1995年10月托福阅读全真试题

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1995年10月托福阅读全真试题

Questions 1-13

Atmospheric pressure can support a column of water up to
10 meters high. But plants can move water much higher, the
sequoia tree can pump water to its very top, more than 100
meters above the ground. Until the end of the nineteenth century,
the movement of water in trees and other tall plants
was a mystery. Some botanists hypothesized that the living
cells of plants acted as pumps, But many experiments demonstrated
that the stems of plants in which all the cells are killed
can still move water to appreciable heights. Other explanations
for the movement of water in plants have been based on root
pressure, a push on the water from the roots at the bottom of
the plant. But root pressure is not nearly great enough to push
water to the tops of tall trees. Furthermore, the conifers,
which are among the tallest trees, have unusually low root
pressures.

If water is not pumped to the top of a tall tree, and if it
is not pushed to the top of a tall tree, then we may ask, How
does it get there? According to the currently accepted cohesion
-tension theory, water is pulled there. The pull on a rising
column of water in a plant results from the evaporation of
water at the top of the plant. As water is lost from the surface of
the leaves, a negative pressure, or tension, is created. The
evaporated water is replaced by water moving from inside the plant
in unbroken columns that extend from the top of a plant to its
roots. The same forces that create surface tension in any
sample of water are responsible for the maintenance of these
unbroken columns of water. When water is confined in tubes of
very small bore, the forces of cohesion (the attraction between
water molecules) are so great that the strength of a column
of water compares with the strength of a steel wire of
the same diameter. This cohesive strength permits columns of
water to be pulled to great heights without being broken.

1. How many theories does the author mention?

(A) One
(B) Two
(C) Three
(D) Four

2. The passage answers which of the following questions?

(A) What is the effect of atmospheric pressure on foliage?
(B) When do dead cells harm plant growth?
(C) How does water get to the tops of trees?
(D) Why is root pressure weak?

3. The word "demonstrated" in line 7 is closest in meaning to

(A) ignored
(B) showed
(C) disguised
(D) distinguished

4. What do the experiments mentioned in lines 7-9 prove?

(A) Plant stems die when deprived of water
(B) Cells in plant stems do not pump water
(C) Plants cannot move water to high altitudes
(D) Plant cells regulate pressure within stems

5.How do botanists know that root pressure is not the only force that moves water in plants?

(A) Some very tall trees have weak root pressure.
(B) Root pressures decrease in winter.
(C) Plants can live after their roots die.
(D) Water in a plant's roots is not connected to water in its stem.

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

(A) Water is pushed to the tops of trees.
(B) Botanists have proven that living cells act as pumps.
(C) Atmospheric pressure draws water to the tops of tall trees.
(D) Botanists have changed their theories of how water moves in plants.

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

(A) top
(B) tree
(C) water
(D) cohesion-tension theory.

8. The word "there" in line 18 refers to

(A) treetops
(B) roots
(C) water columns
(D) tubes

9. What causes the tension that draws water up a plant?

(A) Humidity
(B) Plant growth
(C) Root pressure
(D) Evaporation

10. The word "extend" in line 24 is closest in meaning to

(A) stretch
(B) branch
(C) increase
(D) rotate

11. According to the passage, why does water travel through plants in unbroken columns?

(A) Root pressure moves the water very rapidly.
(B) The attraction between water molecules in strong.
(C) The living cells of plants push the water molecules together.
(D) Atmospheric pressure supports the columns.

12.Why does the author mention steel wire in line 30?

(A) To illustrate another means of pulling water
(B) To demonstrate why wood is a good building material
(C) To indicate the size of a column of water
(D) To emphasize the strength of cohesive forces in water

13.Where in the passage does the author give an example of a plant with low root pressure?

