-
1996
年
10
月托福
阅读全真试题
Question 1-8
When Jules
Verne wrote Journey to the Center of the Earth in
1864
，
there were
many
conflicting
theories
about
the
nature
of
the
Earth's
interior.
Some
geologists
thought
that
it
contained
a
highly
compressed
ball
of
incandescent
gas
，
while
others
suspected
that
it
consisted
of
separate
shells
，
each
made
of
a
different
material.
Today
，
well over
a century later
，
there is
still little direct evidence of what
lies beneath our feet. Most of our
knowledge of the Earth's interior comes not from
mines
or
boreholes
，
but
from
the
study
of
seismic
waves
-
powerful
pulses
of
energy
released by earthquakes.
The way that seismic waves
travel shows that the Earth's interior is far from
uniform. The continents and the seabed
are formed by the crust - a thin sphere of
relatively
light
，
solid
rock.
Beneath
the
crust
lies
the
mantle
，
a
very
different
layer that extends approximately
halfway to the Earth's center. There the rock is
the subject of a battle between
increasing heat and growing pressure.
In its high
levels
，
the mantle is
relatively cool
；
At greater
depths
，
high
temperatures make the rock behave more
like a liquid than a solid. Deeper
still
，
the
pressure is even more
intense
，
preventing the rock
from melting in spite of a
higher
temperature.
Beyond
a
depth
of
around
2
，
900
kilometers
，
a
great
change
takes
place
and
the
mantle gives way to the
core. Some seismic waves cannot pass through the
core and
others are bent by it. From
this and other evidence
，
geologists conclude that the
outer core
is probably liquid
，
with
a solid
center.
It is almost certainly made
of
iron
，
mixed with
smaller amounts of other elements such as nickel.
The conditions
in the Earth's core make it a far more alien world
than space.
Its solid iron heart is
subjected to
unimaginable
pressure and has
a temperature of
about
9
，
000oF.
Although
scientists
can
speculate
about
its
nature
，
neither
humans
nor machines will
ever be able to visit it.
1. The word
（
A
）
controlling
（
B
）
outdated
（
C
）
opposing
（
D
）
important
2.
What
is
today's
richest
source
of
information
about
the
Earth's
interior
for
geologists
？
（
A
）
Boreholes
（
B
）
Shells
（
C
）
Seismic waves
（
D
）
Mines
3. The
word
（
A
）
mantle
（
B
）
crust
（
C
）
seabed
（
D
）
Earth's center.
4. Which of the following is a primary
characteristic of the Earth's
mantle
？
（
A
）
Light
，
solid rock
（
B
）
Uniformity of composition
（
C
）
Dramatically increasing pressure
（
D
）
Compressed
，
incandescent gas
5. The phrase
（
A
）
runs along
（
B
）
rubs against
（
C
）
turns into
（
D
）
floats on
6.
The word
（
A
）
mantle
（
B
）
core
（
C
）
change
（
D
）
depth
7.
Why
does
the
author
state
in
line
30-31
that
the
Earth's
core
is
alien
than
space
？
（
A
）
Government funds are not available to study the
Earth's core.
（
B
）
Scientists aren't interested
in the
characteristics
of the Earth's core.
（
C
）
It
is impossible to go to the Earth's core to do
research.
（
D
）
The Earth's core is made of elements that are
dangerous to humans.
8. The word
（
A
）
report
（
B
）
learn
（
C
）
worry
（
D
）
hypothesize
Question 9-20
Despite the road
improvements of the turnpike era
（
1790-
1830
）
。
Americans
continued
as
in
colonial
times
to
depend
wherever
possible
on
water
routes
for
travel
and transportation. The larger
rivers
，
especially the
Mississippi and the Ohio
，
became increasingly useful as
steamboats grew in number and improved in design.
River boats
carried to New Orleans the corn and other crops of
northwestern
farmers
，
the
cotton
and
tobacco
of
southwestern
planters.
