历年托福考试阅读真题汇总及答案

1、0308托福试题阅读(55minutes )Question 1-11If food is allowed to sta nd for some time, it putrefies .Whe n the putrefied materialis examined microscopically ,it is found to be teeming with bacteria. Where do thesebacteria come from , since they are not see n in fresh food? Eve n un til the mid-nin etee nthc

2、entury, many people believed that such microorganisms orig in ated by spontan eous(5 ) generation ,a hypothetical process by which living organisms develop from non liv ingmatter.The most powerful opponent of the theory of spontaneous generation was the French chemist and microbiologist Louis Pasteu

3、r(1822-1895).Pasteur showed that structures present in air closely resemble the microorganisms seen in putrefy ing materials .He did(10) this by passing air through guncotton filters, the fibers of which stop solid particles. Afterthe guncotton was dissolved in a mixture of alcohol and ether, the pa

4、rticles that it hadtrapped fell to the bottom of the liquid and were exam ined on a microscope slide .Pasteurfound that in ordinary air these exists a variety of solid structures ranging in size from0.01 mm to more tha n 1.0 mm .Ma ny of these bodies resembled the reproductive(15)structures of com m

5、on molds, single-celled animals, and various other microbial cells .As many as 20 to 30 of them were found in fifteen liters of ordinary air ,and they couldnot be distinguished from the organisms found in much larger numbers in putrefying materials .Pasteur concluded that the orga ni sms found in pu

6、trefy ing materials orig in atedfrom the organized bodies present in the air .He postulated thatthese bodies are con sta ntly(20)be ing deposited on all objects.Pasteur showed that if a nu trie nt solutio n was sealed in a glass flask and heated toboiling to destroy all the living organisms contamin

7、ating it, it never putrefied .The proponents of spontaneous generation declared that fresh air was n ecessary forspontan eous gen erati on and that the air in side the sealed flask was affected in some way(25)by heat ing so that it would no Ion ger support spontan eous generation. Pasteur constructe

8、d a swan-necked flask in which putrefy ing materials could he heated to boili ng, but air could reen ter. The bends in the n eck preve nted microorga ni sms from getting in the flask. Material sterilized in such a flask did not putrefy.1, What does the passage mainly discuss?(a) Pasteur ' s in f

9、lue nee on the developme nt of the microscope.(b) The orig in of the theory of spontan eous gen eratio n .(c) The effects of pasteurizati on on food.(d) Pasteur ' s argume ntnagthe theory of spontan eous gen eratio n .2, The phrase“ teeming with ” in line 2 is closest in meaning to(a) full of(b)

10、 develop ing into(c) resista nt to(d) hurt by3, Which of the following questions did the theory of spontaneous gen erati on attempt to an swer?(a) What is the origin of the living organisms are seen on some food?(b) How many types of orga ni sms can be found on food?(c) What is the most effective wa

11、y to prepare living organisms for microscopic exam in atio n?(d) How long can food sta nd before it putrefies?4, The word“ resemble ” in line 9 is closest in meaning to(a) be nefit from(b) appear similar to(c) joi n together with(d) grow from5. The purpose of the“ guncotton ” mentioned in paragraph

12、2 was to(a) trap particles for an alysis(b) slow the process of putrefacti on(c) increase the airflow to the microscopic slide(d) aid the mixing of alcohol and ether6. The author mention“1.0mm” in line 14 in describing the(a) thick ness of a layer of orga ni sms that was deposited on an object(b) di

13、ameter of the fibers that were in the gun cott on filters(c) thick ness of the microscope slides that were used(d) size of the particles that that were collected7. The word“ postulated ” in line 19 is closest in meaning to(a) a nalyzed(b) doubted(c) persuaded(d) suggested8. The objects that Pasteut

14、removed from the air in his experiment were remarkable because they were(a) primarily sin gle-celled orga ni sms(b) no differe nt from objects found in putrefy ing materials(c) fairly rare(d) able to live in a mixture of alcohol and ether9. The word“ it ” in line 22 refers to(a) a nu trie nt solutio

