1、2006 年 8 月美国托福英语考试（TOEFL）阅读真题精选及答案解析(总分：104.00，做题时间：150 分钟)一、READING(总题数：5，分数：104.00)ArchitectureArchitecture is the art and science of designing structures that organize and enclose space for practical and symbolic purposes. Because architecture grows out of human needs and aspirations, it clearly
2、communicates cultural values. Of all the visual arts, architecture affects our lives most directly for it determines the character of the human environment in major ways.Architecture is a three-dimensional form. It utilizes space, mass, texture, line, light, and color. To be architecture, a building
3、 must achieve a working harmony with a variety of elements. Humans instinctively seek structures that will shelter and enhance their way of life. It is the work of architects to create buildings that are not simply constructions but also offer inspiration and delight. Buildings contribute to human l
4、ife when they provide shelter, enrich space, complement their site, suit the climate, and are economically feasible. The client who pays for the building and defines its function is an important member of the architectural team. The mediocre design of many contemporary buildings can be traced to bot
5、h clients and architects.In order for the structure to achieve the size and strength necessary to meet its purpose, architecture employs methods of support that, because they are based on physical laws, have changed little since people first discovered them-even while building materials have changed
6、 dramatically. The worlds architectural structures have also been devised in relation to the objective limitations of materials. Structures can be analyzed in terms of how they deal with downward forces created by gravity. They are designed to withstand the forces of compression (pushing together),
7、tension (pulling apart), bending, or a combination of these in different parts of the structure.Even development in architecture has been the result of major technological changes. Materials and methods of construction are integral parts of the design of architecture structures. In earlier times it
8、was necessary to design structural systems suitable for the materials that were available, such as wood, stone, brick. Today technology has progressed to the point where it is possible to invent new building materials to suit the type of structure desired. Enormous changes in materials and technique
9、s of construction within the last few generations have made it possible to enclose space with much greater ease and speed and with a minimum of material. Progress in this area can be measured by the difference in weight between buildings built now and those of comparable size built one hundred years
10、 ago.Modern architectural forms generally have three separate components comparable to elements of the human body? a supporting skeleton or frame, an outer skin enclosing the interior spaces, equipment, similar to the bodys vital organs and systems. The equipment includes plumbing, electrical wiring
11、, hot water, and air-conditioning. Of course in early architecturesuch as igloos and adobe structuresthere was no such equipment, and the skeleton and skin were often one.Much of the worlds great architecture has been constructed of stone because of its beauty, permanence, and availability. In the p
12、ast, whole cities grew from the arduous task of cutting and piling stone upon. Some of the worlds finest stone architecture can be seen in the ruins of the ancient Inca city of Machu Picchu high in the eastern Andes Mountains of Peru. The doorways and windows are made possible by placing over the op
13、en spaces thick stone beams that support the weight from above. A structural invention had to be made before the physical limitations of stone could be overcome and new architectural forms could be created. That invention was the arch, a curved structure originally made of separate stone or brick se
14、gments. The arch was used by the early cultures of the Mediterranean area chiefly for underground drains, but it was the Romans who first developed and used the arch extensively in aboveground structures. Roman builders perfected the semicircular arch made of separate blocks of stone. As a method of
15、 spanning space, the arch can support greater weight than a horizontal beam. It works in compression to divert the weight above it out to the sides, where the weight is borne by the vertical elements on either side of the arch. The arch is among the many important structural breakthroughs that have
16、characterized architecture throughout the centuries.（分数：24）(1).According to paragraph 1, all of the following statements about architecture are true EXCEPT:（分数：2）A.Architecture is visual art.B.Architecture reflects the cultural values of its creators.C.Architecture has both artistic and scientific d
17、imensions.D.Architecture has an indirect effect on life.(2).The word “feasible” in the passage is closet in meaning to（分数：2）A.in existenceB.without questionC.achievableD.most likely(3).The word “enhance” in the passage is closest in meaning to（分数：2）A.protectB.improveC.organizeD.match(4).Which of the
