托福阅读：模拟试题及答案解析（2）_第2页

　　托福阅读试题

　　1.What can be inferred from paragraph 1 aboutBritain's short supply of wood in the eighteenthcentury?

　　A.Wood from Britain’s great forests was beingexported to other countries for profit.

　　B.A growing population had required cutting down forests to increase available land forfarming.

　　C.Larger families required the construction of larger homes made from wood.

　　D.What was left of the great forests after the medieval period was being strictly protected.

　　2.Select TWO answer choices that, according to paragraph 1, are true statementsabout Russia’s iron industry in the eighteenth century. To obtain credit, you mustselect TWO answer choices.

　　A.Russia reached its maximum production of iron at the same time as Britain.

　　B.Russia exported much of its iron production to Britain.

　　C.Russia’s appetite for iron increased rapidly after 1740.D.Russia’s energy resourceseventually became insufficient and limited the growth of its iron industry.

　　3.The word "abundant" in the passage is closest in meaning to

　　A.reliable

　　B.plentiful

　　C.well-preserved

　　D.existing

　　4.Why are "beer, glass, soap, and other products" mentioned in the discussion ofBritain’s energy?

　　A.To help explain why the energy crisis was so severe

　　B.To show that despite the energy crisis and as early as 1640, London homes were advancedand well supplied

　　C.To emphasize that after 1640, British homes required energy for more than heat

　　D.To indicate that coal had been used for the production of certain products before theeighteenth century

　　5.According to paragraph 3, all of the following are ways in which the Savery andNewcomen engines were similar EXCEPT:

　　A.Both became relatively inexpensive after the 1770s.

　　B.Both produced steam by burning coal.

　　C.Both were used to operate pumps.

　　D.Both were very inefficient.

　　6.The word "gifted" in the passage is closest in meaning to

　　A.independent

　　B.talented

　　C.famous

　　D.ambitious

　　7.According to paragraph 4, what was James Watt’s major achievement?

　　A. He was able to apply his understanding of physics to invent a variety of scientificinstruments and tools for skilled crafts workers.

　　B.He taught university physics courses to outstanding students whose observations led tomany patented inventions.

　　C.He improved the efficiency of Newcomen’s engine by preventing energy from being lost.

　　D.He redesigned Newcomen’s engine so that it no longer needed a separate condenser.

　　8.The word "splendid" in the passage is closest in meaning to

　　A.original

　　B.necessary

　　C.magnificent

　　D.popular

　　9.Which of the following is NOT mentioned in paragraph 5 as a development thatgreatly changed the production of iron?

　　A.The use of coke in the smelting of pig iron

　　B.The invention of a furnace that used coke to refine iron

　　C.The discovery of a method for increasing the production of charcoal

　　D.The invention of powerful machinery that could shape, form, and finish iron

　　10.In paragraph 6, why does the author compare British iron production in 1740 withthat of 1844?

　　A.To contrast the amounts of iron needed in Britain in two different centuries

　　B.To illustrate how easy it was to make money using Cort’s invention

　　C.To demonstrate the tremendous growth of the iron industry in Britain

　　D.To demonstrate how inexpensive coal had become

　　11.The word "indispensable" in the passage is closest in meaning to

　　A.advantageous

　　B.essential

　　C.less costly

　　D.highly stimulating

　　12.According to the passage, which of the following is true about the development ofsteam power?

　　A.The steam engine’s basic technology can be traced back to medieval Britain when steam-powered machinery was being tried in farming activities.

　　B.Although Russia and Britain developed steam-power technology simultaneously, Britain wasfirst to try it in a large-scale industry due to a greater need for iron.

　　C.Steam-power technology was largely the result of improvements developed to increase thesupply of coal as a primary source of energy.

　　D.Adaptations to steam engines required for their use in cotton-spinning mills led to radicaldevelopments in machinery used in the iron industry.

　　13. Look at the four squares [■] that indicate where the following sentence could beadded to the passage. Where would the sentence best fit? Energy had not been aproblem for Britain in the past because it relied on a rich source of energy: its vastforests.

　　By the eighteenth century, Britain was experiencing a severe shortage of energy. ■【A】 Because of the growth of population, most of the great forests of medieval Britain had longago been replaced by fields of grain and hay. ■【B】Wood was in ever-shorter supply, yet itremained tremendously important. ■【C】It served as the primary source of heat for allhomes and industries and as a basic raw material. ■【D】Processed wood (charcoal) was thefuel that was mixed with iron ore in the blast furnace to produce pig iron (raw iron). The ironindustry’s appetite for wood was enormous, and by 1740 the British iron industry wasstagnating. Vast forests enabled Russia to become the world’s leading producer of iron, much ofwhich was exported to Britain. But Russia’s potential for growth was limited too, and in a fewdecades Russia would reach the barrier of inadequate energy that was already holdingEngland back.

　　14. Directions: An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage of thepassage is provided below. Complete the summary by selecting the THREE answerchoices that express the most important ideas in the passage. Some answer choicesdo not belong in the summary because they express ideas that are not presented inthe passage or are minor ideas in the passage. This questions is worth 2 points.

　　By the eighteenth century, Britain was experiencing a severe shortage of energy.

　　A.The development of blast furnaces for the manufacture of pig iron made the Britain lessdependent on wood.

　　B.After the medieval period, both Russia and Britain began to look for alternative sources ofenergy, such as steam power, in order to maintain the growth of their iron industries.

　　C.Two inventors designed the first steam engines in order to overcome the disadvantages ofrelying on horses to power the pumps used in mining coal.

　　D.James Watt was able to improve upon the efficiency of the steam engine and make it usefulto several industries.

　　E.The puddling furnace increased the availability of charcoal to a variety of industries fromcotton to iron production.

　　F.Steam power increased coal production, which in turn allowed extraordinary growth of theiron industry and the British economy.