1、托福-练习二十及答案解析(总分：35.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、Passage 1(总题数：2，分数：10.00)JOHNNY APPLESEED1 In 1801, a 26-year-old man named John Chapman wandered the sparsely populated “western country“ that was still two years away from becoming the state of Ohio. Chapman had a simple purpose: wherever he found suitable soil,
2、he planted apple seeds. To the settlers of the Ohio frontier, Chapman became known as Johnny Appleseed, a strange man who wore odd clothes and went barefoot. He was a pacifist in a time of warfare and brutality against the Indians, treating Indians and settlers alike with respect. He killed no anima
3、ls and was a vegetarian. He even opposed pruning his apple trees because he did not want to cause them pain.2 Chapman spent forty years wandering as Johnny Appleseed. Journeying by foot and canoe through Ohio and Indiana, he planted seeds, sold and gave away apple saplings, and exchanged knowledge o
4、f medicinal plants with Indians and settlers. He prepared the way for farms and towns by planting apple seeds in clearings along rivers and constructing simple wooden fences to keep animals out of his primitive orchards.3 The agricultural development that Chapman anticipated was in fact marching acr
5、oss the eastern half of the continent at an ever-increasing pace. When Chapman started his “apple seeding“ in 1801, the population of Ohio was 45,000, and ninety percent of the land was still covered with elm, ash, maple, oak, and hickory trees. By the time of Chapmans death in 1845, the states popu
6、lation had reached two million, and more than forty percent of the land had been cleared of trees and converted to farms. Not until 1880 did the cutting of trees subside. By then, three-quarters of Ohio had been cleared, and people were becoming aware of the limits of expansion. Only then did they b
7、egin to take seriously the tree-loving ideas of Johnny Appleseed, who had become the subject of folk tales.（分数：4.00）(1).The phrase sparsely populated in paragraph 1 means that（分数：1.00）A.the area had many resourcesB.most of the people were youngC.few people lived in the regionD.the land was undevelop
8、ed(2).The word pacifist in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to（分数：1.00）A.citizen soldierB.peace advocateC.social scientistD.respected speaker(3).The word marching in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to（分数：1.00）A.crawlingB.advancingC.attackingD.declining(4).The word subside in paragraph 3 is closes
9、t in meaning to（分数：1.00）A.matterB.succeedC.resumeD.decreaseTHE ORIGIN OF THE UNIVERSE1 Astronomers believe that the universe began with a large, dense mass of gas consisting mainly of hydrogen, the simplest of all the naturally occurring chemical elements. The mass of hydrogen was very hot and cause
10、d intense light and much expanding motion. As the universe expanded, its light became dimmer, yet even now some of the primeval light may be present.2 The original universe underwent a physical transition that gradually differentiated it into galaxies, stars, and planets. As the original mass of gas
11、 expanded and cooled, large clouds separated themselves from the parent mass. Gravity played an important role in this mechanism. Matter is subject to gravity, yet matter is also the cause of gravity since it is matters mass that determines the strength of the gravitational force.3 Scientists believ
12、e that the original mass of gas in the universe was not completely uniform, and there were some regions that were slightly denser and capable of generating stronger gravitational fields than others. Since gravity tends to pull matter together, the denser regions tended to become even more compact. T
13、hus, small variations in the original mass evolved into denser clouds that gradually separated from the expanding parent mass. From these clouds, the galaxies were formed.4 At the end of the first phase of the universe, a great number of huge clouds had become separate entities that could start thei
14、r own independent evolution. These turbulent clouds- ancient galaxies-contained variations that grew in importance over time. The clouds divided into smaller and smaller “cloudlets“ that gravity caused to contract. The increase in pressure from this contraction caused the temperature to rise until t
15、he cloudlets began to glow as individual, luminous stars.5 Astronomers believe that the earliest galaxies were small when they formed most of their stars, but accumulated most of their mass later through collisions. Large galaxies formed in stages as smaller galaxies were attracted to one another by
16、 gravity. As the smaller galaxies were pulled together over time, they merged into larger and larger structures, eventually forming massive galaxies. As many as half of all galaxies are thought to have been involved in some sort of collision.（分数：6.00）(1).The word primeval in paragraph 1 is closest i
17、n meaning to（分数：1.00）A.originalB.importantC.expandingD.beautiful(2).The word transition in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to（分数：1.00）A.transactionB.struggleC.combinationD.change(3).The word uniform in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to（分数：1.00）A.suitableB.unusualC.consistentD.filled(4).The word
18、 compact in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to（分数：1.00）A.distinctB.denseC.disconnectedD.distant(5).The word luminous in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to（分数：1.00）A.light-emittingB.densely packedC.high-pressureD.very beautiful(6).The word merged in paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to（分数：1.00）A.
