TOEFL托福考试阅读冲刺

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托福考试阅读冲刺1

The interrelationship of science, technology, and industry is taken for granted today — summed up, not altogether accurately, as "research and development." Yet historically this widespread faith in the economic virtues of science is a relatively recent phenomenon, dating back in the United States about 150 years, and in the Western world as a whole not over 300 years at most. Even in this current era of large scale, intensive research and development, the interrelationships involved in this process are frequently misunderstood. Until the coming of the Industrial Revolution, science and technology evolved for the most part independently of each other. Then as industrialization became increasingly complicated, the craft techniques of preindustrial society gradually gave way to a technology based on the systematic application of scientific knowledge and scientific methods. This changeover started slowly and progressed unevenly. Until late in the nineteenth century, only a few industries could use scientific techniques or cared about using them. The list expanded noticeably after 1870, but even then much of what passed for the application of science was "engineering science" rather than basic science.

Nevertheless, by the middle of the nineteenth century, the rapid expansion of scientific knowledge and of public awareness — if not understanding — of it had created a belief that the advance of science would in some unspecified manner automatically generate economic benefits. The widespread and usually uncritical acceptance of this thesis led in turn to the assumption that the application of science to industrial purposes was a linear process, starting with fundamental science, then proceeding to applied science or technology, and through them to industrial use. This is probably the most common pattern, but it is not invariable. New areas of science have been opened up and fundamental discoveries made as a result of attempts to solve a specific technical or economic problem. Conversely, scientists who mainly do basic research also serve as consultants on projects that apply research in practical ways.

In sum, the science-technology-industry relationship may flow in several different ways, and the particular channel it will follow depends on the individual situation. It may at times even be multidirectional.

1. What is the author's main purpose in the passage ?

(A) To show how technology influenced basic science

(B) To describe the scientific base of nineteenth-century American industries

(D) To argue that basic science has no practical application

2. The word "altogether" in line 2 is closest in meaning to

(A) completely

(B) realistically

(D) understandably

3. The word "intensive" in line 5 is closest in meaning to

(A) decreased

(B) concentrated

(D) advanced

4. The "list" mentioned in line 13 refers to

(A) types of scientific knowledge

(B) changes brought by technology

(D) applications of engineering science

5. The understanding of research and development in the late nineteenth century is based on which of the following?

(A) Engineering science is not very important.

(B) Fundamental science naturally leads to economic benefits.

(D) Industrial needs should determine what areas fundamental science focuses on.

6. The word "it" in line 16 refers to

(A) understanding

(B) public awareness

(D) expansion

7. The word "assumption" in line 19 is closest in meaning to

(A) regulation

(B) belief

(D) confusion

8. Why does the author mention "consultants" in line 25?

(A) To show how new areas of science have given rise to new professions

(B) To distinguish between scientists who work in industry and those who do not

(D) To show how scientists who work in basic research contribute to applied science

9. Which of the following statements does the passage support?

(A) The development of science and of industry is now interdependent.

(B) Basic scientific research cannot generate practical applications.

(D) Science and technology are becoming more separate.

参考答案：CABCB CBDA

托福考试阅读冲刺2

The origins of nest-building remain obscure, but current observations of nest-building activities provide evidence of their evolution. Clues to this evolutionary process can be found in the activities of play and in the behavior and movements of birds during mating, such as incessant pulling at strips of vegetation or scraping of the soil. During the early days of the reproductive cycle, the birds seem only to play with the building materials. In preparation for mating, they engage in activities that resemble nest-building, and continue these activities throughout and even after the mating cycle. Effective attempts at construction occur only after mating.

Although nest-building is an instinctive ability, there is considerable adaptability in both site selection and use of materials, especially with those species which build quite elaborate constructions. Furthermore, some element of learning is often evident since younger birds do not build as well as their practiced elders. Young ravens, for example, first attempt to build with sticks of quite unsuitable size, while a jackdaw's first nest includes virtually any movable object. The novelist John Steinbeck recorded the contents of a young osprey nest built in his garden, which included three shirts, a bath towel, and one arrow.

Birds also display remarkable behavior in collecting building materials. Crows have been seen to tear off stout green twigs, and sparrowhawks will dive purposefully onto a branch until it snaps and then hang upside down to break it off. Golden eagles, over generations of work, construct enormous nests. One of these, examined after it had been dislodged by high winds, weighed almost two tons and included foundation branches almost two meters long. The carrying capacity of the eagles, however, is only relative to their size and most birds are able to carry an extra load of just over twenty percent of their body weight.

1. The word "obscure" in line 1 is closest in meaning to

(A) interesting

(B) unclear

(D) complex

2. According to the passage , which of the following activities is characteristic of the early part of the reproductive cycle of birds?

