历年托福考试阅读真题汇总含答案

0308 托福试题

阅读( 55minutes )

Question 1-11

If food is allowed to stand for some time, it

putrefies .When the putrefied material

is examined microscopically ,it is found to be teeming with bacteria. Where do these

bacteria come from , since they are not seen in fresh food? Even until the mid-nineteenth

century, many people believed that such microorganisms originated by spontaneous

(5 ) generation ,a hypothetical process by which living organisms develop from nonliving

matter.

opponent of the theory of

1895).Pasteur showed that structures

microorganisms seen in putrefying materials .He did (10) this by passing air through guncotton filters, the fibers of which stop solid particles. After

the guncotton was dissolved in a mixture of alcohol and ether, the particles that it had

trapped fell to the bottom of the liquid and were

examined on a microscope slide .Pasteur found that in

ordinary air these exists a variety of

solid structures ranging in size from

The most powerful spontaneous generation was the French chemist and microbiologist Louis Pasteur(1822-

present in air closely

resemble the

0.01 mm to more than 1.0 mm .Many of these bodies

resembled the reproductive

(15)structures of common molds, single-celled animals, and various other microbial cells .

As many as 20 to 30 of them were found in fifteen

liters of ordinary air ,and they could

not be distinguished from the organisms found in much larger numbers in putrefying materials .Pasteur concluded that the organisms

found in putrefying materials originated

from the organized bodies present in the air .He postulated that these bodies are constantly (20)being deposited on all objects.

Pasteur showed that if a nutrient solution was

sealed in a glass flask and heated to boiling to destroy all the living organisms contaminating it, it never putrefied .The

proponents of spontaneous generation declared that fresh air was necessary for spontaneous generation and that the air

inside the sealed flask was affected in some way

(25)by heating so that it would no longer support spontaneous

generation. Pasteur constructed a swan-necked flask in which putrefying materials could he heated to boiling, but air could reenter. The bends in the neck prevented microorganisms

from getting in the flask.. Material sterilized in such a flask did not putrefy.

1, What does the passage mainly discuss?

(a) Pasteur ' sin fluence on the development of the microscope. (b) The origin of the theory of spontaneous generation . (c) The effects of pasteurization on food.

(d)

Pasteur ' s argument agai nst the theory of

spontaneous generation .

2,

The phrase “ teeming with ” in line

2 is closest in

meaning to

(a) full of

(b) developing into

(c) resistant to

(d) hurt by

3, Which of the following questions did the theory of spontaneous generation attempt to answer?

(a) What is the origin of the living organisms are seen on some food?

(b) How many types of organisms can be found on food?

(c) What is the most effective way to prepare living organisms for microscopic examination?

(d) How long can food stand before it putrefies? (a) benefit from

(b) appear similar to

4,The word

meaning to

resemble in line 9 is closest in

(c)join together with

(d)grow from

5,The purpose of the “ guncotton ” mentioned in paragraph 2 was to

(a)trap particles for analysis

(b)slow the process of putrefaction

(c)increase the airflow to the microscopic slide

(d)aid the mixing of alcohol and ether

6,The author mention “ 1.0mm ” in line 14 in describing the (a)thickness of a layer of organisms that was deposited on an object

(b)diameter of the fibers that were in the guncotton filters

(c)thickness of the microscope slides that were used

(d)size of the particles that that were collected

7.The word “ postulated ” inl ine 19 is closest in meaning to

(a)analyzed

(b)doubted

(c)persuaded

(d)suggested

8.The objects that Pasteut removed from the air in his experiment were remarkable because they were

(a)primarily single-celled organisms

(b)no different from objects found in putrefying materials

(c)fairly rare

(d)able to live in a mixture of alcohol and ether

9.The word “ it ” in line 22 refers to

(a)a nutrient solution

(b)a glass flask

(c)boiling

(d)spontaneous generation

10.According to paragraph 3,proponents of spontaneous generation believed that which of the following was important for the process to succeed ?

(a)A sealed container

(b)Fresh air

(c)Heat

(d)The presence of nutrients

11.It can be inferred from paragraph 3 that Pasteur employed a swam-necked flask to

(a)store sterilized liquids for use in future experiments

(b)prevent heat from building up in a solution

(c)disprove a criticism of his conclusions

(d)estimate the number of organisms in a liter of air

Questions 12-20

In the early decades of the United States ,the agrarian

movement promoted the farmer

as society ' sh ero. In the minds of agrarian thinkers and writers ,the farmer was a person on whose well-being the health of the new country

depended .The period between the

Revolution, which ended in 1783,and the Civil War ,which ended in 1865 ,was the age of

(5 )the farmer in the United States .Agrarian

philosophers ,represented most eloquently by

Thomas Jefferson, celebrated farmers extravagantly for their supposed centrality in a good

society, their political virtue ,and their Superior

morality .And virtually all policy makers, whether

they subscribed to the tenets of the philosophy held by

Jefferson or not, recognized agriculture as the key component of the American economy .Consequently ,government at

(10) all levels worked to encourage farmers as a social group and agriculture as economic

enterprise.

harbors ,and removing obstructions navigable streams .The national government imported plant and animal varieties and

(15) launched exploring expeditions into prospective Both the national

developed transportation canals, roads, bridges, and state governments infrastructure,building and railroads ,deepening

from

farmlands in the West .In addition ,

government trade policies facilitated the exporting of agricultural products.

For their part ,farmers seemed to meet the social expectations agrarian philosophers

had for them ,as their broader horizons and greater self-

respect, both products of the Revolution ,were reflected to

some degree in their behavior .Farmers seemed to become (20) more scientific ,joining agricultural societies and reading the farm newspapers that sprang

up throughout the country .They began using improved implements, tried new crops and

pure animal breeds , and became more receptive to modern theories of soil improvement .

They also responded to inducements by national

and state governments .Farmers

streamed to the West ,filling frontier lands with stunning

rapidity .But farmers responded

(25) less to the expectations of agrarians and government

inducements than to growing market opportunities .European demand for food from the

United States seemed insatiable . War, industrialization , and urbanization all kept demand high in Europe . United States cities

and industries grew as well; even industries not directly

related to farming thrived because

of the market, money ,and labor that agriculture

provided .

12.What does the passage mainly discuss?