The transport of emigrants fromIreland across the Atlantic has a curious history. During
While the timber trade wasrapidly developing, economic conditions in Ireland became disastrous.Agriculture prices, inflated during the Napoleonic war, dropped heavily afterWaterloo, and Ireland became a country in which, with the exception ofnortheast Ulster, employment for wages virtually ceased to exist. Theextraordinary increase in population continued and standards of life becamealmost unbearably low.
46.In the eighteenth century people left Ireland because______.
A. they wanted to getricher
B. their skill in farmingwas in demand abroad
C. they were desperatelypoor
D. they were religiousrefugees
47. The writer saystraveling overseas was difficult for eighteenth century Irishmen because______.
A. the ships captainshad strong religious prejudices
B. there was no organizedroutine
C. passengers became thecaptains legal property
D. captains took most ofthe emigrants savings
48.The Napoleonic war led to ______.
A. Britain not beingallowed to import wood from northern Europe
B. wood produced inRussia being sold to Napoleon
C. the Britishauthorities putting a stop to Irish travelers arrangements with captains
D. the Russians feelingmuch larger numbers of trees for their own use
49.Timber was taxed in order to ______.
A. maintain good pricesfor European timber
B. encourage Americansales in Britain
C. protect North Americanindustry from overseas imports
D. encourage Britishsales in America
50.Irish people became very poor after the Napoleonic war because______.
A. food prices became solow
B. living standards sankdrastically
C. food prices became sohigh
D. there waspractically no work to do