1996年1月托福閱讀全真考題

　　1996年1月托福閱讀全真試題>

　　Questions 1-7 Joyce Carol Oates published her first collection of short

　　stories. By The Gate， in 1963， two years after she had

　　received her masters degree from the University of Wisconsin

　　and become an instructor of English at the University of

　　Detroit. Her productivity since then has been prodigious， accumulating

　　in less than two decades to nearly thirty titles， including

　　novels， collections of short stories and verse， plays， and literary

　　criticism. In the meantime， she has continued to teach，

　　moving in 1967 from the University of Detroit to the University

　　of Windsor， in Ontario， and， in 1978， to Princeton University.

　　Reviewers have admired her enormous energy， but

　　find a productivity of such magnitude difficult to assess. In a period characterized by the abandonment of so much

　　of the realistic tradition by authors such as John Barth， Donald

　　Barthelme， and Thomas Pynchon， Joyce Carol Oates has

　　seemed at times determinedly old-fashioned in her insistence on

　　the essentially mimetic quality of her fiction. Hers is a world

　　of violence， insanity， fractured love， and hopeless loneliness.

　　Although some of it appears to come from her own direct

　　observations， her dreams， and her fears， much more is clearly

　　from the experiences of others. Her first novel， With Shuddering

　　Fall， dealt with stock car racing， though she

　　had never seen a race. IN Them she focused on

　　Detroit from the Depression through the notes of 1967， drawing

　　much of her material from the deep impression made on her by

　　the problems of one of her students. Whatever the source and

　　however shocking the events or the motivations， however， her

　　fictive world remains strikingly akin to that real one reflected

　　in the daily newspapers， the television news and talk shows，

　　and the popular magazines of our day. 1. What is the main purpose of the passage? To review Oatess By the North Gate

　　To compare some modern writers

　　To describe Oatess childhood

　　To outline Oatess career 2. Which of the following does the passage indicate about Joyce Carol Qates first publication? It was part of her masters thesis.

　　It was a volume of short fiction.

　　It was not successful.

　　It was about an English instructor in Detroit. 3. Which of the following does the passage suggest about Joyce Carol Oates in terms of her writing career? She has experienced long nonproductive periods in her writing.

　　Her style is imitative of other contemporary authors

　　She has produced a surprising amount of fictions in a relative short time.

　　Most of her work is based on personal experience. 4. The word "characterized" in line 10 can best replaced by which of the following? Shocked

　　Impressed

　　Distinguished

　　Helped 5. What was the subject of Joyce Carol Oatess first novel? Loneliness

　　Inanity

　　Teaching

　　Racing 6. Why does the author mention Oatess book Them? It is a typical novel of the 1960s

　　It is her best piece of nonfiction.

　　It is a fictional work based on the experiences of another person.

　　It is an autobiography. 7. Which of the following would Joyce Carol Oates be most likely to write? A story with an unhappy ending

　　A romancer novel set in the nineteenth century

　　A science fiction novel

　　A dialogue for a talk show Question 8-18 Certainly no creature in the sea is odder than the common

　　sea cucumber. All living creature， especially human beings，

　　have their peculiarities， but everything about the little sea

　　cucumber seems unusual. What else can be said about a bizarre

　　animal that， among other eccentricities， eats mud， feeds

　　almost continuously day and night but can live without eating

　　for long periods， and can be poisonous but is considered

　　supremely edible by gourmets? For some fifty million years， despite all its eccentricities，

　　the sea cucumber has subsisted on its diet of mud. It is

　　adaptable enough to live attached to rocks by its tube feet， under

　　rocks in shallow water， or on the surface of mud flats.

　　Common in cool water on both Atlantic and Pacific shores， it has

　　the ability to suck up mud or sand and digest whatever

　　nutrients are present. Sea cucumbers come in a variety of colors， ranging from

　　black to reddish - brown to sand - color and nearly white. One

　　form even has vivid purple tentacles. Usually the creatures are

　　cucumber - shaped - hence their name - and because they are

　　typically rock inhabitants， this shape， combined with flexibility，

　　enables them to squeeze into crevices where they are safe

　　from predators and ocean currents. Although they have voracious appetites， eating day and

　　night， sea cucumbers have the capacity to become quiescent

　　and live at a low metabolic rate - feeding sparingly or not at all

　　for long periods， so that the marine organisms that provide

　　their food have a chance to multiply. If it were not for this

　　faculty， they would devour all the food available in s short

　　time and would probably starve themselves out of existence. But the most spectacular thing about the sea cucumber is

　　the way it defends itself. Its major enemies are fish and crabs，

　　when attacked， it squirts all its internal organs into the water.

