Question

【題目】 In 1848 gold was found in California. Thousands of people rushed there to get some. Many people liked living there. But there wasn’t a whole lot between California (CA) and Missouri (MO), where the nearest trains ran. The train line to California wasn’t finished until 1869.

In I860 and 1861, the Pony Express was the fastest way to get news to and from the West. The trail that they rode was around 2000 miles long. It took most people weeks or months to ride that far. The Pony Express could make the trip in just ten days. Those speeds were unheard of at the time. So how did they do it? Well, they had a good system.

The Pony Express had 184 stations along the trail. The stations were around ten miles apart. This is about how far a horse could run at a gallop (疾馳) before tiring. The rider would switch to a new horse at each station. He would only take his mail pouch (郵袋) with him. Every 75-100 miles, the rider would get to a home station. At each home station, riders would rest. The mail never stopped moving, even while the horses and riders rested.

It was tough to ride for the Pony Express. Each rider had to weigh less than 125 pounds. Speed was the key. Most of the riders were teenage boys. They rode at a fast pace for up to 100 miles a day. If there were an emergency, one might have to ride 200 miles in a day.

The Pony Express filled an important role for a time, but it did not last. The Civil War started in April of 1861. On October 24th, 1861, the first telegraph line to California was finished. This linked them to the rest of the country. People could send messages in an instant. Two days later the Pony Express closed.

【1】Which happened first?

A.The Pony Express was started.B.The American Civil War broke out.

C.The train line to California was finished.D.Settlers rushed to California to find gold.

【2】How long did it take the Pony Express to send mail from CA to MO?

A.About 24 hours.B.About ten days.

C.About twenty days.D.About one month.

【3】What would a rider do at the home station?

A.Give his mail to a new rider.B.Rest a while and go on riding.

C.Collect new mail for customers.D.Feed the horse and check the mail.

【4】What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?

A.To prove communication industry develops rapidly.

B.To explain why horses were used to deliver mail.

C.To describe the I860 - 1861E Fastest Mail Service.

D.To tell the brave stories of the Pony Express.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】D

【2】B

【3】A

【4】C

【解析】

本文屬于說明文。文章介紹了19世紀60年代，美國加州和密蘇里州之間的驛馬快信的制度。

【1】

細節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第一、二以及最后一段，加州發(fā)現(xiàn)金礦是在1848年，大量的人們涌向那里淘金；驛馬快信的制度是在1860年才開始的；美國內(nèi)戰(zhàn)發(fā)生在1861，加州和密蘇里州之間鐵路的鐵路于1869年完成。由此可知，移民們涌向加利福尼亞尋找黃金是最先發(fā)生的。故選D。

【2】

細節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第二段“The Pony Express could make the trip in just ten days.”可知，美國加州和密蘇里州之間的通訊10天之內(nèi)可以完成。故選B。

【3】

推理判斷題。根據(jù)第三段“The mail never stopped moving, even while the horses and riders rested.”信息可知，即使在馬匹和騎手休息的時候，郵件也從未停止運送，由此推知，騎手是在休息站將郵件交給了另一個騎手。故選A。

【4】

推理判斷題。The Pony Express could make the trip in just ten days. Those speeds were unheard of at the time. So how did they do it? Well, they had a good system.（驛馬快信可以在10天內(nèi)完成這趟旅程。這種速度在當時是聞所未聞的。那么他們是怎么做到的呢?他們有一個很好的系統(tǒng)。）是全文的主題句，結合全文內(nèi)容，可知作者寫這篇文章的目的是描述I860年到1861年，驛馬快信的郵件服務。故選C。