TOEFL阅读历年题目大全
Test 1 1~275
The Northwest Coast, a complex pattern of
islands, coastal plains, foothills, and mountain
ranges, extends from California north to Alaska,
encompassing all the territory west of the Cascade
and Coast Ranges. Its climate is one of even,
moderate temperatures (except in the mountains)
and relatively heavy rainfall. This combination of mild
temperatures and abundant rainfall produces a lush,
dense forest vegetation of conifers, deciduous trees,
mosses, and ferns.
To its Native American inhabitants of the 1400's,
the long, slender coastal region presented both a
favorable and a forbidding environment. The sea and
the rivers held many resources, but to exploit them
required the development of super craft to navigate
waters that wereoften stormy and rough. The forests
were rich with game and many edible plant foods, but
the vegetation of much of the area was so dense that
land travel wasextremely difficult, and large parts of
the heavily forested foothills and rugged mountains
were unsuitable for human settlements. Villages
instead were located along the rivers, on the
shores of bays and low-lying offshore islands, and
occasionally even at sheltered locations fronting on the
open ocean.
It is estimated that the Northwest Coast of the
1400's had a population of about 130,000 and thus
was one of the most heavily populated areas of
North America north of Mexico. The people had
no agriculture but, over thousands of years, had
developed techniques and equipment to exploit their
environment, basing their economy on fishing in
streams and coastal waters that teemed with salmon,
halibut, and other varieties of fish; gathering abalone,
mussels, clams, and other shellfish from the rocky
coastline; hunting land and sea mammals; and
collecting wild plant foods. By the end of the century,
they reached a high cultural level usually found only
among agricultural people, enjoying a stability that
allowed the development of a complex social and
ceremonial life, an elaborate technology, and one of
the world's great art styles.
1. Which of the following is the main
point the author makes about Native
Americans of the Northwest Coast?
They raised crops unique to
North America.
They made good use of the
environment to build a
successful society.
Their technology helped them
survive in the area's harsh
climate.
Their culture was heavily
influenced by the culture of
Mexico.
2. The climate of the Northwest Coast
region is generally
warm and dry
extremely cold
neither very hot nor very cold
constantly changing
3. The word game in the passage is
closest in meaning to
sport
tricks
wood
animals
4. According to the passage, what
probably discouraged people from
trying to go from one part of the
Northwest Coast region to another?
Large areas thick with bushes
and trees
Vast fields of broken ice
Inability to understand other
languages
Disagreements over hunting
areas
5. According to the passage, the Native
Americans of the Northwest Coast
region generally did not live
in villages
on offshore islands
close to rivers
in the mountains
6. The phrase teemed within the
passage is closest in meaning to
varied according to
competed for
were combined with
were full of
7. The author implies that the Native
Americans of the Northwest Coast
differed from most other highly
developed societies of the time
because
they did not depend on
agriculture
they lacked good means of
transportation
their society arose in an arctic
climate
their society was based on
ownership of domestic animals.
8. The word they in the passage
refers to
land and sea mammals
wild plant foods
the people of the Northwest
Coast
agricultural people
9. All of the following are mentioned in
the passage as being important to
the people of the Northwest Coast
EXCEPT
boatbuilding skills
forest plants for food
wood for building durable homes
plentiful supplies of seafood
10. It isclear that the author has a high
opinion of the region's traditional
gardens
art
architecture
music
11. The author mentions the area's
population in order to
demonstrate that
the environment could support
many people
trade with Mexico was of great
importance
environmental problems were
likely to arise
many people had migrated from
Mexico to the area
The city is a global phenomenon. It is
also a regional and cultural variable. Even
within the seemingly homogenous North American
cultural realm, the city shows subtle but significant
differences---not only between older eastern and
newer western United States cities but also between
cities of Canada and those of the United States.
Although the urban expression is similar in the two
countries, it is not identical, and the truly “North
American” city is more a myth than a reality.
The Canadian city, for example, is more compact
than its United States counterpart of equal population
size, with a higher density of buildings and people
and a lesser degree of suburbanization of populations
and functions. Space-saving, multiple-family housing
units are more the rule in Canada, so a similar
population is housed on a smaller land area with
much higher densities, on average, within the central
area of cities. The Canadian city is better served
by and more dependent on mass transportation
than is the United States city. This dependence
gives form and structure to the Canadian central
city, qualities now lost in the sprawling United States
metropolis, whose residents view the central district as
increasingly less central to their lives. Since Canadian
metropolitan areas have only one-
quarter the number of kilometers of superhighways
per capita as United States metropolitan areas ---and
at least as much resistance to constructing more --
suburbanization of peoples and functions is less
extensive north of the border than south. It is likely
to remain that way.