　　It also casts off attached structures such as tentacles. The sea

　　cucumber will eviscerate and regenerate itself if it is attacked

　　or even touched; it will do the same if surrounding water

　　temperature is too high or if the water becomes too polluted.

　　8. What does the passage mainly discuss? The reason for the sea cucumbers name

　　What makes the sea cucumber unusual

　　How to identify the sea cucumber

　　Places where the sea cucumber can be found 9. In line 3， the word "bizarre" is closest meaning to odd

　　marine

　　simple

　　rare 10.According to the Passage， why is the shape of sea cucumbers important? It helps them to digest their food

　　It helps them to protect themselves from danger.

　　It makes it easier for them to move through the mud.

　　It makes them attractive to fish. 11.The words "this faculty" in line20 refer to the sea cucumbers ability to squeeze into crevices

　　devour all available food in a short time

　　suck up mud or sand

　　live at a low metabolic rate 12.The fourth paragraph of the passage Primarily discusses the reproduction of sea cucumbers

　　the food sources of sea cucumbers

　　the eating habits of sea cucumbers

　　threats to sea cucumbers existence 13.The phrase "casts off" in line 24 is closest in meaning to grows again

　　grabs

　　gets rid of

　　uses as a weapon 14.Of all the characteristics of the sea cucumber， which of the following seems to fascinate the author most? What it does when threatened.

　　Where it lives

　　How it hides from predators

　　What it eats. 15.Compared with other sea creatures the sea cucumber is very dangerous

　　intelligent

　　strange

　　fat 16.What can be inferred about the defense mechanisms of the sea cucumber? They are very sensitive to surrounding stimuli.

　　They are almost useless.

　　They require group cooperation.

　　They are similar to those of most sea creatures. 17.Which of the following would NOT cause a sea cucumber to release its internal organs into the water? A touch

　　Food

　　Unusually warm water

　　Pollution 18.Which of the following is an example of behavior comparable with the sea cucumber living at a low metabolic rate? An octopus defending itself with its tentacles

　　A bear hibernating in the winter

　　A pig eating constantly

　　A parasite living on its hosts blood. Question 19-29 A folk culture is small， isolated， cohesive， conservative，

　　nearly self-sufficient group that is homogeneous in custom and

　　race， with a strong family or clan structure and highly

　　developed rituals. Order is maintained through sanctions based in

　　the religion or family， and interpersonal relationships are

　　strong. Tradition is paramount， and change comes infrequently

　　and slowly. There is relatively little division of labor into

　　specialized duties. Rather， each person is expected to perform

　　a great variety of tasks， though duties many differ between the

　　sexes. Most goods are handmade， and a subsistence economy

　　prevails. Individualism is weakly developed in folk cultures， as

　　are social classes. Unaltered folk cultures no longer exist in

　　industrialized countries such as the United States and Canada.

　　Perhaps the nearest modern-equivalent in Anglo-America is the

　　Amish， a German American farming sect that largely renounces

　　the products and labor saving device of the industrial

　　age. In Amish areas， horse - drawn buggies still serve as a local

　　transportation device， and the faithful are not permitted to

　　own automobiles. The Amishs central religious concept of

　　Demut， "humility"， clearly reflects the weakness of individualism

　　and social class so typical of folk cultures， and there is a

　　corresponding strength of Amish group identity. Rarely do the

　　Amish marry outside their sect. The religion， a variety of the

　　Mennonite faith， provides the principal mechanism for maintaining

　　order. By contrast， a popular culture is a large heterogeneous

　　group， often highly individualistic and constantly changing.

　　Relationships tend to be impersonal， and a pronounced division

　　of labor exists， leading to the establishment of many specialized

　　professions. Secular institutions of control such as the police

　　and army take the place of religion and family in maintaining

　　order， and a money-based economy prevails. Because of these

　　contrasts， "popular" may be viewed as clearly different from

　　"folk". The popular is replacing the folk in industrialized countries

　　and in many developing nations， Folk-made objects give

　　way to their popular equivalent， usually because the popular

　　item is more quickly or cheaply produced， is easier or time

　　saving to use， or lends more prestige to the owner. 19.What does the passage mainly discuss? Two decades in modern society.

