98年8月 托福聽力文字 1. M: I don't think you have time to send out the invitations to all the students.
W: Oh, yes. I will.
Q: What do we learn about the woman from this conversation? (A) 2. W: Nobody told me that Bill was in the hospital.
M: Sorry. I meant to give you a call when I found out but it slipped my mind.
Q: What does the man mean? (D) 3. M: I don't know if I will be able to turn in my economics paper on time.
W: Have you heard that the professor gave us a week of extension on it.
Q: What does the woman mean? (B) 4. M: I'd like to make an appointment with the doctor for tomorrow.
W: Unfortunately he is completely booked.
Q: What does the woman mean? (C) 5. M: Joe just went down to the engineering meeting.
W: Where is it?
Q: What does the woman want to know? (A) 6. M: I have a collect call from Mike Peterson.
W: I will accept the charges.
Q: What does the woman mean? (B) 7. W: I'd like really to go to the concert tonight, but I don't know if I could spare the time.
M: Music always relaxing me. It might be worth it in a long run.
Q: What does the man suggest the woman do? (C) 8. M: Those airplanes are certainly loud.
W: Aren't they though?
Q: What does the woman think of the airplanes? (A) 9. M: Helen and I are thinking of renting a house at the beach in June. Are you interested?
W: You? I guess it is cheaper then, but do you really think it will be warm enough?
Q: What does the woman mean? (D) 10. M: I'm getting hungry. I think we should go to the dinner soon.
W: Me too. All I have for lunch was a chocolate bar.
Q: What does the man mean? (C) 11. M: Your apartment always looks so good. So spotless and mine is such a mess.
W: I've been at the lab the all week. It is my roommate doing.
Q: What does the woman imply? (A) 12. M: I am running out of coins during my laundry.
W: That's too bad.
Q: What does the woman mean? (C) 13. W: It's a shame that you didn't win your tennis match.
M: I might have won if I listened to my coach.
Q: What does the man imply? (C) 14. M: The Variety Theatre finally went out the business.
W: Well, that's not a surprise. It was the worst one in town.
Q: What does the woman mean? (B) 15. W: Shall we run around the park or go for a bike ride?
M: It makes no difference to me. They are both good activities.
Q: What does the man say about the activities. (D) 16. M: I can't to the life to get that washing machine downstairs to work. Do you have any suggestions?
W: Try washing just half of the normal load.
Q: What does the woman suggest the man do? (A) 17. M: I'm think of dropping my swimming class. I am just not catching on.
W: Stick with it. I did and I learned how to swim eventually.
Q: What can be inferred about the woman? (C) 18. M: Doctor, this cough medicine doesn't seem to helping. Can you give me a different prescription?
W: Let's give another day or two to see how you are doing then.
Q: What does the doctor imply? (D) 19. W: Would you like to see those pants in another color? They are also coming in brown and in Navy.
M: Actually the gray is fine but I prefer something in wool.
Q: What will the woman probably do next? (D) 20. W: Professor Burns seems to think that there is only one way to write paper and that's her way.
M: No kidding, she sure wasn't like that the last semester.
Q: What can be inferred about professor Burns? (B) 21. W: This Barbecue sure beats the last one we went to Ha?
M: Oh that's right. Everyone had to spend the whole time inside. The good thing is the weather decided to cooperate this time around.
Q: What can be inferred from this conversation? (D) 22. M: That new position requires a letter of reference. I guess the one the professor wrote for me last year should be fine. Don't you think?
W: It is a little dated though. You might need to submit a current one.
Q: What does the woman suggest the man do? (A) 23. W: I don't think I want to be on the curriculum committee anymore but I'm not sure how to get out of it .
M: Well, you know there are plenty of people who will be interested. Me, for example.
Q: What does the man imply? (C) 24. W: Excuse me could you do for me the Customer Service? I need to have this gift wrapped.
M: We can take care of that right here man, and no charge. You can choose either silver or gold with the matching bowl.
Q: What will the woman probably do the next? (B) 25. M: These plants next to the window always look brown. You wouldn't know by looking at them that I have the watered them every week.
W: Maybe they don't like the direct sunlight. I have the same problem of some of my plants and little shade could help them immensely.