Besides these physical differences, Canadian-
United States contrasts are also apparent in their
cities' social structures. While cities in both countries
are ethnically diverse---Canadian communities, in
fact, have the higher proportion of immigrants --- in
the United States there are pronounced economic
contrasts between central city and suburban residents.
That is, there has been much less
“flight to the suburbs” by middle-income Canadians.
As a result, the Canadian city shows greater social
stability, employment opportunities, and urban
amenities than its United States counterpart. In
particular, it does not have the rivalry from well-
defined competitive “outer cities” of suburbia that
so spread and fragment United States metropolitan
complexes.
12. What does the passage mainly
discuss?
Features that characterize the
typical North American city
The development of suburbs
in North America
Major differences between
United States and Canadian
cities
Population migration toward
newer cities
13. What does the author mean by
referring to the truly North American
city as more a myth than a reality?
Commonly studied histories of
cities in North America distort
reality.
Cities in Canada and the
United States exhibit cultural
similarities.
There is no city that can be
considered representative
of all North American cities.
Eastern and western cities
display greater differences
than the differences between
Canadian and United States
cities.
14. According to paragraph 2, which
of the following statements about
the typical Canadian city is true?
Canadian cities are spread
out over a large area.
Canadian cities vary little
in size.
People and functions in
Canadian cities are centrally
concentrated.
Canadian cities have taller
buildings than other countries.
15. The phrasethe rulein the passage
is closest in meaning to
spacious
practical
well-built
usual
16. It can be inferred from the passage
that Canadian cities are marked by
narrow streets
open spaces
an absence of skyscrapers
a coherent central area
17. The word apparentin the passage
is closest in meaning to
unique
obvious
decreasing
dependent
18. The word pronounced in the
passage is closest in meaning to
strong
recent
divisive
growing
19. It can be inferred from the
passage that, when compared
to their Canadian counterparts,
middle-income people in the
United States tend to
move away from city centers
more frequently
represent a greater range of
income
prefer living closer to urban
amenities
dominate the older eastern
cities
20. The word it in the passage refers to
flight to the suburbs
Canadian city
social stability
United States counterpart
21. The word fragment in the passage is
closest in meaning to
hold down
break up
characterize
distinguish
22. Which of the following does
the author mention as a similarity
between Canadian and United States
cities?
The size of the land area
The quality of mass
transportation
The density of buildings in city
centers
The resistance to constructing
new roadways
The 1920's saw major developments in
popular music in the United States. Some of the most
important were technological: the establishment of
commercial radio stations and the development of the
public-address system, the sound track for film, and
the electrical recording process used for producing
phonograph records. All used the microphone and
the sound amplifier, with significant impact on the
nature of orchestration and popular vocal style, and
consequently on the ideas of performers, arrangers,
and even songwriters. All tended to broaden the
audience for popular music---in a sense to nationalize
it---but at the same time they tended to make it a more
passive one, an audience of listeners rather than
participants. This process tended to heighten the
importance of professionalism and sophistication
among both performers and arrangers; it also
tended to increase commercialism in the transmission
(the “distribution”) of popular music to its audience.
Thus, the era of the American popular music industry
was born---an inevitable result of the electronic age's
“mass media” (though the term was not yet coined).
New York City was the center of the popular
music industry during the 1920's: it had Broadway
and Schubert Alley, center of the American popular
musical theater, and it had Tin Pan Alley, center of
the songwriting business and the still-powerful sheet
music publishers. The recording studios and radio
networks were also based in New York.
In addition, recordings and radio opened up
new possibilities for a striking new development.
They made available kinds of popular music heard
previously only in limited geographical areas or by
specific ethnic and social groups---especially the
blues, gospel songs, and jazz of African Americans
and the traditional music of the southern Appalachian
Mountains and other rural areas of the southern and
western United States. The latter music was not to
affect the mainstream of American popular music
until much later, but the former influenced American
popular music of the 1920's in many ways. In fact,
novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald could even call the era
“The Jazz Age”---which reflected the inroads of
African American musical influence on the nation
at large.
23. What aspect of music in the 1920's in
the United States does the passage
mainly discuss?
The growth of musical theater
The effect of technology on
the popular music industry
Technological advances in
sound recording for film
The influence of professional
songwriters on popular music
24. The word establishment in the
passage is closest in meaning to
necessity
formation
connection
enrichment
25. Which of the following is NOT
mentioned as a technological
development of the 1920's?
The public-address system
Film sound tracks
Magnetic recording tape
The electrical recording process
26. According to the passage, what was
the importance of the microphone
and the sound amplifiermentioned
in paragraph 1 ?