(A) Lines3-4
(B) Lines5-7
(C) Lines10-11
(D) Lines12-13

Question 14-22

Mass transportation revised the social and economic fabric
of the American city in three fundamental ways. It catalyzed
physical expansion, it sorted out people and land uses,
and it accelerated the inherent instability of urban life. By
opening vast areas of unoccupied land for residential expansion,
the omnibuses, horse railways, commuter trains, and
electric trolleys pulled settled regions outward two to four
times more distant from city centers than they were in the pre-
modern era. In 1850, for example, the borders of Boston lay
scarcely two miles from the old business district; by the turn of
the century the radius extended ten miles. Now those who
could afford it could live far removed from the old city center
and still commute there for work, shopping, and entertainment.
The new accessibility of land around the periphery of
almost every major city sparked an explosion of real estate
development and fueled what we now know as urban sprawl.
Between 1890 and 1920, for example, some 250,000 new
residential lots were recorded within the borders of Chicago, most
of them located in outlying areas. Over the same period,
another 550,000 were plotted outside the city limits but within
the metropolitan area. Anxious to take advantage of the
possibilities of commuting, real estate developers added 800,000
potential building sites to the Chicago region in just thirty
years – lots that could have housed five to six million people.

Of course, many were never occupied; there was always
a huge surplus of subdivided, but vacant, land around Chicago
and other cities. These excesses underscore a feature of
residential expansion related to the growth of mass transportation:
urban sprawl was essentially unplanned. It was carried out by
thousands of small investors who paid little heed to coordinated
land use or to future land users. Those who purchased and
prepared land for residential purposes, particularly land near or
outside city borders where transit lines and middle-class
inhabitants were anticipated, did so to create demand as much as
to respond to it. Chicago is a prime example of this process.
Real estate subdivision there proceeded much faster than
population growth.

14. With which of the following subjects is the passage mainly concerned?

(A) Types of mass transportation.
(B) Instability of urban life.
(C) How supply and demand determine land use.
(D) The effects of mass transportation on urban expansion.

15. The author mentions all of the following as effects of mass transportation on cities EXCEPT

(A) growth in city area
(B) separation of commercial and residential districts.
(C) Changes in life in the inner city.
(D) Increasing standards of living.

16. The word "vast" in line 5 is closest in meaning to

(A) large
(B) basic
(C) new
(D) urban

17. The word "sparked" in line 15 is closest in meaning to

(A) brought about
(B) surrounded
(C) sent out
(D) followed

18. Why does the author mention both Boston and Chicago?

(A) To demonstrate positive and negative effects of growth.
(B) To show that mass transit changed many cities.
(C) To exemplify cities with and without mass transportation.
(D) To contrast their rates of growth

19. The word "potential" in line 23 is closest in meaning to

(A) certain
(B) popular
(C) improved
(D) possible

20. The word "many" in line 25 refers to

(A) people
(B) lots
(C) years
(D) developers

21. According to the passage, what was one disadvantage of residential expansion?

(A) It was expensive.
(B) It happened too slowly.
(C) It was unplanned.
(D) It created a demand for public transportation.

22. The author mentions Chicago in the second paragraph as an example of a city

(A) that is large
(B) that is used as a model for land development
(C) where land development exceeded population growth
(D) with an excellent mass transportation system.
Question 23-33

The preservation of embryos and juveniles is rare occurrence
in the fossil record. The tiny, delicate skeletons are usually
scattered by scavengers or destroyed by weathering before
they can be fossilized. Ichthyosaurs had a higher chance of
being preserved than did terrestrial creatures because, as marine
animals, they tended to live in environments less subject to
erosion. Still, their fossilization required a suite of factors: a
slow rate of decay of soft tissues, little scavenging by other
animals, a lack if swift currents and waves to jumble and carry
away small bones, and fairly rapid burial. Given these factors,
some areas have become a treasury of well-preserved
ichthyosaur fossils.

The deposits at Holzmaden, Germany, present an
interesting case for analysis. The ichthyosaur remains are found in
black, bituminous marine shales deposited about 190 million
years ago. Over the years, thousands of specimens of marine
reptiles, fish, and invertebrates have been recovered from
these rocks. The quality of preservation is outstanding, but
what is even more impressive is the number of ichthyosaur
fossils containing preserved embryos. Ichthyosaurs with embryos
have been reported from 6 different levels of the shale in a
small area around Holzmaden, suggesting that a specific site
was used by large numbers of ichthyosaurs repeatedly over
time. The embryos are quite advanced in their physical develop-
ment; their paddles, for example, are already well formed.
One specimen is even preserved in the birth canal. In addition,
the shale contains the remains of many newborns that are
between 20 and 30 inches long.