Q: What does the woman suggest the man do? (A) 26. W: Oh no I just picked up the pictures I took at Dan and Linda's wedding and looked at them and none of them came out.
M: They are dark, aren't they? What a shame. Well I'm sure the professional photographer got everything.
Q: What does What does the man mean? (A) 27. M: I get a feeling that Sally never really listens to me.
W: You said it. As it is that she is always using the time to rehearse what she will say next.
Q: What does the woman imply? (D) 28. W: Will you make sure all the members of student advisory committee know what to expect at the tomorrow's meeting?
M: They will have a briefing this afternoon.
Q: What does the man mean? (D) 29. W: How do you like my new poster. It was only twenty dollars.
M: Really? The frame alone is worth the money.
Q: What does the man mean? (D) 30. M: I hear Mary isn't getting much support in her running against Steve in the election.
W: It is not over yet. I think she will make a come back.
Q: What does the woman mean? (A) Question 31-34. Listen to a conversation between two friends.
M: I have been studying too much and need a change. So I just making plans to go away during January break.
W: Really? Where are you going?
M: I'm planning to visit New Mexico.
W: My sister and I had the vacation there last year and we had a great time.
M: Did you get into Albuquerque?
W: Sure. Whenever we were skating.
M: Is it far from the mountains?
W: Not at all. There are even though Albuquerque on the high plateaus. There are even higher mountains near it. Just half an hour away from the city there is a snow-covered slope.
M: Well. As the mountains are just thirty minutes away, I guess I should take my ice skate and my ski's.
W: Definitely.
M: I heard that the weather there is great.
W: It is. No humidity, moderate temperatures, but you do need to be careful about high altitude.
M: What should I do about that?
W: Oh, just take it easy for a few days. Don't go hiking up to the mountains or exercise too vigorously. Just do everything gradually.
M: I'm sure I will be fine. And I will let know all about my trip when I come back.
31. What's the main purpose of the man's trip? (B)
32. Why does the woman know so much about Albuquerque? (D)
33. What can be inferred about the man? (C)
34. According to the woman, what may cause the man the most problems in the Albuquerque? (C) Question 35-38. Listen to two students talking about eating in the school cafeteria.
M: Hey Linda, do you get that letter about the new options for food service next year?
W: Not yet. Are there a lot of changes?
M: There sure are. Instead of paying one fee to cover all meals for the whole school year, we are now be able to choose by seven, ten, fourteen or twenty-one meals per week. They give you a card with the number of meals you get for a week marked on it.
W: That's a big change Tom. And a complicated system.
M: Yeah. But it will be much better for people who don't eat three meals a day, seven days a week in the cafeteria because they don't have to pay meals they don't eat.
W: So what's the deal for those who do eat at school all the time?
M: It's better for them too. Because the meal you contract, the cheaper each one is.
W: I see. It is still sound rather complicated.
M: True. It took me several hours to figure it out. I decided to go with the ten Meals.
W: Why is that?
M: Well, I never eat breakfast and I often go away on weekends. So the ten meal plan gives me lunch and dinner each weekday at a fairly low price. And I won't be paying for meals I don't usually eat.
W: And what about the weekend when you are on campus?
M: Well, there are often guests on campus at weekends. So they allow you to buy single meals on a walk-in basis on Saturdays and Sundays. The price per meal is much higher in that way. But I an away so much that it will still be less money for me to pay single prices on the weekends rather than sign up for the fourteen meal a week plan.
W: Oh, I guess I'll have to sit down and figure out my eating pattern so I can get the best deal.
35. What's the main feature of the new method of paying for meals? (B)
36. When do the students pay for the meals they contract for? (C)
37. How does the new plan benefit the students who eat all their meals at the school cafeteria? (D)
38. How can weekend guest eat at the cafeteria? (A) Questions 39 to 42. Listen to this talk being given to college campus.
