A century ago in the United States, when an individual brought suit against a company, public opinion tended to protect that company. But perhaps this phenomenon was most striking in the case of the railroads. Nearly half of all negligence cases decided through 1896 involved railroads. And the railroads usually won.
Most of the cases were decided in sate courts, when the railroads had the climate of the times on their sides. Government supported the railroad industry; the progress railroads represented was not to be slowed down by requiring them often to pay damages to those unlucky enough to be hurt working for them.
Court decisions always went against railroad workers. A Mr. Farwell, an engineer, lost his right hand when a switchman’s negligence ran his engine off the track. The court reasoned that since Farwell had taken the job of an engineer voluntarily at good pay, he had accepted the risk. Therefore the accident, though avoidable had the switchmen acted carefully, was a “pure accident”. In effect a railroad could never be held responsible for injury to one employee caused by the mistake of another.
In one case where a Pennsylvania Railroad worker had started a fire at a warehouse and the fire had spread several blocks, causing widespread damage, a jury found the company responsible for all the damage. But the court overturned the jury’s decision because it argued that the railroad’s negligence was the immediate cause of damage only to the nearest buildings. Beyond them the connection was too remote to consider.
As the century wore on, public sentiment began to turn against the railroads—against their economic and political power and high fares as well as against their callousness toward individuals.
1. Which of the following is NOT true in Farwell’s case?A.Farwell was injured because he negligently ran his engine off the track. |
B.Farwell would not have been injured if the switchman had been more careful. |
C.The court argued that the victim had accepted the risk since he had willingly taken his job. |
D.The court decided that the railroad should not be held responsible. |
A.The railroad compensated for the damage to the immediate buildings. |
B.The railroad compensated for all the damage by the fire. |
C.The railroad paid nothing for the damaged building. |
D.The railroad worker paid for the property damage himself. |
A.political power | B.high fares | C.economic loss | D.indifference |
A.Railroad oppressing individuals in the US. |
B.History of the US railroads. |
C.Railroad workers’ working rights. |
D.Law cases concerning the railroads. |
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【推荐1】How and when did Australia begin? It is believed that Australian history began at the end of the eighteenth century. After several centuries of European Voyaging in the southern oceans, the English naval officer James Cook sailed the eastern coast in 1770, named it New South Wales and took control of it in the name of his king.
Within twenty years, the British government sent a team of explorers to settle in New South Wales. On 26 January 1788, its commander, Arthur Phillip, began to rule over the eastern half of the country. The thousand officers, soldiers, officials, and prisoners who got off from the eleven ships of the First Fleet, anchored (停泊) in the port of Sydney. They prepared the way for later immigrants who spread out over the continent.
This is the story of a sleep land brought to life by Endeavour, the name given to Cook’s ship and the quality given to those who followed him.
The newcomers brought with them some animals, plants and tools. They also brought with them new ideas. That achievement in turn shaped what Australia is now.
1. According to this passage, Australian history began at the end of ____________.A.the sixteenth century |
B.the seventeenth century |
C.the eighteenth century |
D.the nineteenth century |
A.James Cook | B.Arthur Phillip |
C.George Washington | D.William Shakespeare |
A.twelve | B.sixteen |
C.twenty | D.eighteen |
A.an army officer | B.a rich businessman |
C.a poor farmer | D.a university student |
【推荐2】Life for miners on the goldfields in Victoria, Australia during the 1850s was quite difficult.The name to a miner at that time was “digger”.Few diggers actually found any gold and even fewer struck it rich.Mostly diggers struggled in poor conditions.They struggled with the weather and living conditions in an often poor environment and they were often ill-equipped.
The worst thing about being a digger was the requirement to pay for a mining licence(许可证).This licence allowed a miner to search for gold.Without the licence a digger had to pay money as a punishment.The police always went to mining camps to check mining licences.Few miners could afford the money to get a licence and hated the law which they believed was unjust.In June 1854 Governor Hotham announced that the police would carry out mining licence checks twice a week.This made the miners outraged and set them towards armed rebellion(叛乱)against the police.
The rebellion at the Eureka diggings in 1854 is often referred to as the Eureka Stockade.Led by Peter Lalor, the diggers constructed a wall preventing people from going through and burned their unfair licences as a form of rebellion.The miners said, “We stand truly by each other to protect our rights.”
