2014年5月托福考试模拟试题及答案(第二套)_第11页

　Questions 10-19

　　Newspaper publishers in the United States have long been enthusiastic users

　　and distributors of weather maps. Although some newspapers that had carried the

　　United States Weather Bureau's national weather map in 1912 dropped it once the

　　novelty had passed, many continued to print the daily weather chart provided by

　　5 their local forecasting office. In the 1930's, when interest in aviation and progress in

　　air-mass analysis made weather patterns more newsworthy, additional newspapers

　　started or resumed the daily weather map. In 1935, The Associated Press (AP) news

　　service inaugurated its WirePhoto network and offered subscribing newspapers

　　morning and afternoon weather maps redrafted by the AP's Washington, B.C., office

　　10 from charts provided by the government agency. Another news service, United Press International (UPI), developed a competing photowire network and also provided

　　timely weather maps for both morning and afternoon newspapers. After the United

　　States government launched a series of weather satellites in 1966, both the AP and

　　UPI offered cloud-cover photos obtained from the Weather Bureau.

　　15 In the late 1970's and early 1980's, the weather map became an essential

　　ingredient in the redesign of the American newspaper. News publishers, threatened

　　by increased competition from television for readers' attention, sought to package

　　the news more conveniently and attractively. In 1982, many publishers felt

　　threatened by the new USA Today, a national daily newspaper that used a page-wide,

　　20 full-color weather map as its key design element. That the weather map in USA

　　21 Today did not include information about weather fronts and pressures attests to the

　　largely symbolic role it played. Nonetheless, competing local and metropolitan

　　newspapers responded in a variety of ways. Most substituted full-color temperature

　　maps for the standard weather maps, while others dropped the comparatively drab

　　25 satellite photos or added regional forecast maps with pictorial symbols to indicate

　　rainy, snowy, cloudy, or clear conditions. A few newspapers, notably The New York

　　Times, adopted a highly informative yet less visually prominent weather map that

　　was specially designed to explain an important recent or imminent weather event.

　　Ironically, a newspaper's richest, most instructive weather maps often are

　　30 comparatively small and inconspicuous.

　　10. What does the passage mainly discuss?

　　(A) The differences between government and newspaper weather forecasting in the United States.

　　(B) The history of publishing weather maps in United States newspapers

　　(C) A comparison of regional and national weather reporting in the United States.

　　(D) Information that forms the basis for weather forecasting in the United States

　　11 . The word "resumed" in line 7 is closest in meaning to

　　(A) began again (B) held back

　　(C) thought over (D) referred to

　　12. According to the passage, one important reason why newspapers printed daily weather maps during the first half of the twentieth century was

　　(A) the progress in printing technology

　　(B) a growing interest in air transportation

　　(C) a change in atmospheric conditions

　　(D) the improvement of weather forecasting techniques

　　13. What regular service did The Associated Press and United Press International begin to offer subscribing newspapers in the 1930's?

　　(A) A new system of weather forecasting

　　(B) An air-mass analysis

　　(C) Twice daily weather maps

　　(D) Cloud-cover photographs

　　14. The phrase "attests to" in line 21 is closest in meaning to

　　(A) makes up for (B) combines with

　　(C) interferes with (D) gives evidence of

　　15. The word "others" in line 24 refers to

　　(A) newspapers (B) ways

　　(C) temperature maps (D) weather maps

　　16. The word "drab" in line 24 is closest in meaning to

　　(A) precise (B) poor

　　(C) simple (D) dull

　　17. In contrast to the weather maps of USA Today, weather maps in The New York Times tended to be

　　(A) printed in foil color (B) included for symbolic reasons

　　(C) easily understood by the readers (D) filled with detailed information

　　18. The word "prominent" in line 27 is closest in meaning to

　　(A) complex (B) noticeable

　　(C) appealing (D) perfect

　　19. The author uses the term "Ironically" in line 29 to indicate that a weather map's

　　appearance

　　(A) is not important to newspaper publishers

　　(B) does not always indicate how much information it provides

　　(C) reflects how informative a newspaper can be

　　(D) often can improve newspaper sales