I was really glad when your club invited me to share my coin collection. It's been my passion since I collected my first Lincoln dime in 1971. That is the current coin with Abraham's image. Just a little history before I started my own collection. Lincoln pennies are made of copper and they were the first the United States coins to bear the lightness of the president. It was minted in 1909 when the country was celebration the centennial of Lincoln's birth than 1809 that the decision was made to redesign the one-cent piece in his honor. Before that, the penny has an American Indian head on it. The new penny was designed by artist Victor David Braner. It is interesting because he put his initials DVB on the reverse of the coin ad the original design. There was a general abort when the initial was discovered. And only a limited numbers of coins were strutted with the initials on them. Today a penny with the initials from a San Francisco mint called the 1909s' DVB was worth 500 dollars. Now when I started my coin collection, I began with penny for several reasons. There were a lot of them, several hundred billion were minted and there were a lot of people collecting them. So I have plenty of people to trade with and talk to about my collection. Also it was the coin I could afford to collect as a young teenager. In the twenty-five years since then, I have managed to acquire over three hundred coins; some of them are very rare. I will be sharing with you today some of my rare specimen including the 1909s' DVB. 39. Why does the woman collect coins? (C)
40. Why were letters DVB on pennies? (D)
41. What was one of reasons the collector collected coins as a teenager? (B)
42. What will the speaker do next? (B) Question 43 to 46. Listen to talk from a biology class.
Today I want to talk to you about the wasps and their nests. You recall the biologist divided species of wasps into two groups solitary and social. Solitary wasps as the name implied do not live together with other wasps. In most species the male and female get together only to mate and then the female does all the work of building the nest and providing the food for the offspring by herself. Solitary wasps usually make nest on the ground and they separate the chambers for the individual offspring with the grass, stone or mud, whatever is handy. What about social wasps? They form a community and work together to build and maintain the nest. A nest begins in the spring when the fertile female called the queen build the first new compartment in the nest and lay eggs. The first offspring are females but cannot lay eggs. These females called workers. They build a lot of new compartments and the queen lays more eggs. They also care for the new offspring and defend the nest with their stingers. By the way only the female have stingers. Most social wasps make nest of paper. The female produces the paper by chewing out fibers or old wood. They spread the papers in thin layers to make cells, which the queen lays her eggs. Most of you I'm sure have seen these nests suspended from the trees. They may also be built on the ground in abundant road bowls. 43. Who builds the nest of solitary wasps? (C)
44. Why the female wasps are more dangers to people than the male wasps are? (D)
45. What is the main function of the queen ? (B)
46. What are the nests of social wasps made of? (C) Question 47 to 50. Listen to a talk in class about United States history.
What was the most popular mix about the United States in the 19th Century was that of the free and simple life of the farmer. It was said that the farmers worked hard on their own land to produce whatever their families' needed. They might sometimes trade with their neighbors, but in general they could get along just fine by relying on themselves, not on commercial ties with others. This is how Thomas Jefferson idealized the farmers at the beginning of the 19th century. And at that time, this may have been close to the truth especially on the frontier. But by the mid century sweeping changes in agriculture were well under way as farmers began to specialized in the raising of crops such as cotton or corn or wheat. By late in the century revolutionary invents in farm machinery has vastly increased the production of specialized crops and extensive network of railroads had linked farmers throughout the country to market in the east and even overseas. By raising and selling specialized crops, farmers could afford more and finer goods and achieved much higher standard of living but at a price. Now farmers were no longer dependent just on the weather and their own efforts, their lives were increasing controlled by the banks, which had powder to grant or deny loans for new machinery, and by the railroads which set the rates for shipping their crops to the market. As businessmen, farmers now had to worry about national economic depression and the implement of world supply and demand on for example, the of price of wheat in hands. And so by the end of the 19th century, the era of Jefferson's independent farmer had come to a close. 47. What is the main topic of the talk? (D)
48. According to the professor, what was the major change in the agriculture during the 19th century? (A)
49. According to the professor, what was one result of the increased use of machinery on farms of the United States? (B)
50. According to the professor, why was world market important for the United States agriculture? (C)
1998年5月托福考試閱讀理解全真試題 Questions 1-11
Before the 1500 s, the western plains of North America
were dominated by farmers. One group, the Mandans, lived
in the upper Missouri River country, primarily in present-day
North Dakota. They had large villages of houses built close
together. The tight arrangement enabled the Mandans to protect
themselves more easily from the attacks of others who might
seek to obtain some of the food these highly capable farmers
stored from one year to the next.