18、 sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage? （分数：2）A.Unchanging physical laws have limited the size and strength of buildings that can be made with materials discovered long ago.B.Building materials have changed in order to increase architectu
19、ral size and strength, but physical laws of structure have not changed.C.When people first started to build, the structural methods used to provide strength and size were inadequate because they were not based on physical laws.D.Unlike building materials, the methods of support used in architecture
20、have not changed over time because they are based on physical laws.(5).The word “devised” in the passage is closest in meaning to（分数：2）A.CombinedB.CreatedC.IntroducedD.Suggested(6).The word “integral” is closet in meaning to（分数：2）A.EssentialB.VariableC.PracticalD.Independent(7).According to paragrap
21、h 4, which of the following is true about materials used in the construction of buildings?（分数：2）A.Because new building materials are hard to find, construction techniques have changed very little from past generations.B.The availability of suitable building materials no longer limits the types of st
22、ructures that may be built.C.The primary building materials that are available today are wood, stone, and brick.D.Architects in earlier times did not have enough building materials to enclose large spaces.(8).In paragraph 4, what does the author imply about modern buildings?（分数：2）A.They occupy much
23、less space than buildings constructed one hundred years ago.B.They are not very different from the building of a few generations ago.C.They weigh less in relation to their size than buildings constructed one hundred years ago.D.They take a long time to build as a result of their complex construction
24、 methods.(9).Which of the following correctly characterizes the relationship between the human body and architecture that is described in paragraph5?（分数：2）A.Complex equipment inside buildings is the one element in modern architecture that resembles a component of the human body.B.The components in e
25、arly buildings were similar to three particular elements of the human body.C.Modern buildings have components that are as likely to change as the human body is.D.In general, modern buildings more closely resemble the human body than earlier buildings do.(10).The word “arduous” in the passage is clos
26、est in meaning to（分数：2）A.DifficultB.NecessaryC.SkilledD.Shared(11).Why does the author include a description of how the “doorways and windows” of Machu Picchu were constructed?（分数：2）A.To indicate that the combined skeletons and skins of the stone buildings of Machu Picchu were similar to igloos and
27、adobe structuresB.To indicate the different kinds of stones that had to be cut to build Machu PicchuC.To provide an illustration of the kind of construction that was required before arches were inventedD.To explain how ancient builders reduced the amount of time necessary to construct buildings from
28、 stone.(12).According to paragraph6, which of the following statements is true of the arch?（分数：2）A.The Romans were the first people to use the stone arch.B.The invention of the arch allowed new architectural forms to be developed.C.The arch worked by distributing the structural of a building toward
29、the center of the arch.D.The Romans followed earlier practices in their use of arches.Depletion of the Ogallala AquiferThe vast grasslands of the High Plains in the central United States were settled by farmers and ranchers in the 1880s. This region has a semiarid climate, and for 50 years after its
30、 settlement, it supported a low-intensity agricultural economy of cattle ranching and wheat farming. In the early twentieth century, however, it was discovered that much of the High Plains was underlain by a huge aquifer (a rock layer containing large quantities of groundwater). This aquifer was nam
31、ed the Ogallala aquifer after the Ogallala Sioux Indians, who once inhabited the region.The Ogallala aquifer is a sandstone formation that underlies some 583,000 square kilometers of land extending from northwestern Texas to southern South Dakota. Water from rains and melting snows has been accumula
32、ting in the Ogallala for the past 30,000 years. Estimates indicate that the aquifer contains enough water to fill Lake Huron, but unfortunately, under the semiarid climatic conditions that presently exist in the region, rates of addition to the aquifer are minimal, amounting to about half a centimet
33、er a year.The first wells were drilled into the Ogallala during the drought years of the early 1930s. The ensuing rapid expansion of irrigation agriculture, especially from the 1950s onward, transformed the economy of the region. More than 100,000 wells now tap the Ogallala. Modern irrigation device
