Industry during the Roman Empire

Although agriculture was the economic mainstay of the Roman Empire,the development of industry under the Empire also made a significant contribution to its centuries of power and stability in Europe.The growth of industry was largely the result of economic and social factors.It grew because its markets increased with a rising population and the urbanization of the western provinces, such as Gaul (modern France)and Spain.Nevertheless,with only a handful of exceptions,it was usually concerned with supplying local requirements.To take one example,the products of even the more successful coarse pottery industries rarely traveled more than fifty or sixty kilometers from the production sites,and this was probably true of other industries as well.The main exporting industries were those that provided the raw materials without which Roman civilization could not have survived,such as foodstuffs, metals,timber,and cloth;or,much more rarely,were monopolies,in the way that the papyrus (paper)industry was a state monopoly in Egypt.Other exporting industries were largely dependent on being able to send their goods along routes and in ships that existed primarily to carry food and raw materials.It was for this reason that so many of the industrial centers of the Roman world lay on the coast or by one of the great navigable rivers.

The advantages of Roman manufacturers were immense when compared with those of their predecessors and successors.They worked within an efficient financial system,often in periods of prolonged peace when trade could flourish unhindered;they traded in what was probably the largest common market the world had ever seen,with only a few minor taxes to pay on crossing boundaries between provinces (i.e.,between different territories of the Roman Empire);communications by both land and sea were better than they had ever been before or were to be again for many centuries;and they sold their goods in a world in which there was immense public and private wealth.

When all these factors are considered,it is necessary to ask why industry only expanded sufficiently to fill the increased demand rather than transforming itself and creating a true industrial revolution.The question has no certain answer,but it is possible to define a number of factors that would have had to be overcome if such a revolution were to have occurred.Perhaps the key one is the fact that industry was socially unacceptable to the upper classes,who effectively controlled the resources of the Empire. Only agriculture was a suitable occupation for them,and while they were not unwilling to obtain their share of the profits of trade and industry,they could not become openly involved in it.Without their direct interest,change was far less likely,if not impossible.The Roman legal system made it difficult to create the type of limited- liability company with a multitude of shareholders (different people, each of whom owns a part of the company),which has proved particularly well suited to financing industrial concerns,and which ensures continuity through more than one generation.In consequence most Roman industry remained in the hands of individuals or small groups.Raising funds to start an industrial business was usually a personal matter,for although banks existed, the main source of loans was wealthy individuals.Nor was industry a fashionable field of investment;land was always preferred.

Finally,there was an almost total lack of technical innovation and invention.The industries of the fourth century were those that had existed for centuries,and they were still using the same techniques and processes.What could happen when a revolutionary technique was applied was shown by the explosive growth of the glass industry after the invention of glassblowing,but this stands almost in isolation in all the centuries of Roman industrialization.The result was that in most industries,production could be increased only by multiplying the number of units produced,and not by changing to different processes that were better suited to large-scale production.Undoubtedly,the greatest such limitation was the almost total failure to utilize any sources of power other than those provided by animals and humans.

 

 

1

Although agriculture was the economic mainstay of the Roman Empire,the development of industry under the Empire also made a significant contribution to its centuries of power and stability in Europe.The growth of industry was largely the result of economic and social factors.It grew because its markets increased with a rising population and the urbanization of the western provinces, such as Gaul (modern France)and Spain.Nevertheless,with only a handful of exceptions,it was usually concerned with supplying local requirements.To take one example,the products of even the more successful coarse pottery industries rarely traveled more than fifty or sixty kilometers from the production sites,and this was probably true of other industries as well.The main exporting industries were those that provided the raw materials without which Roman civilization could not have survived,such as foodstuffs, metals,timber,and cloth;or,much more rarely,were monopolies,in the way that the papyrus (paper)industry was a state monopoly in Egypt.Other exporting industries were largely dependent on being able to send their goods along routes and in ships that existed primarily to carry food and raw materials.It was for this reason that so many of the industrial centers of the Roman world lay on the coast or by one of the great navigable rivers.

