It would be hard to cite a development that has had more impact on American Industry that the Bessemer process of making steel.Itmade possible the production of low-cost steel and established the foundation of the modern steel industry.In many ways it was responsible for the rapid industrial ization of the United States that took place in the formative period of the late 1800s. The first Bessemer plant in the United States was built in Wyandotte,Michigan,in 1864,near the end of the Civil War.It was capable of producing only 2 tons of steel ingots at a time.The ingots were rolled into rails-the first steel rails made in the United states.Acceptance of the process was initially slow.By 1870,the annual output of bessemer steel was a mere 42 thousand tons.Production grew rapidly after about 1875,rising to 1.2 million tons in 1880,when it exceeded that of wrought iron for the first time.
The rise of the U.S.steel industry in the last quarter of the nineteenth century was brought about largely by the demand for Bessemer steel rails for the nation's burgeoning rail network.Steel rails were far more durable than those made of iron.Spurred by this demand,the U.S.steel industry became the largest in the world in 1886,when it surpassed that of Great Britain.
The Bessemer process was the chief method of making steel until 1907,when it was overtaken by the open-hearth process.By the 1950s,the Bessemer process accounted for less than 3 percent of the total U.S. production.
1.With what topic is this passage mainly concerned?
a.The history of metal working
b.A comparison of the U.S. and British steel industries in the nineteenth century
c.The technical details of the Bessemer process
d.The effects of one method of making steel
The main topic of the passage is the impact of the Bessemer process .Choice(A)is too general;choices(B)and(C)are not directly discussed in the passage.
2.According to the passage,the Bessemers process contributed to all of the following EXCEPT
a.the eastablishment of the modern steel industry in the United States
b.the manufacture of weapons during the Civil War
c.lowered costs for steel
d.industrial development in the United states during an important period
There is no mention that Bessemer steel was used in Civil War weapons;the other effects are cited in the first paragraph.
3.What can be inferred from the passage about wrought iron?
a.At one time,more of it was produced than Bessemer steel
b.It is a by-product of the Bessemer process
c.It was once primarily imported from Great Britain
d.It later became a more important product than Bessemer steel
According to the passage ,the production of Bessemer steel exceeded that of wrought iron in 1880(lines 8-10),implying that wrought iron production was greater than Bessemer steel production before then.
4.The word"burgeoning"in line 12 is closest in meaning to
a.overpowering
b.planned
c.expending
d.vital
The word"expending"is closest in meaning to the word"burgeoning."
5.According to the passage,why were Bessemer steel rails used in place of iron rails?
a.They lasted longer
b.They did not have to be imported
c.They could be installed faster
d.They provided a smoother ride for passengers
According to lines 12-13,"steel rails were far more durable (long-lasting)than those made of iron."
6.The word"Spured"in line 13 is closest in meaning to which of the following
a.Driven
b.Challenged
c.Dominated
d.Broken
In the context of this passage,the word"driven"is closest in meaning to that of"spurred."
7.According to the passage,in what year did the steel industry of the United States begin to produce more steel than that of Great Britain
a.in 1864
b.in 1875
c.in 1880
d.in 1886
According to lines 13-14,"the U.S.steel industry became the largest in the world in 1886.when it surpassed that of Great Britain."
8.What can be inferred about the steel industry in the United States during the 1950s?
a.It had begun producing many new types of products
b.It was in a period of severe decline
c.It primarily involved methods of production other than the Bessemer product
d.It was becoming more and more important
Because steel made by the Bessemer Process accounted for only 3 percent of the total U.S.production in the 1950s,steel production must have involved methods other than the Bessemer process.
9.The paragraph following this one probably concerns
a.innovations in the railroad industry
b.the open-hearth method of making steel
c.industrialization in the twentieth century
d.new methods of making wrought iron
Because the last paragraph deals with the declining importance of the Bessemer process and mentions that the open-hearth method supplanted it,it is logical to assume that the next paragraph discusses the open-hearth method.
10.The author first begins to discuss the growth of the Bessemer process in
a.lines 2-3
b.lines 5-6
c.lines 8-10
d.lines 15-16
The author first mentions the expansion of the Bessemer steel method in lines 8-10 in the sentence beginning"Production grew rapidly...."
reference
TOEFL SUCCESS(PETERSON'S)
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