『新东方在线托福阅读』为托福考生准备了ETS托福TPO/【学术阅读】#6阅读练习：Where would the following sentence best fit in the paragraph? The most crucial factor behind this phenomenal upsurge in productivity was the widespread adoption of labor-saving machinery by northern farmers.真题题目及答案解析，TPO/【学术阅读】#6阅读原文范文音频翻译

托福TPO/【学术阅读】#6阅读原文Where would the following sentence best fit in the paragraph? The most crucial factor behind this phenomenal upsurge in productivity was the widespread adoption of labor-saving machinery by northern farmers.题目答案及解析-新东方托福官方网校手机版

十九世纪末北方农业的机械化进程

The Mechanization of Northern Agriculture in the Late Nineteenth Century

十九世纪后半叶，美国粮食与饲料作物产量以惊人速度增长。

During the second half of the nineteenth century, the production of food and feed crops in the United States rose at an extraordinarily rapid rate.

玉米产量增长四点五倍，干草产量翻五番，燕麦与小麦产量均提升七倍。

Corn production increased by four and a half times, hay by five times, oats and wheat by seven times.

至1850年，马拉收割机已引入国内主要谷物产区。

By 1850 horse-drawn reaping machines that cut grain were being introduced into the major grain-growing regions of the country.

当时马力脱粒机更是早已普及。

Horse-powered threshing machines to separate the seeds from the plants were already in general use.

然而真正推动北方农业机械化的转折点，是1861年南北战争的爆发。

However, it was the onset of the Civil War in 1861 that provided the great stimulus for the mechanization of northern agriculture.

随着大量劳动力应征入伍且粮价持续上涨，北方农民争相采用新型省力农机。

With much of the labor force inducted into the army and with grain prices on the rise, northern farmers rushed to avail themselves of the new labor-saving equipment.

1865年战争结束后，机械在北方农业中的地位日益凸显，改良设备层出不穷。

After the close of the war in 1865, machinery became ever more important in northern agriculture, and improved equipment was continually introduced.

到1880年，集收割、秸秆收集与麻绳捆扎功能于一体的自动捆扎收割机臻于完善。

By 1880 a self-binding reaper had been perfected that not only cut the grain, but also gathered the stalks and bound them with twine.

脱粒机同样持续升级扩容，1870年后蒸汽动力逐渐取代畜力。

Threshing machines were also being improved and enlarged, and after 1870 they were increasingly powered by steam engines rather than by horses.

由于蒸汽脱粒机造价昂贵（单价1000至4000美元），这类设备多由专业脱粒服务商持有，他们在收获季巡回于各个农场提供机械化服务。

Since steam-powered threshing machines were costly items—running from $1,000 to $4,000—they were usually owned by custom thresher owners who then worked their way from farm to farm during the harvest season.

What aspect of farming in the United States in the nineteenth century does the passage mainly discuss?

According to the passage, why was the Civil War a stimulus for mechanization?

The passage supports which of the following statements about machinery after the Civil War?

It can be inferred from the passage that most farmers did not own threshing machines because

Where would the following sentence best fit in the paragraph? The most crucial factor behind this phenomenal upsurge in productivity was the widespread adoption of labor-saving machinery by northern farmers.

The Mechanization of Northern Agriculture in the Late Nineteenth Century During the second half of the nineteenth century, the production of food and feed crops in the United States rose at an extraordinarily rapid rate. (A)Corn production increased by four and a half times, hay by five times, oats and wheat by seven times. (B)By 1850 horse-drawn reaping machines that cut grain were being introduced into the major grain-growing regions of the country. (C)Horse-powered threshing machines to separate the seeds from the plants were already in general use. (D)However, it was the onset of the Civil War in 1861 that provided the great stimulus for the mechanization of northern agriculture. With much of the labor force inducted into the army and with grain prices on the rise, northern farmers rushed to avail themselves of the new labor-saving equipment. After the close of the war in 1865, machinery became ever more important in northern agriculture, and improved equipment was continually introduced. By 1880 a self-binding reaper had been perfected that not only cut the grain, but also gathered the stalks and bound them with twine. Threshing machines were also being improved and enlarged, and after 1870 they were increasingly powered by steam engines rather than by horses. Since steam-powered threshing machines were costly items—running from $1,000 to $4,000—they were usually owned by custom thresher owners who then worked their way from farm to farm during the harvest season.