Passage Two Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage:

An important new industry, oil refining, grew after the Civil War. Crude oil, or petroleum¹—a dark, thick ooze（渗出物，分泌物）from the earth—had been known for hundreds of years. But little use had ever been made of it. In the 1850’s Samuel M. Kier, a manufacturer in western Pennsylvania, began collecting the oil from local seepage² and refining it into kerosene³. Refining, like smelting⁴, is a process of removing impurities⁵ from a raw material.

Kerosene was used to light lamps. It was a cheap substitute for whale oil, which was becoming harder to get. Soon there was a large demand for kerosene. People began to search for new supplies of petroleum.

The first oil well was drilled by E.L.Drake,a retired⁶ railroad conductor.In 1859he began drilling in Titusville,Pennsylvania.The  so impractical⁷ and foolish that onlookers⁸ called it"Drake’s Folly⁹."But when he had drilled down about 70 feet(21 meters),Drake struck oil.His well began to yield 20 barrels of crude oil a day.

News of Drake’s success brought oil prospectors¹⁰ to the scene. By the early 1860’s these wildcatters were drilling for "black gold" all over western Pennsylvania. The boom rivaled the California gold rush of 1848 in its excitement and Wild West atmosphere. And it brought far more wealth to the prospectors than any gold rush.

Crude oil could be refined into many products. For some years kerosene continued to be the principal one. It was sold in grocery stores and door-to-door. In the 1880’s and 1890’s refiners learned how to make other products such as waxes and lubricating oils. Petroleum was not then used to make gasoline or heating oil.

26.According to the passage, many people initially¹¹ thought that E. L. Drake had made a mistake by .
A) moving Pennsylvania
B) retiring from his job
C) searching for oil
D) going on a whaling expedition

27.According to the passage, what is "black gold"?
A) gold ore B) stolen money C) whale oil D) crude oil

28.Why does the author mention the California gold rush?
A) To indicate the extent of United States mineral wealth.
B) To argue that gold was more valuable than oil.
C) To describe the mood when oil was first discovered.
D) To explain the need for an increased supply of gold.

29.The author mentions all of the following as possible products of crude oil EXCEPT.
A) gasoline B) kerosene C) wax D) plastic

30.What might be the best title for the passage?
A) Oil Refining: A Historical Perspective.
B) Kerosene Lamps: A Light in the Tunnel.
C) The California Gold Rush: Get Rich Quickly.
D) Private Property: Trespassers Will Be Prosecuted¹².

内容概要:本文讲述的美国内战后发展起来的新兴工业--炼油业的相关情况。19世纪50年代一位名叫Samuel M. Kier的人首次炼出了煤油。它的出现取代了鲸油供人们电灯照明。E. L. Drake是第一个钻井成功的人。他的成功为以后大量的勘探者带来了取之不尽的财富。

26.【答案】C。
【译文】许多人开始时认为E. L. Drake搜寻石油的做法是错误的。
【试题分析】细节辨析题，通过理解原文即可推理得知答案。
【详细解答】根据文章第三段对该事件的描述，得知E. L. Drake这位退休列车长试图在 Pennsylvania 的Titusville钻井，但旁观者认为其行为很不现实甚至很愚蠢，直到他打到70英尺深处打出石油。因此，答案应是C。

27.【答案】D。
【译文】根据文章内容，black gold（黑色黄金）指的是“原油”。
【试题分析】细节辨析题，通过理解原文即可推理得知答案。
【详细解答】文章第一段第二句话对原油进行了明确的介绍：原油也叫石油，是地下的一种黑色渗出物。这里的“黑色渗出物”也就是第3段谈到的E. L. Drake试图开采的东西，即第4段所谓的black gold（黑色黄金）。因此，正确答案是D。

28.【答案】C。
【译文】作者提到加州的淘金热，目的是描述石油被首次发现时带给人们的激动情绪。
【试题分析】综合分析推理题，通过理解原文即可推理得知答案。
【详细解答】文章第4段提到加州淘金热时，原文写道：The boom rivaled the California gold rush of 1848 in its excitement…意思是说（当时人们投入开采“黑色黄金”的）热潮可以与1848年的加州淘金热相媲美。这显然是为了向读者描述石油被首次发现时带给人们的激动情绪，因此选C。

29.【答案】D。
【译文】作者在文中提到由原油生产出的产品不包括塑料。
【试题分析】细节辨析题，通过理解原文即可推理得知答案。
【详细解答】根据文章第一段就得知煤油（B. kerosene）是原油提炼出来的；再根据文章最后一段，得知汽油（A. gasoline）和蜡（C. wax）也是由原油生产而来，所以本题的正确答案应是D。

30.【答案】A。
【译文】可以作为本文题目的是：炼油的历史变迁。
【试题分析】综合分析归纳推论题，根据全文内容归纳总结得出答案。
【详细解答】根据全文内容，本文主要是介绍炼油的历史，正确答案是A。选项B, C, D的中心词分别是“煤油灯”、“加州淘金热”、“私有财产”，显然都不妥。