老托福阅读真题PASSAGE 68.docx

老托福阅读真题PASSAGE 68 托福阅读的思维方式就是托福阅读的出题方式，只有掌握了这种思维方式，才有可能在做题之前，预测到新托福阅读题的出题形式和特点，为找答案节省时间。老托福阅读试题的核心价值，在于其最贴近真题的阅读思维方式。此外老托福阅读真题比新托福IBT阅读文章要短，比较容易适应。这也是大家在备考托福的时候非常重要的一点。因为前期的入手如果能从容易的开始，就会形成一个循序渐进的过程方式，让大家的练习有一个提高的过程。 既然老托福阅读试题有这样的效果，那我们如何利用那有限的真题来达到锻炼自己的目的呢？事实上这就一个办法，就是坚持。本期为大家推荐老托福阅读的真题PASSAGE 68，附有原文及答案，希望对托福考生备考有所帮助。 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 m