阅读理解。
The African ancestors of today's black Americans were brought
to the US as slaves in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth
century, They worked on farms, especially the large farms in the
southern states. Slowly they became a necessary part of the economic
system (经济体系) of the South.
Slaves did not have the right of people;according tO the law,
they were a" thing" which belonged to the person who bought them.
They had to obey the orders of their owners without question. They
were not allowed to learn to read ; their owners feared the educated
slaves would begin to think about the injustice of the system and
would learn to struggle for their freedom. Slaves had to work long
hours in very unhealthy conditions. Their owners had complete power
over them. They could be bought and sold like animals. At the
slave markets, black children were separated from their parents and
never saw them again. Slave owners had the right to punish the
slave who broke the rule or was against the system. Slaves were often
beaten by their owners or killed. After the Civil War, one free
slave reported that his owner killed an older slave who was teaching
him to read. In theory, an owner who treated a slave badly could be
punished. In practice, however, the taw meant nothing.
The opposition to slavery began very early in the history of the
US-in 1671-but little progress was made until the beginning of
the nineteenth century. By 1804, slavery was illegal in the northern
states. But it continued and even grew, in the southern states, which
depended on cotton for their economic health. Slavery ended in the
South only after the Civil War. For blacks,however,the end of slavery
was only a beginning, the beginning of a long and difficult struggle for
true justice.
1. What is the main topic of this passage?
A. African ancestors of today's black Americans.
B. The opposition to slavery in the United States.
C. Slavery in the United States.
D. The right of black Americans.
2. According to the writer,why couldn't slaves learn to read?
A. Because reading was not something which they needed for their work.
B. Because their owners were afraid that books would give them advanced ideas.
C. Because they did not have enough time to read.
D. Because they were so poor that they could not go to school.
3. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?
A. Many people from other countries became US citizens in the 1700s.
B. The US government paid much attention to freedom.
C. There were some laws that successfully protected the rights of slaves.
D. The opposition to slavery in the United States began in the seventeenth century.

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