If you look closely at some of the early copies of the Declaration of Independence, beyond the flourished signature of John Hancock and the other 55 men who signed it, you will also find the name of one woman, Mary Katherine Goddard. It was she, a Baltimore printer, who published the first official copies of the Declaration, the first copies that included the names of its signers and therefore heralded(宣布，预示)the support of all thirteen colonies.
Mary Goddard first got into printing at the age of twenty-four when her brother opened a printing shop in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1762. When her proceeded to get into trouble with his partners and creditors, it was Mary Goddard and her mother who were left to run the shop. In 1765 they began publishing The Providence Gazette, a weekly newspaper. Similar problems seemed to follow her brother as he opened businesses in Philadelphia and again in Baltimore. Each time Ms. Goddard was brought in to run the newspapers. After starting Baltimore’s first newspaper, The Maryland Journal, in 1773, her brother went broke trying to organize a colonial postal service. While he was in debtor’s prison, Mary Katherine Goddard’s name appeared in the newspaper’s masthead (报头) for the first time.
When the Continental Congress fled there from Philadelphia in 1776, it commissioned Ms. Goddard to print the first official version of the Declaration of Independence in January 1777. After printing the documents, she herself paid the post riders to deliver the Declaration throughout the colonies.
During the American Revolution, Mary Goddard continued to publish Baltimore’s only newspaper, which one historian claimed was “second to none among the colonies.” She was also the city’s postmaster from 1775 to 1789 --- appointed by Benjamin Franklin –and is considered to be the first woman to hold a federal position.
46.With which of the following subjects is the passage mainly concerned?
A. The accomplishment of a female publisher.
B. The weaknesses of the newspaper industry.
C. The rights of a female publisher.
D.The publishing system in colonial America.
47.Mary Goddard’s name appears on the Declaration of Independence because____.
A. She helped write the original document
B. She published the document
C. She paid to have the document printed
D.Her brother was in prison
48.According to the passage, Mary Goddard first became involved in publishing when she ____.
A. was appointed by Benjamin Franklin
B. signed the Declaration of Independence
C. took over her brother’s printing shop
D.moved to Baltimore
49.The word “there” in paragraph 3 refers to____.
A. the colonies
B. the print shop
C. Baltimore
D.Providence
50.It can be inferred from the passage that Mary Goddard was ____.
A. an accomplished businesswoman
B. extremely wealthy
C. a member of the Continental Congress
D.a famous writer
内容提示与分析：
作为《独立宣言》重签名的唯一女性，玛丽为美国的独立做出了独特的贡献。本文叙述了她一生的经历从偶然进入出版界道到创办巴尔的摩的第一份报纸，从勇敢的印刷第一份官方版本的《独立宣言》到美国历史上首位拥有联邦公职的女性，这些无不显示了她超人的能力与远见，纵览她一生的奋斗史，她的确无愧于“殖民地中第一人”的赞誉。
答案与分析：
56. A
分析：本题考察了对全文的理解。开始从独立宣言的签名引出了玛丽的不平凡，然后介绍她创办报纸，印刷《独立宣言》，最后担任市邮政局局长。文章并没有介绍权力。出版系统的状况，也没有介绍出版工业的状况，故答案为A.
57. B
分析：本题有些隐蔽性。原文第二段最后说While he was in debtor’s prison, Mary Katherine Goddard’s name appeared in the newspaper’s masthead (报头) for the first time.这说明在弟弟入狱后，她代替他继续经营报业，所以应选B，文章根本没有谈到撰写文章，付钱等事，所以A, C不符合题意，而D没有发掘出背后的信息。故答案为B。
58. C
分析：答案为第二段最后一句话，由for the first time可以知道答案，A, B所提到的事是在后期才做的，所以不合适，故答案为C。
59. C
分析：由第一段可以知道，玛丽印刷《独立宣言》，由第二段可以知道，他的印刷工作都在巴而的摩进行。A, B, D在文中都没有提到。故答案为C。
60. A
分析：第一段只是提到她是签名人之一，并没有说她是议员，所以C不对，也不能确定她是不是有钱，有名。从她的行为和成就看，可以肯定的是：她是一位取得了巨大成就的商业女性，故答案为A.