The women had primary responsibility for the fields.
They had to exercise considerable skill to produce the desired
results, for their northern location meant fleeting growing
seasons. Winter often lingered; autumn could be ushered in by
severe frost. For good measure, during the spring and summer,
drought, heat, hail, grasshoppers, and other frustrations
might await the wary grower.
Under such conditions, Mandan women had to grow
maize capable of weathering adversity. They began as early as
it appeared feasible to do so in the spring. clearing the land,
using fire to clear stubble from the fields and then planting.
From this point until the first green corn could be harvested,
the crop required labor and vigilance.
Harvesting proceeded in two stages. In August the Mandans
picked a smaller amount of the crop before it had matured
fully. This green corn was boiled, dried, and shelled, with
some of the maize slated for immediate consumption and the
rest stored in animal-skin bags. Later in the fall, the people
picked the rest of the corn. They saved the best of the harvest
for seeds or for trade, with the remainder eaten right away or
stored for later use in underground reserves. With appropriate
banking of the extra food, the Mandans protected themselves
against the disaster of crop failure and accompanying hunger.
The women planted another staple, squash, about the
first of June, and harvested it near the time of the green corn
harvest. After they picked it, they sliced it, dried it, and
strung the slices before they stored them. Once again, they
saved the seed from the best of the year s crop. The Mandans
also grew sunflowers and tobacco; the latter was the particular
task of the old men.
1. The Mandans built their houses close together in order to
(A) guard their supplies of food
(B) protect themselves against the weather
(C) allow more room for growing corn
(D) share farming implements
2.The word "enabled" in line 5 is closest in meaning to
(A)covered
(B) reminded
(C)helped
(D)isolated
3.The word "considerable" in line 10 is closest in meaning to
(A) planning
(B) much
(C) physical
(D) flew
4.Why does the author believe that the Mandans were skilled farmers?
(A) They developed effective fertilizers.
(B) They developed new varieties of corn.
(C) They could grow crops in most types of soil.
(D) They could grow crops despite adverse weather.
5. Tile word "consumption" in line 25 is closest in meaning to
(A) decay
(B) planting
(C) eating
(D) conversion
6.Which of the following processes does the author imply was done by both men and women?
(A) Clearing fields
(B) Planting corn
(C) Harvesting corn
(D) harvesting squash.
7.The word "disaster" in line 31 is closest in meaning to
(A)control
(B)catastrophe
(C)avoidance
(D)history
8. According to the passage, the Mandans preserved their food by
(A)smoking
(B)drying
(C)freezing.
(D)salting
9.The word "it" in line 34 refers to
(A)June
(B)corn
(C)time
(D)squash
10.Which of the following crops was cultivated primarily by men
(A) Corn
(B)Squash
(C)Sunflower
(D)Tobacco
11.Throughout the passage, the author implies that the Mandans
(A)planned for the future
(B) valued individuality
(C)were open to strangers
(D)were very adventurous
Questions 12-20
The elements other than hydrogen and helium exist in
such small quantities that it is accurate to say that the universe
somewhat more than 25 percent helium by weight and
somewhat less than 25 percent hydrogen.
Astronomers have measured the abundance of helium
throughout our galaxy and in other galaxies as well. Helium
has been found In old stars, in relatively young ones, in interstellar
gas, and in the distant objects known as quasars. Helium
nuclei have also been found to be constituents of cosmic
rays that fall on the earth (cosmic "rays" are not really a form
of radiation; they consist of rapidly moving particles of numerous
different kinds). It doesn t seem to make very much difference
where the helium is found. Its relative abundance never
seems to vary much. In some places, there may be slightly
more of it; In others, slightly less, but the ratio of helium to
hydrogen nuclei always remains about the same.
Helium is created in stars. In fact, nuclear reactions that
convert hydrogen to helium are responsible for most of the
energy that stars produce. However, the amount of helium that
could have been produced in this manner can be calculated,
and it turns out to be no more than a few percent. The
universe has not existed long enough for this figure to be
significantly greater. Consequently, if the universe is somewhat
more than 25 percent helium now, then it must have been
about 25 percent helium at a time near the beginning..
