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Bernard Bailyn has recently reinterpreted the early history of the United States by applying new social research findings on the experiences of European migrants. In his reinterpretation, migration becomes the organizing principle for rewriting the history of preindustrial North America. His approach rests on four separate propositions.

The first of these asserts that residents of early modern England moved regularly about their countryside; migrating to the New World was simply a “natural spillover”. Although at first the colonies held little positive attraction for the English — they would rather have stayed home — by the eighteenth century people increasingly migrated to America because they regarded it as the land of opportunity. Secondly, Bailyn holds that, contrary to the notion that used to flourish in America history textbooks, there was never a typical New World community. For example, the economic and demographic character of early New England towns varied considerably.

Bailyn’s third proposition suggest two general patterns prevailing among the many thousands of migrants: one group came as indentured servants, another came to acquire land. Surprisingly, Bailyn suggests that those who recruited indentured servants were the driving forces of transatlantic migration. These colonial entrepreneurs helped determine the social character of people who came to preindustrial North America. At first, thousands of unskilled laborers were recruited; by the 1730’s, however, American employers demanded skilled artisans.

Finally, Bailyn argues that the colonies were a half-civilized hinterland of the European culture system. He is undoubtedly correct to insist that the colonies were part of an Anglo-American empire. But to divide the empire into English core and colonial periphery, as Bailyn does, devalues the achievements of colonial culture. It is true, as Bailyn claims, that high culture in the colonies never matched that in England. But what of seventeenth-century New England, where the settlers created effective laws, built a distinguished university, and published books? Bailyn might respond that New England was exceptional. However, the ideas and institutions developed by New England Puritans had powerful effects on North American culture.

Although Bailyn goes on to apply his approach to some thousands of indentured servants who migrated just prior to the revolution, he fails to link their experience with the political development of the United States. Evidence presented in his work suggests how we might make such a connection. These indentured servants were treated as slaves for the period during which they had sold their time to American employers. It is not surprising that as soon as they served their time they passed up good wages in the cities and headed west to ensure their personal independence by acquiring land. Thus, it is in the west that a peculiarly American political culture began, among colonists who were suspicious of authority and intensely anti-aristocratic.

1. Which of the following statements about migrants to colonial North America is supported by information in the text?

[A] A larger percentage of migrants to colonial North America came as indentured servants than as free agents interested in acquiring land.

[B] Migrants who came to the colonies as indentured servants were more successful at making a livelihood than were farmers and artisans.

[C] Migrants to colonial North America were more successful at acquiring their own land during the eighteenth century than during the seventeenth century.

[D] By the 1730’s, migrants already skilled in a trade were in more demand by American employers than were unskilled laborers.

2. The author of the text states that Bailyn failed to

[A] give sufficient emphasis to the cultural and political interdependence of the colonies and England.

[B] describe carefully how migrants of different ethnic backgrounds preserved their culture in the United States.

[C] take advantage of social research on the experiences of colonists who migrated to colonial North America specifically to acquire land.

[D] relate the experience of the migrants to the political values that eventually shaped the character of the United States.

3. Which of the following best summarizes the author’s evaluation of Bailyn’s fourth proposition?

[A] It is totally implausible.

[B] It is partially acceptable.

[C] It is highly admirable.

[D] It is controversial though persuasive.

4. According to the text, Bailyn and the author agree on which of the following statements about the culture of colonial New England?

[A] High culture in New England never equaled the high culture of England.

[B] The cultural achievements of colonial New England have generally been unrecognized by historians.

[C] The colonists imitated the high culture of England, and did not develop a culture that was uniquely their own.

[D] The southern colonies were greatly influenced by the high culture of New England.

5. The author of the text would be most likely to agree with which of the following statements about Bailyn’s work?

[A] Bailyn underestimates the effects of Puritan thought on North American culture.

[B] Bailyn overemphasizes the economic dependence of the colonies on Great Britain.

[C] Bailyn’s description of the colonies as part of an Anglo-American empire is misleading and incorrect.

[D] Bailyn failed to test his propositions on a specific group of migrants to colonial North America.

