Question

German engineers Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz built the first successful gasoline engines in 1885.After 1900，however，the United States became a leader in automobile production.

The first cars were handmade and very expensive.Only people in rich cities could afford them.The first company to make gasoline cars in the U.S.was the Duryea Motor Wagon Company.Then，in 1901，Ransom E.Olds  Began mass-producing his car，the Oldsmobile.In 1913Henry Ford made great strides in the mass production of cars by using an assembly line in his factory.Mass production meant that each car was less expensive to make.Now car ownership was affordable for the average person.By 1916there were more than one million cars in the United States.

The automobile gave people the freedom to travel anywhere there were passable roads.Families that lived great distance apart could travel by automobile to visit each other.People could visit places they had never seen before.

Before the mass production of cars，people lived close to work.Their means of transportation included walking，riding a bicycle，using a horse and carriage，or taking a train.The automobile gave people the ability to live farther away from work.The result was that gradually people moved out of the cities to the less crowded suburbs.

The automobile industry created millions of jobs.The jobs were not just in the auto factories，where the cars were assembled.Workers were needed to make auto parts，run gas stations and repair shops，and work at new motels and restaurants that served people who traveled by car.Jobs became available at car rental companies.People were needed to build roads.These jobs and many others still exist because of the automobile.

1.The first automobiles were made in         .

A. Japan    B. England    C. America    D. Germany

2.From paragraph 2,we know that mass production cars were       than handmake ones.

A. more difficult to make    B. more expensive

C. much cheaper    D. easier to operate

3.From paragraph 4,we may learn that with existence of cars         .

A. people’s living areas expanded    B. people lived closer to their work

C. cities became more crowded    D. people rushed to the suburbs

4.The automobiles industry        .

A. added to working opportunities    B. changed the ways of eating

C. improved the road conditions    D. reduced the office hours

Answer

1. D

2. C

3. A

4. A

【解析】

本文是一篇说明文，介绍了汽车从手工制造到大规模生产的发展以及汽车对人们生活的影响。

1.推理判断题。根据第一段中的“German engineers Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz built the first successful gasoline engines in 1885.”可知，德国工程师Gottlieb Daimler和Karl Benz于1885年成功制造了世界上第一台汽油发动机，由此推知世界上第一台汽油发动机是德国制造的，故D项正确。

2.推理判断题。根据第二段中的“The first cars were handmade and very expensive. Only people in rich cities could afford them.”可知，手工制造的汽车很昂贵，只有富裕城市的人才能买起，再根据“Mass production meant that each car was less expensive to make.Now car ownership was affordable for the average person.”可知，大规模生产意味着汽车的生产成本更低，普通人也买得起汽车了，由此推知大规模生产的汽车比手工制造的要便宜很多，故C项正确。

3.细节理解题。根据第四段中的“The automobile gave people the ability to live farther away from work. The result was that gradually people moved out of the cities to the less crowded suburbs.”可知，有了汽车，人们可以开车去离家很远的地方上班，逐渐从城市搬到不那么拥挤的郊区，也就是人们的生活面积扩大了，故A项正确。

4.细节理解题。根据最后一段中的“The automobile industry created millions of jobs.”可知，汽车产业增加了很多就业机会，故A项正确。