2015年1月11日托福阅读真题P3+题目+答案：The Plow and the Horse in Medieval Europe

2015年1月11日托福阅读真题P3+题目+答案：The Plow and the Horse in Medieval Europe

One of the most important factors driving Europe’s slow emergence from the economic stagnation of the Early Middle Ages (circa 500-1000 B.C.E.) was the improvement of agricultural technology. One innovation was a new plow, with a curved attachment (moldboard) to turn over wet, heavy soils, and a knife (or coulter) in front of the blade to allow a deeper and easier cut. This more complex plow replaced the simpler “scratch” plow that merely made a shallow, straight furrow in the ground. In the lands around the Mediterranean, with light rains and mild winters, this had been find, but in the wetter terrain north and west of the Danube and the Alps, such a plow left much to be desired, and it is to be wondered if it was used at all. Cleared lands would more likely have been worked by hand tilling, with little direct help from animals, and the vast forests natural to Northern Europe remained either untouched, or perhaps cleared in small sections by fire, and the land probably used only so long as the ash-enriched soil yielded good crops and then abandoned for some others similarly cleared field. Such a pattern of agriculture and settlement was no basis for sustained cultural or economic life.

28. The word “stagnation” in the passage is closet in meaning to

A.instability

B.lack of growth

C.dependence on others

D.decline

29. According to paragraph 1, what was the main advantage of the new plow over the scratch plow?

A.The new plow created straighter rows.

B.The new plow was easier for animals to pull.

C.The new plow could dig deeper into the soil.

D.The new plow was easier to make.

30. The word “sustained” in the passage is closet in meaning to

A.continued

B.established

C.ordinary

D.active

31. According to paragraph 1, the scratch plow was particularly unsuited to

A.the lands around the Mediterranean

B.places where the soil was often dry

C.places where land was cleared and worked by hand

D.places where the soil was particularly wet and heavy

32. Paragraph 1 implies which of the following about agriculture before the introduction of the new plow?

A.Limited rainfall had prevented large-scale agricultural development.

B.Most of Europe’s developed agricultural communities were located in the south.

C.Several other important innovations immediately preceded the development of the new plow.

D.Much of Europe’s forestland had been converted to agricultural use.

33. Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.

A Tilling by hand was so difficult that cleared land in Northern Europe was often abandoned and allowed to return to its natural forested state.

B Cleared land was probably tilled by hand, while the forests of Northern Europe were cleared only in small sections and used for short periods.

C In the vast natural forests of Northern Europe, farmers had to work the and by hand, with little direct help from animals.

D Fire enabled northern European farmers to enrich cleared land enough to cultivate their crops for short periods of time.

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