雅思阅读真题+题目+答案：The Rise and Fall of the British Textile Industry

雅思阅读真题+题目+答案：The Rise and Fall of the British Textile Industry

Textile production in Britain can be said to have its roots as an industry at the beginning of the 18th century, when Thomas Crotchet and George Sorocold established what is thought to be the first factory built in Britain. It was a textile mill with a waterwheel as its source of power, the latest machinery, and even accommodation for the workers. As well as possibly being the first sweatshop in the modern sense, it was the beginning of the end for traditional textile production.

For hundreds of years the spinning and weaving of cloth had been done manually by men, women and children in their own homes.The yarn would be combed and spun using a spindle, then woven on a hand loom, and what they produced would be mainly for local consumption.Technology far more sophisticated than the spindle and hand-loom would change all that.

The demand for cotton textiles had been growing since the Middle Ages, fostered by the importation of high quality cotton fabrics from the Middle East and India. So how were local producers to fight off the com petition? The imported fabrics were of course expensive, so textile makers (not just in Britain but throughout Europe) produced mixed fabrics and cotton substitutes.They also had foreign textiles banned. But the key to the increased productivity needed to meet the demand, was machine production. It would be faster, cheaper and the finished products would be consistent in quality. Not least of the advantages was that it would allow manufacturers to market their goods on a large, if not yet global, scale.

The story of the growth of the British textile industry from about 1733 and for the next two hundred years is one of constant technological innovation and expansion. In 1733 John Kay invented the fly-shuttle, which made the hand-loom more efficient, and in 1764 James Hargreaves came up with the spinning jenny, which among other things had the effect of raising productivity eightfold. The next great innovator was Richard Arkwright, who in 1768 employed John Kay (of the fly-shuttle) to help him build more efficient machinery. He was a man with a vision – to 。。。。。。余下雅思阅读真题原文省略！

Questions 1-6

Complete the notes below.

Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.

Textile Manufacture

Early history

Begins as a cottage industry

Products hand-woven and made for 1_____

Local producers face 2____ from overseas

Ways found to deal with situation

Imported fabrics 3 , mixed cottons produced

Early technology

Machine production needed to 4_____ for cotton fabrics

Improved technology (such as the fly-shuttle) more 5_____ and productive

Machinery begins to be powered by 6_______

Questions 7-9

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

7. Which of the following innovations increased productivity by 800%?

A the power-loom

B the steam engine

C the spinning jenny

D the fly-shuttle

8. During which period was the British textile industry at its peak?

A 1733-1785

B 1781-1791

C 1791-1830

D 1830-1900

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