Chicago, a city in the State of Illinois, is the second largest in the United States. It stretches for 29 miles along the southwest shore of Lake Michigan. Its splendid centre faces the lake behind a pleasant park. The Chicago River flows through the heart of the city. The city of Chicago, 713 miles west of New York and 1858 miles east of San Francisco, is located at the conjunction(连接) of the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River system and surrounded by the productive farmlands of the Midwest. This makes the city the crossroads of the nation and the “ bread basket” of the nation. From its beginning as a frontier fort(要塞) settlement in 1803, commerce(商业) has been the key to Chicago’s development, especially since the railroads and stockyards(牲畜围栏) were built in the 1840s and 1850s. Thousands of foreigners, attracted by the promise of steady jobs, have lived and worked there since the second half of the 19th century; thousands more come to visit its famous fairs, and millions of others cross it every day by road or railway. Chicago is the world’s biggest road and railway centre, and it should claim(要求得到身份或权利的承认) the world’s busiest airport.
66. If you go to New York from Chicago, you go _____ for _____ miles.
A. east…713 B. west…713 C. east…1858 D. west…1858
67. From the passage, we can see that there is _____.
A. a lake right in the middle of the city
B. the Mississippi River in the middle of the city
C. a park in the middle of the city
D. a lake 29 miles away from the city
68. Chicago is called the “ bread basket” of the nation because _____.
A. there is a river flowing through the city
B. it is located at the conjunction of the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River system
C. it is near the city of New York
D. there are rich farmlands around the city
69. _____ the city developed fastest.
A. Early in the 19th century
B. Around the middle of the 19th century
C. At the end of the 19th century
D. During the second half of the 19th century
70. Since the late 19th century thousands of people have kept coming to Chicago _____. Which of the following is wrong?
A. on business B. for a visit
C. for better jobs D. to claim the world’s biggest seaport
