Proto-industrialization in Europe
The wealthy merchants of the early modern era (approximately 1500-1800)took commodities(products) made by others and shipped them to distant markets. Or they supervised manufacturing enterprises, especially textiles, which worked on the domestic or “putting-out”system. In this system, the merchant acquired raw materials, distributed them to country workers who labored in their own cottages, and collected the finished goods for sale. Employing men, women, and children, this system flourished into the eighteenth century. It constituted a “proto-industrial”phase of European manufacturing, featuring rural production and city- directed exchange.
Technological innovation also contributed to the growth of the European economy. By 1500， Europe already had put machines to work in productive ways. Waterwheels and windmills helped grind grain, brew ale, pump water, make paper, saw wood, and treat textiles. The circulation of goods was facilitated by the building of canal networks, which in turn was made possible by the invention of locks (gates on rivers or canals that change the water level, allowing boats to pass obstacles). Over the next centuries, other new machines and industrial processes improved textile and glass manufacturing, coal mining, and iron production.
All this growth, however, had a disadvantage: rapid inflation. The injection of new quantities of bullion (ingots or gold coins)into the European economy, the deliberate devaluation of existing currencies, and the steady climb of the European population caused an explosion of values and prices. Prices rose for goods, while wages and rents lagged, with regional variations: in Spain, prices more than tripled in the century before 1600； in England, the prices of basic goods rose nearly sixfold during the same period. The pattern of steep price increases affected different groups differently-it allowed merchants to accumulate capital for investment in more manufacture and trade, while it had a very negative impact on peasants and urban workers.
The forward wave of commercial economy favored population increase, which in turn supported the economic boom. The European population generally increased until about 1600， when it surpassed for the first time the pre-bubonic plague level of 73 million. During the seventeenth century, population growth slowed again, owing in part to the disastrous effect of the Thirty Years’ War, which reduced the population of central Europe by 30- 40 percent. The marriage age increased in many regions, showing that people were adopting a familiar strategy to reduce the birth rate. Spain and Italy fell behind the north Atlantic nations, and France’s rate of growth fell behind England’s. In the eighteenth century, the population began again to increase as mortality rates declined. After a last outbreak of the bubonic plague in Marseilles in 1720, the bubonic plague left Europe (perhaps because of unfavorable shifts in the ecology of the black rat, the critical carrier of the deadly infectious flea). The cycle of hunger receded too, and the proto-industrial cottage industries, which allowed young persons to make a profit from their labor without delaying marriage, drove the numbers upward.
Despite economic growth, the steady upward pressure on prices and the increasing population brought hardship, especially to the rural poor. Grain prices rose by factors of three, four, even six, while the average price of manufactured goods merely doubled. Bread was expensive or scarce, while landowners strove to extract more labor from their workers. The real wages of agricultural workers fell catastrophically, and the force of hunger, briefly subdued in the aftermath of the bubonic plague, returned. The numbers of the landless increased, and beggars proliferated.
With economic growth came urbanization. Merchants concentrated in cities, where goods changed hands, where banks held funds, where artisans labored, and where consumers purchased. In the early modern centuries, towns became cities, and cities expanded. For the first time, many European cities grew to exceed the largest cities previously known in the Western world (London, Paris, Naples, and Milan). Not only did large cities grow larger, but a greater proportion of Europeans lived in cities and towns; even country workers often migrated to the city for part of their lives before returning to their villages.
1
The wealthy merchants of the early modern era (approximately 1500-1800)took commodities(products) made by others and shipped them to distant markets. Or they supervised manufacturing enterprises, especially textiles, which worked on the domestic or “putting-out”system. In this system, the merchant acquired raw materials, distributed them to country workers who labored in their own cottages, and collected the finished goods for sale. Employing men, women, and children, this system flourished into the eighteenth century. It constituted a “proto-industrial”phase of European manufacturing, featuring rural production and city- directed exchange.
According to paragraph 1， which of the following best describes the proto-industrial phase of European manufacturing?
ARaw materials were collected by country laborers and sent to the cities, where most goods were produced.
BWomen and children remained in the home and made goods, while the men traveled to the city to sell the goods.