The diggers lost the battle of the Eureka Stockade but they won the legal battle that their rebellion led to.In 1855 the Victorian Government introduced a mining tax(税), as a tax on gold found, to take the place of the unfair miner’s licence which had to be paid no matter whether the miner found gold or not.In Australia’s history the Eureka Rebellion is the only time armed rebellion has been used to change unfair laws.
1. What is a digger in the next?A.A gold miner. | B.A citizen in Victoria. |
C.A machine for digging. | D.A rebellious Australian. |
A.The weather on the goldfields. |
B.Having to pay a mining tax. |
C.Having to pay for a licence. |
D.Poor living conditions. |
A.Angry. | B.Worried. | C.Doubtful. | D.Ashamed. |
A.The miners won. | B.It resulted in a new tax. |
C.The wall was brought down. | D.It led to the introduction of new licences. |
【推荐3】Crazy Horse grew up riding horses and hunting buffalo (野牛). But it was his being brave in the battle that earned him the name “Crazy Horse”. This was also his father’s name.Crazy Horse was one of the greatest Native American chiefs. When the United States government tried to force Native Americans to live on reservations, Crazy Horse fiercely defended his people’s land and their way of life.
Today, Crazy Horse is remembered mostly for a victory over United States Army troops. The loser in that battle was even more famous. His name was George Armstrong Custer. The battle in which Crazy Horse defeated Custer is often called “Custer’s Last Stand”. A monument to Crazy Horse is being carved out of a mountain in South Dakota. The statue of this hero will be 600 feet (180 metres) high. The head is finished. It alone is as tall as a nine-story building.
Crazy Horse was born in a Sioux Indian camp near present-day Rapid City, South Dakota, in about 1849. Even as a child, he was known as a hunter and fighter. Before he turned 12, he killed his first buffalo. Soon after, he made his first raid (袭击) on a Crow Indian Camp. In 1874, gold was discovered on Sioux land in South Dakota. People flooded in, despite a treaty that kept white settlers off this sacred Sioux land. Crazy Horse and another Sioux chief, Sitting Bull, decided to fight. On 25 June 1876, Lieutenant Colonel Custer and his troops advanced on Sitting Bull’s camp on the Little Bighorn River in Montana. Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse led their fighters in a fierce attack. Custer and his men were quickly wiped out in the Battle of the Little Bighorn. After the battle, government officials were determined to force the Sioux onto reservations. Most of the Sioux surrendered. However, Crazy Horse refused to abandon his independent way of life.
During the winter of 1876 and 1877, the Army chased Crazy Horse and his people over the Great Plains. By then, very few buffalo were left, and Crazy Horse could not feed his people. On 6 May 1877, he and his followers gave up their weapons and horses at Fort Robinson, Nebraska. Crazy Horse was promised that his people could have their own reservation in Wyoming. This promise was broken. The enemy was afraid that Crazy Horse might try to fight again. Crazy Horse was arrested (逮捕). When he protested, a soldier killed him. Crazy Horse died shortly afterwards, on 5 September 1877.
1. The “loser” from the second paragraph refers to________.A.Crazy Horse | B.George Armstrong Custer | C.Last Stand | D.Sitting Bull |
A.bravery in the battle against the government | B.hardship in the battle against his enemy |
C.contributions to the government | D.his independent way of life |
A.He and his men had found no food to eat. | B.He was unwilling to keep his promise. |
C.His enemy thought he might make trouble. | D.He protested against the government. |
A.places officially offered in big cities | B.places of the whites’ native home |
C.new places kept as Indians’ schools | D.limited places left for the Native Americans |
【推荐1】Google Play crowns its best 3 apps
Google Play released its best 3 apps of 2023 Awards. The winners cover a range of different functions, including learning visually, traveling a galaxy in a role-playing video game, and streaming music.
Imprint: Learn Visually
The Imprint app helps learners learn about the world’s most important essential topics. The app has millions of courses with different topics such as psychology, philosophy, history, finance, business, science, and more. It also has lessons to help your own personal growth.
To get started, users get a seven-day free trial. Once the trial expires, users will have to sign up for a subscription of $15.99 per month or $100 per year to access the full content catalog.
Honkai: Star Rail
It is a space fantasy role-play gaming app whose impressive graphics, immersive gameplay, and cinematic animation earned it the Best iPhone Game of the Year award.
In the gameplay, users will get the chance to explore different worlds and civilizations while riding across the galaxy. The game encourages players to spend real money on characters, extra resources, and faster experience.