However, when the universe was less than one minute
old, no helium could have existed. Calculations indicate that
before this time temperatures were too high and particles of
matter were moving around much too rapidly. It was only
after the one-minute point that helium could exist. By this time,
the universe had cooled sufficiently that neutrons and protons
could stick together. But the nuclear reactions that led to the
formation of helium went on for only a relatively short time.
By the time the universe was a few minutes old, helium
production had effectively ceased.
12.What does the passage mainly explain?
(A)How stars produce energy
(B)The difference between helium and hydrogen
(C)When most of the helium in the universe was formed
(D)Why hydrogen is abundant
13.According to the passage, helium is
(A) the second-most abundant element in the universe
(B) difficult to detect
(C) the oldest element in the universe
(D) the most prevalent element in quasars
14.The word "constituents" in line 9 is closest in meaning to
(A) relatives
(B) causes
(C)components
(D) targets
15.Why does the author mention "cosmic rays t in line 10?
(A)As part of a list of things containing helium
(B)As an example of an unsolved astronomical puzzle
(C) To explain how the universe began
(D) To explain the abundance of hydrogen in the universe
16.The word "vary" in line 14 is closest ill meaning to
(A) mean
(B) stretch
(C) change
(D) include
17.The creation of helium within stars
(A) cannot be measured
(B) produces energy
(C) produces hydrogen as a by-product
(D) causes helium to be much more abundant In old stars than In young star:
18. The word "calculated" in line 20 is closest in meaning to
(A) ignored
(B) converted
(C) increased
(D) determined
19.Most of the helium in the universe was formed
(A) in interstellar space
(B) in a very short time
(C)during the first minute of the universe s existence
(D) before most of the hydrogen
20.The word "ceased" in line 35 is closest in meaning to
(A)extended
(B)performed
(C)taken hold
(D)stopped Questions 21-30
In colonial America, people generally covered their beds
with decorative quilts resembling those of the lands from which
the quitters had come. Wealthy and socially prominent settlers
made quilts of the English type, cut from large lengths of cloth
of the same color and texture rather than stitched together
from smaller pieces. They mad these until the advent of the
Revolutionary War in I 775, when everything English came to
be frowned upon.
Among the whole-cloth quilts made by these wealthy settlers
during the early period are those now called linsey-
woolseys. This term was usually applied to a fabric of wool
and linen used In heavy clothing and quilted petticoats worn in
the wintertime. Despite the name, linsey-woolsey bedcovers
did not often contain linen. Rather, they were made of a top
layer of woolen or glazed worsted wool fabric, consisting of
smooth, compact yarn from long wool fiber dyed dark blue,
green, or brown with a bottom layer of a coarser woolen material,
either natural or a shade of yellow. The filling was a soft
layer of wool which had been cleaned and separated and the
three layers were held together with decorative stitching done
with homespun linen thread. Later, cotton thread was used
for this purpose. The design of the stitching was often a simple
one composed of interlocking circles or crossed diagonal
lines giving a diamond pattern.
This type of heavy, warm, quilted bedcover was so large
that it hung to the floor. The corners are cut out at the foot of
the cover so that the quilt fit snugly around the tall four-poster,
beds of the 1700 s, which differed from those of today in that
they were shorter and wider; they were short because people
slept in a semi-sitting position with many bolsters or pillows,
and wide, because each bed often slept three or more. The
linsey-woolsey covering was found in the colder regions of the
country because of the warmth it afforded. There was no
central heating and most bedrooms did not have fireplaces.
21. What does this passage mainly discuss?
(A) The processing of wool
(B) Linsey-woolsey bedcovers
(C) Sleeping habits of colonial Americans
(D) Quilts made in England
22. The word "prominent" in line 3 is closest in meaning to
(A) isolated
(B) concerned
(C) generous
(D) distinguished
23.The author mention the Revolutionary War as a time period when
(A) quills were supplied to the army
(B) more immigrants arrived from England
(C) quills imported from England became harder to find
(D) people s attitudes toward England changed.
