Question

【题目】Robert Owen was born in Wales in 1771. At the age of ten he went to work. His employer had a large private library so Owen was able to educate himself. He read a lot in his spare time and at nineteen he was given the job of superintendent(监工) at a Manchester cotton mill. He was so successful there that he persuaded his employer to buy the New Lanark mill in Scotland.

When he arrived at New Lanark it was a dirty little town with a population of 2,000 people. Nobody paid any attention to the workers’ houses or their children’s education. The conditions in the factories were very bad. There was a lot of crime and the men spent most of their wages on alcoholic drinks.

Owen improved the houses. He encouraged people to be clean and save money. He opened a shop and sold the workers cheap, well-made goods to help them. He limited the sale of alcoholic drinks. Above all, he fixed his mind on the children's education. In 1816 he opened the first free primary school in Britain.

People came from all over the country to visit Owen’s factory. They saw that the workers were healthier and more efficient than in other towns. Their children were better fed and better educated. Owen tried the same experiment in the United States. He bought some land there in 1825, but the community was too far away. He could not keep it under control and lost most of his money.

Owen never stopped fighting for his idea. Above all he believed that people are not born good or bad. He was a practical man and his ideas were practical. “If you give people good working conditions”, he thought, “they will work well and, the most important thing of all, if you give them the chance to learn, they will be better people.”

【1】For Owen, his greatest achievement in New Lanark was _____________.

A. improving worker’s houses

B. helping people to save money

C. preventing men from getting drunk

D. providing the children with a good education

【2】From the passage we may infer that Owen was born ___________.

A. into a rich family B. into a noble family

C. into a poor family D. into a middle class family

【3】We may infer form the passage that no children in Britain could enjoy free education until ___.

A. 1771 B. 1816 C. 1825 D. 1860

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】D

【2】C

【3】B

【解析】

试题分析：本文就Robert Owen的一生做传，描述了他的传奇一生，从中我们更能学到他的精神，这才是我们学习的精髓，内容充满社会正能量。

【1】D 本题考查细节理解。根据原文Above all（最重要的是）, he fixed his mind on the children's education.所以直接可以选出D项。

【2】C 本题考查细节理解。根据原文At the age of ten he went to work. His employer had a large private library so Owen was able to educate himself.可以看出他年龄还小的时候就去打工，而且去图书馆自学。再根据He limited the sale of alcoholic drinks.他通过省下自己的酒钱去改善工厂的质量，所以应该是出生在一个贫困的家庭。

【3】B 本题考查推理判断。根据原文 In 1816 he opened the first free primary school in Britain.1816年他在英国开设了第一所免费小学，可以推断出B项。