2017年6月25日托福阅读真题+题目+答案：Grain in Colonial North America

2017年6月25日托福阅读真题+题目+答案：Grain in Colonial North America

Although the colonists of seventeenth- and early-eighteenth-century British North America consumed most of the grain produced in the colonial economy, few households were self-sufficient. Instead, they traded with their neighbors for what they did not produce themselves. In any given year, farmers who produced more grain than they needed would exchange their surpluses locally with other farmers who had different surpluses, with local laborers who supported themselves by selling their labor, or with the local storekeeper, who might also be the miller (trade person who ground grain into flour). Satisfying the domestic demand for breadstuff, then, depended on trade between neighbors. The colonists recorded these myriad transactions as credits and debts in their individual account books. Debts and credits could remain outstanding for years before being settled. Trading based on book credit gave more value to maintaining equilibrium between local supply and demand and to preserving a cooperative spirit among neighbors than to expanding production beyond the immediate needs of the locality.

1. According to paragraph 1, why did North American colonists trade with

their neighbors?

A. They preferred not to accept cash for goods they had to trade.

B. They were not able to produce everything that they needed.

C. They had difficulty establishing book credit with the local storekeepers.

D. They wanted to balance the credits and debts in their account books.

2. The word “preserving” in the passage is closest in meaning to

A. limiting

B. revealing

C. maintaining

D. creating

Colonists also traded grain surpluses long-distance, responding to impersonal demand beyond the community. Some of the long-distance trade catered to regional and urban domestic demand. As the urban areas matured, they increasingly relied on producers in distant areas for grain and other agricultural supplies. In the early 1750s, the most densely populated towns of eastern and southern New England had begun importing substantial quantities of flour and rice from the middle and southern colonies to compensate for grain deficits that developed in their region. Other urban areas followed their example, though their greater proximity to grain regions enabled them to tap supplies closer to home. Assuming that in the early 1770s at least half of the demand for grain from farmers with surpluses was satisfied through long-distance channels, the proportion of grain produced for consumption beyond the local market probably accounted for about a quarter of total grain production consumed by humans.

3. According to paragraph 2, what happened as urban areas matured?

A. Urban areas became increasingly dependent on grain produced in distant areas.

B. Urban areas began to rely on their own stored surpluses of wheat flour.

C. Urban consumers were forced to reduce their consumption of grain by one fourth.

D. Urban areas relied more on rice and less on wheat.

4. The word “substantial” in the passage is closest in meaning to

A. modest

B. sufficient

C. necessary

D. large

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