By the year 1869 when the first transcontinental railroad was finished, over 350,000 pioneers had taken the Oregon Trail to head west and start a new life, which is known as the Gold Rush Period in American history. Many of these were women and most were accompanied by children.
Before heading west, many women often spent their day doing nothing more than visiting, needlework, and the occasional gardening of flowers. Others were not from as wealthy families and had to work alongside their men as laborers. Neither type was in most cases prepared for the hardships that lay ahead.
Once they did reach their destination, the work was far from over. A house would need to be built. Women quickly learned to use all kinds of tools right alongside their husbands. At the first sign of spring, a garden would need to be planted. Pioneer women also had to deal with dangerous wild animals, including bears and lions. Indians were also a concern, and some did fall to their deaths by the Indians’ hand. Where were the men when all this was being done? Working the fields and mining were the two most usual occupations. Their remaining work, which there was plenty of, fell to the women and the oldest children if there were any.
Women who headed west learned quickly that there was much more to life than teas and visiting. They had no choice but to struggle for survival. This was their life.
小题1:What is the passage mainly about?
A．Changes in the Gold Rush Period.
B．New life in the West.
C．Great people in American history.
D．Pioneer women to the West.小题2:By mentioning women’s life before heading west in paragraph 2, the author implies (暗示) that .
A．it was a real struggle for women to adapt to the hard life in the West
B．it was not reasonable for women to give up their comfortable life
C．it was a better choice for women to experience a new and hard life
D．it was necessary for women to change their lifestyle completely小题3:According to the passage, which was NOT the problem women faced when heading west?
A．They had no choice but to throw away many of their beloved things.
B．They could not take their children along because of the hard journey.
C．It was common that they lost their husbands in some accidents.
D．They suffered from diseases or even lost their lives.小题4:Women were kept busy with all the following work EXCEPT _________.
A．building a house
B．planting a garden
C．driving wild animals away
D．caring for the Indians