15、 n(b) a glass flask(c) boili ng(d) sp ontan eous gen erati on10. Accord ing to paragraph 3,prop onents of spontan eous gen erati on believed that which of the following was important for the process to succeed ?(a) A sealed container(b) Fresh air(c) Heat(d) The prese nee of nu trie nts11.lt can be i

16、nferred from paragraph 3 that Pasteur employed a swam-necked flask to(a) store sterilized liquids for use in future experime nts(b) preve nt heat from build ing up in a soluti on(c) disprove a criticism of his con clusi ons(d) estimate the nu mber of orga ni sms in a liter of airQuestions 12-20In th

17、e early decades of the United States ,the agrarian moveme nt promoted the farmeras society ' hero. In the mi nds of agraria n thi nkers and writers ,the farmer was a pers on on whose well-be ing the health of the new country depe nded .The period betwee n theRevolution, which ended in 1783,and t

18、he Civil War ,which en ded in 1865 ,was the age of(5 )the farmer in the Un ited States.Agraria nphilosophers ,represe nted most eloque ntly byThomas Jeffers on, celebrated farmers extravaga ntly for their supposed cen trality in a goodsociety, their political virtue ,and their Superior morality .And

19、 virtually all policy makers, whether they subscribed to the ten ets of the philosophy held by Jeffers on or no t, recog ni zed agriculture as the keycomp onentof theAmerica neconomy .Con seque ntly ,gover nment at(10) all levels worked to encourage farmers as a social group and agriculture as econo

20、 micen terprise.Both the national and state governments developed transportation infrastructure,building canals, roads, bridges, and railroads ,deepening harbors ,and removing obstructions from navigable streams .The national government imported plant and ani mal varieties and(15) launched exploring

21、 expeditions into prospective farmlands in the Westn additi on ,government trade policies facilitated the exporting of agriculturalproducts.For their part farmers seemed to meet the social expectati ons agraria n philosophershad for them ,as their broader horiz ons and greater self-respect, both pro

22、ducts of the Revoluti on ,were reflected to some degree in their behavior .Farmers seemed to become(20) more scientific ,joining agricultural societies and reading the farm n ewspapers that spra ngup throughout the country .They began using improved impleme nts, tried new crops andpure animal breeds

23、 , and became more receptive to modern theories of soil improveme nt .They also responded to inducements by national and state gover nments .Farmersstreamed to the West ,filling frontier lands with stunning rapidity .But farmers resp on ded(25) less to the expectations of agrarians and government in

24、ducements than to growing market opportunities .European dema nd for food from the Un ited States seemed in satiable . War, in dustrializatio n , and urba ni zati on all kept dema nd high in Europe . Un ited States citiesand in dustries grew as well; eve n in dustries not directly related to farming

25、 thrived becauseof the market, money ,and labor that agriculture provided .12. What does the passage mainly discuss?(a) The agraria n philosophy of Thomas Jeffers on(b) The role of the national government in the development of agriculture(c) Improveme nts in farmi ng tech niq ues(d) The impact of th

26、e in creased importa nee of the farmer13. The word“ depended ” in line 3 is closest in meaning to(a) improved(b) relied(c) dema nded(d) expla ined14. The author men ti ons Thomas Jeffers on in paragraph 1 as anexample of(a) a leader during the Revolution(b) a n inven tor of new farmi ng tech niq ues

27、(c) a philosopher who believed farmers were esse ntial to the creati on of a good society(d) a farmer who guided the agraria n moveme nt toward an emphasis on econo mic developme nt15. The phrase“ subscribed to ” ial(tisies8 iis meaning to(a) c on tributed to(b) agreed with(c) thought about(d) expa

28、nded on16. Which of the following statements is supported by the in formati on in paragraph 1?(a) All gover nment policy makers accepted Jeffers on'iews ofagriculture and farmers.(b) Agricultural production declined between 1783 and 1861.(c) The majority of farmers worked for the gover nment.(d)

29、 Agriculture was a vital part of the nation' s economy.17. Accord ing to the passage , the n ati onal and state gover nments did all of the following EXCEPT(a) build roads(b) import new pla nt varieties(c) give farmers money for their crops(d) develop policies that helped farmers export their pr