The word“mainstay”in the passage is closest in meaning to

APower

BTradition

CPreference

DFoundation

 

2

Although agriculture was the economic mainstay of the Roman Empire,the development of industry under the Empire also made a significant contribution to its centuries of power and stability in Europe.The growth of industry was largely the result of economic and social factors.It grew because its markets increased with a rising population and the urbanization of the western provinces, such as Gaul (modern France)and Spain.Nevertheless,with only a handful of exceptions,it was usually concerned with supplying local requirements.To take one example,the products of even the more successful coarse pottery industries rarely traveled more than fifty or sixty kilometers from the production sites,and this was probably true of other industries as well.The main exporting industries were those that provided the raw materials without which Roman civilization could not have survived,such as foodstuffs, metals,timber,and cloth;or,much more rarely,were monopolies,in the way that the papyrus (paper)industry was a state monopoly in Egypt.Other exporting industries were largely dependent on being able to send their goods along routes and in ships that existed primarily to carry food and raw materials.It was for this reason that so many of the industrial centers of the Roman world lay on the coast or by one of the great navigable rivers.

What is the author’s purpose in discussing“the more successful coarse pottery industries”?

ATo provide an exception to the rule that goods produced in the Empire almost always supplied local requirements

BTo give an example of a type of industry that was common in the western provinces of Gaul and Spain

CTo support the claim that Roman industrial products mostly served the local surrounding area

DTo establish the importance of location to achieving industrial success

 

3

Although agriculture was the economic mainstay of the Roman Empire,the development of industry under the Empire also made a significant contribution to its centuries of power and stability in Europe.The growth of industry was largely the result of economic and social factors.It grew because its markets increased with a rising population and the urbanization of the western provinces, such as Gaul (modern France)and Spain.Nevertheless,with only a handful of exceptions,it was usually concerned with supplying local requirements.To take one example,the products of even the more successful coarse pottery industries rarely traveled more than fifty or sixty kilometers from the production sites,and this was probably true of other industries as well.The main exporting industries were those that provided the raw materials without which Roman civilization could not have survived,such as foodstuffs, metals,timber,and cloth;or,much more rarely,were monopolies,in the way that the papyrus (paper)industry was a state monopoly in Egypt.Other exporting industries were largely dependent on being able to send their goods along routes and in ships that existed primarily to carry food and raw materials.It was for this reason that so many of the industrial centers of the Roman world lay on the coast or by one of the great navigable rivers.

According to paragraph 1,why were so many of the Roman industrial centers located on the coast?

ATrade routes were more accessible along the coast.

BMore consumers for industrial products lived on the coast.

CRaw materials were most plentiful along the coast.

DInland areas were used primarily for agriculture.

 

4

The advantages of Roman manufacturers were immense when compared with those of their predecessors and successors.They worked within an efficient financial system,often in periods of prolonged peace when trade could flourish unhindered;they traded in what was probably the largest common market the world had ever seen,with only a few minor taxes to pay on crossing boundaries between provinces (i.e.,between different territories of the Roman Empire);communications by both land and sea were better than they had ever been before or were to be again for many centuries;and they sold their goods in a world in which there was immense public and private wealth.

According to paragraph 2,Roman manufacturers enjoyed all of the following advantages EXCEPT

Aa well-functioning financial system

Bfew competitors in the provinces

Clarge,open markets with few taxes

Dgood long-distance communications

 

5

When all these factors are considered,it is necessary to ask why industry only expanded sufficiently to fill the increased demand rather than transforming itself and creating a true industrial revolution.The question has no certain answer,but it is possible to define a number of factors that would have had to be overcome if such a revolution were to have occurred.Perhaps the key one is the fact that industry was socially unacceptable to the upper classes,who effectively controlled the resources of the Empire. Only agriculture was a suitable occupation for them,and while they were not unwilling to obtain their share of the profits of trade and industry,they could not become openly involved in it.Without their direct interest,change was far less likely,if not impossible.The Roman legal system made it difficult to create the type of limited- liability company with a multitude of shareholders (different people, each of whom owns a part of the company),which has proved particularly well suited to financing industrial concerns,and which ensures continuity through more than one generation.In consequence most Roman industry remained in the hands of individuals or small groups.Raising funds to start an industrial business was usually a personal matter,for although banks existed, the main source of loans was wealthy individuals.Nor was industry a fashionable field of investment;land was always preferred.