　　The influence of industrial technology

　　The characteristics of "folk" and "popular" societies.

　　The specialization of labor in Canada and United States 20.The word "homogeneous" in line 2 is closest in meaning to uniform

　　general

　　primitive

　　traditional 21.Which of the following is typical of folk cultures? There is a money- based economy.

　　Social change occurs slowly.

　　Contact with other cultures is encouraged

　　Each person develops one specialized skill. 22.What does the author imply about the United States and Canada? They value folk cultures

　　They have no social classes.

　　They have popular cultures.

　　They do not value individualism. 23.The phrase "largely renounces" in line 11 is closest in meaning to generally rejects

　　greatly modifies

　　loudly declares

　　often criticizes 24.What is the main source of order in Amish society? The government

　　The economy

　　The clan structure

　　The religion 25.Which of the following statements about Amish beliefs does the passage support? A variety of religious practices is tolerated.

　　Individualism and competition are important.

　　Pre-modern technology is preferred.

　　People are defined according to their class. 26.Which of the following would probably NOT be found in a folk culture? A carpenter

　　A farmer

　　A weaver

　　A banker 27.The word "prevails" in line 23 is closest in meaning to dominates

　　provides

　　develops

　　invests 28.The word "their" in line 26 refer to folk

　　nations

　　countries

　　objects 29.Which of the following is NOT given as a reason why folk-made objects are replaced by mass-produced objects? Cost

　　Prestige

　　Quality

　　Convenience Question 30-40 Many of the most damaging and life-threatening types of

　　weather - torrential rains， severe thunderstorms， and tornadoes

　　- begin quickly， strike suddenly， and dissipate rapidly，

　　devastating small regions while leaving neighboring areas

　　untouched. One such event， a tornado， stuck the northeastern

　　section of Edmonton， Alberta， in July 1987. Total damages

　　from the tornado exceeded $250 million， the highest ever for

　　any Canadian storm. Conventional computer models of the

　　atmosphere have limited value in predicting short - lived local

　　storms like the Edmonton tornado， because the available

　　weather data are generally not detailed enough to allow computers to discern the subtle atmospheric changes that precede

　　these storms. In most nations， for example， weather -balloon

　　observations are taken just once every twelve hours at location

　　typically separated by hundreds of miles. With such limited

　　data， conventional forecasting models do a much better job

　　predicting general weather conditions over large regions than

　　they do forecasting specific local events. Until recently， the observation - intensive approach needed

　　for accurate， very short - range forecasts， or "Nowcasts，" was

　　not feasible. The cost of equipping and operating many thousands

　　of conventional weather stations was prohibitively high，

　　and the difficulties involved in rapidly collecting and processing

　　the raw weather data from such a network were insurmountable.

　　Fortunately， scientific and technological advances have

　　overcome most of these problems. Radar systems， automated

　　weather instruments， and satellites are all capable of making

　　detailed， nearly continuous observation over large regions at

　　a relatively low cost. Communications satellites can transmit

　　data around the world cheaply and instantaneously， and modern

　　computers can quickly compile and analyzing this large volume

　　of weather information. Meteorologists and computer

　　scientists now work together to design computer programs and

　　video equipment capable of transforming raw weather data into

　　words， symbols， and vivid graphic displays that forecasters

　　can interpret easily and quickly. As meteorologists have begun

　　using these new technologies in weather forecasting offices，

　　Nowcasting is becoming a reality. 30.What does he passage mainly discuss?

　　Computers and weather

　　Dangerous storms

　　Weather forecasting

　　Satellites 31.Why does the author mention the tornado in Edmonton， Canada? To indicate that tornadoes are common in the summer

　　To give an example of a damaging storm

　　To explain different types of weather

　　To show that tornadoes occur frequently in Canada 32.The word "subtle" in line 8 is closest in meaning to complex

　　regular

　　imagined

　　slight 33.Why does the author state in line 10 that observations are taken "just once every twelve hours?" To indicate that the observations are timely

　　To show why the observations are on limited value

　　To compare data from balloons and computers

　　To give an example of international cooperation 34.The word "they" in line 13 refers to models

　　conditions

　　regions

　　events 35.Which of the following is NOT mentioned as an advance in short - range weather forecasting? Weather balloons

　　Radar systems

　　Automated instruments

　　Satellites 36.The word "compile" in line 23 is closest in meaning to put together

　　look up

　　pile high

　　work over 37.With Nowcasting， it first became possible to provide information about short-lived local storms

　　radar networks

　　long - range weather forecasts

　　general weather conditions 38.The word "raw" in line 25 is closest in meaning to stormy

　　inaccurate

　　uncooked

　　unprocessed 39.With which of the following statements is the author most likely to agree? Communications satellites can predict severe weather.

