2006年全国成人高考英语高起点考试辅导2

　Ⅳ.Reading Comprehension (75 points)

Directions: There are five reading passages in this part.Each passage is followed by five questions.For each question there are four suggested answers marked A, B, C and D.Choose one best answer and blacken the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet.

Passage One

A rapid means of long-distance transportation became a necessity for the United States as settlement(新拓居地) spread over farther westward. The early trains were impractical curiosities, and for a long time the railroad companies met with troublesome mechanical problems. The most serious ones were the construction of rails able to bear the load, and the development of a safe, effective stopping system. Once these were solved, the railroad was established as the best means of land transportation. By 1860 there were thousands of miles of railroads crossing the eastern mountain ranges and reaching westward to the Mississippi. There were also regional southern and western lines.