托福阅读真题+题目+答案：Agriculture in Medieval Japan

托福阅读真题+题目+答案：Agriculture in Medieval Japan

A rapid population of Japan occurred during its medieval times. Japan’s population was around 7 million but it rose keenly to 12 million from year 1200 to 1600. In this period, numerous hamlets formed throughout the country. They were mostly formed in the lands listed as ”unsettled” or as a ”wasteland” before 1300. There were many facets in increase in number of new hamlets，but by far the most significant characteristic of newly formed hamlets were that they were much bigger in terms of size compared to that of the hamlets built before 1300. There are many factors for forming of such large towns that contributed to increase in population mass. Some factors that can be considered are people’s demand for local authority, voluntarily, to defend themselves against outside threats or to form religious communities. Whatever the impetus, such formation of large villages was due to improvements in the agricultural technologies. Some improvements in technologies involved turning over of fields, irrigation methods, and usage of waterwheels, iron tools and diversification of crop output.

Among many improvements in agriculture, field leveling was the most basic practice used to optimize the land for farming. The farmers would create flat land for farming by leveling a field. They then would use the surfeit soil from the field to level the slightly slanted field. As a result, two fields of difference in altitude would be formed. Such difference in elevation allowed farmers to use the lower for rice paddy and the higher for dry crops. Practice of field leveling allowed a paddy culture to settle and allowed vast variety in dry crops to be produced due to the formation of drop crop field. Though the labor involved in formation of fields was enormous, the field preparation enabled marshlands alongside the rivers to be used for husbandry even if the rivers were uncontrolled.

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1. What can be inferred about the reason for the consolidation of population in medieval Japan?

(A) Whether from the orders of local government or due to a voluntary nature, the goal was to avoid danger.

(B) A list of possible catalysts is known but the exact combination of reasons is unclear.

(C) The desire to settle previously undeveloped land allured people, whatever their particular situation.

(D) Population boomed because there were more lands given out to people by the authority.

2. What was the significance of villages that appeared after 1300?

(A) They exemplified advancing capacity of food output that could support the increasing masses.

(B) They had been settled in areas that had been previously described as “unsettled” or as “wastelands.”

(C) They tended to gain greater area per person than the cities built before 1300.

(D) The population had grown by 5 million in a very short amount of time which forced villages to appear.

3. Why does the author mention various agronomical techniques?

(A) To explain the types of prowess needed to be learned in order for villages to prosper

(B) To begin a discussion on the relevance of these techniques in increasing productivity of fields

(C) To isolate the practices that facilitated the increased population size of the villages

(D) To point out the different jobs that had to be performed on a successful field

4. The word impetus in the passage is closest in meaning to

(A) situation

(B) purpose

(C) motivation

(D) outcome

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