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  3. There were several reasons why the Industrial Revolution started in Great Britain rather than in France, the other great powers

There were several reasons why the Industrial Revolution started in Great Britain rather than in France, the other great powers

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问题     There were several reasons why the Industrial Revolution started in Great Britain rather than in France, the other great powers of the day. In the first place, Britain had the money necessary to finance the larger enterprises. England’s supremacy on the seas had encouraged commerce, and Englishmen had been accumulating wealth through their commerce and industry. The newly rich class in that country was not the aristocratic(贵族的)group, but merchants and businessmen who were willing to devote themselves to industry and scientific agriculture. The wealth of France, on the other hand, was largely in the hands of the nobility, and they were not willing to do the necessary work to develop industry.
    In the second place, Great Britain had undertaken very early the manufacturing of inexpensive and more practical products for which there would be ever-growing demand from the people, especially the new middle class. On the other hand, France produced articles in the luxury class. These could never be turned out in quantities because they demanded individuality. England was the producer of goods that were produced in quantities, and if she could find a cheaper means of producing them, her markets would grow. So she was ready for methods that would make it possible to manufacture in large quantities.
    In the third place, for a long time England had large numbers of semiskilled workers. When the feudal system broke down in England and the manors(领地)were turned to sheep rising, numbers of Englishmen went to the towns. There they engaged in weaving, making shoes, woodcarving and many other occupations that developed skills. When the industrial revolution began, these men were available for the work on the new machines. Moreover they were free men who could move from place to place as the need for workers arose. This had not been the case in France, which was still chiefly an agricultural country with peasants bound to their masters in many ways so they could not easily move to the cities.
    In the fourth place, coal was abundant in Great Britain, and a large amount of this cheap fuel was necessary for running the factories. There was coal in northern France, too, but France was late in tapping such resources because nearly everyone depended directly or indirectly on farming for his living.
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
选项 A、French people were bound to the new machines.
B、France could not get free workers necessary to the industry.
C、The wealth of France was largely in the bands of new middle class.
D、France was more likely to produce goods in quantities.
答案B
解析 类似这样的题最好根据选项到文章中一一定位。free workers指自由劳动力，在文中找到与之有关的词为free men，又由选项中的France可以定位到第三段的最后一句：法国主要以农业为主，农民被束缚在主人那里，他们很难进城，可知B)正确，not get free 和 bound to 是同义词。同样由该句可知A)不对；由The wealth of France定位到第一段的最后一句话：法国的财富主要掌握在贵族手里，可知C)不对；由in quantities定位到第二段最后一句：她(英国)总准备找到大规模生产的方式，可知D)不对。
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