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  3. ENGLAND’S ECONOMY IN THE 16TH CENTURY (1) In the last half of the 16th century England emerged as a commercial and manufactu

ENGLAND’S ECONOMY IN THE 16TH CENTURY (1) In the last half of the 16th century England emerged as a commercial and manufactu

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问题                                                 ENGLAND’S ECONOMY IN THE 16TH CENTURY
    (1) In the last half of the 16th century England emerged as a commercial and manufacturing power in Europe due to a combination of demographic, agricultural and industrial factors. The population of England and Wales grew rapidly from about 2.5 million in the 1520s to more than 3.5 million in 1580, reaching about 4.5 million in 1610. Reduced mortality rates and increased fertility, the latter probably generated by expanding work opportunities in manufacturing and farming (leading to earlier marriage and more children), explained this rapid rise in population. While epidemics and plague occasionally took their toll, the people in England still suffered less than did those in continental Europe. Furthermore, the country had been pulled out of the war that occurred in France and central Europe during the same period.
    (2) England provides the prominent example of the expansion of agricultural production well before the general European agricultural revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries. A larger population stimulated the increased woolens through crop civilization. English agriculture became more efficient and market-oriented than almost anywhere else on the continent. Between 1450 and 1640 the yield of grain per acre increased by at least 30%. In sharp contrast with fanning in Spain, English land owners brought more dense marshes and woodlands into cultivation.
    (3) The great land estates of the English society largely remained intact and many wealthy land owners aggressively increased the size of their holdings, a precondition for increased productivity. Marriages between the children of landowners also increased the size of land estates. Primogeniture (the full inheritance of land by the eldest son) helped prevent land from being subdivided. Younger sons of independent land owners left the family and went to find other respective locations. Larger farms contributed more to commercialized farming at the time when an expanding population pushed up demand and prices. Farmland owners turned part of their land into pasture land for sheep in order to adapt to developing woolen trade.
    (4) Some of the great land owners as well as Yeomen (farmers whose holdings and security of land tenure guaranteed their prosperity and status), organized their holdings in the interests of efficiency. Many farmers selected crops for sales in growing London market. In their quest for greater profits, many land owners put their squeeze on their tenants. Between 1580 and 1620 land lords raised rents and altered conditions of land tenure in their favor, preferring shorter phases and forcing tenants to pay an entry fee before agreeing to rent them land. Landlords evicted those who could not afford annual, more onerous terms. But they also pushed tenants toward more productive farming methods, including crop rotation.
    (5) England’s exceptional economic development also drew the country’s natural resources, including iron, timber, and coal, extracted in far greater quantity than elsewhere in the continent. New industrial development expanded the production of iron and pewter in and around the city of Birmingham.
    (6) But above all textile manufacturing transformed English economy. Woolens, which accounted for 80% of the exports, worsted (sturdy yarn spun from combed wool fibers), and other cloth found eager buyers in England as well as in the continent. Moreover, late in the 16th century as English merchants began making forays across the Atlantic these textiles were also sold in the Americas. Cloth manufacturers undercut production by urban craftspeople by "putting out" work to the villages and farms of the countryside. In such domestic industry poor rural women could spin and make carding (combing fibers in preparation for spin) in their homes.
    (7) The English textile trade was closely tied to Antwerp, in the Spanish Netherlands, where workers dyed English cloth. [A] The entrepreneur Sir Thomas Gresham became England’s representative there. [B] He so enhanced the reputation of English business in that region that English merchants could operate on credit—the most prominent achievement for the 16th century. [C] He also advised the government to explore the economic possibilities of Americas, which led to the first concerted efforts at colonization, undertaken with commercial profits in mind. [D]
An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is provided below. Complete the summary by selecting the THREE answer choices that express the most important ideas in the passage. Some sentences do not belong in the summary because they express ideas that are not presented in the passage or are minor ideas in the passage. This question is worth 2 points.
In the last half of the 16th century England emerged as a commercial and manufacturing power in Europe.
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Answer Choices
(A) It is somewhat surprising that England was able to expand its economy during the 16th century because its neighbors were involved in many wars during this period.
(B) In order to make more money England nobles acquired more land, pushed for more efficient farming methods, and introduced new land tenure conditions.
(C) Two England’s economic strengths are its use of natural resources, and its textile manufacturing, which found increased markets at home as well in Europe and in the Americas.
(D) England experienced an agricultural revolution much earlier than the rest of Europe and agriculture became more efficient and market-oriented.
(E) Many of the changes that land owners made to land renting rules not only made their lands more profitable but also made a life for their peasants.
(F) Though he was a successful ambassador to the Spanish Netherlands, Thomas Gresham was unable to convince the English government to start colonies in America.
选项
答案B,C,D
解析 本题为文章总结题。B项“为了赚更多钱，英格兰贵族拿到更多土地，推动了更加高效的耕作方式，还引入了新的土地保有条例”是对原文第3段第1句和第4段第4句，以及第4段最后一句的整合。C项“英格兰经济的两大优势是对自然资源的利用和纺织制造业，后者可在国内、欧洲以及美洲有不断扩大的市场”是对第5段以及第6段第2、3句的整合。D项“英格兰比其他欧洲各国更早经历农业革命，其农业变得更加高效、更加符合市场需求”是对第2段的整合。B、C、D三项涵盖了本文主体段落的信息要点、整合了文中关于英格兰能成为欧洲的商业和制造大国的原因。A项“令人惊讶的是，英格兰能在16世纪发展经济，是因为它的邻国在这时期被卷入了多场战争”，发展经济是依靠国家自身，但此项将英格兰经济得以发展依托于外部环境，故不选：原文第4段第4、5句提到地主提高租金，缩短租期，收取准入费，驱逐承担不起苛刻条款的人，故E项“土地持有者对土地租赁规则作出的许多改变不仅增加了土地带来的利润，还保障了农民的生活”与原文意思不符。F项“尽管他是英国驻西属尼德兰的一位成功的大使，但托马斯.格雷沙姆并未能说服英格兰政府在美国进行殖民”，原文第7段最后一句说明他成功说服英格兰政府在美洲进行殖民，故F项与原文内容不符。
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