19、bentB.frozeC.blendedD.eroded二、Passage 2(总题数：3，分数：25.00)ROAD BUILDING AND THE AUTOMOBILE1 Car registrations in the United States rose from one million in 1913 to ten million in 1923. By 1927, Americans were driving some twenty-six million automobiles, one car for every five people in the country. Aut
20、omobile sales in the state of Michigan outnumbered those in Great Britain and Ireland combined. For the first time in history, more people lived in cities than on farms, and they were migrating to the city by automobile.2 The automobile was every Americans idea of freedom, and the construction of ha
21、rd- surface roads was one of the largest items of government expenditure, often at great cost to everything else. The growth of roads and the automobile industry made cars the lifeblood of the petroleum industry and a major consumer of steel. The automobile caused expansions in outdoor recreation, t
22、ourism, and related industries-service stations, roadside restaurants, and motels. After 1945, the automobile industry reached new heights, and new roads led out of the city to the suburbs, where two-car families transported children to new schools and shopping malls.3 In 1956 Congress passed the In
23、terstate Highway Act, the peak of a half-century of frenzied road building at government expense and the largest public works program in history. The result was a network of federally subsidized highways connecting major urban centers. The interstate highways stretched American mobility to new dista
24、nces, and two-hour commutes, traffic jams, polluted cities, and Disneyland became standard features of life. Like almost everything else in the 1950s, the construction of interstate highways was justified as a national defense measure.4 The federal government guaranteed the predominance of private t
25、ransportation. Since the 1950s, 75 percent of federal funds for transportation has been spent on highways, while a scant one percent has gone to buses, trains, or subways. Even before the interstate highway system was built, the American bias was clear, which is why the United States has the worlds
26、best road system and nearly its worst public transit system.（分数：7.00）(1).The author makes the point that in the early twentieth century（分数：1.00）A.automobiles were very expensiveB.there were more cars than people in the United StatesC.automobile use increased rapidlyD.there were few good roads for au
27、tomobiles(2).The phrase the lifeblood in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to（分数：1.00）A.a supervisorB.an important partC.an opponentD.a serious threat(3).The word frenzied in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to（分数：1.00）A.intenseB.scientificC.disorganizedD.wasteful(4).Which sentence bestdescribes ro
28、ad building in the 1940s and 1950s?（分数：1.00）A.It was the last public works project funded by the federal government.B.It cost more money than the government spent on national defense.C.It produced a network of highways that favored large cities and suburbs.D.It led to an increase in the demand for b
29、etter public transit systems.(5).The word scant in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to（分数：1.00）A.more importantB.barely sufficientC.very generousD.privately funded(6).According to the passage, the growth in the number of cars had a positive impact on all of the following EXCEPT（分数：1.00）A.tourismB.s
30、ervice stationsC.subway systemsD.shopping malls(7).According to the passage, the American attitude toward the automobile has resulted in（分数：1.00）A.a preference for private cars over public transportationB.loss of farmland and destruction of traditional farm lifeC.an increase in the number of deaths
31、due to car accidentsD.criticism of the amount of money spent on roadsBIRD SONG1 One instance in the animal kingdom with parallels to human music is bird song. Much has recently been discovered about the development of song in birds. Some species are restricted to a single song learned by all individ
32、uals, while other species have a range of songs and dialects, depending on environmental stimulation. The most important auditory stimuli for birds are the sounds of other birds, including family or flock members and territorial rivals. For all bird species, there is a prescribed path to development
33、 of the final song, beginning with the subsong, passing through plastic song, until the bird achieves the species song or songs. This process is similar to the steps through which young children pass as they first babble and then mimic pieces of the songs they hear around them, although the ultimate
34、 output of human singers is much vaster and more varied than even the most impressive bird repertoire.2 Underlying all avian vocal activity is the syrinx, an organ unique to birds that is located at the first major branching of the windpipe and is linked to the brain. There are general parallels bet
35、ween the syrinx in birds and the larynx in humans. Both produce sound when air is forced through the windpipe, causing thin membranes to vibrate. However, compared to the human larynx, which uses only about two percent of exhaled air, the syrinx is a far more efficient sound-producing mechanism that
36、 can create sound from nearly all the air passing through it.3 Possibly the most interesting aspect of bird song from the perspective of human intelligence is its foundation in the central nervous system. Like humans, birds have large brains relative to their body size. Song is a complex activity th
37、at young birds must learn, and learning implies that higher-brain activity must be complex in the control of song. This control is associated with two song-control centers in the avian brain. If the links between these centers and the syrinx are interrupted, a bird is unable to produce normal song.
