The clipper races

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题目与答案

1. 1 In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the British East India Company faced a lot of competition.
   • TRUE
   • FALSE
   • NOT GIVEN

   答案：FALSE

   原文定位：During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the British East India Company had the monopoly on trade with China and India. This meant that because no rival could legally import tea or other goods from these countries at this time, the company was rarely in a hurry to transport its merchandise

2. Richard Green’s ship arrived two days ahead of its competitor.

   Competition increased when additional Chinese trading 10_____ were established.

   答案：ports

   原文定位：It was really ignited when new ports were opened up for trade in China. These included Fouchow, which was much closer to the tea-producing areas than Canton, the port used previously

3. Merchants were occasionally in such a hurry that they failed to complete the 11_____ before leaving China.

   答案：paperwork

   原文定位：As a result, tea could be loaded onboard earlier and fresher, and the clippers could set off in late May or early June - sometimes not even taking time to fill out the official paperwork - racing back to Britain whatever the difficulties

4. At the end of their journey, the ships needed the help of 12_____ .

   答案：tugs

   原文定位：Once there, they would be towed by tugs, up the river and into the docks

5. The rewards

   The crews were motivated by both 13_____ and their enthusiasm for the competition.

   答案：money

   原文定位：The cargo of the winning ship could earn a premium of up to sixpence per pound-and so the captain and crew were rewarded by the owners of the cargo. But the races were about more than just money the crews, about 40 men on each clipper, were expert sailors, proud of their ships, and they delighted in competing against each other

6. 2 Before 1800, cargo size was the most important consideration for the East India Company.
   • TRUE
   • FALSE
   • NOT GIVEN

   答案：TRUE

   原文定位：This meant that because no rival could legally import tea or other goods from these countries at this time, the company was rarely in a hurry to transport its merchandise. Instead, its priority was to minimise costs by carrying as much as possible on each ship

7. 3 At best, voyages of the East Indiamen to China and back took nearly two years to complete.
   • TRUE
   • FALSE
   • NOT GIVEN

   答案：TRUE

   原文定位：So even with favourable sailing conditions, the round trip lasted almost two years, and if anything went wrong it could take a lot longer

   同义替换：「nearly」↔「almost」

8. 4 Before 1834, voyages to and from China were considered to be highly dangerous.
   • TRUE
   • FALSE
   • NOT GIVEN

   答案：NOT GIVEN

9. 5 After 1834, the ships which had served the East India Company stopped being used for commercial purposes.
   • TRUE
   • FALSE
   • NOT GIVEN

   答案：FALSE

   原文定位：However, by 1834 the company had lost its trading monopolies, and tea had become a freely traded item. Having no more use for its great ships, the company sold them off, and many were bought by merchants or their captains, who continued to plough the seas between Britain and China

10. 6 In the nineteenth century, British drinkers preferred tea made from mature leaves to that made from younger leaves.
    • TRUE
    • FALSE
    • NOT GIVEN

    答案：FALSE

    原文定位：This was partly because if you were home first, you could sell your shipment of tea before your competitors even arrived, and partly because consumers in Britain in the nineteenth century believed that the fresher and earlier-picked the tea, the better the resulting drink

11. Clipper races

    The ships

    Clipper ships were first used for trading by American merchants.

    The ships were remarkable for the number of 7_____

    答案：sails

    原文定位：These vessels were fast and slender, with a narrow hull that was deeper at the back than at the front and masses of sails on tall masts

    同义替换：「remarkable for the number of」↔「masses of」

12. The performance of British tea clippers was particularly affected when there were 8_____ at sea.

    答案：storms

    原文定位：More tea clippers were designed and built in Britain throughout the 1850s and 1860s, they had a narrower beam than their American equivalents, making them less powerful during storms, but faster in calmer weather

13. The races

    It was in a ship called 9_____ that the British first competed successfully against the Americans.

    答案：Challenger

    原文定位：Then in 1851 a British ship owner, Richard Green, built the aptly named clipper Challenger, with the stated intention of beating the American ships. Loaded with tea, Challenger left China for London in 1852 at the same time as the American clipper Challenge;In the event, the British ship beat its rival to London by two days, amid much jubilation