34、s, each capable of spraying 4.5 million liters of water a day, have produced a landscape dominated by geometric patterns of circular green islands of crops. Ogallala water has enabled the High Plains region to supply significant amounts of the cotton, sorghum, wheat, and corn grown in the United Sta
35、tes. In addition, 40 percent of American grain-fed beef cattle are fattened here.This unprecedented development of a finite groundwater resource with an almost negligible natural recharge ratethat is, virtually no natural water source to replenish the water supplyhas caused water tables in the regio
36、n to fall drastically. In the 1930s, wells encountered plentiful water at a depth of about 15 meters; currently, they must be dug to depths of 45 to 60 meters or more. In places, the water table is declining at a rate of a meter a year, necessitating the periodic deepening of wells and the use of ev
37、er-more-powerful pumps. It is estimated that at current withdrawal rates, much of the aquifer will run dry within 40 years. The situation is most critical in Texas, where the climate is driest, the greatest amount of water is being pumped, and the aquifer contains the least water. It is projected th
38、at the remaining Ogallala water will, by the year 2030, support only 35 to 40 percent of the irrigated acreage in Texas that is supported in 1980.The reaction of farmers to the inevitable depletion of the Ogallala varies. Many have been attempting to conserve water by irrigating less frequently or b
39、y switching to crops that require less water. Other, however, have adopted the philosophy that it is best to use the water while it is still economically profitable to do so and to concentrate on high-value crops such as cotton. The incentive of the farmers who wish to conserve water is reduced by t
40、heir knowledge that many of their neighbors are profiting by using great amounts of water, and in the process are drawing down the entire regions water supplies.In the face of the upcoming water supply crisis, a number of grandiose schemes have been developed to transport vast quantities of water by
41、 canal or pipeline from the Mississippi, the Missouri, or the Arkansas rivers. Unfortunately, the cost of water obtained through any of these schemes would increase pumping costs at least tenfold, making the cost of irrigated agricultural products from the region uncompetitive on the national and in
42、ternational markets. Somewhat more promising have been recent experiments for releasing capillary water (water in the soil) above the water table by injecting compressed air into the ground. Even if this process proves successful, however, it would almost triple water costs. Genetic engineering also
43、 may provide a partial solution, as new strains of drought-resistant crops continue to be developed. Whatever the final answer to the water crisis may be, it is evident that within the High Plains, irrigation water will never again be the abundant, inexpensive resource it was during the agricultural
44、 boom years of the mid-twentieth century.（分数：24）(1).According to paragraph 1, which of the following statements about the High Plains is true?（分数：2）A.Until farmers and ranchers settled there in the 1880s, the High Plains had never been inhabited.B.The climate of the High Plains is characterized by h
45、igher-than-average temperatures.C.The large aquifer that lies underneath the High Plains was discovered by the Ogallala Sioux Indians.D.Before the early 1900s there was only a small amount of farming and ranching in the High Plains.(2).According to paragraph 2, all of the following statements about
46、the Ogallala aquifer are true EXCEPT:（分数：2）A.The aquifer stretches from South Dakota to Texas.B.The aquifers water comes from underground springs.C.Water has been gathering in the aquifer for 30,000 years.D.The aquifers water is stored in a layer of sandstone.(3).Which of the sentences below best ex
47、presses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage? （分数：2）A.Despite the current impressive size of the Ogallala aquifer, the regions climate keeps the rates of water addition very smallB.Although the aquifer has been adding water at the rate of only half a centimeter a year
48、, it will eventually accumulate enough water of fill Lake Huron.C.Because of the regions present climatic conditions, water is being added each year to the aquifer.D.Even when the region experiences unfortunate climatic conditions, the rates of addition of water continue to increase.(4).The word “en
49、suing” in the passage is closest in meaning to（分数：2）A.ContinuingB.SurprisingC.InitialD.Subsequent(5).In paragraph 3, why does the author provide the information that 40 percent of American cattle are fattened in the High Plains?（分数：2）A.To suggest that crop cultivation is not the most important part of the economy of the High PlainsB.To indicate that not all economic activity in the High Plains is dependent on irrigationC.To provide another example of how water from the Ogallala has transformed the economy of the High PlainsD.To contrast cattle-fattening practices in the High
