbetweentheUnitedStatesandGreatBritain.Oneofthetermsofthis

treatywasthatthewesternborderoftheUnitedStateswastostretchtotheMississippiRiver.Immediatelysettlersandpioneers

crossedwestwardovertheAlleghenyMountainstocleartheterritoryandestablishfarms.Sinceroadswerescarceanddifficultto

travel,theproductsofthesefarmershadtobeshippedonthewaterwaysleadingtotheMississippiRiverandthendownthisgreat

streamtoNewOrleans.Atthisportcity,theproducewastransferredtolargerocean-goingvesse