托福阅读常考话题及练习题推荐四：工业革命（2）

1托福阅读常考话题：工业革命练习题

Paragraph 1: By the eighteenth century, Britain was experiencing a severe shortage of energy. Because of the growth of population, most of the great forests of medieval Britain had long ago been replaced by fields of grain and hay. Wood was in ever-shorter supply, yet it remained tremendously important. It served as the primary source of heat for all homes and industries and as a basic raw material. Processed wood (charcoal) was the fuel that was mixed with iron ore in the blast furnace to produce pig iron (raw iron). The iron industry’s appetite for wood was enormous, and by 1740 the British iron industry was stagnating. Vast forests enabled Russia to become the world’s leading producer of iron, much of which was exported to Britain. But Russia’s potential for growth was limited too, and in a few decades Russia would reach the barrier of inadequate energy that was already holding England back.

1.What can be inferred from paragraph 1 about Britain’s short supply of wood in the eighteenth century?

A. Wood from Britain’s great forests was being exported to other countries for profit.

B. A growing population had required cutting down forests to increase available land for farming.

C. Larger families required the construction of larger homes made from wood.

D. What was left of the great forests after the medieval period was being strictly protected.

2.Select TWO answer choices that, according to paragraph 1, are true statements about Russia’s iron industry in the eighteenth century.To obtain credit, you must select TWO answer choices.

A. Russia reached its maximum production of iron at the same time as Britain.

B. Russia exported much of its iron production to Britain.

C. Russia’s appetite for iron increased rapidly after 1740.

D. Russia’s energy resources eventually became insufficient and limited the growth of its iron industry.

Paragraph 2:As this early energy crisis grew worse, Britain looked toward its abundant and widely scattered reserves of coal as an alternative to its vanishing wood. Coal was first used in Britain in the late Middle Ages as a source of heat. By 1640 most homes in London were heated with it, and it also provided heat for making beer, glass, soap, and other products. Coal was not used, however, to produce mechanical energy or to power machinery. It was there that coal’s potential was enormous.

3.The word “abundant” in the passage is closest in meaning to

A. reliable

B. plentiful

C. well-preserved

D. existing

4.Why are “beer, glass, soap, and other products” mentioned in the discussion of Britain’s energy?

A. To help explain why the energy crisis was so severe

B. To show that despite the energy crisis and as early as 1640, London homes were advanced and well supplied

C. To emphasize that after 1640, British homes required energy for more than heat

D. To indicate that coal had been used for the production of certain products before the eighteenth century

Paragraph 3: As more coal was produced, mines were dug deeper and deeper and were constantly filling with water. Mechanical pumps, usually powered by hundreds of horses waling in circles at the surface, had to be installed. Such power was expensive and bothersome. In an attempt to overcome these disadvantages, Thomas Savery in 1698 and Thomas Newcomen in 1705 invented the first primitive steam engines. Both engines were extremely inefficient. Both burned coal to produce steam, which was then used to operate a pump. However, by the early 1770s, many of the Savery engines and hundreds of the Newcomen engines were operating successfully, though inefficiently, in English and Scottish mines.

5.According to paragraph 3, all of the following are ways in which the Savery and Newcomen engines were similar EXCEPT:

A. Both became relatively inexpensive after the 1770s.

B. Both produced steam by burning coal.

C. Both were used to operate pumps.

D. Both were very inefficient.

Paragraph 4: In the early 1760s, a gifted young Scot named James Watt was drawn to a critical study of the steam engine. Watt was employed at the time by the University of Glasgow as a skilled crafts worker making scientific instruments. In 1763, Watt was called on to repair a Newcomen engine being used in a physics course. After a series of observations, Watt saw that the Newcomen’s waste of energy could be reduced by adding a separate condenser. This splendid invention, patented in 1769, greatly increased the efficiency of the steam engine. The steam engine of Watt and his followers was the technological advance that gave people, at least for a while, unlimited power and allowed the invention and use of all kinds of power equipment.

6.The word “gifted” in the passage is closest in meaning to

A. independent

B. talented

C. famous

D. ambitious

7.According to paragraph 4, what was James Watt’s major achievement?

A. He was able to apply his understanding of physics to invent a variety of scientific instruments and tools for skilled crafts workers.

B. He taught university physics courses to outstanding students whose observations led to many patented inventions.

C. He improved the efficiency of Newcomen’s engine by preventing energy from being lost.

D. He redesigned Newcomen’s engine so that it no longer needed a separate condenser.

8.The word “splendid” in the passage is closest in meaning to

A. original

B. necessary

C. magnificent

D. popular