高考维“升”素14.docVIP

高考维“升”素14——历史文化 （时间：分钟） 维A1 阅读理解(每题2分，满分分) 选材网站：http：///cugThird 高考曾用材料：2012大纲全国卷Ⅱ D篇 选材相似度：★★★★ 设题相似度：★★★ 难度系数：★★★★ The modern British Empire first took shape in the early 17th century，with the British settlement of the eastern colonies of North America，which would later become the original United States，as well as Canadas Maritime provinces，and the colonizations of the smaller islands of the Caribbean such as Trinidad and Tobago，the Bahamas，Barbados，and Jamaica. These sugar plantation islands，where slavery became the basis of the economy，were at first Britains most important and successful colonies.The American colonies providing tobacco，cotton，and rice in the south and naval material and furs in the north were less financially successful，but had large areas of good agricultural land and attracted far larger numbers of British immigrants. Britains American empire was slowly expanded by war and colonization.The ever growing American colonies pressed westward in search of new agricultural lands.Conflict arose with the Dutch over trade and empire; First Anglo-Dutch War (1652～1654); Second Anglo-Dutch War (1665～1667); Third Anglo-Dutch War (1672～1674); Britain gained control of New Amsterdam，which was renamed New York，but ceded Suriname.They defeated the French，first expanding their hold over the maritime provinces.Then during the Seven Years War the British defeated the French at the Plains of Abraham and captured all of New France in 1760.This gave Britain control over almost all of North America.Fourth Anglo-Dutch War (1780～1784); Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814；Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824. In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century a series of technological advances led to the Industrial Revolution.Britains position as the worlds pre-eminent trader helped fund research and experimentation.The nation was also gifted by some of the worlds greatest reserves of coal，the main fuel of the new revolution. Notes： ①naval adj.海的　②cede vt.放弃　③treaty n．条约 ④pre-eminent ad