备战英语六级听力练习题第20期

Passage Three
17.
A) They had lost their jobs as a result of the Industrial Revolution.
B) They had been suffering from political and religious oppression.
C) They wanted to flee from the widespread famine in Northern Europe.
D) They wanted to make a fortune there by starting their own businesses.

18.
A) They might lose control of their members because of the increase in immigration.
B) Their members might find it difficult to get along with the newcomers.
C) The working condition of their members might deteriorate.
D) Their members might lose their jobs to the newcomers.

19.
A) To impose restrictions on further immigration.
B) To improve the working conditions of immigrants.
C) To set a minimum wage level for new immigrants.
D) To put requirements on languages for newcomers.

20.
A) They were looked down upon by European immigrants.
B) They had a hard time seeking equal job opportunities.
C) They worked very hard to earn a decent living.
D) They strongly opposed continued immigration.

答案及参考原文：

ADAC

After the early period of settlement, the first sharp increase in immigration took place in the 1830s and 1840s. This brought to America crafts people from northern Europe who lost employment in the Industrial Revolution(17), and then a great number of Irish people who fled from famine. German political refugees arrived shortly after. Many immigrants from northern and western Europe settled on farms in the Middle West. The Irish became construction labors on roads, bridges and railroads. In the 1880s, a tremendous tide of immigrants began to come in. This time, largely from southern and eastern Europe. To most Americans, these newcomers seemed far more strange than the early settlers. Their languages, customs and ways of life were very different from those of Americans. The newcomers moved into the poorest neighborhoods of the large cities. They tended to stay together and cling to their old ways. As they were accustomed to poverty, they were willing to work for very low wages. This made other workers, especially those in labor unions afraid that the immigrants would thus lower wage levels and take jobs away from them(18). Indeed, organized labor became one of the chief opponents of continued immigration. This opposition finally led to the passing of immigration laws in the 1920s which restricted further immigration(19). In 1965, these unfair laws were replaced by a new immigration act which granted equal opportunity to foreigners regardless of the place or origin. Asians, like Koreans and Vietnamese, then began to arrive. Many of these newcomers have worked very hard to establish themselves in their new land(20).

17. Why did northern European crafts people come to settle down in the United States?
18. What did the labor unions worry about?
19. What was the purpose of the immigration law passed in the 1920s?
20. What do we know from the passage about the Asian immigrants?