30、oducts18. All of the following are mentioned as examples of farmers ' meet ing the expectati ons of agraria n philosophers EXCEPT(a) obta ining in formatio n from farm n ewspapers(b) accumulati ng pers onal wealth(c) pla nti ng new crops(d) becoming more scientific19. The word“ stunning ” in lin

31、e 24 is closest in meaning to(a) predictable(b) impressive(c) famous(d) gradual2O.Which of the follow ing stateme nts is best supported by paragraph 4?(a) Agricultural development contributed to development in other parts of the economy.(b) European agricultural products were of a higher quality tha

32、n those produced in the Un ited States.(c) The growing settlement of the West led to a decrease in agricultural producti on.(d) Farmers were in flue need more by gover nment policies tha n by market opport un ities.Question 21-29NORnfAMliRH AThe wide variety of climates in North America has helpedsp

33、aw n a complex patter n ofsoil regions. In general, the realm' s soils also reflect the broaden vir onmen tal partiti oningin to “ humid America ” and “ aridAmerica. ” Where annual precipitati on exceeds 20 in ches(50 centimeters),soils in humid areas tend to be acidic in chemical content, Since

34、 crops(5 ) do best in soils that are n either acidic(higher in acid content) nor alkaline(higher in salt content).fertilization is necessary to achieve the desired level of n eutrality betwee n thetwo. Arid America ' ssoils are typically alkaline and must be fertilized back towardneutrality by a

35、dding acidic compounds. Although many of these dryla nd soils, particularlyin the Great Plains, are quite fertile, European settlers learned over a cen tury ago that(10) water is the main missing ingredient in achieving their agricultural potential. In the1970' sperta in irrigati on methods were

36、 perfected and fin ally provided a real opport un ityto expand more intensive farming west from the Central Lowla nd into the drier porti onsof the Great Plains. Glaciation also enhanced the rich legacy of fertile soils in the cen tralUn ited States,both from the depositi on of mi neral-rich glacial

37、 debris left by meltwater(15) and from thick layers of fine wind-blown glacial material, called loess, i n and around themiddle Mississippi Valley.Natural vegetati on patter ns could be displayed on a map of North America, but theenormous human modification of the North American en vir onment in mod

38、er n times hasall but reduced this regi on alizati on scheme to the level of the hypothetical. Non etheless,(20) the humid America-arid America dichotomy is still a valid gen eralizatio n: the n aturalvegetatio n of areas receiv ing more tha n 20 in ches of water yearly is forest, whereas thedrier c

39、limates give rise to a grassland cover. The forests of North America tent to makea broad transition by latitude. In the Canadian North, needleleaf forests domin ate, butthese coniferous trees become mixed with broadleaf deciduous trees as one crosses the(25) border into the Northeast United States.

40、As one proceeds toward the Southeast, broadleaf vegetation becomes dominant. Arid America mostly con sists of short-grass prairies or stepper. The only areas of true desert are in the Southwest.21 What aspect of North America does the passage mainly discuss?(A) The wide variety of climates(B) Soil t

41、ypes and vegetati on patter ns(C) Improved irrigation methods and the expansion of agriculture(D) The cha nge in precipitati on patter ns22 The word“ spawn ” in line 1 is closest in meaning to(A) disti nguish(B) elimi nate(C) protect(D) create23 The word“ partiti oning” in line 2 is closest in meani

42、ng to(A) divisio n(B) modificati on(C) ope ning(D) circulat ing24 Accord ing to the passage, acidic soils tent to be associated with(A) a high salt content(B) an in crease in farmi ng(C) large amounts of rain(D) glacial meltwater25 The word “ enhanced ” in line 13 is closest in meaning to(A) implied

43、(B) in creased(C) in dicated(D) in formed26 How did glacial meltdown affect the soil in North America?(A) It redistributed the soil types(B) It added salt to the soil(C) It made the soil more n eutral in content(D) It added min erals to the soil27 The phrasefilgii® nalizatio n scheme ” in line

44、19 refers to the(A) moveme nts of glacial deposits(B) patterns of n atural vegetati on(C) huma n modificati on of the North America n en viro nment(D) dist in cti on betwee n humid America and arid America28 The word“ tran siti on” in line 23 is closest in meaning to(A) elevati on(B) change(C) adva