They caused major changes in
the creation and performance
of popular music.
They helped the performance
of people who were not
professionals.
They were used to preserve a
historical record of older styles
of music and performance.
They helped performers meet
audience demand for louder
music.
27. The word consequentlyin the
passage is closest in meaning to
otherwise
in fact
therefore
although
28. The word it in the passage refers
to the
audience
process
importance
commercialism
29. The word heighten in the passage is
closest in meaning to
consider
announce
increase
adjust
30. Why does the passage mention
New York City in paragraph 2 ?
It was a major center for the
invention of new technology.
It had a significant concentration
of performing, composing, and
music business activity.
It had the broadest range of
audiences of any city in the
United States.
It was the source of a popular
regional style of music.
31. What is the new development
that the author discusses in
paragraph 3 ?
A blending of traditional
musical styles occurred.
Popular music performers
began to avoid using
elements of traditional music.
The center of the recording
industry moved south.
Music styles formerly known
only to a few people became
known to many people.
32. The word previouslyin the passage
is closest in meaning to
before
there
inexpensively
significantly
33. The word erain the passage is
closest in meaning to
period
nation
movement
book
About ten percent of the world's deserts are
composed of sand dunes, which are driven across
the desert by the wind. Sand grains march across
the desert floor under the influence of strong winds
by a process known as saltation. The grains of
sand become airborne for a moment, and upon
landing they dislodge additional sand grains, which
repeat the process. In this manner, sand dunes
engulf everything in their path, including structures
made by people, and pose a major problem in the
construction and maintenance of highways and
railroads that cross sandy areas of desert. Sand-
dune migration near desert oasesposes another
serious problem, especially when encroaching on
villages. Methods to mitigate damage to structures
from sand dunes include building windbreaks
and funneling sand out of the way. Without such
measures, disruption of roads, airports, agricultural
settlements, and towns could become a major problem
in desert regions.
The direction, strength, and variability of the wind,
the moisture content of the soil, the vegetation cover,
the underlying topography, and the amount of movable
soil exposed to the wind determine the size and form
of sand dunes. Sand dunes generally have four basic
shapes, determined by the topography of the land and
patterns of wind flow. Linear dunes align
in roughly the direction of strong prevailing winds.
Their length is substantially greater than their width,
and they lie parallel to each other, sometimes with
a wavy pattern. Crescent dunes, also called
barchans, are symmetrically shaped, with horns
pointing downwind. They travel across the desert
at speeds of up to 50 feet a year. Parabolic dunes
form in areas where sparse vegetation anchors the
side arms while the center is blown outward, causing
sand in the middle to move forward. Star dunes form
by shifting winds that pile up sand into central points
that can rise 1,500 feet and more, with several arms
radiating outward, looking much like giant pinwheels.
34. What aspect of sand dunes does
the passage mainly discuss?
Their location
Their destructiveness
Their formation
Their disappearance
35. The worddriven in the passage is
closest in meaning to
pushed
smoothed
controlled
strengthened
36. The word they in the passage
refers to
deserts
strong winds
sand grains
structures
37. According to the passage, in what
way do sand dunes interfere with
transportation?
They cause travelers to get lost.
They make it difficult to build and
repair roadways.
They increase the likelihood of
accidents.
They block the most direct
routes.
38. The word pose in the passage is
closest in meaning to
solves
positions
presents
interprets
39. One purpose of the windbreaks
mentioned in the passage is to
protect buildings
remove sand dunes
encourage the process of
saltation
utilize the power of the wind
40. The word variability in the passage
is closest in meaning to
ability to cause damage
tendency to change
forward movement
speed
41. The word substantially in the
passage is closest in meaning to
actually
specifically
frequently
significantly
42. Which of the following is probably
most influential in determining the
shape of parabolic dunes?
Moisture
Vegetation
Wind speed
Soil composition
43. It can be inferred that pinwheels
resemble which of the following
shapes?
44. Look at the terms saltation,
migration, oases, and topography
in the passage. Which of these
terms is defined in the passage?
Saltation
Migration
Oases
Topography
Because many predators kill only when their prey
is moving, an animal that pretends to be dead may
succeed in causing a predator to lose interest and
move along in search of more lively prey. Hognose
snakes have a complex repertoire of antipredator
mechanisms, of which feigning death is one option.
These fairly large nonvenomous or slightly venomous
snakes occur in sandy habitats in the eastern United
States. When first disturbed, the hognose opts for
bluffing the predator ---it flattens and expands the front
third of its body and head, forming a hood, causing
it to look larger. It then curls into an exaggerated