托福阅读考试真题及答案

本文格式为Word版，下载可任意编辑——托福阅读考试真题及答案Duringthesecondhalfofthenineteenthcentury,theproductionoffoodandfeedcropsintheUnitedStatesroseatanextraordinarilyrapidrate.Cornproductionincreasedbyfourandahalftimes,haybyfivetimes,oatsandwheatbyseventimes.Themostcrucialfactorbehindthisphenomenalupsurgeinproductivitywasthewidespreadadoptionoflabor-savingmachinerybynorthernfarmers.By1850horse-drawnreapingmachinesthatcutgrainwerebeingintroducedintothemajorgrain-growingregionsofthecountry.Horse-poweredthreshingmachinestoseparatetheseedsfromtheplantswerealreadyingeneraluse.However,itwastheonsetoftheCivilWarin1861thatprovidedthegreatstimulusforthemechanizationofnorthernagriculture.Withmuchofthelaborforceinductedintothearmyandwithgrainpricesontherise,northernfarmersrushedtoavailthemselvesofthenewlabor-savingequipment.In1860therewereapproximately80,000reapersinthecountry;fiveyearslatertherewere350,000.

Afterthecloseofthewarin1865,machinerybecameevermoreimportantinnorthernagriculture,andimprovedequipmentwascontinuallyintroduced.By1880aself-bindingreaperhadbeenperfectedthatnotonlycutthegrain,butalsogatheredthestalksandboundthemwithtwine.Threshingmachineswerealsobeingimprovedandenlarged,andafter1870theywereincreasinglypoweredbysteamenginesratherthanbyhorses.Sincesteam-poweredthreshingmachineswerecostlyitemsrunningfrom$1,000to$4,000theywereusuallyownedbycustomthresherownerswhothenworkedtheirwayfromfarmtofarmduringtheharvestseason.CombineswerealsocomingintouseonthegreatwheatranchesinCaliforniaandthePacificNorthwest.Theseponderousmachinessometimespulledbyasmanyas40horsesreapedthegrain,threshedit,andbaggedit,allinonesimultaneousoperation.

Theadoptionoflabor-savingmachineryhadaprofoundeffectuponthesaleofagriculturaloperationsinthenorthernstatesallowingfarmerstoincreasevastlytheircropacreage.Bytheendofcentury,afarmeremployingthenewmachinerycouldplantandharvesttwoandhalftimesasmuchcornasafarmerhadusinghandmethods50yearsbefore.

1.WhataspectoffarmingintheUnitedStatesinthenineteenthcenturydoesthepassagemainlydiscuss?

AHowlabor-savingmachineryincreasedcropProduction

BWhysouthernfarmswerenotassuccessfulasSuccessfulasnorthernfarms

CFarmingpracticesbeforetheCivilWar

DTheincreaseinthenumberofpeoplefarming

2.Thewordcrucialinline4isclosestinmeaningto

Aobvious

Bunbelievable

Cimportant

Ddesirable

3.Thephraseavailthemselvesinline11isclosestinmeaningto

Atakecare

Bmakeuse

Cgetrid

Ddomore

4.Accordingtothepassage,whywastheCivilWarastimulusformechanization?

AThearmyneededmoregraininordertofeedthesoldiers.

BTechnologydevelopedforthewarcouldalsotheusedbyfarmers.

CItwashopedthatharvestingmoregrainwouldlowerthepriceofgrain.

DMachineswereneededtoreplaceadisappearinglaborforce.

5.ThepassagesupportswhichofthefollowingstatementsaboutmachineryaftertheCivilWar?

AManyfarmerspreferrednottousethenewmachinery.

BReturninglaborersreplacedtheuseofmachinery.

CTheuseoffarmmachinerycontinuedtoincrease.

DPoor-qualitymachineryslowedthepaceofcropproduction.

6.Combinesandself-bindingreapersweresimilarbecauseeach

Acouldperformmorethanonefunction

Brequiredrelativelylittlepowertooperate

CwasutilizedmainlyinCalifornia

Drequiredtwopeopletooperate

7.Thewordtheyinline19refersto

Agrainstalks

Bthreshingmachines

Csteamengines

Dhorses

8.Itcanbeinferredfromthepassagethatmostfarmersdidnotownthreshingmachinesbecause

Afarmersdidnotknowhowtousethenewmachines

Bfarmershadnospacetokeepthemachines

Cthresherownerhadchancetobuythemachinesbef