　　Meteorologists should standardize computer programs.

　　The observation - intensive approach is no longer useful.

　　Weather predictions are becoming more accurate. 40.Which of the following would best illustrate Nowcasting? A five-day forecast

　　A warning about a severe thunderstorm on the radio

　　The average rainfall for each month

　　A list of temperatures in major cities Question 41-50 People in the United States in the nineteenth century

　　were haunted by the prospect that unprecedented change in

　　he nations economy would bring social chaos. In the years

　　following 1820， after several decades of relative stability， the

　　economy entered a period of sustained and extremely rapid

　　growth that continued to the end of the nineteenth century.

　　Accompanying that growth that was a structural change that

　　featured increasing economic diversification and a gradual shift

　　in the nations labor force from agriculture to manufacturing

　　and other nonagricultural pursuits. Although the birth rate continued to decline from its high

　　level of the eighteenth and early nineteenth century. The

　　population roughly doubled every generation during the

　　nineteenth centuries. As the population grew， its makeup also

　　changed. Massive waves of immigration brought new ethnic

　　groups into the country. Geographic and social mobility -

　　downward as well as upward - touched almost everyone. Local

　　studies indicate that nearly three - quarters of the population -

　　in the North and South， in the emerging cities of the Northeast，

　　and in the restless rural counties of the West - changed

　　their residence each decade. As a consequence， historian David

　　Donald has written， "Social atomization affected every

　　segment of society，" and it seemed to many people that "all the

　　recognized values of orderly civilization were gradually being

　　eroded."

　　Rapid industrialization and increased geographic mobility

　　in the nineteenth century had special implications for women

　　because these tended to magnify social distinctions. As

　　the roles men and women played in society became more rigidly

　　defined， so did the roles they played in the home. In the

　　context of extreme competitiveness and dizzying social change，

　　the household lost many of its earlier functions and the home

　　came to serve as a haven of tranquillity and order. As the size

　　of families decreased， the roles of husband and wife became

　　more clearly differentiated than ever before. In the middle

　　class especially， men participated in the productive economy

　　while women ruled the home and served as the custodians of

　　civility and culture. The intimacy of marriage that was

　　common in earlier periods was rent， and a gulf that at times

　　seemed unbridgeable was created between husbands and

　　wives. 41.What does the passage mainly discuss? The economic development of the United States in the eighteenth century

　　Ways in which economic development led to social changes in the United States

　　Population growth in the western United States

　　The increasing availability of industrial jobs for women in the United States 42.The word "Prospect" in line 1 is closest in meaning to regret

　　possibility

　　theory

　　circumstance 43.According to the passage， the economy of the United States between 1820 and 1900 was expanding

　　in sharp decline

　　stagnate

　　disorganized 44.The word "roughly" in line 9 is closest in meaning to harshly

　　surprisingly

　　slowly

　　approximately 45.The word "its" in line 10 refers to century

　　population

　　generation

　　birth rate 46.According to the passage， as the nineteenth century progressed， the people of the United States emigrated to other countries

　　often settled in the West

　　tended to change the place in which they lived

　　had a higher rate of birth than ever before 47.Which of the following best describes the society about which David Donald wrote? A highly conservative society that was resistant to new ideas

　　A society that was undergoing fundamental change

　　A society that had been gradually changing since the early 1700s

　　A nomadic society that was starting permanent settlements 48.The word "magnify" in line 20 is closest in meaning to solve

　　explain

　　analyze

　　increase 49.Which of the following is NOT mentioned as an example of the social changes occurring in the United States after 1820? Increased social mobility

　　Increased immigration

　　Significant movement of population

　　Strong emphasis on traditional social values 50.The word " distinctions" in line 21 is closest in meaning to Differences

　　Classes

　　Accomplishments

　　characteristics