1 . Over 200 years ago, on July 4, 1817, workers began digging the Erie Canal. It took tireless laborers another eight years to finish it, but when it opened, goods could travel by boat from the vast interior (内陆) of the country. They could go from the Great Lakes, cross a huge stretch of New York State and then travel down the Hudson River to New York City. Thanks largely to the Erie Canal, New York grew into a world-famous metropolis (大都市), doubling in size the next succeeding decades.
It was an amazing creation of engineering, especially at a time when there were no civil engineers in America. But there were people who became engineers. People like Benjamin Wright, my great-great-great-great-grandfather. He was originally just a surveyor in upstate New York and a judge used to settling boundary quarrels. Because of his first-hand knowledge of the region, he became involved in the project.
I can’t begin to imagine the challenges those newly-created engineers faced. The idea of the canal had been ridiculed for years. Thomas Jefferson even said it was “an act of either folly or madness”. But it was commonly called “Clinton’s Folly” because DeWitt Clinton, the NY governor, green-lighted the project. But madness and folly happened and by October 1825, the Canal was opened for boat traffic, cutting down the expense of bringing cargo(货物)from Midwest to the East Coast by 95 percent.
When I look at the yellowish photo of my ancestor Benjamin Wright, I don’t see any family association. And I certainly didn’t get any of his talent for math or engineering (I consider it an achievement to change a light bulb). But the quality I would like to model is his can-do attitude. But you don’t need an ancestor for that. You just need some faith and willingness to step out and take a risk.
1. What can we know about the Erie Canal from Paragraph 1?| A．It contributed to New York’s growth. |
| B．It aimed to transport goods to the world. |
| C．I was built for the benefit of environment. |
| D．I bridged the western culture and the eastern culture. |
| A．He volunteered to offer his help. | B．He did well in solving problems. |
| C．He knew well about the region. | D．He used to be a good surveyor. |
| A．teased | B．delayed |
| C．challenged | D．approved |
| A．Be independent 10 realize one’$ dream. |
| B．Create something in an unusual way. |
| C．Try to make the impossible possible. |
| D．Dare to challenge the authorities. |