CCountry laborers sold raw materials to merchants, who transported the materials for resale in cities.
DGoods were produced in the homes of rural workers and transported to city markets by merchants.
2
Technological innovation also contributed to the growth of the European economy. By 1500， Europe already had put machines to work in productive ways. Waterwheels and windmills helped grind grain, brew ale, pump water, make paper, saw wood, and treat textiles. The circulation of goods was facilitated by the building of canal networks, which in turn was made possible by the invention of locks (gates on rivers or canals that change the water level, allowing boats to pass obstacles). Over the next centuries, other new machines and industrial processes improved textile and glass manufacturing, coal mining, and iron production.
What is the author’s purpose in discussing “the invention of locks”?
ATo support the claim that industrialization was well underway by 1500
BTo give an example of a technological development that contributed to economic growth
CTo identify an invention made possible by coal mining and increased iron production
DTo show that geography had a large influence on economic development
3
All this growth, however, had a disadvantage: rapid inflation. The injection of new quantities of bullion (ingots or gold coins)into the European economy, the deliberate devaluation of existing currencies, and the steady climb of the European population caused an explosion of values and prices. Prices rose for goods, while wages and rents lagged, with regional variations: in Spain, prices more than tripled in the century before 1600； in England, the prices of basic goods rose nearly sixfold during the same period. The pattern of steep price increases affected different groups differently-it allowed merchants to accumulate capital for investment in more manufacture and trade, while it had a very negative impact on peasants and urban workers.
The word “deliberate”in the passage is closest in meaning to
Aintentional
Bnecessary
Csevere
Dsteady
4
All this growth, however, had a disadvantage: rapid inflation. The injection of new quantities of bullion (ingots or gold coins)into the European economy, the deliberate devaluation of existing currencies, and the steady climb of the European population caused an explosion of values and prices. Prices rose for goods, while wages and rents lagged, with regional variations: in Spain, prices more than tripled in the century before 1600； in England, the prices of basic goods rose nearly sixfold during the same period. The pattern of steep price increases affected different groups differently-it allowed merchants to accumulate capital for investment in more manufacture and trade, while it had a very negative impact on peasants and urban workers.
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.
AThough rates of inflation varied by region, in general prices for goods rose much more than wages or rent.
BEngland experienced much greater inflation in prices of basic goods than did Spain during the same period.
CThroughout Europe, except for Spain and England, prices for goods rose just as much as wages and rents.
DIn various regions of Europe, wages and rents did not catch up with inflated prices for goods until 1600.
5
The forward wave of commercial economy favored population increase, which in turn supported the economic boom. The European population generally increased until about 1600， when it surpassed for the first time the pre-bubonic plague level of 73 million. During the seventeenth century, population growth slowed again, owing in part to the disastrous effect of the Thirty Years’ War, which reduced the population of central Europe by 30- 40 percent. The marriage age increased in many regions, showing that people were adopting a familiar strategy to reduce the birth rate. Spain and Italy fell behind the north Atlantic nations, and France’s rate of growth fell behind England’s. In the eighteenth century, the population began again to increase as mortality rates declined. After a last outbreak of the bubonic plague in Marseilles in 1720, the bubonic plague left Europe (perhaps because of unfavorable shifts in the ecology of the black rat, the critical carrier of the deadly infectious flea). The cycle of hunger receded too, and the proto-industrial cottage industries, which allowed young persons to make a profit from their labor without delaying marriage, drove the numbers upward.
According to paragraph 4， all of the following are true about population trends during the seventeenth century EXCEPT:
APopulation growth was slower than it was before 1600.
BPeople married and had children at a later age.
CThe bubonic plague reduced the population of central Europe by 30-40 percent.
DMany years of warfare greatly reduced the size of the population.
