2011年TOEFL词汇模拟题精选系列七十三

356. Many are uninhabitable, by virtue of their small size and particular characteristics, but even the most favored are very isolated fragments of land, strictly circumscribed by the ocean, strictly limited in terms of the numbers of people they can support.
The phrase "by virtue of" is closest in meaning to which of following?
(A) regarding
(B) because of
(C) taking advantage of
(D) in place of

The word "circumscribed" is closest in meaning to which of following?
(A) located
(B) flooded
(C) restricted
(D) pushed

357. Simply surviving those ocean crossings of indeterminate length, in open canoes, to arrive on the shores of uninhabited and hitherto unknown islands, was a formidable achievement.
The word "indeterminate" is closest in meaning to which of following?
(A) undecided
(B) uncertain
(C) unacceptable
(D) increasing

358. The Rosetta stone thwarted scholars' efforts for several decades until the early nineteenth century when several key hieroglyphic phrases were decoded using the Greek inscriptions.
The word "thwarted" is closest in meaning to which of following?
(A) continued
(B) influenced
(C) encouraged
(D) frustrated

359. Lichens, probably the hardiest of all plants, live where virtually nothing else can---not just on rugged mountain peaks but also on sunbaked desert rocks.
The word "hardest" is closest in meaning to which of following?
(A) most unusual
(B) most basic
(C) most abundant
(D) most vigorous

360. Unlike other members of the plant kingdom, lichens are actually a partnership between two plants. The framework of a lichen is usually a network of minute hairlike fungus that anchors the plant.
The word "framework" is closest in meaning to which of following?
(A) structure
(<B
(C) condition
(D) environment

356 C C

357 B

358 D

359 D

360 A