24.The phrase "applied to" in line 11 is closest in meaning to
(A) sewn onto
(B) compared to
(C) used for
(D) written down on
25.The term "linsey-woolsey" originally meant fabric used primarily in
(A)quilts
(B)sheets
(C)clothing
(D) pillows
26.The word "coarser" in line 17 is closest in meaning to
(A)older
(B) less heavy
(C)more attractive
(D) rougher
27.The quilts described in the second and third paragraphs were made primarily of
(A) wool
(B) linen
(C) cotton
(D) a mixture of fabrics
28.It can be inferred from the third paragraph that the sleeping habits
of most Americans have changed since the 1700 s in all the following ways EXCEPT
(A) the position in which people sleep
(B) the numbers of bolsters or pillows people sleep on
(C) the length of time people sleep
(D) the number of people who sleep in one bed
29.The word "afforded" in line 33 is closest in meaning to
(A) provided
(B) spent
(C) avoided
(D) absorbed
30.Which of the following was most likely to be found in a bedroom in the colder areas of the American colonies?
(A)A linsey-woolsey
(B)A vent from a central healing system
(C)A fireplace
(D)A wood stove
Questions 31-40
Growing tightly packed together and collectively weaving
a dense canopy of branches, a stand of red alder trees can
totally dominate a site to the exclusion of almost everything else.
Certain species such as salmonberry and sword ferns have
Line adapted to the limited sunlight dappling through the canopy,
but few evergreen trees (S) will survive there; still fewer can compete
with the early prodigious growth of alders. A Douglas fir
tree reaches its maximum rate of growth ten years later than
an alder, and if the two of them begin life at the same time,
the alder quickly outgrows and dominates the Douglas fir.
After an alder canopy has closed, the Douglas fir suffers a
marked decrease in growth, often dying within seven years.
Even more shade-tolerant species of trees such as hemlock may
remain badly suppressed beneath aggressive young alders.
Companies engaged in intensive timber cropping naturally
take a dim view of alders suppressing more valuable evergreen
trees. But times are changing; a new generation of foresters
seems better prepared to Include in their management plans
consideration of the vital ecological role alders, play.
Among the alder s valuable ecological contributions is its
capacity to fix nitrogen in nitrogen-deficient soils. Alder roots
contain clusters of nitrogen-fixing nodules like those found on
legumes such as beans. in addition, newly developing soils
exposed by recent glacier retreat and planted with alders show
that these trees are applying the equivalent of ten bags of high-
nitrogen fertilizer to each hectare per year. Other chemical
changes to soil in which they are growing Include a lowering of
the base content and rise In soil acidity, as well as a substantial
addition of carbon and calcium. to the soil.
Another important role many alders play in the wild, particularly
in mountainous areas, is to check the rush of water
during spring melt. In Japan and elsewhere, the trees are
planted to stabilize soil on steep mountain slopes. Similarly,
alders have been planted to stabilize and rehabilitate waste
material left over from old mines, flood deposits, and landslide
areas in both Europe and Asia.
31.What does the passage mainly discuss?
(A)Differences between alder trees and Douglas fir trees
(B)Alder trees as a source of timber
(C)Management plans for using alder trees to improve soil
(D)The relation of alder trees to their forest environments
32.The word "dense" in line I is closest in meaning to
(A) dark
(B) tall
(C) thick
(D) broad
33.Alder trees can suppress the growth of nearby trees by depriving them of
(A) nitrogen
(B) sunlight
(C) soil nutrients
(D) water
34.Thc passage suggests that Douglas fir trees are
(A)a type of alder
(B)a type of evergreen
(C)similar to sword ferns
(D)fast-growing trees
35.It can be inferred from paragraph I that hemlock trees
(A) are similar in size to alder trees.
(B) interfere with the growth of Douglas fir trees
(C) reduce the number of alder trees In the forest
(D) need less sunlight than do Douglas fir trees
36.It can be inferred from paragraph 2 that previous generations of foresters
(A) did not study the effects of alders on forests
(B) did not want alders In forests
(C) harvested alders for lumber
(D) used alders to control the growth of evergreens
37.The word "they" in line 27 refers to
(A) newly developing soils
(B) alders
(C) bags
(D) chemical changes
38.According to the passage that alders are used in mountainous areas to
(A) nitrogen
(B) calcium
(C) carbon
(D) oxygen
39.It can be Inferred from the passage that alders are used in mountainous areas to
(A) prevent water from carrying away soil
(B) hold the snow
(C) protect mines
(D) provide material for housing
40.What is the author s main purpose in the passage?
