Seventeenth-century houses in colonial(殖民地的) North America were simple structures that were primarily functional, carrying over traditional designs that went back to the Middle Ages. During the first half of the eighteenth century, however, houses began to show a new fashion. As wealth increase, more and more colonies built fine houses.
Since art of constructing houses was not yet a specialized profession in the colonies, the design of buildings was left to carpenters who were responsible for interpreting handbooks relating to the design of houses imported from England. Libraries still preserve an astonishing number of these handbooks for builders, and the houses appeared during the first three-quarters of eighteenth century show their influence. Nevertheless, most of them display a wide difference of taste and freedom of using the rules in these books.
Increasing wealth and growing experience throughout the colonies resulted in houses of improved design, whether the material was wood, stone, or brick. New England still favored wood, though brick houses became common in Boston and other towns, where the danger of fire urged the use of more durable material. A few houses in New England were built of stone, but only in Pennsylvania and neighboring areas were stone widely used in accommodations. An increased use of brick in houses and outbuildings is noticeable in Virginia and Maryland, but wood remained the most popular material even in houses built by wealthy landowners. In the Carolinas, wooden houses were much more common than brick houses.
Eighteenth-century houses showed great interior improvements over what they were before. Windows were made larger and shutters were taken away. Large, clear sheet of glass replaced the small leaded glass of the seventeenth century. Doorways were larger and more decorative. Fireplaces became decorative features of rooms. Walls were made of plaster(灰泥) or wood, sometimes were decorated with square or rectangular wooden boards. White paint began to take the place of blues, yellows, greens and lead colors, which had been popular for walls in the earlier years. After about 1730, advertisements for wallpaper styles in scenic pattern began to appear in colonial newspapers.
51. What does the passage mainly about?
A. The improvement design of eighteenth-century colonial houses.
B. The comparison of eighteenth-century houses and modern ones.
C. The structures of eighteenth –century colonial houses.
D. The roles of carpenters in building eighteenth-century houses.
52. What was one of the main reasons for the change in eighteenth-century houses in North America?
A. More designers arrived in the colonies in North America.
B. The carpenters were smart and experienced enough.
C. Bricks were more widely used in North America.
D. The colonists had more money to spend on housing.
53. According to the passage, who designed houses in eighteenth-century North America?
A. Professional designers.                             B. House owners.
C. Businessmen.                                    D. Carpenters.
54. Where was stone commonly used to build houses?
A. Virginia.               B. Pennsylvania.           C. Boston.             D. Charleston.
55. What does the author imply about the use of wallpaper before 1730?
A. Wallpaper was introduced in handbooks of designing houses.
B. Wallpaper was the same color as what the wall was painted.
C. Patterned wallpaper was not widely used.
D. Wallpaper was not used in stone houses.