TOEFL阅读历年题目大全.doc

test 1 1275 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 1400s, 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 were often 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 was extremely 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 1400s 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 worlds 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 areas 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 with in 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 seafood10. it is clear that the author has a high opinion of the regions traditional gardens art architecture music11. the author mentions the areas 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 phrase the rule in 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 apparent in 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 1920s 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 ages “mass media” (though the term was not yet coined). new york city was the center of the popular music industry during the 1920s: 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 1920s 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 1920s 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 1920s? the public-address system film sound tracks magnetic recording tape the electrical recording process26. according to the passage, what was the importance of the microphone and the sound amplifier mentioned 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 consequently in 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 previously in the passage is closest in meaning to before there inexpensively significantly33. the word era in the passage is closest in meaning to period nation movement book about ten percent of the worlds 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 oases poses 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