From
New
Orleans
，
ships
took the cargoes on to eastern
seaports. Neither the farmers of the west nor the
merchants
of
the
east
were
completely
satisfied
with
this
pattern
of
trade.
Farmers
could get better prices for their crops
if the alternative existed of sending them
directly eastward to market and
merchants could sell larger quantities of their
manufactured
goods
if
these
could
be
transported
more
directly
and
more
economically
to the west.
New waterways were needed. Sectional
jealousies and constitutional scruples
stood
in
the
way
of
action
by
the
federal
government
and
necessary
expenditures
were
too
great
for
private
enterprise.
If
extensive
canals
were
to
be
dug
，
the
job
would
be up
to the various states.
New York was the first to act. It had
the natural advantage of a comparatively
level route between the Hudson River
and Lake Erie
，
through the
only break in the
entire Appalachian
Mountain chain. Yet the engineering tasks were
imposing. The
distance was more than
350 miles and there were ridges to cross and a
wilderness of
woods and swamps to
penetrate. The Erie Canal begun in 1817 and
completed in 1825
，
was by far the greatest construction
job that Americans had ever undertaken. It
quickly proved a financial success as
well. The prosperity of the Erie encouraged
the
state
to
enlarge
its
canal
system
by
building
several
branches.
The
range
of
the
New
York
canal
system
was
still
further
extended
when
the
states
of
Ohio
and
Indiana
，
inspired
by
the
success
of
the
Erie
Canal
，
provided
water
connections
between
Lake
Erie
and the Ohio River.
9.
What
does
the
passage
suggest
was
the
principal
route
for
transporting
crops
to the east prior in
1825
？
（
A
）
River to road
（
B
）
Canal to river
（
C
）
River to ocean
（
D
）
Road to canal.
can be inferred from the passage that shipping
cargo east by way of New
Orleans was
（
A
）
Advantageous for manu factures
（
B
）
Inexpensive for merchants
（
C
）
Not economical for farmers
（
D
）
Considered economical by the government
word
（
A
）
option
（
B
）
transition
（
C
）
intention
（
D
）
authorization
word
（
A
）
crops
（
B
）
farmers
（
C
）
prices
（
D
）
merchants
of
the following products would a northwestern farmer
in the early
nineteenth century be most
likely to purchase from the
east
？
（
A
）
Grain
（
B
）
Vegetables
（
C
）
Textiles
（
D
）
Fruit.
ing to
the passage
，
where was the
Erie Canal located
？
（
A
）
Between Ohio and Indiana.
（
B
）
Along the Appalachian Mountains
（
C
）
Between Lake Erie and the Ohio River
（
D
）
Across New York State.
word
（
A
）
impractical
（
B
）
successful
（
C
）
demanding
（
D
）
misleading
word
（
A
）
cut down
（
B
）
go
through
（
C
）
fill up
（
D
）
take over
word
（
A
）
prosperity
（
B
）
Erie
（
C
）
System
（
D
）
State
word
（
A
）
increased
（
B
）
constructed
（
C
）
deepened
（
D
）
measured
ing
to
the
passage
，
Indiana
and
Ohio
supported
the
development
of
the
New York canal system by
（
A
）
helping to build the Erie Canal.
（
B
）
Building branches to connect it with the Ohio
River
（
C
）
Providing much of the water for the Erie Canal.
（
D
）
Contributing financially to the construction costs
does the
paragraph following the passage probably
discuss
？
（
A
）
Industry on Lake Erie
（
B
）
Canals in Ohio and Indiana
（
C
）
Sectional jealousies in Indiana and Ohio
（
D
）
Travel on the Erie Canal.
Question
21-31
Legend
has it that sometime toward the end of the Civil
War
（
1861-1865
）
a
government train carrying
oxen traveling through the northern plains of
eastern
Wyoming was caught in a
snowstorm and had to be abandoned. The driver
returned the
next spring to see what
had become of his cargo. Instead of the skeletons
he had
expected
to
find
，
he
saw
his
oxen
，
living
，
fat
，
and
healthy.
