In this section there are six reading passages followed by a
total of 20 multiple-choice questions. Read the passages and then mark your
answers on your coloured answer sheet. TEXT A Samuel Slater was born in
Belper, England, in 1768. On completion of his seven year apprenticeship in an
English spinning mill, he was apparently so worried about the growth, and hence
saturation, of the industry in the United Kingdom that, in 1789, without the
knowledge of his family, Slater traveled to America at the age of 21. This was
done in secret; it was illegal at the time to export anything to the U.S.
relating to machinery, including engineers. Also, the U. S. was offering rewards
for textile information. Arriving in New York, it was not long
before he learned of the experimental work of Moses Brown and William Almy, in
Pawtucket, with more advanced machines than the Spinning Jennys used in New
York. Initially without any contract, and working alongside the engineers
already employed at the Almy and Brown mill, Slater successfully reworked a
spinning frame along the lines of Arkwright’s Water Frame. This three months of
work resulted in a partnership with Almy and Brown. He understood the whole
spinning process and knew which machines were vital to overall success of a
mill. However, that management training and knowledge really
came into its own over the next two years as Slater labored to educate the
embryonic textile industry and businessmen in the techniques that had proved so
successful in Belper. Without these, Slater believed the industry would not
flourish. In particular, his aim was to maximize the output from the machinery
and develop the market place in order to sell all the yarn that could be
produced. Prior to this, the philosophy of Almy and Brown was to produce only to
order. By 1792, Slater had proved, through the use of his Belper-learned
management techniques, that he could make spinning a profitable business. This
led to building the Old Slater Mill—the first successful U. S. cotton spinning
mill. Slater’s view was to concentrate on a specific aspect and specialize. The
other partners believed in covering the whole textile process through to
finished goods, including knitting. As a result, in 1797, Slater broke away and
built his own larger mill—the White Mill. Following the success of Slater’s
business, the cotton industry really took off and over the next ten or so years,
over eighty mills developed. Slater has been called both the "Father of American
Industry", and the "Founder of the American Industrial Revolution". Slater left Almy and Brown to establish ______.
A.the Old Slater Mill B.the White Mill C.over eighty mills D.ten or so mills