38、Moreover, bird song is one of the few instances in the animal kingdom of a skill that is lateralized; the song- control centers are located in the left side of the avian brain. A lesion there will destroy bird song, while a similar lesion in the right half of the brain will result in much less damag
39、e.（分数：8.00）(1).The word range in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to（分数：1.00）A.regionB.memoryC.varietyD.system(2).How does the development of song in birds parallel its development in humans?（分数：1.00）A.Bird song and human music evolved during the same period in history.B.All birds and humans are ca
40、pable of learning a large number of songs.C.The song repertoire of both birds and humans changes over their lifetime.D.Song development progresses through stages in both birds and humans.(3).The word mimic in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to（分数：1.00）A.mitateB.enjoyC.composeD.memoraze(4).The word
41、 underlying in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to（分数：1.00）A.restrictingB.surroundingC.recordingD.supporting(5).In what way are the avian syrinx and the human larynx different?（分数：1.00）A.The syrinx is located near the windpipe, but the larynx is not.B.The syrinx is larger than the larynx relative t
42、o body size.C.The syrinx produces a wider variety of sounds than the larynx.D.The syrinx uses much more of the passing air to produce soun(6).What aspect of bird song suggests the involvement of the brain in the control of song?（分数：1.00）A.The purpose of song is similar in birds and humans.B.Song is
43、a complex activity that must be learned.C.Birds can produce two separate sounds at the same time.D.Song consists of a wide variety of musical notes.(7).The word lateralized in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to（分数：1.00）A.linked to a specific area of the brainB.highly evolvedC.shared by all species
44、D.easily damaged or destroyed(8).All of the following statements characterize bird song EXCEPT:（分数：1.00）A.Birds learn song mainly by listening to the sounds of other birds.B.Birds are born with the full ability to sing their species song.C.Song is produced in the syrinx, which is linked to the avian
45、 brain.D.The central nervous system has the lead role in the control of sonMACHIAVELLI1 Niccolo Machiavelli, an Italian statesman and political philosopher of the early sixteenth century, is considered the founder of modem political thinking. Machiavelli was a product of Renaissance Florence, a city
46、-state that was struggling for expansion and survival among a competing group of similar states. As a public servant and diplomat, Machiavelli came to understand power politics by observing the spectacle around him without any illusions. In 1512, he was briefly imprisoned and then forced to leave pu
47、blic life. He retired to his country estate, where he recorded his reflections on politics. Two of his books would become classics in political theory: Discourses on the First Ten Books ofLivy, a set of essays on ancient and modem politics, and The Prince, a potent little book that would shock reade
48、rs for centuries.2 Machiavelli saw politics as an affair separate from religion and ethics, an activity to be practiced and studied for its own sake. Politics was simply the battle of men in search of power, and since all men were brutal, selfish, and cowardly, politics must follow certain rules. In
49、 his most famous work, The Prince (1532), Machiavelli described the means by which a leader may gain and maintain power. The ideal prince was the man who had studied his fellow men, both by reading history and by observing the present, and was willing to exploit their weaknesses. Machiavelli thought that his own time was too corrupt to permit any alternative to the Renaissance despots that he saw all around him.3 Machiavellis philosophy arose more from a deeply pessimistic view of human nature than from a lack of moral sense, which many readers criticized in him. He was, and still is,
