GMAT考试阅读资料(四)d

Passage 21
　　Bernard Bailyn has recently reinterpreted the earlyhistory of the United States by applying new socialresearch findings on the experiences of Europeanmigrants. In his reinterpretation¹， migration² becomes the（5）　organizing principle for rewriting the history of prein-dustrial North America. His approach rests on fourseparate propositions.
　　The first of these asserts that residents of earlymodern England moved regularly about their coun-（10） tryside； migrating to the New World was simply a“natural spillover.” Although at first the colonies heldlittle positive attraction for the English——they wouldrather have stayed home-by the eighteenth centurypeople increasingly migrated to America because they（15） regarded it as the land of opportunity. Secondly³， Bailynholds that， contrary to the notion that used to flourish inAmerica history textbooks， there was never a typicalNew World community. For example， the economic and demographic character of early New England towns（20） varied⁴ considerably⁵.
　　Bailyn‘s third proposition suggests two generalpatterns prevailing⁶ among the many thousands ofmigrants： one group came as indentured⁷ servants，another came to acquire land. Surprisingly， Bailyn（25） suggests that those who recruited indentured servantswere the driving forces of transatlantic migration. Thesecolonial entrepreneurs helped determine the social char-acter of people who came to preindustrial North America.At first， thousands of unskilled laborers⁸ were recruited；（30） by the 1730’s， however， American employers demandedskilled artisans.
　　Finally， Bailyn argues that the colonies were a half-civilized hinterland of the European culture system. Heis undoubtedly⁹ correct to insist that the colonies were（35） part of an Anglo-American empire. But to divide theempire into English core and colonial periphery¹⁰， asBailyn does， devalues the achievements of colonialculture. It is true， as Bailyn claims， that high culture inthe colonies never matched that in England. But what（40） of seventeenth-century New England， where the settlerscreated effective laws， built a distinguished¹¹ university，and published books？ Bailyn might respond that NewEngland was exceptional. However， the ideas and insti-tutions developed by New England Puritans had power-（45） ful effects on North American culture.
　　Although Bailyn goes on to apply his approach tosome thousands of indentured servants who migratedjust prior to the revolution， he fails to link their experi-ence with the political development of the United States.（50） Evidence presented in his work suggests how we mightmake such a connection. These indentured servants weretreated as slaves for the period during which they hadsold their time to American employers. It is not surprisingthat as soon as they served their time they passed up（55） good wages in the cities and headed west to ensure theirpersonal independence by acquiring land. Thus， it is inthe west that a peculiarly American political culturebegan， among colonists¹³ who were suspicious ofauthority and intensely antiaristocratic.

　　1. Which of the following statements about migrants to colonial North America is supported by information in the passage？
　　　（A） A larger percentage of migrants to colonial North America came as indentured servants than as free agents interested in acquiring land.
　　　（B） Migrants who came to the colonies as indentured servants were more successful at making a livelihood¹⁴ than were farmers and artisans.
　　　（C） Migrants to colonial North America were more successful at acquiring their own land during the eighteenth century than during the seven-tenth　　 century.
　　　（D） By the 1730‘s， migrants already skilled in a trade were in more demand by American employers than were unskilled laborers.
　　　（E） A significant percentage of migrants who came to the colonies to acquire land were forced to work as field hands for prosperous American farmers.

　　2. The author of the passage states that Bailyn failed to
　　　（A） give sufficient emphasis to the cultural and political interdependence of the colonies and England
　　　（B） describe carefully how migrants of different ethnic¹⁵ backgrounds preserved their culture in the united States
　　　（C） take advantage of social research on the experi-ences of colonists who migrated to colonial North America specifically to acquire land
　　　（D） relate the experience of the migrants to the political values that eventually shaped the character of the United States
　　　（E） investigate the lives of Europeans before they came  to colonial North America to determine more adequately their motivations for migrating

　　3. Which of the following best summarizes the author‘s　 evaluation¹⁶ of Bailyn’s fourth proposition？
　　　（A） It is totally implausible.
　　　（B） It is partially¹⁷ correct.
　　　（C） It is highly admirable.
　　　（D） It is controversial though persuasive¹⁸.
　　　（E） It is intriguing¹⁹ though unsubstantiated.

　　4. According to the passage， Bailyn and the author agree on which of the following statements about the culture　of colonial New England？
　　　（A） High culture in New England never equaled the high culture of England.
　　　（B） The cultural achievements of colonial New England have generally been unrecognized by historians.
　　　（C） The colonists imitated the high culture of England，and did not develop a culture that was uniquely their own.
　　　（D） The southern colonies were greatly influenced by the high culture of New England.
　　　（E） New England communities were able to create laws and build a university， but unable to create anything innovative²⁰ in the arts.

　　5. According to the passage， which of the following is true of English migrants to the colonies during the eighteenth century？
　　　（A） Most of them were farmers rather than trades people or artisans.
　　　（B） Most of them came because they were unable to find work in England.
　　　（C） They differed from other English people in that they were willing to travel.
　　　（D） They expected that the colonies would offer them increased opportunity.
　　　（E） They were generally not as educated as the people who remained in England.

　　6. The author of the passage is primarily concerned with
　　　（A） comparing several current interpretations²¹ of early American history
　　　（B） suggesting that new social research on migration should lead to revisions in current interpretations of early American history
　　　（C） providing the theoretical framework that is used by most historians in understanding early American history
　　　（D） refuting an argument about early American history that has been proposed by social historians
　　　（E） discussing a reinterpretation of early American history that is based on new social research on migration

　　7. It can be inferred from the passage that American　history textbooks used to assert that
　　　（A） many migrants to colonial North America were not successful financially
　　　（B） more migrants came to America out of religious or political conviction that came in the hope of acquiring land
　　　（C） New England communities were much alike in terms of their economics and demographics
　　　（D） many migrants to colonial North America failed to maintain ties with their European relations
　　　（E） the level of literacy in New England communities was very high

　　8. The author of the passage would be most likely to agree　with which of the following statements about Bailyn‘s　work？
　　　（A） Bailyn underestimates the effects of Puritan thought on North American culture
　　　（B） Bailyn overemphasizes the economic dependence¹² of the colonies on Great Britain.
　　　（C） Bailyn‘s description of the colonies as part of an Anglo-American empire is misleading and incorrect.
　　　（D） Bailyn failed to test his propositions on a specific group of migrants to colonial North America.
　　　（E） Bailyn overemphasizes the experiences of migrants to the New England colonies， and neglects the southern and the western parts of the New World.