Why are there so many pregnant females and young at
Holzmaden when they are so rare elsewhere? The quality of
preservation is almost unmatched, and quarry operations have
been carried out carefully with an awareness of the value of the
fossils. But these factors do not account for the interesting
question of how there came to be such a concentration of
pregnant ichthyosaurs in a particular place very close to their time
of giving birth.

23. The passage supports which of the following conclusions?

(A) Some species of ichthyosaurs decayed more rapidly than other species.
(B) Ichthyosaur newborns are smaller than other newborn marine reptiles.
(C) Ichthyosaurs were more advanced than terrestrial creatures.
(D) Ichthyosaurs may have gathered at Holzmaden to give birth.

24. The word "they" in line 4 refers to

(A) skeletons
(B) scavengers
(C) creatures
(D) environments

25. All of the following are mentioned as factors that encourage fossilization EXCEPT the

(A) speed of burial
(B) conditions of the water
(C) rate at which soft tissues decay
(D) cause of death of the animal.

26. Which of the following is true of the fossil deposits discussed in the passage?

(A) They include examples of newly discovered species.
(B) They contain large numbers of well-preserved specimens
(C) They are older than fossils found in other places
(D) They have been analyzed more carefully than other fossils.

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

(A) extensive
(B) surprising
(C) vertical
(D) excellent

28. The word "site" in line 22 is closest in meaning to

(A) example
(B) location
(C) development
(D) characteristic

29. Why does the author mention the specimen preserved in the birth canal (line 26)?

(A) To illustrate that the embryo fossils are quite advanced in their development
(B) To explain why the fossils are well preserved
(C) To indicate how the ichthyosaurs died
(D) To prove that ichthyosaurs are marine animals.

30. The word "they" in line 30 refers to

(A) pregnant females and young
(B) quarry operations
(C) the value of the fossils
(D) these factors

31.The phrase "account for" in line 33 is closest in meaning to

(A) record
(B) describe
(C) equal
(D) explain

32.Which of the following best expresses the relationship between the first and second paragraphs?

(A) The first paragraph describes a place while the second paragraph describes a field of study.
(B) The first paragraph defines the terms that are used in the second paragraph.
(C) The second paragraph describes a specific instance of the general topic discussed in the first paragraph.
(D) The second paragraph presents information that contrasts with the information given in the first paragraph.

33.Where in the passage does the author mentions the variety of fossils found at Holzmaden?

(A) Line 1
(B) Lines 3-5
(C) Lines 12-13
(D) Lines 19-21

Questions 34-41

The Lewis and Clark expedition, sponsored by President
Jefferson, was the most important official examination of the
high plains and the Northwest before the War of 1812. The
President's secretary, Captain Meriwether Lewis, had been
instructed to "explore the Missouri River, and such principal
streams of it as, by its course and communication with the
waters of the Pacific Ocean …may offer her most direct and
practicable water communication across the continent, for the
purposes of commerce." Captain William Clark, the younger
brother of famed George Rogers Clerk, was invited to share
the command of the exploring party.

Amid rumors that there were prehistoric mammoths
wandering around the unknown region and that somewhere in its
wilds was a mountain of rock salt 80 by 45 miles in extent,
the two captains set out. The date was May 14, 1804. Their
point of departure was the mouth of the Wood River, just
across the Mississippi from the entrance of the Missouri River.
After toiling up the Missouri all summer, the group wintered
near the Mandan villages in the center of what is now North
Dakota. Resuming their journey in the spring of 1805, the
men worked their way along the Missouri to its source and
then crossed the mountains of western Montana and Idaho.
Picking up a tributary of the Columbia River, they continued
westward until they reached the Pacific Ocean, where they
stayed until the following spring.

Lewis and Clark brought back much new information,
including the knowledge that the continent was wider than
originally supposed. More specifically, they learned a good deal
about river drainages and mountain barriers. They ended
speculation that an easy coast-to-coast route existed via the
Missouri-Columbia River systems, and their reports of the
climate, the animals and birds, the trees and plants, and the
Indians of the West – though not immediately published –
were made available to scientists.

34.With what topic is the passage primarily concerned?

(A) The river systems of portions of North America.
(B) Certain geological features to the North American continent.
(C) An exploratory trip sponsored by the United States government.
(D) The discovery of natural resources in the United States.