[答案與考點解析]

1. 【答案】D

【考點解析】這是一道審題定位題。題干中的“migrants”一詞暗示本題的答案信息在第一段或第三段，因為這兩段的首句都含有“migrants”一詞。又根據題干中的“supported”一詞，我們可以推斷出本題的答案信息來源應該在原文的第三段，因為作者應該在第三段提出相應證據來“支持”(supported)自己的觀點。通過仔細閱讀和理解第三段，尤其是第三段的尾句，我們可以推導出本題的正確選項應該是D。考生在解題時一定要有審題定位的能力，更要具備善于理解原文中啟承轉合所傳達的含義。

2. 【答案】D

【考點解析】這是一道細節理解題。題干中的“failed”一詞暗示本題的答案信息應該在尾段，因為尾段中含有“fails”一詞。根據閱讀和理解首段尾句，我們可以推導出本題的正確選項是D。考生在解題時一定要善于理解原文中所傳達的中心含義。

3. 【答案】B

【考點解析】本題是一道歸納推導題。本題題干中的“Bailyn’s fourth proposition”將本題的答案信息來源確定在原文的第四段。通過仔細閱讀和理解本段的每一句話，尤其是第二、三句話和四、五句話，我們可以推導出本題的正確選項應該是B。考生在解題時一定要善于歸納和推導原文的內容，更要善于體會上下句之間的語意關系。

4. 【答案】A

【考點解析】這是一道細節推導題。題干中的“culture”一詞暗示本題的答案信息來源在第四段，因為第四段首句包含“culture”一詞。通過仔細閱讀和理解第四段的每一句話，尤其是第四句，我們可以推導出本題的正確選項應該是A。考生在解題時一定要注意原文中重點詞語所表達的含義，以及重點詞語在選項中的替換形式。

5. 【答案】A

【考點解析】這是一道審題定位題。題干并沒有明確指出本題答案信息在原文中的準確位置。在這種情況下，考生一定要抓住全文的中心主旨，以及每段的核心句。本題的答案信息來源在第四段的尾句，這是一個由轉折詞“however”引導的句子。通過仔細閱讀理解本句，我們可以推導出本題的正確選項是A。考生在解題時一定要重視原文中表達啟承轉合的詞語，因為這往往是出題的重點。

[參考譯文]

Bernard Bailyn最近通過運用關于歐洲移民經歷的新的社會研究成果重新解釋了美國的早期歷史。在他的重新解釋中，遷徙成了重寫北美前工業化歷史的重要依據。其主張可分為四個獨立的觀點。

第一點斷言，近代早期的英國居民經常在鄉下流動，因此后來他們遷移到新大陸僅僅是一種“自然外流”。雖然最初時殖民地對英國人沒有多少正面的誘惑力——他們寧愿留在本土。到18世紀時，移往美洲的人數卻增加了，因為他們將那兒看作是充滿機遇的地方。第二，Bailyn認為，和以往美國歷史教材中慣用的觀念相反，從來就沒有過一個典型的新大陸社會，例如，早期新英格蘭城鎮中的經濟和人口特點就很不相同。

Bailyn的第三個觀點是，成千上萬的移民中最常見的是兩種普遍類型：一組是簽約的仆人，另一組是為土地而來。令人驚異的是：Bailyn認為那些征召簽約仆人的人是這種跨越大西洋移民遷徙的推動力。這些殖民地的企業主幫助那些來到前工業化北美社會的人確定其社會屬性。起初，成千上萬未受過培訓的勞動力被征召，然而到了18世紀30年代，美洲雇主開始需求技術熟練的技工。

第四，Bailyn提出，殖民地是歐洲文化體系的半開化內地。在堅持殖民地是盎格魯—美利堅帝國的一部分這一點上，他無疑是正確的。但是像Bailyn這樣，把帝國劃分為英國核心和殖民地外圍，就貶低了殖民地文化的成就。確實，如Bailyn所說，殖民地的高雅文化不能和英國本土的相比。但是如何看待17世紀的新英格蘭呢?移民者在這兒制定了有效的法律，創建了著名的大學，出版了書籍。Bailyn可能會說，新英格蘭是個特例。不過，新英格蘭清教徒的思想和組織機構對北美文化有著深遠的影響。

盡管Bailyn不斷關注著數萬名剛好在革命前夕遷移過來的簽約仆人，但他沒能把這些人的經歷與美國的政治發展結合起來。他的書中有證據表明，我們本來可以建立這樣一種聯系。在出賣給美洲雇主的時間里，這些簽約仆人被看作是奴隸。毫不奇怪，一旦他們服役期滿，就會放棄城市里的高薪而走向西部，通過獲得土地來保障個人獨立。因此，一種特殊的美國政治文化開始于西部，那些懷疑權威和強烈反對貴族統治的移民者之中。

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