托福阅读真题+题目+答案：Machines and Manufacturing

托福阅读真题+题目+答案：Machines and Manufacturing

The tremendous growth in European industry in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries was the result of a number of changes, technology foremost among them. The accumulation and diffusion of technical knowledge necessary for manufacturing began in the countryside, where handicraft operations were gradually enlarged and mechanized. Often it was small-and medium-sized producers, and the occasional amateur experimenter in a barn, who were the inventors and innovators. Numerous small inventions, applied and diffused on both sides of the Atlantic gradually built up a stock of technical knowledge and practice that was widely available.

1.In paragraph 1, which of the following is NOT mentioned as a factor that contributed to the growth in European industry during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries?

A The spread of information across the Atlantic

B Inventions made by individuals and small producers

C The growth of handicraft operations in the countryside

D The emergence of manufacturing centers in large cities

答案：。。。。

Most famous of these inventors was James Watt (1739-1819) of Scotland who succeeded in making steam engines more efficient Steam engines burned coal to boil water, which condensed into steam that was used to drive mechanized devices. Watt devised a way to separate steam condensers from piston cylinders so that pistons could be kept hot. and therefore running constantly. This set the stage for a fuel-efficient engine. Early prototypes of Watt's engine were used to pump water out of mines. After moving to Birmingham in 1774. Watt joined forces with the industrialist Matthew Boulton(1728-1809). who marketed the steam engine won an extension of the patent for another twenty-five years, and set up a special laboratory for Watt so that he could refine his device. Thus, technical exploration joined forces with the interests of business: collaboration between inventors and entrepreneurs was a sign of the times. Moreover. perhaps the most important aspect of Watt's engineering feat was that it was subject to a stream of improvement and adaptation. not just from Boulton and company, but from its competitors as well.

2.The word "refine" in the passage is closest in mean

A test

B get assistance with

C improve

D assemble

答案：。。。。

3.According to paragraph 2, what is one of the roles Matthew Boulton played in the development of the steam engine?

A He made the steam engine more fuel efficient

B He helped Watt to sell the steam engine.

C He introduced the steam engine to miners.

D He convinced Watt to move his laboratory to Birmingham.

答案：。。。。

The steam engine, driven by burning coal, provided vastly increased, power and sparked a revolution in transportation. Steam-powered ships and railroads, built once inventors were able to construct lighter engines that required less coal to run. slashed the time and cost of long-distance travel. Steam power's diffusion accelerated when iron-making improved, allowing for the production of railroad track and cables used to hang。。。。余下托福阅读真题及答案省略！

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