35.According to the passage, the primary purpose of finding a water route across the continent was to

(A) gain easy access to the gold and other riches of the Northwest
(B) become acquainted with the inhabitants of the West.
(C) investigate the possibility of improved farmland in the West.
(D) facilitate the movement of commerce across the continent

36.The river Meriwether Lewis was instructed to explore was the

(A) Wood
(B) Missouri
(C) Columbia
(D) Mississippi

37.According to the passage, the explorers spent their first winter in what would become

(A) North Dakota
(B) Missouri
(C) Montana
(D) Idaho

38.The author states that Lewis and Clark studied all of the following characteristics of the explored territories EXCEPT

(A) mineral deposits
(B) the weather
(C) animal life
(D) native vegetation

39.The phrase "Picking up" in line 23 could best be replaced by which of the following?

(A) Searching for
(B) Following
(C) Learning about
(D) Lifting

40.It can be inferred from the passage that prior to the Lewis and Clark expedition the size of the continent had been

(A) of little interest
(B) underestimated
(C) known to native inhabitants of the West
(D) unpublished but known to most scientists

41.Wherer in the passage does the author refer to the explorers' failure to find an easy passageway to the western part of the continent?

(A) Lines1-3
(B) Lines7-8
(C) Lines16-18
(D) Lines21-24

Questions 42-50

For a century and a half the piano has been one of the
most popular solo instruments for Western music. Unlike
string and wind instrument, the piano is completely self-
sufficient, as it is able to play both the melody and its
accompanying harmony at the same time. For this reason, it
became the favorite household instrument of the
nineteenth century.

The ancestry of the piano can be traced to the early key
board instruments of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries – the
spinet, the dulcimer, and the virginal. In the seventeenth
century the organ, the clavichord, and the harpsichord became
the chief instruments of the keyboard group, a supremacy they
maintained until the piano supplanted them at the end of the
eighteenth century. The clavichord's tone was metallic and
never powerful; nevertheless, because of the variety of tone
possible to it, many composers found the clavichord a sympa
-thetic instrument for intimate chamber music. The harpsichord
with its bright, vigorous tone was the favorite instrument
for supporting the bass of the small orchestra of the period and
for concert use but the character of the tone could not be
varied save by mechanical or structural devices.
The piano was perfected in the early eighteenth century
by a harpsichord maker in Italy (though musicologists point
out several previous instances of the instrument). This instrument
was called a piano eforte(soft and loud), to indicate its
dynamic versatility; its strings were struck by a recoiling hammer
with a felt-padded head. The wires were much heavier
in the earlier instruments. A series of mechanical improvements
continuing well into the nineteenth century, including
the introduction of pedals to sustain tone or to soften it, the
perfection of a metal frame and steel wire of the finest quality,
finally produced an instrument capable of myriad tonal
effects from the most delicate harmonies to an almost
orchestral fullness of sound, from a liquid, singing tone to
a sharp, percussive brilliance.

42. What does the passage mainly discuss?

(A) The historical development of the piano
(B) The quality of tone produced by various keyboard instruments
(C) The uses of keyboard instruments in various types of compositions
(D) The popularity of the piano with composers

43. Which of the following instruments was widely used before the seventeenth century?

(A) The harpsichord
(B) The spinet
(C) The clavichord
(D) The organ

44. The words "a supremacy" in line 12 are closest in meaning to

(A) a suggestion
(B) an improvement
(C) a dominance
(D) a development

45. The word "supplanted" in line 13 is closest in meaning to

(A) supported
(B) promoted
(C) replaced
(D) dominated

46. The word "it" in line 15 refers to the

(A) variety
(B) music
(C) harpsichord
(D) clavichord

47. According to the passage, what deficiency did the harpsichord have?

(A) It was fragile
(B) It lacked variety in tone.
(C) It sounded metallic.
(D) It could not produce a strong sound.

48. Where in the passage does the author provide a translation?

(A) Lines 4-5
(B) Lines 13-15
(C) Lines 18-19
(D) Lines 20-25

49. According to the information in the third paragraph, which of the following improvements made it possible to lengthen the tone produced by the piano?

(A) The introduction of pedals
(B) The use of heavy wires
(C) The use of felt-padded hammerheads
(D) The metal frame construction

50. The word "myriad" in line 32 is closest in meaning to

(A) noticeable
(B) many
(C) loud
(D) unusual

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1995年10月托福阅读全真试题

1995年10月托福阅读全真试题