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                                                                The Water Road

      In October 1825, the Seneca Chief traveled from Buffalo to New York City. It was the first time a boat

went all the way from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean.

     In the early 19th century, transportation had become important to America. Companies needed to send their

goods to distant markets. Farmers needed to send their crops to people in the cities. Pioneers wanted to travel

west to find farm land. It was hard to build roads through the wilderness (荒无人烟的地区), so waterways

were often used for transportation. But people still had to travel over land to get from one waterway to another.

      Canals (运河) were one way to solve the problem. The Erie Canal connected the Hudson River( near New

York City) with the Great Lakes. It made the Seneca Chief' s journey possible.

     It took two years and cost $ 7 million to build the Erie Canal. But it was worth the price. Before the canal

opened, it cost $ 100 a ton to ship goods between Buffalo and New York City. After it was built, the cost was

$ 10 a ton. Before the canal, the journey between Buffalo and New York City took 20 days. With the canal, it

took eight days.

      Today we can go from Buffalo to New York City in a matter of hours. Back in 1825, though, there were

no cars or highways or airplanes.

1. How many days would be saved if one took a trip from Buffalo to New York City after the

    Erie Canal was built?

A. 8 days.

B. 10 days.

C. 12 days.

D. 20 days.

2. What can we know from the passage?

A. The Hudson River connects New York City with Buffalo.

B. Most waterways are connected with others.

C. The Seneca Chief's journey would fail without the Eric Canal.

D. The Hudson River flows into the Pacific Ocean.

3. The second paragraph is mainly about _____.

A. the American people in the 19th century

B. how the Erie Canal was built

C. the reason to build a canal

D. how the waterway was connected to another