Spotify
The Spotify app has been a leader in the music-streaming market for years, dominating the market with 574 million users and 226 million subscribers.
Some features that have helped the app earn its place include specially selected playlists, the ability to listen to millions of songs for free, and a wonderful listening experience, regardless of whether you have an iPhone or an Android.
1. How much do you pay for using Imprint for 7 days?A.$0. | B.$15. 99. | C.$100. | D.$700. |
A.Google. | B.Imprint. | C.Honkai. | D.Spotify. |
A.They have various courses. | B.They provide millions of songs. |
C.They have personal growth lessons. | D.They provide some free experience. |
【推荐2】Seven out of the eight planets in our solar system were named after Greek or Roman Gods. You’re living on the only exception to that rule.
The word “earth” has roots in the Old English term “eorþe”. Eorþe had multiple meanings like “soil”, “dirt”, “ground”, “dry land” and “country”. Yet the story didn’t begin there. Old English is the earliest known stage of what became our modern English tongue. Used until about 1150 C.E., it evolved from a parent language that scholars call “Proto-Germanic”. The German that’s spoken today is part of the same linguistic family. “Earth” and “eorþe” are therefore related to the modern German word “Erde”. Not only is this the German language’s name fox our home planet, but it can also be used to refer to dirt and soil.
Our dear Each has relatives in some other languages, too, For example, there’s the Old Saxon “ertha”, the Old Frisian “erthre” and the Dutch word “aarde”. All these likely originate from a Proto-Germanic term that was never recorded. Nevertheless, linguists have been able to go back and reconstruct this mystery word. Spelled “ertho” in scholarly texts, it’s always marked by an asterisk (星号). This asterisk acknowledges the lack of written confirmation that the word was really used.
Nobody knows when people started using words like “Earth” or “Erde” to refer to the planet as a whole and not just the ground they walked on. Back in 1783, German astronomer Johann Elert Bode named the seventh planet from our sun “Uranus” (after a Greek god). And though Pluto is no longer considered a planet, we know that 11-year-old Venetia Burney named it in 1930. But if a single person gave planet Earth its English name, his or her identity has been lost to the sands of time.
Still, it’s clear that while Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune all started out as the proper names of ancient gods, “Earth” did not. That’s why our planet is sometimes called “the earth” with a lowercase (小写字母) “e”.
1. Which language does the word “Erde” belong to?A.Old English. | B.Old Saxon. |
C.Modern German. | D.Proto-Germanic. |
A.To stress its importance. | B.To indicate its unconfirmed source. |
C.To remind readers of its spelling. | D.To challenge its academic value. |
A.Johann Elert Bode. | B.Venetia Burney. |
C.A Greek god. | D.Nobody knows. |
A.The ways of naming the “earth”. | B.The origin of the name “earth”. |
C.The meanings of the word “Earth”. | D.The uniqueness of the name “Earth”. |
【推荐3】People usually celebrate their traditional festivals. The Spring Festival is celebrated not only in China but also in other parts of the world. The traditional holiday is the most important to Chinese both at home and abroad.
The United Kingdom
Celebrations for Spring Festival in the UK started in 1980, with the first evening party held in 2002. Every New Year, people get together and have a lot of activities. They sing songs, dance to music, share photos with friends or enjoy films in a cinema.
The United States
Spring Festival is an important time for Chinese living or working in the US. They join in a large evening party to welcome the traditional New Year. It is a good chance for people to feel that they are not alone because they share the same culture.
Australia
On Chinese New Year, many people across Australia come to Sydney’s Chinatown. They enjoy fireworks, lion dances, dragon boat races and many other traditional activities. The celebrations are also a bridge towards better understanding between Chinese and nonChinese.
Singapore
The family dinner on New Year’s Eve is an important tradition for Chinese. They put traditional food on a table as an act of remembering their past.Then the whole family enjoys their dinner together. They usually have it at home because having it in a restaurant takes away the meaning of the tradition.
1. Celebrations for Spring Festival in the UK started in ________.A.1890 | B.1980 |
C.2000 | D.2002 |
A.fireworks | B.lion dances |
C.playing cards | D.dragon boat races |
A.they were born in Singapore |
B.they moved there from other places |
C.the restaurant is far away |
D.they want to keep Chinese tradition |
A.all parts of the world celebrate Spring Festival |
B.the Chinese New Year is celebrated only in China |
C.only four foreign countries celebrate Chinese Spring Festival |
D.Chinese around the world have a strong feeling towards Spring Festival |