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　　Seventeenth-century houses in colonial North America were simple structures that were primarily functional, carrying over traditional designs that went back to the Middle Ages. During the first half of the eighteenth century, however, houses began to show a new elegance. As wealth increased, more and more colonists built fine houses.

　　Since architecture was not yet a specialized profession in the colonies, the design of buildings was life either to amateur designers or to carpenters who undertook to interpret architectural manuals imported from England. Inventories of colonial libraries show an astonishing number of these handbooks for builders, and the houses erected during the eighteenth century show their influence. Nevertheless, most domestic architecture of the first three�瞦uarters of the eighteenth century displays a wide divergence of taste and freedom of application of the rules laid down in these books.

　　Increasing wealth and growing sophistication throughout the colonies resulted in houses of improved design, whether the material was wood, stone, or brick. New England still favored wood, though brick houses became common in Boston and towns, where the danger of fire gave an impetus to the use of more durable material. A few houses in New England were built of store, but only in Pennsylvania and adjacent area was stone widely used in dwellings. An increased use of brick in houses and outbuildings is noticeable in Virginia and Maryland, but wood remained the most popular material even in houses built by wealthy landowners. In the Carolinas, even in closely packed Charleston, wooden houses were much more common than brick.

　　Eighteenth-century houses showed great interior improvement over their predecessors. Windows were made larger and shutters removed. Large, clear panes replaced the small leaded glass of the seventeenth century. Doorways were larger and more decorative. Fireplaces became decorative features of rooms. Walls were made of plaster of wood, sometimes elaborately paneled. White paint began to take the place of blues, yellows, greens, and lead colors, which had been popular for walls in the earlier years. After about 1730, advertisements for wallpaper styles in scenic patterns began to appear in colonial newspapers. (346 words)

　　6. What does the passage mainly discuss?

　　[A] The improved design of eighteenth-century colonial houses.

　　[B] A comparison of eighteenth-century houses and modern houses.

　　[C] The decorations used in eighteenth-century houses.

　　[D] The role of carpenters in building eighteenth-century houses.

　　7. According to the passage, who was responsible for designing in eighteenth-century North America?

　　[A] Professional architects.

　　[B] Customers.

　　[C] Interior decorators.

　　[D] Carpenters.

　　8. Where were wood houses less common?

　　[A] Virginia.

　　[B] Pennsylvania.

　　[C] Boston.

　　[D] Charleston.

　　9. The word “predecessors” (Line 1, Para. 4) refer to .

　　[A] colonists who arrived in North America in the seventeenth century.

　　[B] houses constructed before the eighteenth�瞔entury.

　　[C] interior improvements.

　　[D] wooden houses in Charleston.

　　10. What does the author imply about the use of wallpaper before 1730?

　　[A] Wallpaper samples appeared in the architectural manuals.

　　[B] Wallpaper was the same color as the paints used.

　　[C] Patterned wallpaper was not widely used.

　　[D] Wallpaper was not in stone houses.

　　核心詞匯

　　architecture n. 建筑學，建筑術;建筑風格，建筑式樣

　　amateur a. 業(yè)余的, 非職業(yè)的;外行的n. 業(yè)余愛好者;外行, 生手

　　impetus n. 推動, 促進, 刺激;推動力

　　elaborate vi. 詳盡說明vt. 詳細制定a. 復雜的;精心制作的

　　難句剖析

　　1. Since architecture was not yet a specialized profession in the colonies, the design of buildings was life either to amateur designers or to carpenters who undertook to interpret architectural manuals imported from England.

　　【解析】 句子主干是the design of buildings was life either to amateur designers or to carpenters。since引導的是原因狀語從句。who undertook to interpret architectural manuals imported from England作amateur designers or carpenters的定語。

　　【譯文】 由于建筑在殖民地還不是一項專門的職業(yè)，房屋設計或者由業(yè)余設計者來做，或者由那些承擔對從英國進口的建筑手冊的翻譯任務的木匠來做。

　　2. Increasing wealth and growing sophistication throughout the colonies resulted in houses of improved design, whether the material was wood, stone, or brick.

　　【解析】 句子主干是wealth and sophistication resulted in houses。whether…or brick作補語修飾houses。

　　【譯文】 整個殖民地日漸增長的財富和精密性導致了設計的改進，不管其材料是木料、石料、還是磚料。

　　文章類型：人文類——18世紀殖民地房屋的設計改進

　　本文按照時間順序，分別從建造者、圖書、建造材料等方面介紹了18世紀殖民地房屋的設計改進。

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