(A) To argue that alder trees are useful in forest management
(B) To explain the life cycle of alder trees
(C) To criticize the way alders take over and eliminate forests
(D) To illustrate how alder trees control soil erosion
Questions 41-50
In taking ups new life across the Atlantic, the early European
settlers of the United States did not abandon the diversions
with which their ancestors had traditionally relieved the
tedium of life. Neither the harshness of existence on the new
continent nor Line the scattered population nor the disapproval of
the clergy discouraged the majority from the pursuit of
pleasure.
City and country dwellers. of course. conducted this pursuit
in different ways. Farm dwellers in their isolation not only
found it harder to locate companions in play but also thanks
to the unending demands and pressures of their work, felt it
necessary to combine fun with purpose. No other set of
colonists too so seriously one expression of the period.
"Leisure Is time for doing something useful." in the country-
side farmers therefore relieved the burden of the daily routine
with such double-purpose relaxation as hunting. fishing, and
trapping. When a neighbor needed help, families rallied from
miles around to assist In building a house or barn, husking
corn, shearing sheep. or chopping wood. Food, drink, and
celebration after the group work provided relaxation and
soothed weary muscles.
The most eagerly anticipated social events were the rural
fairs, Hundreds of men, women, and children attended from
far and near. The men bought or traded farm animals and
acquired needed merchandise while the women displayed food
prepared in their kitchens, and everyone, Including the
youngsters, watched or participated in a variety of competitive
sports, with prizes awarded to the winners. These events typically
included horse races, wrestling matches, and foot
races, as well as some nonathletic events such as whistling
competitions. No other occasions did so much to relieve the
isolation of farm existence.
With the open countryside everywhere at hand, city
dwellers naturally shared in some of the rural diversions.
Favored recreations included fishing, hunting1 skating, and
swimming. But city dwellers also developed other pleasures.
which only compact communities made possible.
41.What is the passage mainly about?
(A) Methods of farming used by early settlers of the United States
(B) Hardships faced by the early settlers of the United States
(C) Methods of buying, selling, and trading used by early settlers of the United States
(D) Ways in which early settlers of the United States relaxed
42.What can be inferred about the diversions of the early settlers of the United States?
(A) They followed a pattern begun in Europe.
(B) They were enjoyed more frequently than in Europe.
(C) The clergy organized them.
(D) Only the wealthy participated in them.
43.Which of he following can be said about the country dwellers attitude toward "the pursuit of pleasure"?
(A) They felt that it should help keep their minds on their work.
(B) They felt that it was not necessary.
(C) They felt that it should be. productive.
(D) They felt that it should not involve eating and drinking.
44.The phrase "thanks to" in line 10-11 is closest in meaning to
(A)grateful for
(B) help with
(C) because of
(D) machines for
45.The word "their" in line 11 refers to
(A) ways
(B) farm dwellers
(C) demands
(D) pressures
46.What is meant by the phrase "double-purpose" in line 19 ? (A) Very frequent
(B) Useful and enjoyable
(C) Extremely necessary
(D) Positive and negative
47.The phrase "eagerly anticipated" in line 22 is closest in meaning to
(A) well organized
(B) old-fashioned
(C) strongly opposed
(D) looked forward to
48.Which of the following can be said about the rural diversions mentioned in the last paragraph in which city dwellers also participated?
(A) They were useful to the rural community.
(B) They involved the purchase items useful in the home.
(C) They were activities that could be done equally easily in the towns
(D) They were all outdoor activities.
49.What will the author probably discuss in the paragraph following this passage?
(A) The rural diversions enjoyed by both urban and rural people
(B) Leisure activities of city dwellers
(C) Building methods of the early settlers in rural areas
(D)Changes in the lifestyles of settlers as they moved to the cities
50. Where in the passage does the author mention factors that might prevent people from enjoying themselves?
(A)Line4-7
(B) Lines 12-14
(C) Lines 17-20
(D)Lines 25-27 |
