¡¡¡¡Nineteenth-century writers in the United States£¬whether they wrote novels£¬ short stories£¬ poems£¬ or plays£¬were powerfully drawn to the railroad in its golden year. In fact£¬ writes responded to the railroads as soon as the first were built in the 1830's. By the 1850's£¬ the railroad was a major presence in the life of the nation. Writers such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau saw the railroad both as a boon to democracy and as an object of suspicion. The railroad could be and was a despoiler of nature£» furthermore£¬in its manifestation of speed and noise£¬ it might be a despoiler of human nature as well. By the 1850's and 1860's£¬ there was a great distrust among writer and intellectuals of the rapid industrialization of which the railroad was a leading force. Deeply philosophical historians such as Henry Adams lamented the role that the new frenzy for business was playing in eroding traditional values. A distrust of industry and business continued among writers throughout the rest of the nineteenth century and into the twentieth.
¡¡¡¡For the most part£¬ the literature in which the railroad plays an important role belong to popular culture rather than to the realm of serious art. One thinks of melodramas£¬ boys' books£¬ thrillers£¬ romances£¬ and the like rather than novels of the first rank. In the railroads' prime years£¬ between 1890 and 1920£¬ there were a few individuals in the United States£¬most of them with solid railroading experience behind them£¬who made a profession of writing about railroading-works offering the ambience of stations£¬ yards£¬ and locomotive cabs. These writers£¬ who can genuinely be said to have created a genre£¬ the "railroad novel." are now mostly forgotten£¬ their names having faded from memory. But anyone who takes the time to consult their fertile writings will still find a treasure trove of information about the place of the railroad in the lift of the United States.
¡¡¡¡23.With which of the following topics is the passage mainly concerned£¿
¡¡¡¡£¨A£© The role of the railroad in the economy of the United States.
¡¡¡¡£¨B£© Major nineteenth-century writers.
¡¡¡¡£¨C£© The conflict between expanding industry and preserving nature.
¡¡¡¡£¨D£© The railroad as a subject for literature.
¡¡¡¡24.The word "it" in line 10 refers to
¡¡¡¡£¨A£© railroad
¡¡¡¡£¨B£© manifestation
¡¡¡¡£¨C£© speed
¡¡¡¡£¨D£© nature
¡¡¡¡25.In the first paragraph£¬ the author implies that writers' reactions to the development of railroads were
¡¡¡¡£¨A£© highly enthusiastic
¡¡¡¡£¨B£© both positive and negative
¡¡¡¡£¨C£© unchanging
¡¡¡¡£¨D£© disinterested
¡¡¡¡26.The word "lamented" in line 14 is closest in meaning to
¡¡¡¡£¨A£© complained about
¡¡¡¡£¨B£© analyzed
¡¡¡¡£¨C£© explained
¡¡¡¡£¨D£© reflected on
¡¡¡¡27.According to the passage£¬ the railroad played a significant role in literature in all of the following kinds of books EXCEPT
¡¡¡¡£¨A£© thrillers
¡¡¡¡£¨B£© boys' books
¡¡¡¡£¨C£© important novels
¡¡¡¡£¨D£© romances
¡¡¡¡28.The phrase "first rank" in line 23 is closest in meaning to
¡¡¡¡£¨A£© largest category
¡¡¡¡£¨B£© highest quality
¡¡¡¡£¨C£© earliest writers
¡¡¡¡£¨D£© most difficult language
¡¡¡¡29.The word "them" in line 25 refers to
¡¡¡¡£¨A£© novels
¡¡¡¡£¨B£© years
¡¡¡¡£¨C£© individuals
¡¡¡¡£¨D£© works
¡¡¡¡30.The author mentions all of the following as being true about the literature of railroad EXCEPT that
¡¡¡¡£¨A£© many of its writers had experience working on railroads.
¡¡¡¡£¨B£© many of the books were set in railroad stations and yards
¡¡¡¡£¨C£© the books were well known during the railroads' prime years.
¡¡¡¡£¨D£© quite a few of the books are still popular today.
¡¡¡¡31.The words "faded form" in line 30 are closest in meaning to
¡¡¡¡£¨A£© grew in
¡¡¡¡£¨B£© disappeared from
¡¡¡¡£¨C£© remained in
¡¡¡¡£¨D£© developed from
¡¡¡¡32.What is the author's attitude toward the "railroad novels" and other books about railroads written between 1890 and 1920£¿
¡¡¡¡£¨A£© They have as much literary importance as the books written by Emerson£¬ Thoreau£¬ and Adams.
¡¡¡¡£¨B£© They are good examples of the effects industry and business had on the literature of the United States.
¡¡¡¡£¨C£© They contributed to the weakening of traditional values.
¡¡¡¡£¨D£© They are worth reading as sources of knowledge about the impact of railroad on life in the United States.