(A) Selecting a mate

(B) Collecting nest-building materials

(D) Building a nest

3. The word "display" in line 17 is closest in meaning to

(A) communicate

(B) imitate

(D) exhibit

4. The novelist John Steinbeck is mentioned in line 14 because he

(A) conducted a scientific study on the behavior of ospreys

(B) was the first to describe where ospreys built their nests

(D) compared the size of osprey nests with the nests of other species

5. Which of the following birds are mentioned as those that build nests that include unusual objects?

(A) Ravens

(B) Ospreys

(D) Sparrowhawks

6. According to the passage , when gathering materials to build their nests, sparrowhawks do which of the following?

(A) Hang upside down

(B) Select only green twigs

(D) Collect more branches than necessary

7. The word "these" in line 20 refers to

(A) golden eagles

(B) generations

(D) nests

8. The word "load" in line 23 is closest in meaning to

(A) weight

(B) number

(D) level

9. The author mentions twenty percent in line 23 to indicate that

(A) eagles are twenty percent bigger than most birds

(B) twenty percent of all nests include foundation branches

(D) birds can carry twenty percent more of their own weight

参考答案：BCDCB ADAD

托福考试阅读冲刺3

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 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 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.

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, full-color weather map as its key design element. That the weather map in USA 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 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 comparatively small and inconspicuous.

1. 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

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

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

(A) began again

(B) held back

(D) referred to

3. 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

(D) the improvement of weather forecasting techniques

4. 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

(D) Cloud-cover photographs

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

(A) makes up for

(B) combines with

(D) gives evidence of

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

(A) newspapers

(B) ways

(D) weather maps

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

(A) precise

(B) poor

(D) dull

8. 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

(D) filled with detailed information

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

(A) complex

(B) noticeable

(D) perfect

10. The author uses the term "Ironically" in line 28 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

(D) often can improve newspaper sales

参考答案：BABCD ADDBB

托福考试阅读冲刺4

In the North American colonies, red ware, a simple pottery fired at low temperatures, and stone ware, a strong, impervious grey pottery fired at high temperatures, were produced from two different native clays. These kinds of pottery were produced to supplement imported European pottery. When the American Revolution (1775-1783) interrupted the flow of the superior European ware, there was incentive for American potters to replace the imports with comparable domestic goods. Stoneware, which had been simple, utilitarian kitchenware, grew increasingly ornate throughout the nineteenth century, and in addition to the earlier scratched and drawn designs, three-dimensional molded relief decoration became popular. Representational motifs largely replaced the earlier abstract decorations. Birds and flowers were particularly evident, but other subjects — lions, flags, and clipper ships — are found. Some figurines, mainly of dogs and lions, were made in this medium. Sometimes a name, usually that of the potter, was die-stamped onto a piece.

As more and more large kilns were built to create the high-fired stoneware, experiments revealed that the same clay used to produce low-fired red ware could produce a stronger, paler pottery if fired at a hotter temperature. The result was yellow ware, used largely for serviceable items; but a further development was Rockingham ware — one of the most important American ceramics of the nineteenth century. (The name of the ware was probably derived from its resemblance to English brown-glazed earthenware made in South Yorkshire.) It was created by adding a brown glaze to the fired clay, usually giving the finished product a mottled appearance. Various methods of spattering or sponging the glaze onto the ware account for the extremely wide variations in color and add to the interest of collecting Rockingham. An advanced form of Rockingham was flint enamel, created by dusting metallic powders onto the Rockingham glaze to produce brilliant varicolored streaks.

Articles for nearly every household activity and ornament could be bought in Rockingham ware: dishes and bowls, of course; also bedpans, foot warmers, cuspidors, lamp bases, doorknobs, molds, picture frames, even curtain tiebacks. All these items are highly collectible today and are eagerly sought. A few Rockingham specialties command particular affection among collectors and correspondingly high prices.

1. Why did the potters discussed in the passage change the kind of pottery they made?

A) They discovered a new kind of clay.

B) They were compensation for the loss of an overseas supplier.

C) They studied new techniques in Europe.

D) The pottery they had been producing was not very strong.

2. The word "ornate" in line 7 is closest in meaning to

A) elaborate

B) puzzling

C) durable

D) common

3. The passage suggests that the earliest stoneware

A) was decorated with simple, abstract designs

B) used three-dimensional decorations

C) was valued for its fancy decorations

D) had no decoration

4. How did yellow ware achieve its distinctive color?

A) by sponging on a glaze

B) by dusting on metallic powders

C) by brown-glazing

D) by firing at a high temperature

5. The phrase "derived from" in line 19 is closest in meaning to

A) ruined by

B) warned against

C) based on

D) sold by

6. The word "It" in line 20 refers to

A) red ware

B) yellow ware

C) Rockingham ware

D) English brown-glazed earthenware

7. The word "Various" in line 21 is closest in meaning to

A) complicated

B) accepted

C) careful

D) different

8. The phrase "account for" in line 22 is closest in meaning to

A) explain

B) restrict

C) finance

D) supplement

9. What was special about flint enamel?

A) its even metallic shine

B) its mottled appearance

C) its spattered effect

D) its varicolored streaks

10. Which of the following kinds of Rockingham ware were probably produced in the greatest quantity?

A) picture frames

B) dishes and bowls

C) curtain tiebacks

D) doorknobs

11. The passage would most probably continue with a discussion of

A) what bedpans, foot warmers, and cuspidors were used for

B) well-known, modern-day potters who make Rockingham ware

C) examples of Rockingham ware that collectors especially want

D) pieces of Rockingham ware that are inexpensive in today's market

参考答案：BAADC CDADB C

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