45、ntage(D) con diti on29 The passage supports which of the follow ing stateme nts?(A) Arid America is not n ecessarily characterized by the prese nee of deserts(B) Most of Canada and the northeastern United States consists of short-grass prairies wherever natural vegetation has not been modified by hu

46、ma ns(C) The accumulation of loess is primarily the result of irrigation(D) Glaciati on removed the fertile layer of soil from much of the Mississippi ValleyQuesti ons 30-40Most sources of illu min atio n gen erate light over an appreciable period, and in deed ifan object is lit for a very brief tim

47、e(less that 1/25 sec on d), the huma n eye will not reactin time to see the object. A photographic emulsion-that is, a light-se nsitive coati ng on photographic film, paper, or glasswill, however, record much shorter bursts of light. A(5 ) photographic flash can therefore be used to capture high-spe

48、ed moveme nt on film as wellas to correct deficiencies of the normal surrounding lighting. Photoflash is now gen erated electro nically, but the earliest form, first used in 1864, was a paper bag containingmagnesium wire and some oxygen-rich substanee, such as potassium chlorate. Whe n thebag was ig

49、nited, the metal burned with an intense flash. Acon temporary observer reported(10) that “ this quite un safe device seems to have done nothing worse that en gulf the room indense smoke and lead to pictures of dubious quality and odd poses.The evolution of the photoflash was slow, flashbulbs, contai

50、ning fine wire made of ametal, such as magnesium or aluminum, capable of being ignited in an atmosphere of pure oxygen at low pressure, were introduced only in the 1920' arllesthtype, the metal(15) was separated from the oxyge n by a thin glass bulb. The flash was fired by pierc ing thebulb and

51、allowi ng the oxyge n to come in to con tact with the metal, which ign itedspontaneously. Later bulbs were fired by an electric battery, which heated the wire bypass ing a small curre nt through it. Other comb in ati ons, such as the pairi ng of oxyge ndifluoride with zirconium, have also been used.

52、 In each case eno ugh en ergy is give n out to(20) heat the oxidizable metal mome ntarily to a white-hot emissi on of visible light. The smokeparticles areso small that they cool rapidly; but since they are white, they con tribute to the brillia nce by reflect ing the light from their stillglow ing

53、n eighbors. A slightly bigger form of the metal will burn for a Ion ger time.30 What does the passage mainly discuss?(A) The history of the photoflash(B) Theories about how the eye reacts to light(C) The tech no logy of moder n photography(D) The dan gers of using the early photoflash31 Accord ing t

54、o the passage,1/25 sec ond is the minimum amount of time required for the(A) record ing of an image on film(B) gen eratio n of artificial light(C) creati on of a photographic emulsi on(D) huma n eye to react to light32 Accord ing to the passage, an adva ntage of using a photoflash is that it(A) can

55、produce repeated bursts of light(B) inten sities colors in photographs(C) is short eno ugh not to bother huma n eyes(D) suppleme nts exist ing light ing33 The word “ ign ited ” in line 9 is closestningrtea(A) set on fire(B) cut into(C) ope ned(D) shaken34 Which of the follow ing phrases is defi ned

56、in paragraph 1?(A) ” appreciable period ” (line 1)(B) ” photographic emulsion” (line 3)(C) ” highpeed movement ” (line 5)(D) ” odd poses ” (line 11)35 The word“ evolutio n ” in line 12 is closest in meaning to(A) publicity(B) adopti on(C) developme nt(D) manu facture36 The fun cti on of the glass in

57、 the first flashbulbs was to(A) produce the spark that in itiated the flash(B) magnify the light produced by the flash(C) protect the photographer from the heat of the flash(D) keep the metal and oxyge n apart before the flash37 The word “ it ” in line 18 refers to(A) oxygen(B) battery(C) wire(D) cu

58、rre nt38 The word “ mome ntarily ” in line 20 is closest iirnmeoa n(A) effortlessly(B) briefly(C) electro nically(D) gradually39 Accord ing to the passage, the white color of the smoke particles gen erated by a flashbulb con tributes to(A) rapid cooli ng(B) bright illu min atio n(C) electrical con ductivity(D) intense heat40 Accord ing to t