The word“ensures”in the passage is closest in meaning to

Ainvolves

Bimproves

Cguarantees

DEncourages

 

6

When all these factors are considered,it is necessary to ask why industry only expanded sufficiently to fill the increased demand rather than transforming itself and creating a true industrial revolution.The question has no certain answer,but it is possible to define a number of factors that would have had to be overcome if such a revolution were to have occurred.Perhaps the key one is the fact that industry was socially unacceptable to the upper classes,who effectively controlled the resources of the Empire. Only agriculture was a suitable occupation for them,and while they were not unwilling to obtain their share of the profits of trade and industry,they could not become openly involved in it.Without their direct interest,change was far less likely,if not impossible.The Roman legal system made it difficult to create the type of limited- liability company with a multitude of shareholders (different people, each of whom owns a part of the company),which has proved particularly well suited to financing industrial concerns,and which ensures continuity through more than one generation.In consequence most Roman industry remained in the hands of individuals or small groups.Raising funds to start an industrial business was usually a personal matter,for although banks existed, the main source of loans was wealthy individuals.Nor was industry a fashionable field of investment;land was always preferred.

According to paragraph 3,which of the following was probably the most important factor in preventing a true industrial revolution in the Roman Empire?

ARoman laws unfavorable to industry

BConflicting interests among shareholders

CLimited demand for industrial goods

DThe attitudes of Rome’s upper classes

 

7

When all these factors are considered,it is necessary to ask why industry only expanded sufficiently to fill the increased demand rather than transforming itself and creating a true industrial revolution.The question has no certain answer,but it is possible to define a number of factors that would have had to be overcome if such a revolution were to have occurred.Perhaps the key one is the fact that industry was socially unacceptable to the upper classes,who effectively controlled the resources of the Empire. Only agriculture was a suitable occupation for them,and while they were not unwilling to obtain their share of the profits of trade and industry,they could not become openly involved in it.Without their direct interest,change was far less likely,if not impossible.The Roman legal system made it difficult to create the type of limited- liability company with a multitude of shareholders (different people, each of whom owns a part of the company),which has proved particularly well suited to financing industrial concerns,and which ensures continuity through more than one generation.In consequence most Roman industry remained in the hands of individuals or small groups.Raising funds to start an industrial business was usually a personal matter,for although banks existed, the main source of loans was wealthy individuals.Nor was industry a fashionable field of investment;land was always preferred.

Paragraph 3 suggests that many Roman industrial companies

Awere owned by large numbers of shareholders

Bdid not continue after the death of the original owner

Cdid not provide the expected status and wealth to their owners

Dwere financed by banks

 

8

Finally,there was an almost total lack of technical innovation and invention.The industries of the fourth century were those that had existed for centuries,and they were still using the same techniques and processes.What could happen when a revolutionary technique was applied was shown by the explosive growth of the glass industry after the invention of glassblowing,but this stands almost in isolation in all the centuries of Roman industrialization.The result was that in most industries,production could be increased only by multiplying the number of units produced,and not by changing to different processes that were better suited to large-scale production.Undoubtedly,the greatest such limitation was the almost total failure to utilize any sources of power other than those provided by animals and humans.

Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage?Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.

AThe enormous growth of the glass industry after the introduction of new glassblowing techniques demonstrates the success of Roman industrialization.

BMany centuries of industrialization passed before the Romans applied revolutionary techniques to the glass industry.

CThe invention of glassblowing demonstrated what could happen when a technique from one industry was applied to another industry.

DGlassmaking is about the only example of a Roman industry that was transformed by the introduction of a new technique.

 

9

When all these factors are considered,it is necessary to ask why industry only expanded sufficiently to fill the increased demand rather than transforming itself and creating a true industrial revolution.The question has no certain answer,but it is possible to define a number of factors that would have had to be overcome if such a revolution were to have occurred.Perhaps the key one is the fact that industry was socially unacceptable to the upper classes,who effectively controlled the resources of the Empire. Only agriculture was a suitable occupation for them,and while they were not unwilling to obtain their share of the profits of trade and

Look at the four squaresthat indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage

Aside from such cultural considerations,Roman laws and institutions were not designed to favor industry.

Where would the sentence best fit？Click on a square  sentence to the passage.

10

Industry developed and significantly contributed to Rome’s power and stability in Europe,although development was not as extensive as it might have been.

AMost exporting industries were monopolies operated by the state,and this limited the expansion of Roman industrialization.

BBecause the upper classes favored agriculture over trade, industrial development was limited and most goods were produced only for local markets.

CStructural factors, such as the limited role of banks and legal impediments to forming large corporations,also limited industry, as did the lack of technological development.

DPopulation growth, urbanization, open markets, peace and stability and large amounts of public and private wealth all favored the expansion of industry.

ERaw materials were shipped to distant western provinces in exchange for finished goods.

FAlthough there was a desire to create new industries in the western provinces, Rome was unwilling to share the technical knowledge needed to develop them.

 

答案请付费后查阅：