In the United States in the early 1800’s, individual state governments had more effect on the economy than did the federal gover

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问题     In the United States in the early 1800’s, individual state governments had more effect on the economy than did the federal government. States chartered (批准,发执照) manufacturing, banking, mining, and transportation firms and participated in the construction of various internal improvements such as canals, turnpikes (收税公路) , and railroads. The states encouraged internal improvements in two distinct ways: first, by actually establishing state companies to build such improvements; second, by providing part of the capital for mixed public-private companies setting out to make a profit.
    In the early nineteenth century, state governments also engaged in a surprisingly large amount of direct regulatory activity, including extensive licensing and inspection programs. Licensing targets reflected both similarities in and differences between the economy of the nineteenth century and that of today: in the nineteenth century, state regulation through licensing fell especially on peddlers, innkeepers, and retail merchants of various kinds. The perishable (易坏的) commodities of trade generally came under state inspection, and such important frontier staples as lumber and gunpowder were also subject to state control. Finally, state governments experimented with direct labor and business regulation designed to help the individual laborer or consumer, including setting maximum limits on hours of work and restrictions on price-fixing by businesses.
    Although the states dominated economic activity during this period, the federal government was not inactive. Its goals were the facilitation (方便条件) of western settlement and the development of native industries. Toward these ends the federal government pursued several courses of action. It established a national bank to stabilize banking activities in the country and, in part, to provide a supply of relatively easy money to the frontier, where it was greatly needed for settlement. It permitted access to public western lands on increasingly easy terms, culminating (到达极点) in the Homestead Act of 1862, by which title the land could be claimed on the basis of residence alone. Finally, it set up a system of tariffs (关税) that was basically protectionist in effect, although maneuvering for position by various regional interests produced frequent changes in tariff rates throughout the nineteenth century.
What does the passage mainly discuss?

选项 A、States’ rights versus federal rights.
B、The participation of state governments in railroad, canal, and turnpike construction.
C、The roles of state and federal governments in the economy of the nineteenth century.
D、Regulatory activity by state governments.

答案C

解析 本题问本文的主题是什么。利用浏览式阅读法通读全文内容,我们可以看出文章第一段指出在19世纪初期,美国的各州政府要比联邦政府对经济的影响大些。第二段则详细介绍了州政府在19世纪初期是从哪几方面对商贸起作用的,第三段是关于联邦政府在经济生活中的作用。因此,本题的正确答案应是C“19世纪州政府和联邦政府在经济生活中所起的作用”。
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