How
had
they
survived
？
The answer lay
in a resource that unknowing Americans lands
trampled underfoot
in their haste to
cross the
proved barren. In the eastern
parts of the United States
，
the preferred grass for
forage
was
a
cultivated
plant.
It
grew
well
with
enough
rain
，
then
when
cut
and
stored
it
would
cure
and
become
nourishing
hay
for
winter
feed.
But
in
the
dry
grazing
lands
of
the
West
that
familiar
bluejoint
grass
was
often
killed
by
drought.
To
raise
cattle
out
there seemed risky or even hopeless.
Who could imagine a fairy-
tale grass that required no rain and somehow made
it
possible
for
cattle
to
feed
themselves
all
winter
？
But
the
surprising
western
wild
grasses did just that. They had
wonderfully convenient features that made them
superior
to
the
cultivated
eastern
grasses.
Variously
known
as
buffalo
grass
，
grama
grass
，
or
mesquite grass
，
not only
were they immune to drought
；
but they were
actually preserved by the
lack of summer and autumn rains. They were not
juicy like
the cultivated eastern
grasses
，
but had
short
，
hard stems. And they
did not need
to
be
cured
in
a
barn
，
but
dried
right
where
they
grew
on
the
ground.
When
they
dried
in
this
way
，
they
remained
naturally
sweet
and
nourishing
through
the
winter.
Cattle
left
outdoors to
fend for
themselves
thrived
on
this
hay. And the cattle
themselves
helped
plant
the
fresh
grass
year
after
year
for
they
trampled
the
natural
seeds
firmly
into the soil to be
watered by the melting snows of winter and the
occasional rains
of
spring.
The
dry
summer
air
cured
them
much
as
storing
in
a
barn
cured
the
cultivated
grasses.
does the
passage mainly discuss
？
（
A
）
Western migration after the Civil War
（
B
）
The climate of the western United States
（
C
）
The raising of cattle.
（
D
）
A
type of wild vegetation
can be inferred by the phrase
？
（
A
）
The story of the train may not be completely
factual.
（
B
）
Most history books include the story of the train.
（
C
）
The driver of the train invented the story.
（
D
）
The story of the train is similar to other ones
from that time period.
word
（
A
）
plains
（
B
）
skeletons
（
C
）
oxen
（
D
）
Americans
can
be
inferred
about
the
American
Desert
mentioned
in
line
9-10
？
（
A
）
It
was not originally assumed to be a fertile area.
（
B
）
Many had settled there by the 1860's.
（
C
）
It
was a popular place to raise cattle before the
Civil War.
（
D
）
It
was not discovered until the late 1800's.
word
（
A
）
lonely
（
B
）
dangerous
（
C
）
uncomfortable
（
D
）
infertile.
word
（
A
）
ordinary
（
B
）
available
（
C
）
required
（
D
）
favored
of the
following can be inferred about the cultivated
grass mentioned
in the second
paragraph
？
（
A
）
Cattle raised in the western United States refused
to eat it.
（
B
）
It
would probably not grow in the western United
States.
（
C
）
It
had to be imported into the United States.
（
D
）
It
was difficult for cattle to digest.
of
the
following
was
NOT
one
of
the
names
given
to
the
Western
grasses
？
（
A
）
Grama grass
（
B
）
Bluejoint grass
（
C
）
Buffalo grass
（
D
）
Mesquite grass
of the following was NOT mentioned as a
characteristic of western
grasses
？
（
A
）
They have tough stems.
（
B
）
They are not affected by dry weather.
（
C
）
They can be grown indoors.
（
D
）
They contain little moisture.
word
（
A
）
firm
（
B
）
severe
（
C
）
difficult
（
D
）
bitter
ing to
the passage
，
the cattle
helped promote the growth of the wild
grasses by
（
A
）
stepping on and pressing the seeds into the ground