Kuis TOEFL Reading Text 5

Bacalah Artikel Berikut dan Jawablah Pertanyaannya! Total 10 Soal.

Philadelphia

         [1] As Philadelphia grew from a small town into a city in the fi rst half of the eighteenth century, it became an increasingly important marketing center for a vast and growing agricultural hinterland. Market days saw the crowded city even more crowded, as fanners from within a radius of 24 or more kilometers brought their sheep, cows, pigs, vegetables, cider, and other products for direct sale to the townspeople. The High Street Market was continuously enlarged throughout the period until 1736, when it reached from Front Street to Third. By 1745 New Market was opened on Second Street between Pine and Cedar. The next year the Callowhill Market began operation. Along with market days, the institution of twice- yearly fairs persisted in Philadelphia even after similar trading days had been discontinued in other colonial cities. The fairs provided a means of bringing handmade goods from outlying places to would-be buyers in the city. Linens and stockings from Germantown, for example, were popular items.

         [2] Auctions were another popular form of occasional trade. Because of the competition, retail merchants opposed these as well as the fairs. Although governmental attempts to eradicate fairs and auctions were less than successful, the ordinary course of economic development was on the merchants’ side, as increasing business specialization became the order of the day. Export merchants became differentiated from their importing counterparts, and specialty shops began to appear in addition to general stores selling a variety of goods.

         [3] One of the reasons Philadelphia’s merchants generally prospered was because the surrounding area was undergoing tremendous economic and demographic growth. They did their business, after all, in the capital city of the province. Not only did they cater to the governor and his circle, but citizens from all over the colony came to the capital for legislative sessions of the assembly and council and the meetings of the courts of justice.

1. What does the passage mainly discuss ?

2. It can be inferred from the passage that new markets opened in Philadelphia because ...

3. The word “hinterland “ in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ?

4. The word “it” in line 6 refers to ?

5. The word “persisted” in line 9 is closest in meaning to ?

6. According to the passage, fairs in Philadelphia were held ...

7. It can be inferred that the author mentions “Linens and stockings” in line 12 to show that they were items that ...

8. The word “eradicate” in line 16 is closest in meaning to ?

9. What does the author mean by stating in line 17 that “economic development was on the merchants’ side” ?

10. The word “undergoing” in line 22 is closest in meaning to ?