2012年TOEFL词汇模拟题精选系列三

. Some species, such as ants, seem to be very articulate creatures, but their medium of communication is difficult for humans to study and appreciate because of our own olfactory insensitivity and the technological difficulties in detecting and analyzing there pheromones.
The word " detecting " is closest in meaning to which of following?
(A) controlling
(B) storing
(C) questioning
(D) finding

 Aphids, which are particularly vulnerable to predators because of their gregarious habits and sedentary nature, secrete an alarm pheromone when attacked that causes nearby aphids to respond by moving away.
The word "sedentary" is closest in meaning to which of following?
(A) inactive
(B) inefficient
(C) unchangeable
(D) unbalanced

408. These innovations in manufacturing boosted output and living standards to an unprecedented extent;the average per capita wealth increased by nearly 1 percent per year-30 percent over the course of a generation.
The word "boosted" is closest in meaning to which of following?
(A) ensured
(B) raised
(C) arranged
(D) discouraged

 Since the 1790's, North American entrepreneurs --- even without technological improvements --- had broadened the scope of the outwork system that made manufacturing more efficient by distributing materials to a succession of workers who each performed a single step of the production process.
The word "scope" is closest in meaning to which of following?
(A) value
(B) popularity
(C) extent
(D) diversity

 As early as 1782 the prolific Delaware inventor Oliver Evans had built a highly automated, laborsaving flour mill driven by water power.
The word "prolific" is closest in meaning to which of following?
(A) efficient
(B) productive
(C) self-employed
(D) progressive

 D

 A

 B

 C

 B