6
The forward wave of commercial economy favored population increase, which in turn supported the economic boom. The European population generally increased until about 1600， when it surpassed for the first time the pre-bubonic plague level of 73 million. During the seventeenth century, population growth slowed again, owing in part to the disastrous effect of the Thirty Years’ War, which reduced the population of central Europe by 30- 40 percent. The marriage age increased in many regions, showing that people were adopting a familiar strategy to reduce the birth rate. Spain and Italy fell behind the north Atlantic nations, and France’s rate of growth fell behind England’s. In the eighteenth century, the population began again to increase as mortality rates declined. After a last outbreak of the bubonic plague in Marseilles in 1720, the bubonic plague left Europe (perhaps because of unfavorable shifts in the ecology of the black rat, the critical carrier of the deadly infectious flea). The cycle of hunger receded too, and the proto-industrial cottage industries, which allowed young persons to make a profit from their labor without delaying marriage, drove the numbers upward.
In paragraph 4， all of the following are identified as reasons for population growth in the eighteenth century EXCEPT
Athe end of the bubonic plague in Europe
Ba return to a younger marriage age
Can increase in immigration to prosperous regions
Da decrease in death rates
7
Despite economic growth, the steady upward pressure on prices and the increasing population brought hardship, especially to the rural poor. Grain prices rose by factors of three, four, even six, while the average price of manufactured goods merely doubled. Bread was expensive or scarce, while landowners strove to extract more labor from their workers. The real wages of agricultural workers fell catastrophically, and the force of hunger, briefly subdued in the aftermath of the bubonic plague, returned. The numbers of the landless increased, and beggars proliferated.
Paragraph 5 implies that which of the following was the main reason for the hardship of the rural poor?
ALandowners became more interested in producing manufactured goods than in producing agricultural goods
BAgricultural workers had difficulty selling their crops due to inflated prices.
CThe rate of economic growth in Europe began to slow considerably.
DAgricultural wages could not keep up with rising food prices.
8
With economic growth came urbanization. Merchants concentrated in cities, where goods changed hands, where banks held funds, where artisans labored, and where consumers purchased. In the early modern centuries, towns became cities, and cities expanded. For the first time, many European cities grew to exceed the largest cities previously known in the Western world (London, Paris, Naples, and Milan). Not only did large cities grow larger, but a greater proportion of Europeans lived in cities and towns; even country workers often migrated to the city for part of their lives before returning to their villages.
According to paragraph 6， which of the following was true of urbanization in the early modern period?
ALondon, Paris, Naples, and Milan remained Europe’s largest cities.
BExisting cities lost population to the new cities that were emerging.
CLaborers often spent some of their lives in the city and some in the country.
DMany village workers became merchants because the market for their agricultural products became more profitable.
9
The forward wave of commercial economy favored population increase, which in turn supported the economic boom. The European population generally increased until about 1600， when it surpassed for the first time the pre-bubonic plague level of 73 million. During the seventeenth century, population growth slowed again, owing in part to the disastrous effect of the Thirty Years’ War, which reduced the population of central Europe by 30- 40 percent. [■]The marriage age increased in many regions, showing that people were adopting a familiar strategy to reduce the birth rate. [■]Spain and Italy fell behind the north Atlantic nations, and France’s rate of growth fell behind England’s. [■]In the eighteenth century, the population began again to increase as mortality rates declined. [■]After a last outbreak of the bubonic plague in Marseilles in 1720, the bubonic plague left Europe (perhaps because of unfavorable shifts in the ecology of the black rat, the critical carrier of the deadly infectious flea). The cycle of hunger receded too, and the proto-industrial cottage industries, which allowed young persons to make a profit from their labor without delaying marriage, drove the numbers upward.
Look at the four squaresthat indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage
Not all regions of Europe were equally affected by these changes.
Where would the sentence best fit？Click on a square sentence to the passage.
10
The European economy grew substantially in the early modern era (1500-1800) under the proto-industrial phase of manufacturing.
ANew technology improved the manufacture of goods as well as the ability to transport goods to market.
BIn Spain and Italy, economic growth was slower than in other parts of Europe because of the high proportion of rural poor there.
CEuropean economic growth, which both resulted from and depended on population growth, caused an expansion of urban centers.
DThe development of new machines and systems of production during the early modern era meant that food was plentiful and cheap throughout Europe.
EEurope’s growth led to increased prices, which created difficulties for workers who could no longer afford basic necessities.
FDuring Europe’s proto-industrial period most laborers worked outside the home, often traveling to distant towns and cities for work.
