Schedules (timetables), as the 21st century people know, simply did not exist in the 17th and 18th centuries. We are upset if a plane arrives an hour late. Our ancestors weren’t upset if an April ship didn’t show up until June. They began to worry in July and were often happy when it showed up in August. When a long-distance ship finally did get to the port, the whole city became busy and excited. Businessmen hurried down to check the goods they had ordered. The ship would probably stay in port for at least three days, often a week, to take on businessmen, give the sailors a rest, find out about the latest news, weather conditions, and so on.

Travel time could only be approximate (近似的). One never knew when the winds would be good. So even though “average(平均的) sailing time” was given, time could change considerably, shortening the voyage (travel by sea) by up to 25% or putting it off by up to 500% or more! The average run from England to Boston was about a month and a half, but there were also voyages of three months. One voyage in 1640 lasted six months!

Travel time is not the same in both directions, due to the winds and currents. This is especially true in the Caribbean, where winds are from the southeast the entire year. Ships sailing west across the Atlantic spend longer than ships sailing east, and the contrary (opposite) winds can prevent a ship from actually making it to the harbor even if it gets close. One ship was held off the North Carolina coast for 17 days before being able to land!

What can we learn from the first paragraph?

A. No sailor was allowed to have fun when the ship reached land.

B. People in ancient times didn’t care about other people’s safety.

C. The ship would leave for a voyage when all of the preparations were made.

D. A long-distance ship would create a lot of excitement in the place where it landed.

According to the passage, travel time can’t be fixed due to _____.

A. the people at the port          B. average sailing time

C. the changeable climate         D. the businessmen and the sailors

The underlined word “currents” in the third paragraph means ______.

A. the movement of water           B. the movement of winds

C. direction of the traveling ship    D. travel time of ships

What is the difference between a modern voyage timetable and the one from the 17th or 18th century?

A. There were no exact timetables for traveling both in ancient and modern times.

B. Travel time was the same in both directions in ancient times while the modern one was not.

C. The modern voyage timetable is more exact than the ancient one.

D. The modern voyage timetable is only approximate while the ancient one was not.

Why did the ships sailing west spend longer than ships sailing east in Caribbean?

A. Because of the southeast winds the entire year.

B. Because sailors didn’t know when the winds blew.

C. Because travel time was not affected by wind.

D. Because sometimes the ship was held off by the wind.

【小題1】D

【小題2】C

【小題3】A

【小題4】C

【小題5】A


解析:

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